54 killed in Pakistan Shia mosque blast n AFP

At least 54 people were killed and 55 others were injured in an explosion inside a central imambargah (mosque affi liated with Shia Muslims) in Sindh province’s Shikarpur district on Friday.

Civil Hospital Shikarpur issued a list of 49 victims out of whom 46 bodies had been identifi ed whereas the iden-tity of 3 others was yet to be confi rmed.

The imambargah is located in Shi-karpur’s Lakhi Dar area and the explo-sion occurred just after Friday prayers.

A number of victims were trapped under debris after the roof of the imam-bargah collapsed due to the intensity of the blast. Many of the casualties were shifted to hospitals in Sukkur and Lar-kana districts of Sindh.

Majlis Wahdatul Muslimeen (MWM) central leader Allama Mohammed Amin Shaheedi announced three days mourning, describing the incident a failure of the government.

He told Dawn that the party’s further course of action would be announced in a press conference later in the evening.

The Jafria Disaster Cell (JDC) de-manded that the critically wounded victims be immediately shifted to Ka-rachi for treatment.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

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I N S I D E3 | NewsThe long-awaited Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) will likely top the agenda during Ma-mata Banerjee’s visit to Dhaka next month, analysts said.

6 | NationA 2.5 acre land, worth aboutTk10 crore belonging to Haribari Forest Department in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensingh district has been allegedly grabbed by local in� uential people.

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8 | ARTS&LETTERS

Rangamati adivasis � rm to resist medical college, tech universityn Abid Azad

Indigenous leaders and activists have expressed resolve to resist at any cost the government move to establish a medical college and a science and tech-nology university in Rangamati.

They allege that the Awami League government did not consult the indige-nous community leaders about its plan to establish the medical college, which violates the 1997 agreement known as the Chittagong Hill Tracts PeaceAccord.

The government also did not pay heed to the voices that have been op-posing the move in the following years.

It rather started academic activities in a building of the General Hospital on a temporary basis after the prime minis-ter on January 10 inaugurated it.

In the current academic session, as many as 51 students have enrolled; the authorities have also appointed a prin-cipal and two lecturers. Of the students, 12 were picked up after combined tests under CHT quota; nine of them belong to indigenous communities.

On January 10, several indigenous groups demonstrated against the med-ical college but faced resistance from ruling party men, which led to vio-lence, communal attacks and the ad-ministration to declare curfew in the

area for a couple of days. Around 30 people were injured in the clash¡es.

Talking to the indigenous peoples, it has been learnt that they are not against the technology university or the medical college; rather they seek sincere attention of the government in implementing the Accord fi rst. They also demand improvement of the exist-ing government colleges and schools in the area that lack adequate manpower and logistics.

Groups that favour the government plans are the ruling Awami League, its affi liated bodies and Bangali set-tlers’ organisations. They also want the

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Arsonists: We did it at the behest of ‘boro bhai’n Mohammad Jamil Khan

Fazal Miah, a Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activist, received a phone call on Janu-ary 20 that instructed him to set a bus on fi re in his area.

“You have to set a bus on fi re,” the order came from the other end of the mobile phone to Fazal Miah alias Sajal, 22, when he was working in his garage.

“A boro bhai (big brother) named Pavel rang me,” he said this while he was presented before the media at Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Me-dia and Community Center yesterday.

“He fi rst told me that I have to do something but as I asked him about what I have to do he said I have to set alight a bus.

“I told him I only know how to fi x vehicles and have never ever done such a thing but he insisted. Later I went out with him about 12am on January 20 and set a bus on fi re at 2am.”

Detective Branch of Dhaka District Police arrested Fazal along with two others – Khairul Islam alias Silti Khairul, 26, and Shawkat Islam, 24, – for setting fi re to a passenger bus in Keraniganj area, the outskirts of the capital.

“Based on information, detectives arrested the three from Noadda village of Rajendrapur Bazar under Keraniganj police station early yesterday,” says Ha-bibur Rahman, superintendent of po-lice of Dhaka.

SP Habib said the arrestees are ac-tively involved in the politics of Chha-tra Dal.

“On January 20, about 1:45am the arrestees set fi re to the bus of Siraj-dhikhan Paribahan which was parked at Rajendrapur Bus Stand of Dhaka-Ma-wa Highway.

The driver and his assistant were sleeping inside the bus when it was put on fi re but somehow they managed to escape the fi re but were burnt badly, said SP Habib while briefi ng at the me-dia center of DMP.

Habib says that a case was fi led with PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

These young men from the northern districts came to the capital in a group in search of seasonal jobs yesterday. They usually do so following harvests. But � nding no contractor to hire them in the capital’s New Market area, they returned to their mess in Keraniganj empty-handed. Day-labourers have been among the worst victims of the ongoing blockade and strikes enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance. The photo was taken at Bangshal in Old Dhaka SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Khilgaon bus burning sends 4 to hospital last nightn Tribune Report

Four people were burnt as a bus was set on fi re at Khilgaon in the capital yester-day while another four were injured in two crude bomb blasts at Mirpur and Palashi. Stray acts of subversion and violence were reported in Comilla, Ba-risal, Khulna, Noakhali. Three people sustained injuries in the incidents.

The four burn victims, including a retired policeman named Jamaluddin, were admitted to Dhaka Medical Col-lege Hospital where doctors said they suff ered 6-15% burn.

Jamaluddin, 55, whose condition was worse than the others, told the PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

White House declines to call Afghan Taliban ‘terrorists’ n AFP

The White House on Thursday declined to describe Afghanistan’s Taliban as a terrorist group, prompting conster-nation from the right, which accused President Barack Obama’s administra-tion of being out of touch.

“They do carry out tactics that are akin to terrorism, they do pursue ter-ror attacks in an eff ort to advance their agenda,” said White House spokesman Josh Earnest.

“What’s also true though is that it is important to draw a distinction between the Taliban and al-Qaeda,” he said, pointing to a diff erence in designation.

“The Taliban is a very dangerous or-ganisation,” he added.

The Treasury Department has im-posed anti-terror sanctions on around 2,000 Taliban fi ghters, leaders, sup-porters and fi nanciers.

But the White House’s distinction got short shrift from its political oppo-nents, with Republicans sending foot-age of the comments to supporters.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Now SSC takers face catastropheBNP-led alliance calls 72-hour hartal from tomorrow amid countrywide transport blockaden Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The BNP-led 20-party alliance’s an-nouncement of countrywide 72-hour shutdown from tomorrow along with the ongoing blockade has put the Sec-ondary School Certifi cate examina-tions in a great peril.

BNP leaders have said they would not backtrack from the movement as they are not responsible for the ongo-ing crisis. The government should step down from offi ce to put an end to the prevailing political stalemate, they say.

Party insiders told the Dhaka Trib-une hartal (shutdown) along with the blockade will be enforced on a regular basis until the problem is solved.

Issuing a press statement at 2:40pm yesterday, BNP Joint Secretary General Ruhul Kabir Rizvi asked the govern-ment to stand down to pave the way for bringing back normalcy to the country.

“Peace and stability can be restored only after the illegal government re-signs,” Rizvi said, replying to the call of Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid to withdraw the blockade during the SSC examinations.

Around 1.5 million students will sit for the examinations this year.

On January 28, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid told journalists that the upcoming Secondary School Certif-icate (SSC) examinations would be held throughout the country in due time and warned that no conspiracy could stop the SSC and equivalent exams.

“We can expect minimum norms

and values from the BNP-led 20-party alliance leaders,” Nahid said.

But Nahid yesterday softened his stance after the hartal call. He said his ministry was yet to decide whether the SSC and equivalent exams would be re-scheduled.

“We still believe that human values will prevail and the BNP-led 20-party alliance will take the exams into con-sideration and postpone or call off their shutdown,” he said.

Earlier, Education Ministry sources said the government decided to hold the exams amid blockade but exam dates coinciding with hartal would be rescheduled.

Guardians of examinees are pan-ic-stricken due to the blockade vio-lence, he added.

Rizvi, on the other hand, said: “The Awami League government is the root of people’s suff erings. They bagged only 5% votes. If the illegal government resigns from the offi ce then peace and stability will return to the country.”

Meanwhile at 5:25pm, Rizvi in an-other press release on behalf of the 20-party alliance announced a 72-hour nationwide hartal from February 01 protesting killing of at least 21 opposi-tion men and fi ling cases against more than 150,000 leaders and activists.

The nationwide strike will be en-forced from 6am tomorrow and will continue till 6am of February 04, he said, adding that the strike was called protesting the threat of arresting BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Earlier, the O- and A-level examina-tions were cancelled due to the oppo-sition combine’s 48-hour shutdown in Dhaka division.

Though the BNP-led alliance had kept O-level exams out of hartal’s pur-view, this time they did not do so; they rather alleged that the solution would

PAGE 2 COLUMN 5

Education ministry is yet to decide whether SSC and equivalent exams would be rescheduled

The driver and his assistant were sleeping inside the bus when it was set on � re

Pakistani investigators and security o� cials look for forensic evidence at a Shiite mosque in Shikarpur, Pakistan, yesterday, destroyed in a bomb blast just as worshippers were gathering for Friday prayers, killing dozens of people and wounding many others AP

01_FRONT.indd02_News.indd16_BACK.indd

News2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, January 31, 2015

54 killed in Pakistan Shia mosque PAGE 1 COLUMN 2A huge contingent of police and rang-ers is present here and ambulances from the nearby towns have started to arrive.

Local resident Mohammad Jehangir told AFP he had “felt the earth move be-neath my feet” as he prayed at another mosque around 1.5 kilometres away.

An offi cial with a national Shi’aite or-ganisation, Rahat Kazmi, told AFP that up to 400 people were worshipping in the mosque when the blast struck.

Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon told Dawn that an emer-gency had been imposed at all hospi-tals in Shikarpur and surrounding talu-kas and cities.

He added that provincial Chief Min-ister Syed Qaim Ali Shah and Sindh Health Minister Jam Mehtab Dahar have taken strong notice of the incident.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, Pres-ident Mamnoon Hussain, Pakistan

Tehreek-i-Insaf chairman Imran Khan and Muttahida Qaumi Movement chief Altaf Hussain issued condemnation messages against the incident.

A bomb disposal squad team has been dispatched to the area from Suk-kur and rescue teams have reached Imam Bargah Maula Karbala where the explosion took place. Speculation pre-vails that the explosion may have been carried out by a suicide bomber.

The incident comes as Pakistan is attempting to implement the National Action Plan to combat and root out ter-rorism from the country, an initiative that was set in motion after the Dec 16 attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School in December 2014.

It was the second major attack on an imambargah in the country since the beginning of 2015; the fi rst being an at-tack on Rawalpindi’s Imambargah Aun Mohammad Rizvi in the garrison city’s Chatian Hatian area. l

White House declines to call Afghan Taliban ‘terrorists’ PAGE 1 COLUMN 1“It slits throats, it attacks buses, it drives car bombs into markets and it’s not a terrorist group. Look, you can’t parody this administration,” said conservative commentator Charles Krauthammer.

Others said the White House’s dis-tinction was based more on politics than reality, pointing to the negotiated release of Taliban captive and US sol-dier Bowe Bergdahl.

The White House says it does not ne-gotiate with terror groups.

Seven days earlier, Dawn reported that US has said that after Jan 2, US forc-es in Afghanistan will not target Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders unless they posed a direct threat to the US.

“Being a member of the Taliban doesn’t mean that the United States is going to prosecute operations against you for that reason alone,” Pentagon spokesman Rear Admiral John Kirby told a recent news briefi ng in Washington.

But he also drew a line between combatant and non-combatant Talib-an, saying that those who continued to fi ght would not be spared.

“We’ve also concurred that a mem-ber of the Taliban who undertakes mis-sions against us or our Afghan partners – by that act alone, renders himself vul-nerable and liable to US action,” Rear Admiral Kirby said.

In his year-end news conference on Friday, President Barack Obama

assured the American nation that he would fulfi l his pledge to end the US-led war in Afghanistan by the end of 2014.

“And in less than two weeks, after more than 13 years, our combat mission in Afghanistan will be over,” he said.

President Obama, however, has author-ised this force to fi ght the militants if they posed a direct threat to them or caused a major threat to offi cial Afghan forces.

At the Pentagon briefi ng, journalists asked Mr Kirby to further explain the policy and also asked him if US forces would continue to pursue Taliban lead-er Mullah Omar after 2014 as well, as they did in the past.

Mullah Omar was Afghanistan’s head of state from 1996 until the US

forced him from power in 2001. He has been on the State Department’s Re-wards for Justice programme since Oct 2001, for harbouring Osama bin Laden and other terrorists. The reward for his capture is $10 million.

The Pentagon spokesman explained that from January 2, the US policy in Afghanistan would change. But “what changes fundamentally, though, is (that) … on January 2nd, just by being a mem-ber of the Taliban doesn’t make you an automatic target,” he explained.

“So, beginning January 2, it will be up to the Afghans to go after someone like a Mullah Omar?” asked a journalist.

“That’s correct, unless there is a di-rect threat that’s posed,” Kirby said. l

Rangamati adivasis � rm to resist medical college, tech university PAGE 1 COLUMN 5proposed science and technology uni-versity near Kaptai of the district to be implemented smoothly.

The authorities have recently issued eviction notices to 74 families living inside the proposed site for the uni-versity. The project covering primarily around 40.5 hectares (100 acres) of land would fi nally require displacement of around 200 families, sources say.

PCJSS chief Santu Larma in the re-cent months issued warnings against such development projects, saying those would further increase discrim-ination against the indigenous people.

He has asked the government to ex-ecute the core provisions of the 1997 Accord, including elections to the re-gional council and the three hill dis-trict councils, and removal of the army camps, before taking such initiatives.

The Awami League government in 1997 struck the landmark agreement with Parbatya Chattagram Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) that ended a decade-long armed struggle in the CHT region.

However, the indigenous leaders now allege that they were fooled in the name of establishing peace since no signifi cant progress is seen to solve the key issues of the Accord which also in-clude making eff ective the land dispute resolution commission.

The three hill district councils, in which subsequent governments have

been appointing people on ad hoc ba-sis, have not seen election in a decade while the Land Commission could not solve a single case.

Rangamti lawmaker Ushatun Taluk-der said: “It makes no sense to estab-lish a medical college and a science and technology university as the funda-mental issues of the Peace Accord are yet to be implemented.”

Ushatan claimed that despite being a public representative, he had not been informed by the government of the large development projects. “Then for whom is the government going to establish the medical college or the university?”

He stressed that the government should focus more on the undergradu-ate public colleges in the three districts that require infrastructural develop-ment, qualifi ed teachers and other nec-essary supports “before establishing another medical college and university.”

Women MP from reserved seat Firo-za Begum Chinu said: “I do not under-stand why the indigenous people do not want such academic institutions in Rangamati. It will certainly be a great opportunity for all the hill tracts people including the settlers.”

The Awami League MP said: “I think a misunderstanding has divided the settlers and the indigenous people over this issue.”

CHT Citizen’s Committee President Gautam Dewan, on the other hand,

pointed out that the Rangamati Medi-cal College Act was nothing special. It would run like other government med-ical colleges even though the language, culture and tradition of the indigenous people are diff erent.

“According to the act, we the indig-enous people do not see the light of educational opportunities and other developments in the CHT area.

“As the adivasis are lagging behind compared to the Bangalis in other part of the country, students from this re-gion do not fulfi l the indigenous quota scheme for higher studies.”

He suggested that the government undertakes programmes to increase the number of teachers and facilities to ensure more enrolment of indigenous people.

In Rangamati College, there are 20 va-cant posts against a total of 67 posts; 20 against 47 in Khagrachhari College; and 10 against 39 posts in Bandarban College.

He said: “When a college requires minimum six to seven professors, we have maximum two professors in every college.”

PCJSS chief Santu Larma in an inter-view with this reporter earlier gave two points why they had been opposing the medical college and the science and technology university.

“Firstly, the government did not discuss with us before taking such ini-tiatives. We came to know about it, not from the government offi cially, but un-

offi cially after the bill was passed.“Secondly, the recent context in the

CHT area is not appropriate to establish such institutions. There are not many qualifi ed students in the indigenous communities who can study in the uni-versities? How many experienced and qualifi ed teachers do we have among the indigenous people? They can, at best, get the third and fourth class jobs in those proposed institutions.”

He also pointed out that a huge number of students, teachers, and other employ-ees would come from outside the CHT area. “It will gradually create more pres-sure and complexity on the existing so-cial and cultural crisis,” Santu said adding that political activities at the institutions would also aff ect the region adversely.

Gautam Dewan said the proposed Rangamati Science and Technology Uni-versity is planned in an area from where the indigenous people had been evicted in early 1960s during construction of the country’s lone hydro power plant.

“Then they took shelter in the hilly areas but were again evicted because of land acquisition for tourism. Later the Kaptai locals had to leave the area as the law enforcement agencies wanted to build establishments there.”

Gautam mentioned that they had asked the government several times, not to establish any academic institu-tion that may not bring any develop-ment for the indigenous people. l

Now SSC takers face catastrophe PAGE 1 COLUMN 2come only through resignation of the government.

“The problem is political. It is nei-ther an academic nor an administra-tive problem, so the problem should be settled politically and only the govern-ment can do this,” Serajul Islam Chow-dhury, eminent educationist, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He said academic life has remained almost suspended along with econom-ic and other issues. So normal situation has to be created as exam is not only about students or the examinees rather many other stakeholders are involved with the issue.

Mamtaz Begum, mother of a stu-dent who will sit for the SSC exams this year, said: “We are really concerned as we could not understand what to do.

Should we risk our child’s life during the exams?

“How will the government ensure safety and security of the students? What will the opposition gain disrupt-ing the education life of our children? Things should be made clear soon for the sake of the future generation.”

The BNP-led 20-party alliance called countrywide transport blockade since January 5 and countrywide hartal has been enforced intermittently amid blockade to intensify the movement.

A senior BNP leader said the Awami League did the same thing: it enforced hartal during public exams when it was in the opposition.

In 2013 also, the BNP-Jamaat-led combine enforced hartals and staged protests during the SSC and Higher Sec-ondary Certifi cate (HSC) exams. l

Khilgaon bus burning sends 4 to hospital last night PAGE 1 COLUMN 6Dhaka Tribune that four-fi ve youths were on the bus and they set the vehi-cle on fi re while getting down near the Khilgaon fl yover around 9pm.

Jamaluddin and his wife, daugh-ter and granddaughter were returning home by that bus.

At Mirpur 11, two people were in-jured when miscreants hurled a crude bombs around 9:30pm.

Two more people – a Dhaka College student and a Buet employee – were in-jured in another bomb blast at Palashi in the capital around 8pm.

Meanwhile, Wari police station OC Ta-pan Chandra Saha said they had arrested Mozammel Hossain Mukta, a local BNP leader and a former ward councillor at Wari, in connection with the recent pet-rol bomb and crude bomb attacks.

The OC told the Dhaka Tribune that they had arrested Mukta on the basis of information provided by those who had been held earlier in connection with attacks over the past few days.

In the capital miscreants burnt down two passenger buses at Tantiba-

zar and Kaptanbazar earlier in the day. Miscreants set fi re to an Abdullah-

pur-bound bus of Victor Paribahan at Tantibazar intersection around 8:30am while another passenger bus of Madina Enterprise was torched at Kaptanbazar in the Gulistan area around 2:30pm, said Nilufar Yeasmin, an offi cial of the fi re service headquarters.

Firefi ghting units rushed to the spots and doused the fi res. No one was injured in the incidents, he said.

Apart from this, vehicles moved normally on almost all streets in the capital until evening. Even some in-ter-district and long-route buses left the capital. Train and launch services were also normal.

Our Noakhali correspondent reports, miscreants hurled petrol bombs at a truck on Thursday night injuring its driver Monjurul Islam Monju at Sebarhat Pach-chimbazar on Feni-Noakhali highways.

The truck, laden with cement, came from Chittagong and was going to Dhaka.

Senbagh police station Offi cer-in-Charge Mominul Islam said the driv-er received burns on his hands as the

bomb hit him breaking through the windshield about 11pm.

The pickets were able to fl ee the spot before police reached the spot, he said.

Besides, pickets torched a covered van stationed in front of a restaurant at Maijdi area around 5am. Police arrested 14 BNP-Jamaat men for their alleged in-volvement in the two incidents.

Our Barisal correspondent reports, pickets set fi re to a covered-van plying the Barisal-Madaripur route in Barisal.

Police said the driver and the helper of the van were injured in the attack, alleg-edly made by pro-blockade pickets near Kataksthal government primary school on Barisal-Dhaka highway early Friday.

Sajjad Hossain, OC of Gournadi PS said injured driver Liton Haoladar, and his helper Tuhin Mridha, left the place with the vehicle for Madaripur after re-ceiving fi rst-aid.

Our Comilla correspondent reports, two covered vans were torched by the alleged pro-blockaders in the district on Thursday night.

Witnesses said some youths set afi re a moving covered van at the Che-

ora-Batisa area under Chouddogram upazila in the district around 9:45pm.

Some youths torched another van in front of Royel Hostel at Batisa about 8:45am. No one was injured in the inci-dents, they said.

Our Khulna correspondent reports, miscreants blasted bombs in front of Khulna range’s Deputy Inspector Gener-al (DIG) SM Moniruzzaman’s residence in the city around 10pm, Thursday. Within half an hour eight more crude bombs went off in diff erent places of Khulna.

Our Gazipur correspondent reports, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) arrested two youths Monir Hossain, 28, and Sagor Mia, 20, in possession of 13 petrol bombs and fi ve rounds of bullets in the district.

The elite force identifi ed Monir as a Jubo Dal activist and Sagor as an elec-trical shop worker. They made petrol bombs on contract and detonated them in exchange of money.

Our Chandpur correspondent re-ports, police arrested 23 BNP-Jamaat leaders and activists for their alleged involvement in subversive activities in the district. l

We did it at the behest of boro bhai PAGE 1 COLUMN 6South Keraniganj police station against 30 named and 10 to 12 unnamed per-sons in connection with the arson at-tack.

Sub-inspector Sohrab Hossain of the police station fi led the case.

While investigating the case, district police detectives found involvement of the three in the bus fi re case and arrest-ed them, says Habib adding that in pri-mary interrogation the three confessed to their involvement in the bus blaze.

Another arrestee Shawkat said they fi rst poured petrol into two soft-drink bottles. “When the opportune moment came we opened a window of the bus and poured petrol before we set it on fi re.”

“We have done this on the instruc-tion of boro bhai,” added Shawkat.

About Pavel, SP Habib says Pavel Mollah is the joint convener of Chhatra Dal Tegharia Union unit under Kerani-ganj police station.

Pavel and his younger brother Babu are involved in violence and sabotage in the area.

“We are now trying to arrest Pavel,” says SP Habib.

“The three were placed before a court yesterday evening followed by their confessional statement before Senior Judicial Magistrate Afroza Shiuli.

The three were later sent to jail, says Md Asaduzzaman, offi cer-in-charge of prosecution of Chief Judicial Magis-trate Court. l

Three men held for hurling petrol bombs in the capital’s Keraniganj area framed at the media cell of the Detective Branch in the capital yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Gayebana janaza held for blockade victims n BSS

The Awami League-led 14-party alli-ance yesterday held gayebana janaza at Baitul Mukarram National Mosque for the victims of the ongoing hartal and blockade across the country.

The janaza was held after the Jumma prayer. Later, a milad mahfi l was also held seeking eternal peace of the deceased and recovery of the burn victims. l

Dr Kamal, Manna meet Khaleda n Tribune Report

Gonoforum President Dr Kamal Hos-sain and Nagorik Oikya Convener Mahmudur Rahman Manna met BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia at her Gulshan offi ce in the capital yesterday.

Talking to journalists after the meeting, Dr Kamal said they went to Khaleda’s offi ce only to express their condolence over the death of Khaleda’s younger son Arafat Rahman Koko.

“Except this, we did not discuss any political issue,” he said.

Former Awami League leader Sultan Mohammad Monsur was also present during the meeting. Since 1991, this was the fi rst meeting Khaleda and Kamal. l

Amnesty: Excessive force not the answern Tribune Desk

The Bangladesh government risks mak-ing the country’s situation worse by giv-ing police “carte blanche to use exces-sive force” in response to bomb attacks, Amnesty International (AI) has said.

In a press statement issued on Thursday, the rights group quoted me-dia reports of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina saying: “as the head of the gov-ernment I am giving [the police] the liberty to take any action wherever and whenever it will be deemed necessary” to stop arson.

“Remarks like these carry a high risk of being seen as an open invitation for the police to use unnecessary and exces-sive force against demonstrators or even to carry out extrajudicial executions – which Bangladeshi security forces have carried out with appalling frequency in the past,” said Abbas Faiz, Amnesty In-ternational Bangladesh Researcher.

The statement went on to say: “In-ternational human rights law protects the right to freedom of peaceful assem-bly and peaceful protest, but the man-ner in which the Bangladesh National-ist Party (BNP)-led protests are being carried out clearly shows a repeated

pattern of violence being used for a po-litical purpose.”

“The BNP should exhort their mem-bers and supporters to stop these polit-ically-motivated criminal acts, which should be dealt with in fair procedures under the criminal law,” Abbas said.

Since the opposition BNP imposed a transport blockade in the country on January 5, more than two dozen people have been killed and hundreds injured, some seriously.

More than a dozen people have been killed in recent operations by the po-lice, including the Rapid Action Battal-ion, an elite force accused of numerous human rights violations in the past, the press statement said.

Ten of the recent deaths occurred in what police termed “shootouts” be-tween January 12 and 28, it said.

“These deaths during police oper-ations – some of which may amount to extrajudicial executions – must be thoroughly investigated and those re-sponsible brought to justice. The secu-rity forces have a duty to maintain law and order, but that does not place them above the law and it is never an excuse to resort to excessive use of force,” said Abbas. l

A relative attend to Raju, 20, who received burn injuries in a petrol bomb attack on a bus at Khilgaon last night. Raju and three others were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital Rajib Dhar

3NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, January 31, 2015

7 bodies recovered from migrant boat capsizen Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong

Seven bodies were recovered yesterday from the hull of the trawler which cap-sized in the Bay of Bengal on Thursday with about 80 Malaysia-bound illegal passengers; around 30 more, however, remain missing.

After conducting a search inside the boat, the bodies were found at the bot-tom layer of the 30-feet-long wooden fi shing trawler – FV Idris – at around 12:30pm, said Bangladesh Coast Guard (East) Public Relation Offi cer Lt Com-mander M Rajibul Islam.

Although the capsized vessel was lo-cated and dragged towards the shores of Kutubdia island on Thursday, no bodies could initially be found on the upper decks of the ship.

While offi cials scanned the hull of the boat in the morning, rescue eff orts also continued at the Kutubdia chan-nel – the site of the sinking.

Coast Guard ships Towhid and Tan-vir along with fi ve metal shark boats, Bangladesh Navy Ships Oporajeyo and Otondro, and two local fi shing boats conducted the joint rescue operation, said Bangladesh Coast Guard (East) Zon-al Commander Captain Shahidul Islam.

He said the search for missing peo-ple would continue, but admitted that chances for their survival were getting slimmer with every passing moment.

In the early hours of Thursday, an overloaded FV Idris capsized around 8km southwest of Kutubdia Island in the bay, while it was trying to carry ille-gal migrants to Malaysia. So far, 43 peo-ple including six suspected traffi ckers have been rescued.

Meanwhile, Kutubdia police yesterday lodged a case against six named and 10-12 unidentifi ed persons under sections 7/8 of Human Traffi cking Prevention and Control Act 2012, said Kutubdia police station Offi cer-in-Charge Ongsha Thoai.

The accused – Mohammad Ismail, 35, Obaidul Haq, 35, Nur Mohammad, 50, Mohammad Yasin, 18, Mohammad Toyeb, 32, and Mohammad Rasel, 32 – were found in the water with the illegal immigrants, the OC said; adding that all of them hailed from diff erent areas of Cox’s Bazar.

The OC also said they were looking for owner of the trawler which was made only for illegal human traffi cking.

“The boat was named as a fi shing vessel [FV] while fi shing nets and other equipments could also seen on the trawl-er; but its inner shape and cargo-vessel like multi-deck suggests that it was spe-cially made for some unusual activities like traffi cking or smuggling,” he added. l

19 bank o� cials summoned in Ananda Shipyard scam proben Adil Sakhawat

The Anti-Corruption Commission has summoned 11 former Janata Bank of-fi cials and eight incumbent senior offi -cials of Bangladesh Development Bank Limited (BDBL) in connection with a loan scam of Ananda Shipyard.

On Wednesday, separate notices signed by ACC Senior Deputy Direc-tor Mir Jainul Abedin Shibly and ad-dressed to eight BDBL offi cials were sent to the bank’s managing director, while separate notices were also sent to eleven former offi cials of Janata Bank

on Thursday, said a top offi cial at the commission.

The BDBL offi cials are to appear be-fore the commission on February 4 and the ex-offi cials of Janata Bank on Feb-ruary 5 and 8.

The ACC source said the commission found irregularities against the BDBL in disbursing Tk90 lakh worth of loans.

In the name of exporting ships, the Ananda Shipyard – with no prior expe-rience in exporting ships – has taken nearly Tk1,300 crore from 14 banks and fi nancial institutions without deposit-ing proper security in accordance with

bank rules, the ACC source added.Following an investigation by the

Bangladesh Bank, the ACC probed the allegations in April last year.

The BDBL offi cials summoned on February 4 are its General Manager Nurur Rahman Kadri, Senior Principal Offi cer (SPO) Imamur Rashid of princi-pal branch; SPO Dinesh Chandra Saha of Motijheel branch; SPO Yunus Ali of Faridpur branch; Assistant General Manager (AGM) Engineer SM Sirajul Islam, former SPO Najrul Islam of head offi ce; Deputy General Manager (DGM) Tapan Kumer Roy and Banking Consul-

tant Mahe Alam of Agrabad branch.On February 5, the ACC summoned

former Janata Bank offi cials fi rst as-sistant general manager (FAGM) and manager Samsunnahar Begum, AGM Afj al Hossain, DGM Najrul Islam, GM Nuruzzaman and FAGM Enamul Haq of local offi ce.

The former Janata Bank offi cials summoned on February 8 are FAGM Musfi qur Rahman, assistant executive offi cer Israfi l Sikder, FAGM MA Ma-tin, manager Mahfujur Rahman, AGM Purnendo Kumer Roy and AGM Sagar Ahmed of local offi ce. l

Stop anarchy or face stern action, Muhith tells Khaledan Our Correspondent, Sylhet

Finance Minister Abul Maal Abdul Muhith yesterday warned BNP Chair-person Khaleda Zia of stern action if she did not refrain her party from all kinds of violence and sabotage in the country.

He labelled the BNP as the creator of the politics of enforced disappearance while speaking at a conference, which was organised by city wards 19, 20 and 21, at Tilagar in Sylhet city.

Among others who spoke at the con-ference were Jubo League Presidium Member Ahmed Al Kabir, Central Or-ganising Secretary Foyjul Huq Atik and Sylhet City Awami League President Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran.

Earlier in the morning, the minister inaugurated the platinum jubilee pro-gramme of the Modon Mohon College where he said, `We expect 7 percent GDP growth this fi scal year, but it may not be possible due to BNP-Jamaat’s terrorist acts.”

Khaleda and some of her “terrorist” followers were getting in the way of the country’s overall development, which needs to be stopped in any way, he said.

“We have been talking about ban-ning hartal for 20 years because it can-

not be the language of protest but un-rest in the country. Personally, I back banning hartal but it would not be pos-sible soon,” he said.

SCCI delegations meet MuhithThe members of the newly formed board of directors of Sylhet Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) called on the fi nance minister at his Hafi z Complex residence in the city.

When they came to meet him, he asked the new leaders to arrange a pre-budget discussion involving busi-nessmen from all sections in the district and city. The SCCI delegation, led by its President Salah Uddin Ali Ahmad, asked the minister to reduce VAT and other taxes to facilitate their businesses.

The delegation include Senior Vice-President M Mamun Kibria Su-man, Vice-President Masud Ahmed Chowdhury and Directors M Hijkil Gul-jar, Khandaker Sipar Ahmed, M Saidur Rahman, M Layes Uddin, Ejaj Ahmad Chowdhury, Abu Taher M Shoyeb, Enamul Quddus Chowdhury, Nurul Is-lam, M Emdad Hossain, Amiruzzaman Chowdhury, Ehteshamul Haq Chowd-hury, Mukir Hossain Chowdhury, Ab-dur Rahman and Bashirul Haq. l

Shajahan threatens to cutKhaleda’s utility linesn Abu Hayat Mahmud

Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan yesterday said utility services at BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia’s offi ce would be suspended if the ongoing blockade was not lifted.

He also said the supply of food to Khaleda’s offi ce would be stopped, but mentioned no specifi c date when the harsh measures would be carried out.

Addressing a rally organised by Sramik-Karmachari-Peshajibi-Muk-tijoddha-Shamannay Parishad at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital, the minister announced a four-day pro-gramme protesting the nationwide non-stop blockade, frequent general strikes and the killing of people in pet-rol bomb attacks.

“Fifteen innocent workers died as a result of burn injuries they had sus-tained in petrol bomb attacks. What were their faults? If you [Khaleda] do not stop burning people, a time will come when you yourself will be burnt in fi re,” Shajahan said.

He urged the BNP chief to lift the blockade considering the troubles the Secondary School Certifi cate (SSC)

examinees would face. “If Khaleda does not withdraw the

blockade, the people will confi ne her to her offi ce again,” warned Shajahan.

The four-day programme an-nounced by the minister includes a demonstration of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Malik Sramik Oikya Parishad which will be held in front of National Press Club today.

On February 3, professionals working in diff erent fi elds will hold a rally at Shaheed Minar while transport work-ers will also demonstrate at bus and truck terminals in every district.

On February 5, people of diff erent professions will gather on roads in front of their respective offi ces across the country at 12:45pm and stay for 15 minutes while drivers will continuous-

ly honk for two minutes at the time. On February 7, a convention of free-

dom fi ghters, workers, students and others will be held at 10am in the capital for announcing the next programme if the blockade is not withdrawn by then.

Shajahan also presented a 10-point suggestion, urging people to ignore the 20-party’s agitation and resisting it from February 2, the day the SSC tests are scheduled to begin.

Speaking at the rally, Jatiya Sam-ajtantrik Dal lawmaker Shirin Akhter said workers and freedom fi ghters would resist subversive acts till Khale-da withdrew the blockade.

Describing agitations of the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami as terror acts, she said there would be no compromise with the terrorist organisations.

On January 22, an association of workers tried to lay siege to Khaleda’s offi ce but police foiled the attempt. They later staged a sit-in at Gulshan 2 intersec-tion and threatened to go on a hunger strike if the blockade was not lifted.

The blockade has been in force since January 6, and has been marked by vio-lence, mostly arson attacks, in diff erent parts of the country. l

LBA will likely top talks during Mamata visitn Abu Bakar Siddique

The long-awaited Land Boundary Agreement (LBA) will likely top the agenda during Mamata Banerjee’s visit to Dhaka next month, analysts said.

Experts said the LBA will get top priority because India’s parliament has already started the process of fi nalising the deal.

The Teetsa Water Sharing Treaty, crucial for Bangladesh in light of last year’s lowest ever recorded fl ow, has long been held up due to Indian do-mestic politics.

Both the LBA and the Teesta Water Sharing Treaty will feature prominent-ly in talks between the government and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during her visit to Dhaka from February 19 to 21, foreign ministry offi -cials said.

Mamata’s visit is likely part of a move to improve her image at home and abroad, which has taken a batter-ing in recent times, according to Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of International Re-lations at Dhaka University.

For the Indian electorate, Mama-ta’s visit will try to shore up an image tarnished by an Indian central govern-ment probe into possible links between senior members of her party and Isla-mist militants working against Bangla-desh.

In the international arena, Mamata will hope to regain some political mile-age in Bangladesh where her about-turn on a nearly-agreed-upon Teesta agreement in 2011 caused former prime minister Manmohan Singh’s govern-ment to renege on its international commitments.

Her decision to come to Dhaka in February, a month of Bengali cultur-al pride stemming from the Language Movement of 1952, is likely calculated to capitalise upon the fellow-feeling and festive mood of the month, Imtiaz said.

LBAAn Indian parliamentary committee tabled a report recommending a consti-tutional amendment bill to enable the agreement to be ratifi ed and enclaves to be swapped, The Hindu reported on December 2, 2014.

Ratifying the LBA would end a 68-year dispute dating from partition. Bangladesh and India signed the LBA

in 1974 but India never ratifi ed it.While the Bangladesh side has rat-

ifi ed the LBA, India must fi rst pass a constitutional amendment to exchange territory with its neighbour.

Imtiaz Ahmed told the Dhaka Tri-bune: “India may linger in ratifying the LBA but cannot avoid it.”

He said it was not important wheth-er or not Mamata opposed the LBA because the power to do so lies solely with the BJP, the ruling party at the centre, which enjoys a two-thirds ma-jority in parliament.

But former Ambassador Humayun Kabir said that while the BJP alone can complete the ratifi cation process, it would likely to do so by consensus and not fi at.

The agreement calls for India to hand over 111 enclaves measuring 17,158.2 acres to Bangladesh, and re-ceive 51 enclaves measuring 7,110 acres.

Some 14,215 people reside in the Bangladeshi enclaves in India, while 37,269 people reside in the Indian en-claves in Bangladesh.

Teesta There is no constitutional obstacle to the Teesta deal, but electoral politics in West Bengal and at India’s centre mili-tate against a deal.

It is a crucial issue for Bangladesh. On March 9, 2014, water fl ow was re-corded at just 409 cu secs – the lowest in history.

This happens because India unilat-erally decides on the volume of water fl ow from its position upstream.

Without the Teesta Water Sharing Agreement, farmers in Bangladesh’s northern districts suff er from serious water scarcity during lean periods.

Imtiaz said: “With West Bengal pro-vincial polls coming in the next year and a half, Mamata’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may avoid signing the deal out of fear of electoral disapproval for it.”

He said Bangladesh will probably have to wait until the next election in West Bengal to see positive results on the Teesta issue.

To placate fears of a water shortage among West Bengal voters who are generally opposed to the Teesta agreement, Mamata has sought assurances of adequate water supply from Sikkim state where the Teesta River originates. l

Former diplomat’s daughter found dead at her � at in Dhakan Mohammad Jamil Khan

Police recovered the body of an advo-cate, also daughter of a former diplo-mat and journalist, yesterday in her fl at at Rampura in the capital.

The victim was identifi ed as Fah-mida Akther Bithun, 47, an advocate at the High Court and daughter of Late Aktarul Alam, former advisory editor of the Daily Ittefaq and former ambas-sador to Bahrain.

“Police recovered Fahmida’s body around 11am inside her fl at in House no D-105 at Rampura City Project. The body was lying face down, her hands and feet tied, a shawl wrapped around her neck, and remnants of chilli powder on her face,” said Mahbubur Rahman Tarafdar, OC at Rampura police station.

Fahmida lived in the fl at alone, mov-ing there fi ve years ago, as her husband Golam Rabbani lives in Bahrain, em-ployed at a British company, and their son Siratul Mostakim lives in the US for studies, her mother Monowara Begum told the Dhaka Tribune.

Rampura police OC Mahbub said police suspected she was strangulat-ed to death, at it had likely happened nearly 24 to 36 hours before the body was found. The body was sent to Dha-ka Medical College and Hospital for a post-mortem.

The body was fi rst found by Fahmi-da’s housemaid Sabiha Begum around 9am, who had been employed by Fah-mida for around two years, the building staff and police said.

“I usually worked there at night. On Thursday night, I went there as usual but found the door locked. No one re-sponded when I knocked, so I left. When I went back this morning [yesterday], I still found the door locked from inside. I knocked the door, I called on her mobile phone, but there was no response. So, I informed the security staff of the build-ing,” she told the Dhaka Tribune.

The security staff then broke down the door and found Fahmida’s body lying on the fl oor. Later, they informed police.

Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, Nur Alam, assistant commissioner of police at

Khilgaon zone, said: “From what we have gathered from the primary investigation, it is not likely a case of robbery or theft.

“The furniture and other belongings were in disarray, but nothing seemed to be missing, apart from the victim’s mobile phone.

“We are looking into both her per-sonal and professional lives to fi nd out if she had any enemies. We are still waiting for the post-mortem report, which will hopefully give us some leads for the investigation.”

Rizwanul Alam, the victim’s brother who is also the director of Transpar-ency International Bangladesh, fi led a case of murder against unidentifi ed suspects with Rampura police station yesterday evening.

“This is a murder,” he said, arriving on the scene after being informed by police. “I hope police will solve the mys-tery behind my sister’s death and catch the culprits who are responsible for it.”

Both Rizwan and Monowara claimed Fahmida never mentioned having any enemies. l

Day labourers stare at a political programme being staged in front of the National Press Club yesterday. As the 20-party alliance continues to stage its blockade and the government stays � rm against holding a dialogue, it is these labourers living a hand-to-mouth existence who have to pay the high price SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

On January 22, an association of workers tried to lay siege to Khaleda’s o� ce but police foiled the attempt

News4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, January 31, 2015

The photo reminds of the phrase ‘one man army’ as Tejgaon College master’s student Mukhlesur Rahman displays di� erent posters protesting the recent petrol bomb attacks. Mukhles has been demostrating his protest from time to time during the ongoing blockade. The photo was taken in front of the National Press Club yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

General people take part in a mass signature campaign initiated by Gonojagoron Moncho at the capital’s Shahbagh area yesterday protesting the victimisation of innocent people in BNP’s countrywide inde� nite blockade programme RAJIB DHAR

Biogas plant in Savar dairy farm collecting dust n Our Correspondent, Savar

After only a month and half into opera-tion, the much anticipated biogas plant of Central Cattle Breeding and Dairy Farm in Savar has been shut down for no specifi c reason.

Employees of the farm alleged that the offi cials involved in the project swindled a large chunk of money.

The biogas plant, costing Tk80 lakh, was set up in 2012 to generate electric-ity using the manure of the farm ani-mals. However, only after 45 days of production the plant was shut down because of alleged technical fault. Since then there has been no initiative to make it operational again.

According to the documents obtained on request from the dairy farm, it was learned that the biogas project was approved to meet the demand of electricity for the dairy farm. Production in the farm has been greatly hampered due to the rampant power failure.

In the Savar dairy farm, there are more than 1500 cows and goats pro-ducing about 1500kg manure a day. The

biogas project proposal said 550 cubic feet of gas could be produced with that amount of animal waste per day. And a 40-kilowatt generator can produce electricity for 20-hours at a stretch with that gas.

Moreover, since biogas is environ-ment friendly and sustainable, the Livestock Department approved the project in 2012 with a cost of Tk79 lakh and 48 thousand.

The plant was inaugurated in June 2012 and since then was able to provide electricity for only 45 days. But it has remained suspiciously out of operation since then.

A visit to the dairy farm found that four houses were built for the biogas plant. Many equipment including a generator was also bought. But now they are collecting dust and falling apart day by day.

Comparing the market price of the equipment bought for the project, it was observed that they were purchased at a much higher price.

For example, the generator that was shown priced at Tk45 lakh and 13 thou-sand could be bought for Tk3-4 lakh

from the market. And though the bud-get had two generators listed, only one was bought.

In the same way, cost for making the biogas plant was estimated to be Tk11 lakh 65 thousand. But local biogas plant makers and owners said the real price was much lower.

Jalal Sarkar of Hemayetpur has two biogas plants, similar to the one in the dairy farm, in his house. He said he spent about Tk2 lakh for each for the plants.

“The biogas plant in the dairy farm may cost a bit more but defi nitely not that much,” he claimed.

Some employees of the farm, on re-quest of anonymity, said government fund had been misused in the project.

They alleged that the plant is kept non-operative because of the project director Gautam Kumar Kundo and the deputy director of the farm.

After several attempts, this corre-spondent was able to contact the dep-uty director Dr Abul Kalam Azad, who said he did not have any knowledge about the project and denied to com-ment any further. l

Dutch investors praise Bangladeshn Tribune Report

A group of Dutch investors highly praised Bangladesh as a land of oppor-tunity and enthusiasm.

The investors also anchored their attention to Bangladesh as a “land of untapped potential with huge market size of its own.”

The appreciation came at an invest-ment seminar titled “Bangladesh: Op-portunities and Best Practices” held in The Hague on Thursday.

More than 50 Dutch investors at-tended the seminar organised by Ban-gladesh Embassy in the Hague in col-laboration with Nyenrode University of the Netherlands.

The information was released by the External Publicity Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Aff airs yesterday.

The press release said the Dutch in-vestors hailed Bangladesh as an emerg-ing gateway to South Asia given its geo-strategic location with both China and India on either side of her border.

Andre Nijhof of Nyenrode University acted as the moderator of a lively panel discussion, which was also attended by Bangladesh Ambassador to the Nether-lands Sheikh Mohammed Belal.

Peter Van Bergen, proprietor of Bud-getview and Impel IT solutions with big IT offi ces both in Dhaka and in Amsterdam, highlighted that he found working in Bangladesh “easier” than many other countries.

Vicenta Ariza, representative of Maru-boshi Europe BV in Bangladesh in-formed the audience that despite “strike” or “hartals” his shippers in Bangladesh had never failed to deliver.

Overall mood of the audience was highly in favour of more investment and business with Bangladesh.

Dutch investors in Information Technology, Logistics, waste manage-ment, water management, and busi-ness consultancy participated in the event. Besides the business commu-nity, representatives from the Minis-try of Foreign Aff airs, CBI, RVO, PUM, Schiphol Airport, Bangladesh Next have also attended the seminar. l

Gonojagoron Moncho to begin mass signing programme n Arif Ahmed

As a protest against the on going political violence, Gonojagoron Moncho is launching a mass signing programme on February 1.

During a gathering of Moncho activists yesterday at Shahbag Projonmo Chat-tar, the spokesperson of the organisation Imran H Sarker urged the countrymen to join the programme.

Terming the violence and arson attacks as heinous and inhumane, the youth led platform hoped that collec-tive solidarity and struggle would be able to defeat the anti-liberation forces and protect general people from

violence.With the slogan

“Bangladesh Burning, Humanity Burning”, the Moncho will collect signature, which would be submitted to the president and the speaker of the parliament on 26th March, Imran H Sarkar told the Dhaka Tribune.

He also urged the BNP to withdraw the country-wide blockade and hartals con-sidering the woes of people.

Earlier on January 27, Gonojagoron Moncho an-nounced to go for a non-stop sit-in program at Projonmo Chattar from February 5 in protest of the political vio-lence. l

Silk� ex Bangladesh launches water-based textile inks n Tribune Report

Silkfl ex Bangladesh Ltd and Silkfl ex Polymers SDN BHD, Malaysia have jointly launched water-based textile printing inks in Bangladesh.

On the occasion, the Silkfl ex Ban-gladesh arranged a programme titled “Launching of the latest technological products” at FARS Restaurant in the capital yesterday.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr Eric HL Tan, director of Silkfl ex Malaysia, said this product is eco-friendly, high elas-tic, high coverage and very soft hand feel without tack. It has natural color tone.

Silkfl ex Malaysia is a supplier of water-based textile printing inks worldwide, while Silkfl ex Bangladesh Limited and KM Enterprise are their authorized marketing company in Ban-gladesh.

The companies have marketed nine other nine products – Elastisol white, Elastisol CMYK, AquaDis CMYK, Glow-in-the-dark, Pearl Paste, Premium white Paste, Elastic white and Photosol TSP – in market of Bangladesh. l

A dutch entrepreneur said he found working in Bangladesh easier than many other countries

Toxic poultry feed con� scated from Hazaribagh, owners � ned n Tribune Report

Four people have been convicted for producing toxic poultry and fi sh feed by using tannery waste yesterday in the Hazaribagh area of the capital.

A total of 50 tonnes of toxicd feed was ceased in a mobile court a drive around noon. The mobile court was led by AHM Anowar Pasha, an execu-tive magistrate of Rapid Action Battal-ion (RAB)

The convicted persons are: Abul Kalam, 51, with 2 years in prison and 2 lakh taka in fi nes; Abdul Jalil, 20, Hasan Sheikh, 21, Faruk haoladar were charged Taka 50,000 in fi nes.

Company owner Abul Malik, 51, said he has been making such feed from tan-nery waste since 2013. The feed is known among the poultry farm owners as “Ban-gla protein of Hajaribagh.” The business profi ts at least Tk 2 lakh per month.

The court scaled 5 thousand ppm of chromium in this feed; any more than 30 ppm of chromium is dangerous for livestock.

The feed is used for the rapid growth of poultry and fi sh while it is much than any other feed available in the market. l

89% Sunamganj expectant mothers have deliveries at home n UNB

Eighty-nine percent expectant mothers liv-ing in Sunamganj district have to have their deliveries at home with the help of tradition-al birth attendants due to the existing social barriers to get access to skilled healthcare at hospitals, according to a new study.

The study found that the level of aware-ness of maternal and child health issues and utilisation of skilled care was very low in Sunamganj while the overall knowledge of danger signs associated with pregnancy and childbirth was also found to be low as less than half of the study respondents received information on birth preparedness.

A baseline study, led by Bidhan Krishna Sarker at icddr,b’s Centre for Reproductive Health, was carried out recently in Suna-mganj under Sylhet Division considering the

economic, social and cultural factors that prevent women from access to quality ma-ternal and neonatal care.

The Sylhet division has shown the least amount of improvement in recent years in both maternal and child health. Maternal mortality in this region is very high -- 425 deaths per 100,000 live births, compared to the national average of 194. Similarly, infant and under-fi ve child mortality are 67 and 83 per 1,000 live births, compared to a national average of 45 and 56, respectively.

Sunamganj district is one of its remotest areas with very poor communication linkag-es with the rest of the country.

The study reveals that about two-thirds of the women did not receive any postpar-tum care, a period that begins immediately after the birth of a child and extending for about six weeks. In case of complications

during or after birth, more than half of the women responded that they consulted a village doctor, rather than a trained phy-sician.

However, lack of access to skilled health-care was not the main reason for using tra-ditional birth attendants and village doc-tors. The unskilled healthcare providers are much less expensive and do not require travel, and they also tend to be well known to the community and viewed as a trusted resource, the study says.

On the other hand, perceptions of poor quality of treatment and of poor communi-cation at government hospitals and private clinics discourage villagers from using these more formal health services.

The study also found that many families have religious objections to taking pregnant women to hospitals for delivery as it is con-

sidered a ‘sin’ and violates the modesty of a pregnant woman to be treated by strangers, especially men.

Women also lack decision-making power when it comes to their pregnancy and health care options.

These decisions are usually deferred to the husband or mother-in-law who often opt for traditional healthcare providers such as birth attendants and village doctors.

Aiming to address these multiple barriers to quality care, the researchers of the study recommend introduction of a communi-ty-based skilled birth attendant programme; training of existing traditional

birth attendants and village doctors to recognise danger signs for both the mother and child and to make timely referrals; and development of strong referral collaboration between the range of providers. l

Workers Party to observe Anti-Violence Day on Feb 10n BSS

The Workers Party, an ally of the Awa-mi League-led 14-party alliance, will observe Anti-Violence and Subversion Day across the country on February 10.

A resolution to this eff ect was tak-en at a meeting of the politburo of the Workers Party (WP) yesterday.

The party’s President Rashed Khan Menon presided over the meeting in which a political report on current po-litical situation now prevailing in the country was presented by WP general secretary Fazle Hossain Badsha.

In the report on political analysis, the WP observed that the conspira-cy of Jamaat has been implemented to thwart the ongoing trial of the war criminals by killing people by torch-ing them in the name of siege-har-tal, according to a press release. The WP laid emphasis on building peo-ple’s resistance against saboteurs.

In another resolution, the WP ob-served that the demand for imposition of a ban on the politics of Jamaat is the demand of the hour.

visit our website @www.dhakatribune.com

5NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, January 31, 2015

WEATHER

PRAYER TIMES Fajr 5:22am Sunrise 6:40am Zohr 12:12am Asr 4:07pm Magrib 5:43pm Esha 7:01pm

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 5:44PM SUN RISES 6:40AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW29.0ºC 13.4ºC

Rangpur Srimangal

SATURDAY, JANUARY 31

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A YDhaka 25 14Chittagong 26 14Rajshahi 24 11Rangpur 24 12Khulna 26 11Barisal 27 14Sylhet 26 12Cox’s Bazar 27 15

DRY WEATHER

LIKELY

Teachers’ associations urge Khaleda to stop blockaden Tribune Report

Teachers of Chittagong University (CU) and Bangladesh College University Teachers Association has called upon BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia to imme-diately withdraw the indefi nite nation-wide blockade programme.

In the name of political movement, the blockade and strikes enforced by BNP have generated widespread anar-chy and bomb attacks killing innocent people, said teachers under the banner of Chittagong University Teachers’ As-sociation (CUTA).

They demanded that the govern-ment take stern action against the per-petrators of the subversive activities and compensate the victims, reports our CU correspondent.

Around 120 teachers under the ban-ner of CUTA formed a human chain around 4:30pm on the Chittagong Press Club premises protesting the ongoing violence.CU Vice-Chancellor Professor Anwarul Azim Arif and Pro-VC Profes-sor Dr Iftekhar Uddin Chowdhury par-ticipated at the human chain.

University Science and Technology in Chittagong (USTC), Hazi Moham-

mad Mohsin College, Chittagong unit of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Com-mittee and Peshajibi Somonnoy Parish-ad expressed solidarity with CUTA.

The participants at the human chain said the subversive activities carried out by the BNP-Jamaat alliance was “an ill strategy for grabbing power” rather a political programme.

CU’s former VC Professor Abdul Mannan said: “BNP is carrying out terrorism by burning innocent people. The teachers could not remain silent seeing such situation. Please stop it, save the people, save the future.” l

Worried guardians and teachers of SSC examinees to take to streets against blockade in Rajshahin Nazim Mridha, Rajshahi

More than one lakh examinees of Sec-ondary School Certifi cate (SSC) exam-ination under the Rajshahi Education Board are worried as the exams are likely to begin on February 2 amid the ongoing political violence.

This has prompted the guardians and teachers to take to the street for a demonstration against the blockade and hartals in the city today.

This year, about 1,28,199 students are supposed to sit for the SSC exam in Rajshahi.

However, the students, their guard-ians and teachers are worried whether the exams would be held peacefully amid the countrywide blockade and in-termittent hartals enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, Pro-fessor Shamsul Kalam Azad, examina-tion controller of Rajshahi Education Board of SSC and HSC said: “This year, the SSC and equivalent exams will be held at 214 centres. If the blockade is not withdrawn, it will be tough for the students and teachers to go to the cen-tres with a peaceful mind.”

Abdur Rauf Mia, chairman of Ra-jshahi education board said all prepara-tion to hold the exams had been com-pleted already.

He also urged the 20-party alliance

to withdraw the blockade during the SSC exam.

Meanwhile, the guardians and the teachers have planned to go on a demonstration in Rajshahi city de-manding withdrawal of the blockade.

Teacher’s leader Professor Shafi kur Rahman Badsha told the Dhaka Tribune: “The students, guardians and teachers will stage demonstration and hold a human chain at Shaheb Bazar intersection in Rajshahi city today.”

Mizanur Rahman, a resident of Ka-takhali in Rajshahi city said his daugh-ter Fariha Farah would sit for the SSC exam and her examination venue was at Rajshahi University School.

He expressed deep worry as to whether his wife and daughter would be able to go to the centre safely given how the highway from his residence Katakhali to University was prone to frequent arson attacks.

Mizanur also urged to the political parties to think about the future gen-eration and withdraw the blockade and hartals. He also requested the authori-ties concerned to ensure securities for the students and guardians.

In the meantime, education min-ister Nurul Islam Nahid ensured the newsmen that the SSC and equivalent exam will be held on the scheduled times despite the blockade. l

Session jam looms at Rajshahi University n Nazim Mridha, Rajshahi

Students and teachers of Rajshahi University (RU) are fearing that the university may face prolonged session jam because of the ongoing country-wide blockade enforced by the BNP-led 20-party alliance.

Campus sources said academic activ-ities of the university had virtually come to a halt because of the blockade while the university authorities are yet to take any decision whether it should resume classes as well as examinations or not.

The university opened on January 12 after an 11-day winter vacation. But since then, no classes and examination have not been taken place for the re-cent political turmoil.

Students of many departments said as their fi nal examinations are being

delayed, they could not be able to com-plete education life in time which defi -nitely would have negative impact on professional life.

In the current year, students of the RU could neither take part in classes nor take part in examination because of the frequent hartals and blockade sponsored by the BNP-led alliance.

Fearing untoward incident, almost all the departments had postponed the examinations for sine die.

Besides, the fi rst year classes under 2014-15 academic session were sched-uled to begin on January 22, but it was rescheduled for February 3. But the RU authorities are considering to resched-ule classes further.

According to department sources, fi nal examination of some 20 depart-ments, including law, sociology, eco-

nomics, pharmacy, physics, mathe-matics, language, philosophy, Islamic studies, Arabic, statistics, material sci-ence and engineering, were postponed for sine die as blockade is still going on.

“Though, our masters fi nal exam-ination has been rescheduled for two times already, they authority may de-lay examination further which will re-frain us from taking part in competitive public examinations,” said Monira Jan-na Ria and Saimum Tuhin, students of law department.

If the fi nal examination of each year does not held in time, the students of all years would face session jam automati-cally, they said. Tania Sultana, a 2nd year student of language department, said her second year fi nal examination was scheduled for January 17, but the depart-ment has postponed for indefi nite peri-

od for the ongoing crisis of the country.“But now, we are studying with un-

certainty as the ongoing political tur-moil continues and university author-ities are yet to take decision whether they hold examinations in this situa-tion,” Tania said.

Meanwhile, teachers and students also demanded resumption of classes and examinations anyhow from a sep-arate human chain held on the campus.

RU Vice-Chancellor Prof Muham-mad Mizanuddin told the Dhaka Trib-une that as most of the students were yet to come back to the campus after the winter vacation for the blockade, departments could not hold the classes and examinations. The department’s authorities would decide whether they would hold classes and examinations during the blockade, he said. l

Youth strangulatedn Our Correspondent, Khulna

A youth was allegedly strangulated near his own residence in Khulna city’s Teligati area.

The body of the youth, Sabuj Fakir, 18, was recovered by the police around 10pm on Thursday night. He was son of Azizul Fakir of the area’s village.

Offi cer-in-Charge Golam Rasul of Arangghata thana said they went to the spot after being informed by the victim’s family. Sabuj had marks of strangulation around his neck which suggested that he was murdered, he added.

An unnatural death case was fi led with the thana in this regard. The OC said further investigation will be con-ducted if necessary after autopsy. l

Road accidents take lives of nine n Tribune Report

Four died while one got injured when a truck hit two CNG autorickshaws and one rickshaw parked on the Dha-ka-Chittagong Highway near Jamaldi Bus Stand under Gazaria upazila of Munshiganj yesterday.

Losing control, the Comilla-bound truck carrying corns fell on the vehi-cles parked near Jamaldi Bus Stand killing Anchalee Rani Saha, 52, and her son Pratyay Saha, 12, hailing from Nadiabad village under Comilla, CNG autorickshaw driver Kalu Mia, 38, of Baluakandi village and rickshaw-puller Montu Mia, 40, hailing from Chuadan-ga district.

Locals admitted the injured to a nearby hospital.

Munshiganj Additional Police Super ABM Masud Hossain said: “The truck and the autorickshaws were moved away with a wrecker. The dead body of Kalu Mia was handed over to his family while three other dead bodies are kept inside the Bhoberchar police camp.”

Meanwhile, a tractor skidded off a road in Notunbosti area under Tetulia upazila of Panchagarh district killing its helper Rojob Ali, 30, yesterday.

The brick-laden tractor lost con-trol while heading towards Bhojonpur Bazar, said Shalbahan Union Parish-ad Chairman Md Motiar Rahman. The driver of the tractor fl ed while Rojob, son of Rustom Ali, hailing from Sarial-jot village under Tetulia union, died on the spot.

Four died in a road accident while fi ve others sustained injuries in Dud-shar Bus Stand area in Shailkupa upazi-la under Jhenaidah district yesterday.

All of them are betel leaf traders by profession.

Of the dead, Amul Hossain, 35, hailed from Charpara village while Shafi kur Rahman, 32, Rezaul Islam, 40 and Mozibor Rahman, 42, hailed from Kanapukuriya village under the upazila.

Of the injured, Alamgir Hossain, 28, Nur-Islam, 29, Momin Joardar, 32, and Milon Hossain, 43, hail from Kan-apukuriya village while one could not be identifi ed yet.

Alamgir Hossain, Nur-Islam, and Milon Hossain are currently admitted to Faridpur Medical College and Hospi-tal while Momin Joardar is admitted at Jhenaidah Sadar Hospital.

Locals said yesterday morning around 6am the betel leaf traders were going to Dakbangla Bazar from Sheikh-para Bazar by a CNG autorickshaw.

As they reached the bus stand area, a speeding Jessore-bound truck com-ing from the direction of Kushtia hit the autorickshaw from behind.

The driver of the autorickshaw lost control and fell into a roadside ditch leaving the four dead on the spot.

Locals all of the victims to Jhe-naidah Sadar Hospital.

Shailokupa police station Offi cer-in-Charge MA Hashem said police seized the truck while its driver and helper managed to fl ee. l

60 CCTV cameras at Ekushey Book Fair venueRAB and police are also planning additional security measures to prevent any unwanted situation

n Mohammad Jamil Khan

In a move to heighten security during the Amar Ekushey Book Fair, the Ban-gla Academy authorities are going to install 60 CCTV cameras.

Apart from the cameras, walk-through metal detectors will also be installed.

Police, RAB, intelligence offi cials and Ansar personnel will be deployed at both the fair venues – Bangla Acad-emy premises and Suhrawardy Udyan - to ensure security of visitors.

“We believe no attack will be made at the venues during the fair as this is an event that the people have a deep connection with. But still there will be additional security arrangements as a volatile situation prevails in the po-litical arena,” Murshid Anwar, deputy director of Bangla Academy, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

“Along with security forces, our own disciplinary committee members will work for ensuring security and the CCTV cameras are being installed at key points of the venues,” he said.

The month-long fair is set to begin tomorrow.

RAB and police are also planning ad-ditional security measures to prevent any unwanted situation that might arise during the fair, a literary event organised to commemorate the signifi -cance of the 1952 Language Movement.

“Necessary security measures will be in place to ensure that nothing goes wrong during the fair,” Abdul Baten, deputy commissioner of police of Ram-na division, told the Dhaka Tribune.

Commander Mufti Mahmood Khan, director of media and legal wing of RAB, said members of the force would keep the fair venues safe from the on-going political violence. “We might use choppers and deploy patrol teams if sit-uation demands.”

But publishers expressed their con-cern about the number of visitors de-spite the security arrangements.

Lutfor Rahman Chowdhury, pro-prietor of Swandesh Publication, told the Dhaka Tribune security measures would have no eff ect if the turnout at the fair failed to meet expectations.

“I think there needs to be arrange-ments for visitors so that they can

come to the fair and return safely. The fair will be successful if this can be en-sured.

“We are expecting a good business in the fair but all these security mea-sures will really have no meaning if the number of visitors is low,” he said.

According to the fair committee, 565 stalls and 11 pavillions have been allo-cated to a total of 391 organisations, in-cluding the leading publishing houses, this year.

Of those, 259 companies will display their products on Suhrawardy Udyan

premises while 92 stalls have been allocated to publishers of children’s literature, little magazines and media organisations on Bangla Academy premises.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will be inaugurating tomorrow’s fair. l

Installations of panels with portraits of famous litterateurs ready inside the Bangla Academy premises a day ahead of the beginning of the Amar Ekushey Grontho Mela yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Leaders and activists of Awami League central committee take part in a ‘gayebana janaza’ in front of the Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Dhaka yesterday. The prayer was o� ered seeking salvation of the souls lost in the violence unleashed during the ongoing blockade and strikes called by BNP-led 20-party alliance RAJIB DHAR

DHAKA TRIBUNE Nation6 Saturday, January 31, 2015

Money robbed from Taiwanese businessman yet to be recovered n Our Correspondent, Comilla

Police in Comilla could neither nab the gang that robbed a Taiwanese entrepre-neur of Tk31 lakh nor recover the mon-ey until yesterday afternoon.

Sub-Inspector of the Detective Branch of police in Comilla Firoz Hos-sain, also the investigating offi cer of the case, said several police and RAB teams were trying to capture the ac-cused and to recover the money they had taken away.

Local Chhatra League leader Sohel Ibne Mohiuddin was sued for leading the gang to coerce Huangjun Yu, man-aging director of Yagotex Fabrics in Comilla EPZ area, into giving the mon-ey on Wednesday.

Huangjun stated in the case statement that fi ve to six men led by Sohel entered his rented fl at in section 3 of the housing estate area around 1:30pm, held him at gunpoint and forced him to write a cheque for Tk23 lakh.

Sohel then transferred the money from Prime Bank’s Comilla branch to the account of his fi rm, Aab Yaaz Enter-prise, by wire transfer.

They also took Tk8 lakh in cash from Huangjun’s fl at and made him sign two blank cheques before leaving.

Sohel, a leader of Chhatra League’s Comilla Victoria Government College unit, served in prison a year earlier on charges of embezzling Tk38 lakh from a Dhaka-based businessman named Azad, sources said. l

Carjackers’ gang leader held in Gazipur n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

Police arrested a member of a carjack-ers’ gang on charge of attempted mur-der of a private car driver in Shreepur of Gazipur on Thursday.

They also recovered the hijacked car from gajari forest in Dokhola, po-lice said. The arrested is Kajol Mia, son of Abdul Helim of Paithol village un-der Pagla Police Station in Mymensin-gh. He was produced before a Gazipur court yesterday.

Majibur Rahman, sub-inspector of Shreepur police station, said Kajal and two of his cohorts rented a car from Ut-tara’s Sector No 11 area of Dhaka saying that they would go to Mymensingh on Wednesday. They fi rst went to Bhaluka Bazar area. Then they asked the driver, Milon, to drive the car toward Dhaka.

On the way to Dhaka, they asked Milon to stop the vehicle saying that they need to urinate in Nayanpur area of Shreepur. Later, they tied Milon up blindfolded and kicked him off from the vehicle. l

Forest land worth Tk10 crore grabbed in Bhaluka n Our Correspondent, Gazipur

A 2.5 acre land, worth aboutTk10 crore belonging to Haribari Forest Depart-ment in Bhaluka upazila of Mymensin-gh district has been allegedly grabbed by local infl uential people.

Abu Sayed, a local, made a com-plaint to the forest offi cials that a group of 40-45 people led by local infl uen-tial Kamrul Islam and Kamrul Huad grabbed the land on Saturday near the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway.

“The grabbers constucted a wall on the forest land including my ancentral homestedas,” he said.

On information, the forest offi cials went to the spot and demolished the wall. The miscreants also set up the wall again with RCC pillaar after the of-fi cials left the spot.

Loclas also claimed the grabbers were able to erect the wall as the forest offi -cials were reluctant over the incident.

Sources said the government ac-quired 294 acre land in Haribari area in 1999. Of the land, the forest depart-ment got 201 acre. 64 acre had been al-loted for the landless people. 20.70 acre had been provided to the poor who had

applied for the land earlier. When contacted, leader of the

land-grabbing group Kamrul Islam asked the correspondent not to write about his involvement in this regard. He claimed that he had bought the land from one Shamsul Islam.

Additional Deputy Comissiner Farid Ahmed said there was no land of Sham-sul Islam in the area.

Kamrul had gabbed the forest land forcefully, he said.

Saiful Islam, offi cer of the forest land said Kamrul Islam and Kamrul Huad had grabbed the land illegally.

When asked, Jamil Mohammad Khan, the forest range offi cer, said the wall was not constucted on the govern-ment land.

It was constructed on private land, he said. GM Rafi qul Islam, assistant chief of Mymensingh forest offi cer, said the land was owned by Abu Sayed.

The accused Kamrul Islam and Kamrul Huad had bought the land from Sayed, he said.

The divisionel forest offi cer Gobindra Chandra said that he had ordered Rafi qul to investigate the inci-dent. l

Man killed after being abducted in Chougachha n Our Correspondent, Jessore

A man was allegedly abducted and then killed in Chougachha of Jessore on Thursday.

The victim was identifi ed as Samad Molla, 60, of Dighori village in the upazila. Police and family members of Samad said miscreants abducted him from Mashila bazar on Thursday afternoon. And later he was beaten to death.

Police recovered his body on yester-day morning from a house in Pantipara of the municipality. l

Defying the sudden cold wave in Rajshahi, farmers return home with freshly harvested mustard plants on a bullock cart. The photo was taken at Kadomshahar village of Kakon area yesterday AZAHAR UDDIN

Saturday, January 31, 2015DHAKA TRIBUNE World 7

AU calls for 7,500-strong force to � ght Boko Haram n AFP, Addis Ababa

The African Union called yesterday for a regional fi ve-nation force of 7,500 troops to defeat the “horrendous” rise of Nigeria’s Boko Haram Islamist militants.

The call for collective action came as leaders of the 54-member bloc opened their two-day annual summit in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa, where they were addressing a string of crises across the continent.

“Terrorism, in particular the brutal-ity of Boko Haram against our people, (is) a threat to our collective safety, se-curity and development. This has now spread to the region beyond Nigeria and requires a collective, eff ective and decisive response,” AU commission chair Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma said in a speech opening the summit.

Confl icts elsewhere, including civil war in South Sudan and the Central Af-

rican Republic, as well as a new off en-sive launched Thursday by Democratic Republic of Congo against Rwandan ethnic Hutu rebels in the east of the country, are also expected to be dis-cussed.

The AU Peace and Security Council called for a regional fi ve-nation force of 7,500 troops to stop the “horrendous” rise of the insurgents.

The proposed force will have the backing of the AU, and will ask for ex-pected UN Security Council approv-al, plus a “Trust Fund” to pay for it, Dlamini-Zuma said.

More than 13,000 people have been killed and more than one million made homeless by Boko Haram violence since 2009.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon told African leaders that Boko Haram was “a clear danger to nation-al, regional and international peace and security.” l

MH370 relatives reject that passengers are dead n AP, Beijing

About 100 Chinese families of pas-sengers on the missing Malaysian airliner demanded yesterday that Malaysian officials retract their statement that all aboard died, say-ing that without hard evidence they don’t want to start compensation claims.

Malaysia’s government formal-ly declared still-missing Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 an accident on Thursday and said all those 239 peo-ple on board were presumed dead, paving the way for claims to begin. Most of the victims’ families in Chi-na — where the majority of the pas-sengers were from — still hold onto hope that their loved ones are alive.

“We don’t accept it. As a matter of fact, we are demanding the state-ment to be retracted,” Zhang Qian, whose husband was on the plane, said yesterday.

The relatives’ continued refus-al to accept the authorities’ con-clusion is understandable because they are going through “ambiguous loss,” where there has been no body or wreckage to confirm death, said

Therese Rando, a clinical psychol-ogist in Warwick, Rhodes Island, who has worked extensively in grief counseling.

“For any family member to make the move to presume death in the absence of confirmation is a huge step,” Rando explained in an email. “They need to have eliminated other possibilities; to do otherwise would be tantamount to prematurely aban-doning their loved one.”

Earlier this week, in anticipation of the Malaysian statement, 110 members in a group of 115 relatives of passengers voted during a mobile phone group chat to demand that Malaysia refrain from making any announcement.

Jiang Hui, whose mother was a passenger aboard the flight, said the new announcement was based on no new facts.

“We not only demand the Malay-sian government retract the state-ment, but also issue an apology,” Jiang said. “That’s the wish of the majority of family members.”

Relatives were unmoved by the argument that the declaration paves the way for compensation claims. l

CONGRESS LEADER QUITS

‘Hang me, if I am wrong’ n Agencies

In a tell all press conference following the leak of her letter to Congress pres-ident Sonia Gandhi, former union en-vironment minister Jayanthi Natarajan announced her resignation from the party stating that there is no democra-cy in the Congress party.

Accusing the Congress Vice presi-dent of not explaining why he instruct-ed to delay projects and then com-plained that there were bottlenecks in the environment ministry, Jayanthi Natarajan said she was resigning from the primary membership of the party and from the post of a trustee of the Tamil Nadu Congress Committee.

Natarajan said she was shocked to see her letter explaining Rahul Gand-hi’s interferences to the Congress president published in the media and thought she should explain why she was forced to write the letter.

Explaining the sequence of events that led to the letter and her subse-quent resignation, she said: “When I was made Environment Minister the party line was very clear that the policy of Indira and Rajiv Gandhi to preserve the environment must be protected at all times.”

“As I continued my duties as minis-ter I received several instruction from the offi ce of the Congress Vice Pres-ident Shri Rahul Gandhi forwarding representation from NGOs, complain-ing about environmental deterioration in large projects, I was asked by him to make sure that environment is protect-ed at all costs and to ensure that these large projects don’t cause tremendous havoc to the environment. And accord-ing to these instructions, which I per-ceived to be directions from the party I did my duty.

I did due diligence of the project, I got the projects investigated and I had it stopped. Many of my colleagues protested. Very often I had to face the anger and wrath of colleagues and my cabinet. I had to keep telling them that the environment and the future cannot destroyed at any cost.”

Jayanthi said “I was carrying out

all my duties according to party lines as instructed in specifi c cases includ-ing Vedanta, Niyamgiri, Nirma cemebt plant and especially the Adani project. But suddenly I was called by the Prime Minister on December 20 and asked to resign from the Ministry.”

“I was told by the Prime Minister who looked very upset and grim that I had to resign because the Congress president wanted me to do party work,” She said.

Accusing the Congress Vice presi-dent of planting stories in the media immediately after she said that her media friends had alerted her that they were getting calls from the Con-gress Vice Predient’s offi ce that it was not for party work that she was asked to resign. “After that continuous cam-paign of defamation and allegations of wrong doing have been made against me. I told the Congress president that I am being vilifi ed in the media but she told me not to respond,” Jayanthi said.

She then said that her name was later dropped from the list of Congress spokespersons and that from then own she had never heard from the Congress leadership.

My sources were impeccable, and I felt unease. Thereafter, the media was fl ooded with negative stories about me. The same day, namely, the day after I resigned, Shri Rahul Gandhi ad-dressed a FICCI meeting of industrial-ists, where he made uncomplimentary references to delays in environmental clearances, and the adverse eff ects upon the economy, and assured the corporate world, that the party and government would henceforth ensure that there would be no delays, and bot-tlenecks for industry.

Clearing her stand, Natarajan says that she was “never a bottleneck,” nor was she “ever responsible for unwar-ranted delays in major projects.” She goes on adding that she can “prove this at any time.”

In the letter to Sonia, Natarajan says that her “entire career is ruined” and that the “sacred and venerable” legacy of her family also “stands in danger of being tarnished.” l

Fleeing Pakistanis � nd new dangers n AP, Khost, Afghanistan

Tens of thousands of Pakistanis have sought shelter at a sprawling refugee camp in a volatile region of Afghani-stan after crossing the mountainous border to escape a military onslaught against insurgents.

For decades Afghans have fl ed into Pakistan to escape war and upheaval, but in recent months the tide has re-versed, with some 60,000 Pakistanis — more than half of them children — tak-ing refuge in the Gulan camp, some 20 kilometers (12 miles) from the border in the restive Khost province.

“We knew the military operations would last a long time once they start-ed,” said Malik Omardin, a tribal elder who came from the Pakistani town of Datta Khel. “It’s a mountainous area and the insurgents are very strong on

their own territory, so the government will have a hard time fi nding and de-stroying the Taliban.”

More than 210,000 Pakistanis have crossed into Afghanistan from the neighboring North Waziristan province since the Pakistani military launched a long-awaited off ensive in June against Taliban and other foreign militants, who have long used the lawless tribal region as a launch-pad for attacks in both countries.

Eastern Afghanistan is an unlikely refuge. Khost and neighboring Pakti-ka, where most of the refugees have sought shelter, are among the most dangerous provinces in the country. Local security forces have struggled to combat the Taliban following the withdrawal of US and Nato forces, and the insurgents are expected to launch a fresh off ensive in the spring.

On the edge of the camp, mine re-movers in pale blue body armor scan the dusty ground for ordinance left over from decades of war. But inside, local traders have set up stalls selling fresh produce, giving the camp an air of permanence. And the Pakistanis say they have been welcomed by local Af-ghans, many of whom had found shel-ter on the other side of the border in past confl icts.

The Pakistan off ensive was launched last June after a militant at-tack on Karachi’s international airport. The government warned residents to fl ee, and some 93,000 families — up to 750,000 people — have been displaced inside Pakistan. The Pakistani military says it has killed hundreds of militants, but journalists are barred from the re-gion so it is not possible to verify the claims. l

Russia says nuclear arms to keep military edge n Reuters, Moscow

The chief of Russia’s armed forces said yesterday a strong nuclear arsenal will ensure military superiority over the West as Russia seeks to fulfi ll a multi-billion dollar plan to modernise its forces by 2020.

Russia, facing a likely recession this year after US and European sanctions over Ukraine and a fall in oil prices, must deal with new forms of Western aggression, including economic con-frontation, said armed forces chief Gen. Valery Gerasimov.

Despite deep economic woes, he said Russian armed forces would re-ceive more than 50 new intercontinen-tal nuclear missiles this year.

“Support for our strategic nuclear forces to ensure their high military ca-pability combined with...growth of the military potential of the general forces will assure that (the United States and Nato) do not gain military superiority over our country,” said Gerasimov.

Tensions between Russia and the West have risen over the confl ict in

eastern Ukraine, where the United States and Europe say Moscow is fuel-ling an insurgency by sending in troops and weapons. Moscow denies this.

Russia has criticised Nato expansion in eastern Europe and President Vladi-mir Putin has accused the Ukrainian army, which is fi ghting pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, of being puppets of Nato with a policy of “con-taining” Russia.

Russian military planes increasing-ly have been spotted over Europe on radar in recent months. Britain sum-moned the Russian ambassador on Thursday for an explanation to the fl ight of two Russian long-range bomb-ers that fl ew over the English Channel, forcing British authorities to reroute civil aircraft.

Russia promises to push through by 2020 a more than 20-trillion-rouble ($286.62bn) military modernisation plan conceived by Putin, and military expenditures will remain unchanged even in the face of a growing economic crisis that has cut the budgets of other ministries. l

UN court upholds life for two convicted in Srebrenica massacre n AFP, The Hague

The UN’s Yugoslav war crimes court yes-terday upheld life convictions of two Bos-nian Serbs for their role in the Srebrenica massacre of almost 8,000 Muslim men and boys in 1995.

The Appeal Chamber “affi rms the life sentence” against former Bosnian Serb Vujadin Popovic, 57, and Ljubisa Beara, 75, Judge Patrick Robinson said at a hear-ing at the Hague-based tribunal.

Both men are former offi cers in the Bosnian Serb army blamed for the mid-July 1995 massacre regarded as one the worst incidents of bloodshed on Eu-ropean soil since World War II.

Popovic, wearing a dark suit and black T-shirt shook his head as the ap-peals verdict was read out, while Beara, also in a dark suit and white shirt, stood motionless.

The two men were sentenced to life on genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity charges in 2010, to-gether with fi ve co-accused by the Inter-national Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.

Four other army offi cers and a police offi cial found guilty of war crimes were jailed for between fi ve and 35 years. Three of the offi cers appealed their sentences.

The court upheld a 35-year sentence against Bosnian army security chief Drago Nikolic, 57 and a 13 year sentence against brigade commander Vinko Pan-durevic, 55.

It reduced a 19-year sentence against Bosnian army operations chief Radivoje Miletic, 67, by one year.

The Appeals Chamber dismissed, unanimously or by majority, most of the appellants’ other challenges in the case, which is the ICTY’s largest completed case to date.

The dismissals include challenges to the admissibility and credibility of wit-nesses testifying in the case that opened in The Hague in 2006.

It has seen some 315 witnesses testify during 425 trial days.

Twenty individuals have been indict-ed for crimes committed at Srebrenica, including former top Bosnian Serb poli-tician Radovan Karadzic and his military partner general Ratko Mladic. l

Ukraine peace talks due as EU hits Russia with more sanctions n AFP, Minsk

Negotiators from Ukraine, Russia and Europe are set to hold fresh peace talks yesterday in a bid to end a surge in fi ghting between Kiev and Krem-lin-backed rebels, with tensions run-ning high after the EU hit Moscow with more sanctions.

The talks in Belarus’s capital Minsk will bring together the contact group of representatives of Ukraine, Russia and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), the Be-larus foreign ministry said.

But the meeting is set to be over-shadowed by a deal reached by EU foreign ministers Thursday to tighten sanctions against Russia over the con-fl ict, which the United Nations says has left at least 5,100 people dead.

Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gor-bachev warned Thursday that the sanc-tions risk turning the new Cold War at-mosphere into a globally destabilising “hot” armed confl ict between Moscow and the West. l

On Modi’s beef with Sujata Singhn Indrani Bagchi for TNN

Over the past six months, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is learnt to have been repeatedly unhappy with the MEA and particularly with former foreign secretary Sujatha Singh’s lead-ership, which failed to keep pace with his bigger interests.

Where Sujatha Singh and the PMO diverged was her inability – or unwill-ingness – to make the necessary course corrections.

Early problems cropped up between the Singh-led MEA and the PMO when the BRICS summit declaration put in a paragraph critical of Israel, a country Modi has declared as a priority partner.

This was followed by India voting against Israel at the UNHRC – which was along the lines of the MEA’s tradi-tional stance, but very diff erent from the stand of the new government. In fact, an abstention was not even con-sidered, which the PMO objected to. It

was, therefore, no surprise that Modi chose to meet Benjamin Netanyahu in New York.

With Japan, too, the view in the PMO was that Singh failed to run with the outcomes of Modi’s visit there in September. As a result, things are said to have slowed down in a relationship into which Modi has deeply invested.

On Denmark, the PM is said to have suff ered a personal slight. The Gujarat government had invited the Danish PM to Vibrant Gujarat. But the visit failed to materialise because the MEA refused to budge from its stand that no high-lev-el contact was allowed unless they re-solved the issue of Kim Davy, despite the fact that Modi had a personal in-terest in the Danes. The Danish PM did not come, and serious wrinkles have appeared in that bilateral relationship.

Singh and foreign minister Sushma Swaraj built a working relationship, but since neither of them had any meaningful relationship with the PMO,

the MEA began to be bypassed in major decisions on foreign policy. It wasn’t long before the foreign minister-for-eign secretary relationship also began to turn tepid.

Swaraj tweeted on Thursday that it was the government’s decision appoint Jaishankar, who had to be brought in before he retired on January 31. “Then I spoke to Ms Sujatha Singh personal-ly,” she tweeted, indicating that she was very much a party to the replace-ment decision.

Modi’s keenness in India’s relation-ship with the US brought ambassador Jaishankar in Washington into a key role of taking bilateral ties forward. By the time Modi invited Obama for R-Day, Singh had been told she would be replaced.

Jaishankar is rated very well both by the Modi government and in MEA as a master strategist and an effi cient implementer. He was also able to grasp the core of Modi’s foreign policy which

made him a valued member of the PM’s foreign policy team.

There were apparently eff orts to give Sujatha Singh an honourable exit. Sources said she was off ered a UPSC position, which she declined. Instead she chose to take early retirement after her tenure was cut short.

Unwilling to disturb the status quo by moving either ambassador or for-eign secretary before the Obama vis-it, the Appointment committee of the cabinet moved hours after Obama left to take the decision.

Jaishankar’s fi rst trip will be to ac-company Swaraj to China over the weekend. Swaraj will hold discussions with her counterpart Wang Yi. They will be joined by Russian foreign min-ister Sergei Lavrov for the Russia-In-dia-China trilateral.

Jaishankar’s elevation means Modi now has a direct connection with the ministry, which will also make Jaishan-kar a more powerful foreign secretary. l

US President Barack Obama, Indian President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a home reception with several hundred Indian political and cultural � gures at the Rashtrapati Bhavan presidential palace in New Delhi January 26. Sujata Singh was removed from her position shortly after Obama’s visit to India REUTERS

Where in the world can you listen to story tellers while sipping hot chai on a cool but sunny winter’s afternoon then retire for an evening of quawali? Nowhere other than Jaipur during the famous Jaipur Literature Festival. Thousands of book lovers gathered for 5 days at the

glorious Diggi Palace from January 21-25 in Jaipur to celebrate the written word. I was lucky enough to be among them. Here are some of the highlights.

In the taxi from the airport, I met Claire Armitstead from Guardian Books from whom I learned of that Guardian Books’ twitter feed has over 1 million followers and is a great place to learn about new books.

The fi rst session I watched was of octogenarian Nobel laureate VS Naipal reconciling with his disciple and later critic Paul Theroux in a tearful moment on stage.

In a session titled ‘Basic Instinct’, Hanif Kureishi (Buddha of Suburbia), Sarah Waters (The Paying Gyest), Nickolson Baker (Vox) and Deepti Kapoor (A Bad Character) discussed with Parul Segal, NY Times Books Editor the art and politics of writing sex. Sarah discussed the challenge of depicting lesbian love in a way that is more honest than pornographic depictions that cater to male fantasies. Hanif suggested that in the current sex-obsessed milieu, perhaps writing about a happy marriage would be something fresh.

I was entertained by a few sessions of historical writers in conversation with the charming William Dalrymple. William Pinch described the life and times of warrior yogi, Anupgiri who was said to have super natural powers. Jessie Childs spoke about torture techniques in Elizebethan England. Deborah Hutton, Kavita Singh and Molly Aitkin swooned over the 17th century hero of syncretism, Jagat Guru, Ibrahim Adil Shah of Bijapur.

Young women writers Joanna Rakoff (My Salinger Year), Amrita Tripathi (The Sibius Knot) and Eleanor Catton (The Luminaries) spoke on panels about their approaches to writing. Joanna’s memoir required an excavation of memories, Eleanor’s research involved pouring through New Zealand’s archives of 19th century newspapers and Amrita’s novel came out of her study of mental health.

Popular best-sellers Amish Tripathi (The Shiva Trilogy), Ashwin Sanghi (The Rozabal Line) and Chetan Bhagat (Half Girlfriend) separately discussed the importance of marketing. “Content is queen, marketing is king” was the motto.

Samit Basu, voted one of the top young writers of India, acclaimed for his Game World fantasy trilogy, spoke about our eternal love for Hogwarts and the power of imagination.

Bangladesh had a strong presence at the festival. Maria Choudhury (Beautiful Stranger) explored the family as an intriguing social unit with

many secrets. Sadaf Saaz (Sari Reams) discussed with Vijay Seshadri (Pulitzer Prize winning poet from USA) the complexities of being an immigrant in America. Mukul Deva, best-selling author of military thrillers, launched The Garud Strikes, about Bangladesh’s Liberation War. Namita Gokhale introduced Malishri Lal’s new release, ‘Tagore and the Feminine’ followed by a beautiful rendition of Ogo Bideshini which was apparently written for Tagore’s Colombian crush.

One evening, I enjoyed a poetry recital under the starry sky in Hawa Mahal by the elegant Shabana Azmi. At one point she recalled a tune she had hummed for her husband Javed Akhtar and her dear friend Gulzhar. Each came up with a spontaneous verse of lyrics. Gulzar’s began with ‘aye aye meri pyar’ while Javed’s began with ‘ja ja ja pyari.´

The most noticeable feature of the festival was its colossal size. There were more than 250,000 enthusiasts attending, 300 authors speaking, 150 media personalities buzzing and more than 300 village cooks preparing mouth-watering meals for the crowds. The festival was a paragon of good organization, team eff ort and seamless show biz! As if this wasn’t impressive enough, the Jaipur Literature Festival, was ranked the third largest music festival in the world! Every evening three bands showcased their talents and had the crowds dancing away.

People in India are reading voraciously. The publishing industry is sophisticated and savvy. Book stores are profi table. Children are encouraged to express themselves. All in all, India is holding its position in the world of literature, with the Jaipur Literature Festival leading the way. Anyone interested in literature will love this festival and I highly recommend it for your calendar next year!

Shazia Omar has written one novel, Like A Diamond in the Sky, one mind-body-spirit book, Intentional Smile, and one play, Karma Coff ee.

“Let’s begin at the beginning, with Chile, that remote land that few people can locate on the map because it’s as far as you can go without falling off the planet.

Why don’t we sell Chile and buy something closer to Paris? One of our intellectuals once asked. No one passes by casually, however lost he may be, although many visitors decide to stay forever, enamored of the land and the people. Chile lies at the end of all roads, a lance to the south of the south of America, four thousand three hundred kilometers of hills, valleys, lakes, and sea.”

Isabel Allende claims to have been an outsider in her native land; “I never fi t in anywhere, not into my family, my social class, or the religion fate bestowed on me.” But she continues to carry with her even today, almost four decades after leaving her homeland, the mark of the people, myth and magic of her soil. “My Invented Country” is the memoir she has penned in which she calls upon the most bizarre cast of characters, people she has known while growing up in Chile, to tell the tale of her land, which at times become too much to take, to accept or believe.

Allende’s novels (The House of the Spirits, Eva Luna, Daughter of Fortune etc.) are sweeping and epic, historical and romantic, her work weaves in elements of North and South American culture.

As with most fi ction writers of similar caliber, Allende’s work is inspired by seemingly ordinary personal experiences, and in this memoir she delves into the history, social mores and idiosyncrasies of Chile, showing, in the process, how that land has served as her muse.

Exploring personal events of her life, she manages to take the reader on a highly charged, magical, whirlwind of a ride through Chile, bringing it to life in the most unexpected ways. Her town of Santiago is where her grandfather encounters the devil on a bus and her grandmother calls upon spirits to move around furniture.

Her home is a place of love, spirits of the deceased, abandonment, and the living. In her memoir are the almost mythic fi gures of a Chilean family, grandparents and great-grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends, with whom both regular and fi rst-time readers of Allende’s fi ction will feel comfortable. Bangladeshi readers will

be surprised to fi nd that they can relate to South Americans on an entirely diff erent level.

“My Invented Country” is a memoir whose very structure mimics the workings of memory itself, ranging back and forth across that distance gathered between the author’s past and present lives. It speaks on a personal level to immigrants, and to all of us who has ever felt like an outsider, who try to retain a coherent inner life in the world despite its many contradictions. I bought this book from Boi Bichitra.

Allende’s Invented Country Ahsan Sajid

is the playing fi eldOf wartime soldiersYour secrets’ beholders.

Lost its way in a wildernessToo wildEven for animalsTo survive.

Wretched, wroughtWith war-like woes.Armored, anguishedAgainst all anecdotes.Ravaged, revealed, aRueful reborn rose.

No.Your body is a thousand roses in a rose-less seasonAnd sunshine in a mid-monsoon night’s treason.It is peace – not piece – of wartimesSo pray, you – young, divineWorship these spacesYour body embraces.

Your body Syeda Samira Sadeque

Jaipur Literary Festival Shazia Omar

8

Untitled

Even the boyat the coff ee shop downstairsKnew better

Of her secrets - lipstick-stained, perfume-drenched- secrets, that she didn’t even know existed.Like how he, who had proposed rightthere, would bring those other women To the same coff ee shopBefore going awayto Apartment 17While she waitedin the offi ce upstairsFor his meetings to be over.

Saturday, January 31, 2015DHAKA TRIBUNE

The bequest of Cox’s Bazarn Tim Steel

Do we owe Lord Morn-ington for the bequest that is Cox’s Bazar, or do we thank the seasoned servant of the Honourable

East India Company, Captain Hiram Cox, whose name, as it were, is carried as “the maker’s name?”

It is, of course, Mother Nature herself to whom we owe the famous “world’s longest continuous natural sea beach,” on the verge of which, beside the estuary of the ever lovely, historic Bakkhali river, the city stands.

But, although today’s city may not, in most eyes, be much of a thing of beauty, bequeathed to the nation of Bangladesh by, fi rst the British, who founded it, and the Arakanese, Portuguese and Bengalis who have developed it, to, above all, today’s tourists from all over Bangladesh, as well as not a few from India, Arabia and elsewhere, it remains close to Bangladeshi hearts.

No doubt it was, in fact, remote East India Company administrators who conceived the value of settling the unsettled peoples of the area, in the late 18th century. Most of them were Arakanese refugees from the dep-redations of the Burmese army; and there were others, including rootless Portuguese, displaced by British expansion in Bengal, onto cultivable lands around markets, of which Cox’s Bazar, the largest, was one.

There are parts of Cox’s Bazar, even today, where luxuriant tropical growth fringes the silver sand of the beaches along sprawling water cours-es, and can readily conjure up what Hiram Cox fi rst saw; with, no doubt, two hundred and fi fteen years ago, roaming elephants and tigers.

Few such conspicuous bequests, perhaps, in Bangladesh, are as distinc-tively marked as today’s city of Cox’s Bazar. But whether, in the end, we owe this settlement for the social and economic enrichment of the recently

acquired lands under British control, to administrators in Dhaka or Calcut-ta, to Governor, the Earl of Morning-ton, brother of the famous Duke of Wellington, or to Hiram Cox himself, it has proved itself as, unquestiona-bly, an enduring contribution to the social and economic development of all these lands that are now known as Bangladesh.

A bequest, of course, is an inher-itance, a legacy, of value, something to be valued and, preferably, passed on, and, whichever way you look at it, without Hiram Cox, there may well have been an initiative undertaken, but as his companions, to commemo-rate his social interests, and his integ-rity, named this centre for him, and marked, forever, his own contribution to such heritage.

Even within today’s city, unno-ticed, perhaps, by most of those who travel to enjoy, however briefl y, all that is Cox’s Bazar today, there is a very tangible gift from Cox; within the ancient Buddhist Temple, which was probably all that originated before Cox, there is a small, Burmese, image of the Buddha, that Hiram Cox pre-sented to them.

Flood waters may have swept away the grave within which he was interred following his untimely death in 1799, just a year after founding the Bazar, leaving behind no other tangi-ble memorial, except his name.

This year, opening Cox’s Bazar Surf Club on Shugandha Beach, the British High Commissioner, His Excellency Robert W Gibson, also unveiled a small memorial plaque to commem-orate the man himself, the Scot who ended his life undertaking what, today, we would call refugee relief, at a mere 39 years of age.

Born in 1760, only fi fteen years af-ter the 1745 rebellion in which Prince Charles Edward Stuart, “Bonnie Prince Charlie,” came close to overthrowing the monarchical dynasty that has now ruled Britain for over two hundred and fi fty years, Cox hailed, it is be-lieved, from Inverness, on Scotland’s east coast.

The punishment of Scots for the rebellion saw many take up roles in the burgeoning Empire, of which, of course, the lands of Bangladesh might reasonably be called the foundation stone. Captain Hiram Cox was, clearly, amongst them, and might, in his own way, even serve as something of a poster child for an Imperial adminis-tration evolving from ruthless chanc-ers to servants with the interests of subjects within their commitment.

The lands that are now Cox’s Bazar district had, through previous centuries, been much fought over

and invaded. Arakanese, Tripurans, Burmese and even Mughal armies had tramped the lands and con-tested overlordship. These were lands between powerful kingdoms, with, perhaps, little of real value in themselves, although the Roman cartographer, Ptolemy, about 150 CE,

nearly one thousand nine hundred years ago, clearly identifi ed historic Ramu, which lies some 16km north of Cox’s Bazar, also on the banks of the Bakkhali, and evidently, at that time, widely known as an important trading centre associated with the fi rst of the international Silk Road trading routes, known, today, as The Southern Silk Road.

Lost within the sprawling, and, frankly, ugly, development of what some refer to as Uttara by Sea, no compliment intended, there are still to be found glimpses of, perhaps, what was, but is no longer. The mangroves beside the Bhakkhali; boat building

of ships probably largely unaltered in shape, except for the lack of masts, but traditionally craftsmen built; terracotta potteries; the remaining wooden houses; above all, perhaps, the fi shing fl eet.

Only a few years ago, the town included a mid nineteenth century

prison, which would have made a great visitor centre … such places are very popular with tourists around the world … but it was sadly bulldozed to make room for extra Eidgarh space.

Within half an hour or so travel, today, of course (probably slower then in Hiram Cox’s time) lies Ramu, where Cox was based. With what is reputed to be a 3rd century BCE Buddhist Tem-ple, founded by the great Ashoka him-self, some beautiful wooden Temples, centuries old, and, overlooking the town, on what the locals call “Golden Hill” for the treasure they believe hid-den therein, a thousand year old Stupa dominates the Bakkhali valley.

It is clear that Cox intended his Bazar, his Market place, to serve the lands around. That, today, it serves tourists, mostly from across Bangla-desh and north east India, but also the world at large, makes his bequest an even richer one than, perhaps, even he could ever have envisioned.

Maybe, being born in the High-lands of Scotland, only sixteen years after the disastrous ’45, he empathised with the displaced, the disadvantaged, but we do know that he was a very sensitive, even intel-lectual type. His comrades mention his sensitivity and empathy, but we also know that he was a devotee of the game of chess, and a leading exponent of a peculiar variant, four handed chess. His memoir of his time as ambassador of the honourable company in Burma, where it seems he was at odds with the King and his court also underlines a more than passing interest in engineering.

Above all, his integrity shines through what is known of him; not a quality it is immediately easy to associate with such Company contemporaries as Collector Lindsey of Sylhet.

This then, the city by the sea, on the longest beach, that after 215 years still bears his name, is a lasting bequest of one man’s determination that creates yet another jewel in the extraordinary crown of heritage that is Bangladesh’s, and its visitors, to enjoy. l

9

Without Hiram Cox, there may well have been an initiative undertaken, but as his companions, to commemorate his social interests, and his integrity, named this centre for him, and marked, forever, his own contribution to such heritage

That, today, it serves tourists, mostly from across Bangladesh and north east India, but also the world at large, makes his bequest even richer

Heritage Saturday, January 31, 2015DHAKA TRIBUNE

A lazy evening stroll on the beach SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Time to step up � ght against corruption

A new Transparency International report shows that corruption present in the O� ce of the Comptroller and Auditor General has become deep-seated and commonplace.

It is a matter of great concern that the very o� ce in charge of keeping an eye on how government money is spent should be so riddled by corruption.

There is widespread evidence of under-the-table payments being sought by and made to o� cials in the auditor general’s o� ce in return for favours.

Gross corruption and malpractice at such a key level re� ects the very poor state of governance in the country. Rampant bribe-taking has compromised our bureaucracy at every level of operations, from hiring personnel to granting services.

The public depends on the government to ensure that independent bodies like the CAG and ACC are able to operate to the highest ethical standards in investigating and holding lawbreakers to account.

Corruption corrodes public life and has a disastrous e� ect on the national economy by making it harder for responsible businesses to operate.

As a society, we cannot a� ord to see corruption as a necessary evil. Exemplary punishment must be doled out to crooked o� cials, and those who can expose punishment from inside these institutions should be rewarded.

The government must act on, not downplay, the concerns noted by the report. Our civil society must also stay vigilant against abuses of power, and expose corruption where they see it instead of participating and perpetuating the vicious cycle.

MPs should question tra� c privileges

There is no good case for parliament issuing special car stickers to identify vehicles carrying MPs relatives.

By giving their family members special stickers, parliamentarians are needlessly extending special privileges when they should be questioning what purpose they serve in the � rst place.

As it is, vehicles used by ministers and other high-ranking government o� cials regularly � out tra� c rules at the expense of general road users.

The new stickers will extend preferential treatment on public roads, including the privilege of avoiding security checks, to vehicles carrying family members of parliamentarians.

Under the previous policy, only each lawmaker was entitled to have a single sticker for their own car. The new rule arises in part out of concern about the scandal of forged or falsely issued stickers being sold and used unlawfully.

Road transport and bridges minister reported to parliament that forged MP car stickers have been found on sale and have also been seen being used by lawmakers’ domestic sta� .

In pointing out that some MPs also ignore tra� c rules, the minister rightly said: “Lawmakers have a responsibility. We should be lawmakers, not lawbreakers.”

It is concerning then that instead of clamping down on and preventing the abuses which have been acknowledged in relation to the existing stickers, that parliament has compounded the potential for abuse by extending the sticker privilege to people not even working in public service.

MPs are tasked with serving the public. They should be looking to stop public servants exacerbating the tra� c situation, not extending the privilege which gives helps give rise to the problem.

DemonocracyJanuary 16

roseThe prime minister should take very tough actions against those who are creating violence in the streets since days.

EVPBNP have every right to protest, but that does not equate to giving them a free pass to run amok and disrupt the livelihoods of citizens.

SBDemonocrazy.

rollyGood article.

MausSB: That’s it, exactly. Took the word right out of my mouth.

Suspected arsonist killed in “gun� ght” with RABJanuary 16

SMGreat news! All arsonists should be killed. Dis-putes between politicians should not jeopardise public life. The police exist for the security of ordinary public, not for hooligans.

Editorial10 DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, January 31, 2015

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207Email letters.dt@dhakatribune.com

Send us your Op-Ed articles:opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com

www.dhakatribune.comJoin our Facebook community:

https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune

Punish crooked o� cials. As a society, we cannot a� ord to see corruption as a necessary evil

MPs should be stopping abuses, not extending privileges which give rise to problems

CODE-CRACKER

ACROSS1 Couple (4)4 Remain (4)8 Spirit (3)9 Employ (4)10 Work hard (4)11 Fissures (5)12 Cult (4)14 Regret (3)15 Donkey (3)17 Pinch (3)19 Vigour (3)21 Golf club (4)23 Weapon (5)26 Decline in power (4)27 Tree (4)28 Corded fabric (3)29 Matured (4)30 Remainder (4)

DOWN1 Customer (6)2 Part of the eye (4)3 Sovereignty (5)4 Pronoun (3)5 Ornamental coronet (5)6 Limb (3)7 Acceptance (3)11 Bullock (5)13 Love god (5)16 Pick out (6)18 Disposed (5)20 Strength (5)22 Back of the neck (4)23 Mineral spring (3)24 Hairpiece (3)25 Colour (3)

CROSSWORD

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

SUDOKU

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a di� erent letter of the alphabet. For example, today 18 represents O so � ll O every time the � gure 18 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . Enter them in the appro-priate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.As you get the letters, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y ZPossession is nine-tenths of the lawJanuary 16

RetiredBUETPossession is the problem. Whoever gets in is so consumed by power they treat the country as their own private � efdom, regardless of what the public think.

vhsCharacteristically sharp analysis from Zafar Sob-han. He wrote about the bait and switch when it happened, and here it is.

Evil People PoliticsThe government should pay close attention to such non-partisan polls as they are far more re� ective of the people’s opinions than anything they can come up with. Props to Dhaka Tribune for conducting this.

Hafeejul AlamThanks indeed for the erudite explanation of the present polical scenario in Bangladesh. Obviously, BNP and it’s associates have resorted to terrorism, failing to arrange a mass-movement against the government as the people at large have no reason to be unhappy with the present government’s performance when there is no famine, and power generation, agricultural, and industrial production soared up, economy is well-managed and the

in� ation has come down to around only 6% for the last 25 months.

For the last one year, the country was, by and large, peaceful. Now, terrorism has set in at the behest of the said party and the associated reli-gious bigots. The innocent people are made the victims, public and private properties, including the cars, buses, and trains that are being torched. The country has been subjected to unprecedent-ed loss only to get a party in power. Is it really the democratic way?

Karl HungusIt speaks volumes about the BNP’s intellectual bankruptcy that they were unable to gain much traction despite the wide berth they were all but gifted in the form of the current government’s waning popularity.

shottikar bangaleeBNP is pathetic. It should’ve been so easy for them to make themselves look good in this scenario. But no, they choose to look like hooligans.

IshratNot sure about the use of the word “opined” though. Sounds old-fashioned. Otherwise, good analysis.

Tourists in terrorJanuary 16

F SinghAre cocktails going o� in Cox’s Bazar?

Dreampie F Singh: They are, but not the kind of cocktails that are mentioned in the papers.

Bashir HaqueInteresting, I never realised how much all this nonsensical chaos is hurting our country’s tourism industry - imagine booking a � ight for Cox’s Bazar/Teknaf and then reading about how the country is literally imploding, in some local newspaper!

IGP: Anarchy maker will not be sparedJanuary 16Dr Ahsan HabibVery good point, Mr IGP. But can you also add to that: “Police will work without being the servants of ruling party politicians and their chamchas?”

m SirajullahCongratulations to the IGP for this new attempt to maintain peace and order for the common men and women on the street. We do not care about nor do we want to understand politics. The only thing we know is that whoever goes to power will loot the country and slowly suck our blood. We are accustomed to this. We do mot want to shed more of our blood on the streets or get burnt and have our property vandalised.

Govt blocks ViberJanuary 18

Zaman DB “Security purposes”?! GP has incurred losses.

Fahmida Islam Why though? On what “security grounds”?

Faruq Hasan Won’t change what, denial of facts?

Nazmul Khair It’s better if the government can make us blind ...

and deaf.

Asaki Ahmed Ankon I say it’s rubbish!

Samia Khan Can the govt explain why it’s blocked?

Nasif Hossain Nasfan Bunch of idiots in power. #Govt_sucks

Fahim RahmanBut why did they block it? Are the telecoms incur-

ring losses?

Shadman Ahmed Maybe it’s a joint e� ort by the BTRC and telcos

to gain higher revenues. They have been missing out on quite a lot – can’t really recall the last time I

placed a long international call without VoIP.

Imran ChowdhuryThat’s good. It is a lot of bother to receive and make calls with these modern technologies ... most of the

time you hear half of a sentence.

Shamimul Haque Tanjil Who said it’s been been blocked?! Its working if you

can � gure it out.

Nazmul Khair How funny. I don’t know how it’s still working for

me.

n FS Aijazuddin

Anyone who did not believe in Lady Luck or the goddess Lakshmi should have witnessed

the Indian tea ceremony at Hydera-bad House, New Delhi, on January 25. There was evidence enough – and more – that an invisible, indefi nable force had lifted Barack Obama and Narendra Modi to such lofty eminence.

Think about it. Barack Obama – a down-and-out fi rst generation American who once slept roofl ess on a pavement in New York, whose friend was a drug-snorting Pakistani illegal alien, whose fi rst fundraiser for a Sen-ate seat was organised by his Pakistani friends in a Chicago restaurant (they raised $3,000).  

Narendra Modi, initiated into politics while serving tea to RSS del-egates, a pracharak of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), a married brahmachari vegetarian, an introvert and a poet.

Yet, that day, in the garden of what Edwin Lutyens designed as the Nizam of Hyderabad’s town house on Raj-path, Narendra Modi, as the 15th prime minister of India, served tea/coff ee to Barack Obama, the 44th president of the United States.

It was hardly the occasion for them to remind each other of their anteced-ents. So when Barack Obama referred to Modi’s Bollywood-like reception by the Indian diaspora at Madison Square Garden in September 2014, Modi had the ineff able grace not to mention that, less than ten years earlier, just as he was on his way to address Indian expatriates at the very same venue, his US visa had been revoked peremp-torily by the US government. It cited a forgotten piece of legislation, the International Religious Freedom Act passed by Congress in 1998.

And when both leaders announced “a breakthrough to end the log-jam” over the US-India nuclear deal (hanging fi re since 2005 because of an obstructive unforgotten Indian law that enabled its operators to sue US suppliers in case of accident), neither fouled the atmosphere by alluding to Union Carbide or its culpability for the Bhopal tragedy in December 1984, in which 3,787 Indians died and over half a million Bhopalis were injured.

Offi cial visits like Obama’s are not sessions of the Truth and Reconcilia-tion Commission. They are designed to be less about grimy substance than about non-lethal atmospherics.

Much has been made by the Indian media of the obvious chemistry be-tween Obama and Modi – the bear-hug on arrival, the closely observed tête-a-têtes, the informal banter between the two leaders. However spontaneous these gestures appeared before the cameras, they were the product of diplomacy aforethought.

This visit had a number of imper-atives. The United States as a global superpower needed to re-assert its interest in South Asia. By avoiding Pa-kistan, Obama wanted us to know that while US-Pak relations had yielded past uses, commerce with India prom-ised future, greater benefi ts.

Modi, for his part, hoped that inter-national economies would recognise

that his India had turned its back irreversibly on Nehruvian socialism. Democracy and capitalism – like Modi and Obama – would stride forward together, hand-in-hand. The unspoken expectation on India’s part was the en-dorsement of itself as a self-appointed regional superpower, by a bully bigger than itself.

The attitude of leaders to each other can often make or mar such events. At Vienna in 1961, for example, John F Kennedy felt patronised by Khrush-chev’s condescension towards him.

Pandit Nehru never disguised even when they met his contempt for General Ayub Khan. And the personal animus between Mrs Indira Gandhi and President Richard Nixon undoubtedly discoloured their policies during the East Pakistan/Bangladesh crisis in 1971.

“Politics,” as Nikita Khrushchev once observed, “is a merciless business.” Geo-politics is even less forgiving. During Modi’s last visit to the United States, he and Obama “ex-pressed concern about rising tensions over maritime territorial disputes, ... especially in the South China Sea.” Be-cause of the very nomenclature of those turbulent waters, China was bound to react. It warned both coun-tries not to interfere in its disputes.

Unabashed, in New Delhi, Obama and Modi again reiterated the impor-tance they attached to “safeguard-ing maritime security and ensuring freedom of navigation and over fl ight throughout the region, especially in the South China Sea.”

President Xi Jinping’s mature unrepentant response can be gleaned from a speech (termed “an Important Address”) he gave to the Central Con-ference on Work Relating to Foreign Aff airs, in November 2014.

He stressed China’s need to “pro-mote neighbourhood diplomacy, turn China’s neighbourhood areas into a community of common destiny … and to actively advance the building of the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-century Maritime Silk Road.”

If the United States thinks in cen-turies, China contemplates in millen-nia. Mao Zedong, sitting on Taishan mountain, declared famously once that “the East is Red.” He was not sim-ply describing the crimson sunrise. He was warning, as Zhou Enlai did Henry Kissinger in July 1971, that the US was “10,000 miles away. China was much closer.” l

FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article was � rst published in Dawn.

11Op-Ed Saturday, January 31, 2015DHAKA TRIBUNE

n Alyson Hayes

Traffi c jams, fender bend-ers, fatalities, emissions, expense of delay, and social marginalisation … these are all direct and indirect costs

of a motorist-dependent city. And Dha-ka is such an urban complexity that has exploded in population size and density, a socioeconomic intricacy, and is reliant on movement via cars. This can be seen by the astronomical number of single-passenger vehicles on the roads.

Car dependence has historically shaped the way that cities are planned, and Dhaka is not exempt. Car de-pendence means wider roads, more congested roads, and limited green space and walkways.

Cars make up a higher vehicle mix and move fewer people. Cars can stimulate economies, but can also impair them. Cars consume otherwise economically and socially profi table space. Here is a simple image for your consideration: The average length of a car is just over 4 metres.

The average length of a passenger bus is just over 12 metres (three times the length of a car). The total number of passengers allowable in an average sized car is four plus one driver, who may or may not be a passenger; for this visual we will assume not.

The number of passenger seats in an average sized bus is 28. There-fore, although buses take up three times more road space per unit, they can transport seven times (or more) passengers. So, for fully occupied cars to move 1,000 people, they would take up 1,000 metres of road space or one metre per person. For buses to transport the same number of seated people, it would take up less than half

(42.86%) the road space of cars.Before delving into this further,

please understand that this is not an argument to make Dhaka exclusively car-free, nor is it a fully comprehen-sive review; this is a basic argument to encourage improved public transit facilities, particularly bussing, to give a glimpse at some benefi ts of public transit, eliminate the stigma of public transportation use, and to discourage sole dependence on single-passenger vehicles in Dhaka.

The environment … it is obvious that more vehicles contribute more emis-sions that result in higher particulate levels in the air. It is estimated that the number of vehicles have been increas-ing at a steady rate of 10% annually in Dhaka. This rate of increase has resulted in a 5-6% increase in each of various types of emissions, including carbon monoxide, particulate matter, nitrogen oxides, and hydrocarbons.

Increased air pollution is hazardous to health and destructive to infrastruc-ture due to decay induced from chem-ically altered air quality. Air pollution increases urban runoff which aff ects waterways, agriculture, landscapes, and increases erosion and deteriora-tion of earth bankings and roads.

The society: In Dhaka, as with many

other cities among developing and developed nations, public bussing has a socioeconomic stigma toward riders. Use of public buses is often associated with poverty or inability to purchase a vehicle or lack of ability to operate a vehicle. Here, where many vehicles are not self-driven and the buses are in poor repair, the stigma can be exacerbated. This stigma is validated globally, based on the racial and income data of riders; but there is slowly an emerging shift in paradigm that can be and should be embraced here as well.

Other social costs that cars impose relate to the overall restrictions to city design due to the need for more (or wider) road space. Car-dependent cities often do not support pedestrian requirements for safety and access. Furthermore, green space can be limited due to the need for more road space and lack of parking facilities. Recreation and exercise is therefore compromised.

The economy: It is true that cars can help the economy. Vehicle taxes and associated registration costs are extremely high, but the abuse of roadways due to the high traffi c fl ows in Dhaka creates a development chal-lenge for improving and even main-taining infrastructure within limited fi nancial resources.

Car subsidies exist here, even in an informal and unintentional context; parking and road use is more or less free. Cars that park on street shoul-ders and in traffi c lanes incur costs to movement and design. The congestion from the abundance of cars on the roads creates economic burdens and the planning that is directly attributed to facilitating car dependency, limits other income sources. A past study showed that the vehicular congestion

of Dhaka city resulted in an annual cost of over $18.1bn due to the delay (UNDP).

A solution: Following global trend of promoting improved public trans-port, Dhaka city can identify major causeways that are limited for car use; this can be implemented by days, hours, or without specifi cation. Car related fees can eliminate unintended subsidies for car users.

Public bus infrastructure can be-come a key focal point for government expenditure; better buses, the exist-ence of bus lanes, and more attention to improving ridership and rider safety and comfort. The government of Bang-ladesh and associated organisations such as John McAslan + Partners, JICA, and consultants who have been tasked with the development of the Dhaka Metro must consider the impact on the overall transportation dynamic.

This means that to motivate metro users, considerations must be made to improve bussing within the stop locales. Car parking at major stations may be incorporated, but land space is valuable; so bussing to and from stations for metro riders must be a complementary strategy in the metro project.

As Dhaka, and Bangladesh, contin-ue positive growth and development, understanding the challenges of urban realities is critical. Recently, seven in-ternational cities have been identifi ed due to their diminishing dependence on cars (fastcoexist.com; Adele Peters).

Internationally, governments and the public are gaining understanding that car dependency in cities is becom-ing more of a downfall for sustainable and social development and a hin-drance to urban planning and design. l

Alyson Hayes works at Eminence.

The true cost of carsMEHEDI HASAN

A study showed that the vehicular congestion of Dhaka resulted in an annual cost of over $18.1bn

This visit had a number of imperatives. The United States as a global superpower needed to re-assert its interest in South Asia

Distant friends

n Sushovan Dhar

With the build-up of the sover-eign debt crisis in Europe, the political pundits and fi nan-

cial honchos, not to mention the ruling elites, preached to us about the virtues of “austerity.” Wolfgang Schäuble, the German fi nance minister, was auda-cious in preaching austerity as the sole panacea for the Eurozone-evil.

Herr Schäuble and his likes lectur-ing the European people, including the Greeks, wanted the plebeians to comply with the diktat of the Troika (the EU, the European Central Bank, and the IMF) – in order to be “rescued” from the awful fi nancial disorder that their elites have put them in.

Syriza victoryHowever, four years on, the Greeks decided to be disobedient pupils. And, the coalition of radical leftists, Syriza, won the elections on an anti-aus-terity program. This victory clearly manifests the popular rejection of the so-called austerity policies imposed by the Troika and faithfully enforced by successive Greek regimes, whether of right or “left,” since 2008.

The Troika’s prescriptions, called the Memorandums, reminds us of the odious “structural adjustment pro-grams,” earlier imposed on the South-ern countries trapped under piles of foreign debt. These prescriptions were

nothing but reducing public welfare spending, remotion of subsidies for the poor, privatisation of state-owned fi rms, and regressive taxes on working people and the poor.

Alexis Tsipras led Syriza to win 149 seats in the 300-seat Greek parliament with a 36.3% share of the vote. Only two short of an absolute majority. In order to form a government, he decided to collaborate with ANEL (Independent Greeks), the populist right-wing party which has 13 seats. While the latter is certainly a lesser evil compared to others, it is neverthe-less an evil. It is deplorable to see the sectarian attitude of KKE, the Greek Communist Party, which won 15 seats but refusing unity in struggle and ruling out any support to Syriza.

The ravage and destructionSyriza’s anti-austerity & anti-bailout program found a spirited audience in an otherwise visibly tired and depleted landscape. Greece’s GDP has dropped by 25% since 2009; the household income by around 35% with unem-ployment trebling to 26%.

Severe spending cuts and towering joblessness have compelled 3.1 million people (a third of the Greek popula-tion) to lose their health insurance and other social securities. This population is drowned below the poverty line with 18% incapable of buying food.

History is replete with terrible inci-

dences of social collapse due to wars and armed invasions. In recent times, the prime examples are Iraq, Afghan-istan, Sierra Leone, Mozambique, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Syria.

However, the Greeks were com-pelled to endure almost an unthinkable measure of privation “peacefully.” The economy plummeted in such a manner that the Greek economy is 30% smaller than what it was six years ago.

In social terms, this shattered mil-lions of lives and a whole generation of youth who grew prematurely old, deprived of any chance at a stable and assured life. According to various stud-ies, close to 25% of the population live under dire poverty with another 35% on the brink of being pauperised.

Wages have consistently fallen by 5% per annum 2009. During a survey, some 47% of Greeks reported that they were unable to aff ord necessary treatment. A 33% cut in education spending between 2009 and 2013 left the public education system ravaged. Not content with that the ruling class has scheduled to cut another 14% by 2016.

Thousands of teachers are jobless and the classrooms are overcrowded with students. The fi rst world had no parallels of such situation since the Great Depression of the 30s.

Therefore, the huge popular jubila-tion witnessed in the streets and neigh-bourhoods of Athens or Thessaloníki

and throughout the country, manifests the triumph of those people who had suff ered immensely due to government policies and were immiserated.

The threatWith the offi cial dissolution of the Hellenic Parliament on December 31, 2014, the formal announcement of a month-long election campaign was made. Instantly, both European and international “masters” launched a systematic campaign fi lled with hatred, lies, and threats to force the masses away from voting for Syriza.

President of the European Com-mission Jean-Claude Juncker, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, French President François Hollande, Italian PM Matteo Renzi, “austerity theorist” Wolfgang Schäuble and their lackeys, all raised their voice in unison against the enfant terrible.

Backed by the mainstream Europe-an media, these “leaders” were hoping to stage a media-coup and brutally poison the minds of the Greek public. However, this public was already ex-hausted to witness their land turning into a mess of social ruin due to the inhumane and barbarous austerity pol-icies that these leaders have imposed through the infamous Troika.

The debt that Greece is expected to pay is equivalent to 175% of its GDP. It is abominably an insuff erable onus for the Greek people. This illegitimate, ille-

gal, and odious debt that the Greeks are burdened with is surely not their debt.

Isn’t it surprising to see that the election in such a small country of less than 12 million people could create such palpitations for ministries in Berlin, Paris, or Rome, and at the EU headquarters in Brussels. The crusade against the “dangers” of the radical-left in Greece was designed to coerce the Greeks into renouncing their right to change.

This smear campaign was also aimed at infl uencing European public opinion to frown upon Syriza in order to arrest the spread the “contagion” across the continent, in an eventual victory of the radical-left.

Possible consequencesThe winds of change might spread across Spain this autumn, with the anti-austerity bloc Podemos winning the election. The possibility of the Cyprus, Portugal, and Slovenia citizens considering displacing calamitous ultra-conservative parties by left-wing formations can’t be ruled out as well.

European ruling elites and their benefactors, the private capital and the corporates, are not oblivious to the fact that the majority of common Eu-ropeans despise the policies that have been enforced in the past few years, and might decide to vote for change.

The Syriza victory implies a strong warning to the mainstream parties,

either conservative or “socialist,” increasing their anxiety that the con-tamination could spread to Spain and then elsewhere.

In the end, the Greeks rejected the threats and provided a fi tting reply. The victory of Syriza is certainly a manifestation of the mass outrage against austerity. Rooted in previous traditions of popular resistance, this indignation has produced waves of outbursts and struggles since 2008. The election results are an essential re-jection of the cardinal policies fl aunted for handling by the EU and Germany under the pretext of handling the Eurozone crisis.

It would also be after four decades that neither the centre-left Pasok, nor the right-wing New Democracy remain at the helm of Greek aff airs. One would expect that the Hellenic republic leaves behind the nightmares of the catastrophic austerity, fear, and authoritarianism. The fi ve years of humiliation and suff ering are enough! The Greek people deserve our support and all-out solidarity while they try to embark on a new journey.

The sounds of jubilation from Ath-ens are loud enough to spread around the planet. Are our leaders listening? The Modis, the Hasinas, the Sharifs, and their counterparts in the region? l

Sushovan Dhar is an activist. He is based in Kolkata.

Greece � ghts back

12 DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, January 31, 2015

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Did you know?England have won 10 of

their 14 ODIs in Perth, the only Australian venue where they

have a positive record, minimum 2 matches

Unmindful Lankans, Malaysians clash todayn Shishir Hoque from Sylhet

With virtually no knowledge about the opponents, Sri Lanka will begin their Bang-abandhu Gold Cup International Football campaign at Sylhet

District Stadium today against a con-fi dent Malaysia Under-23 side. The match will kick off at 5pm.

On the eve of their opening match today, Sri Lanka’s Serbian head coach Nikola Kavazovic admitted that they are yet to analyse their opposition.

“This is the fi rst time in my career we didn’t analyse our opponents be-cause I came here without any compet-itive aim. We can’t compete against Ma-laysia and Bangladesh at this moment,” said a resigned Kavazovic yesterday.

The Serbian informed that the third edition of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup will serve as preparation for the up-coming 2018 Fifa World Cup pre-qual-ifi ers.

“Our only aim here is to play two games and have two diff erent expe-riences. Firstly, we want to compete with one national team coming from a developing country. And, the other

experience is to play against the hosts in front of 50,000 people in Dhaka in a competitive match. So, mainly we came here to play two games as part of our preparation for the fi rst stage of WC qualifi ers,” he said.

Kavazovic added that it would be a miracle if they beat Malaysia today. “I don’t expect that we will win. We are on the course of 30 percent of possi-bility. So, if we beat them tomorrow (today) it would be some miracle. Even if we beat Bangladesh it would not be natural.”

The Group A encounter between the two teams is also important for hosts

Bangladesh, who suff ered a 1-0 defeat against the Malaysians at the same ven-ue last Thursday. If the home side are to have any hopes of making it through to the semifi nals, then Malaysia must beat Sri Lanka 2-0 or more today. Then, Bangladesh must draw or win their fi nal group stage match against the Lankans this Monday in Dhaka.

Malaysia head coach Mohamed Razip Ismail on the other hand ex-pressed his determination to continue their winning streak and progress to the last four as group champions. Is-mail though echoed Kavazovic’s tune saying the Malaysians were also in the

dark over their opposition.“I have no idea about Sri Lanka team

and I never watched them play,” said Ismail before adding, “I think every match is very important. We already beat the host country. But tomorrow’s (today’s) match is more important for us to qualify for the semifi nals. I will take this match against Sri Lanka very seriously.

“We want to continue our winning performance. If we beat Sri Lanka to-morrow (today) we will come up as top of the group. The most important thing is to maintain the winning per-formance.”l

Thailand edge Singapore in openern Shishir Hoque from Sylhet

Thailand Under-23 kicked off their Bangabandhu Gold Cup campaign with a hard-fought 3-2 victory over Singa-pore U-23 in the fi rst match of Group B at

Sylhet District Stadium yesterday.With Bahrain – the other side of

Group B - touted as the favourites to win the cup, yesterday’s match was po-tentially a quarterfi nal to decide which of the two teams make it through to the last four as the runners up side from this group. And it was Thailand who sealed the win in a topsy-turvy en-counter.

Thailand went ahead with just six minutes into the clock through mid-fi elder Sensomaiad Adisak. Kana Nara-korn’s corner from the right fl ag found Adisak inside the box. Adisak headed the ball into the net after it rebounded off the sidepost.

Thailand, ranked 13 places higher than Singapore in the Fifa rankings, then took advantage of a baffl ed Singa-pore defence as midfi elder Srinawong Chayawat doubled the lead in the 31st minute. Forward Parmpak Pakorn was the architect behind the goal as he dribbled past a defender to break into the box before cutting the ball back to Chayawat who placed home from the centre of the box.

Singapore staged a comeback im-mediately after resumption by pulling one back four minutes into the second half. Following a blunder from a Thai defender who failed to block Taufi k Bin Suparna’s through pass for Iqram Yazid, Iqram received the ball calmly and slotted home past Yos Somporn in the near post.

It took Singapore only four minutes to fi nd the net again and equalise the margin, thanks to a lovely fi nish by Taufi k. Midfi elder Nur Ishafi q Naim ran through the right fl ank and delivered a low cross which defl ected off a de-fender and went straight to the keeper who was unable to grip the ball. The re-bound fell kindly at the feet of Taufi k who smashed home from just outside the six-yard box.

Thailand, however, had the last laugh as Pakorn sealed victory in the 80th minute, thumping in a 20-yarder into the back of the net. l

Mamunul hints of retirementn Shishir Hoque from Sylhet

The fi nal Group A tie against Sri Lanka this Monday at Bangabandhu National Stadium was already a do-or-die one for Bangladesh given that the hosts lost their opening match against Malaysia Under-23 two days ago in Sylhet. The home side’s fi nal encounter though became doubly important yesterday as skipper Mamunul Islam hinted that he might retire from national duty if they fail to qualify for the semifi nals of the Bangabandhu Gold Cup.

Following a 1-0 defeat against the Malaysians, there is no other option left for Mamunul and Co but to draw or win their fi nal group stage match against the Lankans if they are to make it to the last four. And as the leader of the side, Mamunul came forward and took responsibility for their loss in the

opening match. “I talked to the players after the de-

feat, tried to lift them up and inspired them to give their best in the next game. I took the responsibility of all the 22 players in the squad so that they do not have to play under pressure,” said Mamunul yesterday.

Before leaving for Dhaka yesterday afternoon, Mamunul told the media that he would quit from the national team if they crash out of the event in the group stage.

“Yes, I am sad. We gave our word to someone (BFF president Kazi Salahud-din) that we would reach the semifi nals of the tournament. If we fail to make it, I will personally leave the national side,” he added.

The Sheikh Jamal midfi elder also gave his observations on the 1-0 de-feat against the Malaysians. “We had no idea about their strength but they analysed us well and knew about us,” the 28-year old said before adding, “We went into the game to surprise them but they rather surprised us with high pressing football in the fi rst 25 minutes. After that we played well but there is no value of performance if we cannot get the result.”

Winger Zahid Hossain meanwhile, arguably Bangladesh’s best player in the fi rst match, said they are quite con-fi dent about beating Sri Lanka.

“I am positive about the match against Sri Lanka. We should quit the game of football if we do not win that game,” he said. l

Annual athletics of St. Gregory’s heldn Raihan Mahmood

The annual athletics event of renowned educational institution St. Gregory’s School was held at the school premises at Luxmibazar yesterday.

Swadhin Bangla football team cap-tain Zakaria Pintu graced the occasion as the chief guest. The headmaster of the school, Brother Prodip Placid Go-mez, presided over the programme.

During the programme, Pintu urged the students to acquire more knowl-edge about the Liberation War and the struggle of the freedom fi ghters to achieve independence.

“Nowadays, it appears to me that the new generation is not properly knowledgeable about the Liberation War. I believe the students of St. Grego-ry’s School will obtain in-depth knowl-edge of it and build the country,” said Pintu.

Brother Prodip emphasised upon the importance of sports in addition to studies.

“Without a proper mind, it is not possible to gain knowledge. Sports helps a student to set up the mind in the proper way,” said the headmaster.

Hundreds of students participated in the week-long competition. l

Tigers go karting!n Mazhar Uddin

Following three days of training, Ban-gladesh cricket team enjoyed a rare day off yesterday in Brisbane as the na-tional cricketers experienced the thrills of Go-Karting. The entire Bangladesh contingent, including the coaching staff , thoroughly enjoyed their leisure time on the race track.

“After a couple of days of hard work in the practice sessions, Bangladesh team got a day off to relax in Brisbane

where the team went for Go Karting. Tigers will refocus and get back to their mission from tomorrow (today) once again!” Test skipper Mushfi qur Rahim posted this in his offi cial Facebook page.

After landing in Brisbane, the Tigers began their camp at Allan Border Field last Tuesday. Opener Tamim Iqbal joined the camp two days later.

Meanwhile, Mashrafe bin Mortaza and his team are preparing for their fi rst warm-up match against Cricket

Australia XI, which will take place to-morrow. Two days later, the Tigers are scheduled to face the same opponents in their second warm-up match this Tuesday.

Bangladesh are also scheduled to play two offi cial practice matches be-fore the start of the tournament prop-er. The Tigers will take on Pakistan and Ireland on February 9 and 12 re-spectively before facing Afghanistan in their fi rst pool game of the tournament on February 18. l

First three-dayer ends in drawn Mazhar Uddin

A brilliant unbeaten hundred from Joy-raj Sheik enabled the Bangladesh Un-der-19 cricket team to conclude their opening three-day match against Sri Lanka U-19 yesterday with a 73-run fi rst innings lead.

Resuming the third and fi nal day’s play on 78/2 at Dambulla Internation-al Stadium, overnight batsman Sheik made merry of the Lankan bowlers to score an undefeated 100 off 167 balls with the help of 11 boundaries. Skipper Mehedy Hasan added 41 as the Junior Tigers fi nished the day on 289/8.

The tourists earlier dismissed the hosts for 216 with left-arm spinner Nihaduzzaman bagging a fi ve-wick-et haul. Persistent rain on the second day, however, ensured that the match would not end in a result for ei-ther side as only 29.4 overs of play was possible.

Both the teams will now target a series win in the second and fi nal three-dayer starting from this Monday.

The visitors earlier claimed the fi ve-match one-day series 3-2 after coming back from 2-0 down. l

Thailand goalie Yos Somporn goes aerial in a desperate attempt to thwart a Singapore attack in the Bangabandhu Gold Cup at Sylhet District Stadium yesterday MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

Zakaria Pintu, the captain of Swadhin Banglafootball team (R) and Brother Prodip Placid Gomez (L), the headmaster of St.Gregory’s School congratulate the winners of 100 meter sprint in the school’s annual athletic event yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

The Bangladesh cricketers and coaching sta� pose for a photograph at a Go-Karting track in Brisbane yesterday COURTESY

Sri Lanka U-19 1st innings216/10 in 97.4 overs (Salindu Ushan 77)Nihaduzzaman 5/55, Mehedy Hasan 3/65Bangladesh U-19 1st innings289/8 in 83 overs (Joyraz Sheik 100*, Shadman Islam 56)Nishan Peiris 4/91

Match Drawn

BRIEF SCORE

SportDHAKA TRIBUNE 13Saturday, January 31, 2015

McLaren unveil Honda-powered MP4-30 McLaren unveiled their new car, the MP4-30, which will be piloted by former world champions Fernando Alonso and Jenson Button in 2015, in an online presentation on Thursday. The British marque will be running Honda engines for the � rst time since 1992 and they hope that Alonso and Button will help them end two years in the Formula One wilderness. But despite resuming their partnership with Japanese engine man-ufacturer Honda, the new car retains the predominantly grey livery synonymous with the team’s 20-year partnership with Mercedes. “Although our renewed alli-ance began again many months ago, the launch of the McLaren-Honda MP4-30 marks the start of a lengthy journey,” said chief executive Ron Dennis in a state-ment. “We’ve come a long way already and, although there’s a lot of work to do before we can expect to repeat the level of success we enjoyed together 25 or so years ago, it’s already clear that there’s enormous synergy and potential in our partnership.

–AFP

Villarreal to face Barca in King’s Cup semisVillarreal set up a King’s Cup semi-� nal against Barcelona after Gerard Moreno gave them a 1-0 victory at Getafe on Thursday to secure a 2-0 aggregate suc-cess. Villarreal are unbeaten in 18 games in all competitions and now face their � rst ever cup semi-� nal against last year’s runners-up Barca who knocked out Atletico Madrid on Wednesday. Espanyol secured a surprising 3-2 aggregate win over a spirited Sevilla side despite con-ceding a late goal in a 1-0 defeat when Diogo Figueiras pounced two minutes from time. They will play Athletic Bilbao who beat Malaga 1-0 with an Aritz Aduriz goal at the start of the second half dividing the teams over the two legs. The game at Getafe’s Coliseum Alfonso Perez was played at a slow tempo with few openings at either end. However, youngster Moreno made the most of the chance that fell his way by rounding keeper Jona and slotting into an empty net 12 minutes from time.

–Reuters

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DAY’S WATCH

India R BA. Rahane c Buttler b Finn 73 101S. Dhawan c Buttler b Woakes 38 65V. Kohli c Root b Ali 8 19S. Raina c Woakes b Ali 1 5A. Rayudu c Buttler b Broad 12 17MS Dhoni lbw Anderson 17 32S. Binny c Bell b Finn 7 12R. Jadeja c Finn b Broad 5 9A. Patel c Bell b Finn 1 5M. Sharma not out 7 6M. Shami c Buttler b Woakes 25 18Extras (lb2, w4) 6Total (all out, 48.1 overs) 200

Fall of wickets1-83 (Dhawan), 2-103 (Kohli), 3-107 (Raina), 4-134 (Rayudu), 5-136 (Rahane), 6-152 (Binny), 7-164 (Dhoni), 8-164 (Jade-ja), 9-165 (Patel), 10-200 (Shami)BowlingAnderson 9-1-24-1, Woakes 9.1-1-47-2, Broad 10-1-56-2, Finn 10-0-36-3, Ali 10-0-35-2England R BI. Bell lbw Sharma 10 13M. Ali c Rayudu b Patel 17 34J. Taylor c Raina b Sharma 82 122J. Root c and b Binny 3 2E. Morgan c Dhawan b Binny 2 13R. Bopara c Jadeja b Binny 4 6J. Buttler c Rayudu b Shami 67 78C. Woakes not out 4 9S. Broad not out 3 6Extras (w7,nb2) 9Total (7 wickets, 46.5 overs) 201

Fall of wickets1-14 (Bell), 2-40 (Ali), 3-44 (Root), 4-54 (Morgan), 5-66 (Bopara), 6-191 (Taylor), 7-193 (Buttler)BowlingBinny 8-0-33-3, Sharma 10-1-36-2, Shami 9-0-31-1, Patel 10-1-39-1, Jadeja 9.5-0-62-0

England won by three wickets

INDvENGEngland beat India to set up Australia decider n AFP, Perth

England will face Australia in Sunday’s tri-series fi nal after winning their one-day international against India at the WACA Ground in Perth on Friday by three wickets.

Set a modest 201 to win after anoth-er disappointing batting eff ort by India, England stumbled early before recov-ering to edge their way to 201 for seven and win with 19 balls to spare.

With the winner of the game advanc-ing to Sunday’s fi nal, England looked in deep trouble when they slumped to 66 for fi ve in their run chase.

However, James Taylor and wick-etkeeper-batsman Jos Buttler rescued their cause.

The pair rode their luck, with sever-al close calls, to put on 125 for the sixth wicket and carry their side to within 10 runs of victory, before both fell in quick succession.

Taylor made 82 (122 balls) before holing out to deep fi ne leg from the bowling of Mohit Sharma in the dying stages of the chase.

Buttler made the most of an early re-prieve, when he should have been run out.

He went on to make a match-win-ning 67 from 78 balls before falling just

two runs after Taylor, caught on the boundary from the bowling of Moham-med Shami.

The loss meant India ended their three-month tour of Australia without a win from 10 games, including two warm-up matches, four Tests and four one-day internationals.

Having been sent in to bat, India squandered a good platform provided by their openers.

They lost six wickets for just 31 runs to slump to 165-9, before some late hit-ting from Mohammed Shami (25 from 18 balls) and Mohit Sharma boosted their total.

It was another worrying batting performance ahead of their upcoming World Cup title defence in Australia and New Zealand next month. India beat Sir Lanka in the 2011 fi nal.

The Indians made an encouraging start to their innings through the previ-ously out-of-form Shikhar Dhawan and opening partner Ajinkya Rahane.

The pair put on 83, but the innings started to unravel when Dhawan was caught behind by Buttler from the bowling of Chris Woakes for 38.

Virat Kohli’s poor series then contin-ued when he was caught by Joe Root from the bowling of spinner Moeen Ali (2-35) for just eight.l

Murray defends � ancee over televised outburst n AFP, Melbourne

Andy Murray has defended his fi -ancee after she was caught on cam-era during his tense Australian Open semi-fi nal win apparently swearing at the Tomas Berdych camp courtside.

Tension between Murray and Berdych spilled over off court with the Scot’s wife-to-be Kim Sears caught up with the emotion of Thursday’s match.

Murray, who beat the Czech seventh seed 6-7 (6/8), 6-0, 6-3, 7-5 to reach his fourth Australian Open fi nal, attributed the atmosphere to the pre-match focus on his former coach, Dani Vallverdu, who is now working with Berdych.

Asked at his post-match media con-ference if he was aware of Sears being caught on camera, but with no audio,

using some “Anglo-Saxon adjectives” directed at the Berdych camp, Murray said he was.

“I was told about that. When there’s a lot of tension surrounding some-thing, which you (media) created, then it’s completely normal,” Murray said.

“Even Tomas, who very rarely says anything on the court, there was ten-sion there for him, as well. In the heat of the moment you can say stuff that you regret. And, yeah, that’s it.”

There was plenty of friction between Murray and Berdych and a few glares at each other at changeovers during the opening set sparked by Berdych’s deci-sion to hire former Murray team mem-ber Vallverdu as his coach.

Murray blamed the media for stir-ring it up.l

Windies call up Miller to replace Narine n AFP, St. John’s

Left-arm spinner Nikita Miller was called up by the West Indies for the World Cup on Thursday to replace Sunil Narine who withdrew from the squad.

Miller, 32, has featured in 45 one-day internationals, taking 40 wickets with a best of 4-43 against Zimbabwe. 

His last appearance for the West In-dies in a one-dayer was in March last year against England.

Narine withdrew from the squad on Tuesday, citing the need for more time to confi dently bowl for sustained peri-ods with his new action.

The Trinidadian’s action had been deemed on two occasions during the Indian Champions League T20 tourna-ment last September to be illegal.

However, he has not been under any cloud of offi cial sanction from the In-ternational Cricket Council.

The World Cup commences on Feb-ruary 14 with West Indies playing their opening match two days later against Ireland in Nelson in New Zealand.

They will also play South Africa, defending champions India, Pa-kistan, Zimbabwe and the United Arab Emirates.

Revised West Indies World Cup squad:Jason Holder (capt), Marlon Samuels, Sulieman Benn, Darren Bravo, Jona-than Carter, Sheldon Cottrell, Chris Gayle, Nikita Miller, Denesh Ramdin, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Dar-ren Sammy, Lendl Simmons, Dwayne Smith, Jerome Taylor l

Sharapova out to end decade of Serena dominance n AFP, Melbourne

Top seed Serena Williams’ coach has dismissed the American’s decade-long, 15-0 winning streak against Maria Sharapova as irrelevant ahead of the arch-rivals’ blockbuster Australian Open fi nal on Saturday.

The fi nal will pit the world’s two best players, both in sizzling form, against one another in a dream Grand Slam decider, although the second seeded Sharapova faces questions over her staggering inability to notch a win over Williams since 2004.

The Russian’s overall losing record against Williams is 16-2, including a crushing straight sets win in the 2007

Australian fi nal, and her last 15 meet-ings with the 18-time Grand Slam champion have ended in defeat.

In addition, Williams has won fi ve titles in fi ve fi nal appearances at Mel-bourne Park, emerging victorious ev-ery time she has reached the decider.

But Williams’ coach, Frenchman Patrick Mouratoglou, said such sta-tistics would mean nothing when the adversaries face each other in the Rod Laver Arena, describing Sharapova as a champion in her own right with fi ve majors to her name.

“Every sequence has to end, just ask Nadal,” he told AFP, referring to Czech Tomas Berdych’s quarter-fi nal victory over Rafael Nadal this week to end a re-

cord-equalling 17-match losing streak against the Spanish great.

“Maria Sharapova is changing all the time. This is someone who works hard. She develops her game, she evolves. This is the strength of a champion. Na-dal did it all the time, Serena too.”

Neither player will lack motivation in the fi nal. Sharapova, 27, can fi nally end a decade of pain at Williams’ hands in the ninth Grand Slam fi nal of her career.

Williams, who at 33 is the oldest woman to contest an Open-era fi nal in Australia, is contesting her 23rd Slam fi nal. A win would take her overall tal-ly to 19, surpassing Martina Navratilo-va and Chris Evert as she chases Steffi Graf’s Open-era record of 22. l

James Taylor (L) and Jos Buttler shared a 125-run stand aganst India in the Carlton Mid Tri-Series in Perth yesterday CRICINFO

Dead battery led to Wawrinka losing Australian Open titlen Reuters, Melbourne

A 2014 season which began for Stan Wawrinka with an Australian Open tri-umph and ended with Davis Cup glory fi nally caught up with the Swiss at Mel-bourne Park on Friday as he was left “mentally completely dead”.

The fourth seed’s title defence fi zzled out in a low quality 7-6(1) 3-6 6-4 4-6 6-0 semi-fi nal loss to world number one No-vak Djokovic and Wawrinka admitted he was simply running on empty.

“I told my coach before the match and yesterday that I was mentally com-pletely dead and no battery,” he told reporters.

“Tough to focus on what I want to do. Tough to focus on my game. And that’s what happened.”

The 29-year-old Wawrinka had en-tered the match after a clinical destruc-tion of Kei Nishikori in the quarter-fi -

nals, but both he and the Serb appeared fl at on Rod Laver Arena on Friday, with neither anywhere near the level ex-pected for a semi-fi nal.

The pair had played two epic fi ve set encounters over the last two Australian Open tournaments, with the winner eventually going on to clinch the title.

Wawrinka, however, said his maid-en grand slam win 12 months ago, which was the springboard for a season best three titles and a fi rst Davis Cup triumph with Switzerland, may have contributed to the insipid end to his Melbourne Park title defence.

“It was mentally that I’m paying the price to fi nish off the season with Davis Cup, not having a bigger off -season,” Wawrinka said.

Given how he was feeling, Wawrinka did not expect the match to go the full distance.l

Novak Djokovic (L) of Serbia applauds Stan Wawrinka of Switzerland as he walks o� the court after their men’s singles semi-� nal match at the Australian Open 2015 tennis tournament in Melbourne yesterday REUTERS

SportDHAKA TRIBUNE14 Saturday, January 31, 2015

Asian Cup � nal an 80,000 sellout in Sydneyn Reuters, Sydney

The Asian Cup fi nal between hosts Australia and South Korea at the 80,000-seat capacity Stadium Australia in Sydney on Saturday is a sellout, organisers said.

Australia’s progress to a second successive fi nal at the tournament has helped boost ticket sales, which have already far exceeded organisers’ “budget” target of 355,000 for the competition.

“It is the eighth sell-out for the tournament which has already seen 561,178 fans attend 30 matches over 21 days in fi ve cities - fi ve of those sell-outs being for Socceroos’ games,” read a statement released by the local organising committee on Friday.

Chief organiser Michael Brown told Reuters last year the “budget” target would net organisers A$14.5 million ($11.28 million), while his more opti-mistic goal of half a million tickets sold would push revenue above the A$20 million mark.l

Ivanovic � res warning ahead of City showdown n AFP, London

Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic has warned Manchester City that the Premier League leaders are back to full power heading into their seismic show-down at Stamford Bridge on Saturday.

Jose Mourinho’s side are fi ve points clear of second placed City and Iva-novic claims they are confi dent of ex-tending that lead over the champions after a much-needed morale boost in the League Cup in midweek.

Stung by their humiliating FA Cup fourth round defeat against third tier Bradford last weekend, the Blues re-sponded impressively by booking a League Cup fi nal berth thanks to a 1-0 semi-fi nal second leg win over Liver-pool.

The victory was secured by Iva-novic’s extra-time goal and the Serbia international celebrated by insisting the result was a sign Chelsea are ready to hit peak form in the crucial clash against City.

“We showed the real power of our team and in the end deserved to be in the fi nal,” Ivanovic said.

“We know we can improve and we’ll improve in the next couple of games.”

Ivanovic’s bold declaration might not sound so threatening to City if Chelsea’s star striker Diego Costa is sus-pended this weekend.

Costa is facing a three-match ban for his apparent stamp on Liverpool’s Emre Can on Tuesday, although the Spain in-ternational has appealed the charge of violent conduct and a Football Associ-ation verdict is due by Friday.

Facing Chelsea without Costa would be a signifi cant lift for City, who have struggled badly since infl uential Ivory Coast midfi elder Yaya Toure departed for African Cup of Nations duty.

Toure’s exit has coincided with a run of three games without a win for City,

including damaging back to back home defeats against Arsenal in the league and then second tier Middlesbrough in the FA Cup.

But City manager Manuel Pellegrini is adamant his players, including vet-eran midfi elder Frank Lampard who is set for his fi rst return to Chelsea since leaving the Bridge at the end of last sea-son, are still confi dent of overhauling the Blues.

“I am concerned, not because of the Chelsea game, but because in the last two games at home we didn’t score goals and we conceded two goals in each,” he said.

“But we don’t have any problem

with motivation. I think we are going to work hard and I hope we can win at Stamford Bridge.”

A City defeat would off er encourage-ment to Southampton and Manchester United that they could leapfrog Pel-legrini’s team.

But third placed Southampton, fi ve points behind City, host Swansea on Sunday with boss Ronald Koeman bat-tling a growing injury list.

Already hit by injuries to Toby Al-derweireld, Victor Wanyama, Morgan Schneiderlin, Sam Gallagher and Jay Rodriguez, the Saints suff ered another blow this week when Republic of Ire-land striker Shane Long was ruled out for six weeks with fractured ribs.l

Guinea handed Nations Cup quarter-� nal placen Reuters, Malabo

Guinea will play in the African Nations Cup quarter-fi nals after qualifying in-stead of Mali by the drawing of lots at a ceremony in Malabo on Thursday.

Lots were drawn to determine sec-ond place in Group D after both coun-tries fi nished level after their three opening round matches. Ivory Coast won the group.

Three successive 1-1 draws for both teams meant they could not be separat-ed by points, their head-to-head result, goal diff erence or goals scored.

Guinea will now play Ghana in Sunday’s quarter-fi nal in Malabo at 1600GMT.

It was only the third time in African Nations Cup history that a draw had to be conducted to separate two teams af-ter the group phase.

Previous drawing of lots in 1972 and 1988 favoured Congo and Algeria. l

Gulf nations want Australia out of Asia: AFC chiefn Reuters, Sydney

Asia’s football chief has admitted there is groundswell of opinion in the west of the continent that Australia’s membership of the confederation has not worked out and they should be kicked out.

Australia will play South Korea for the Asian Cup on Saturday after what is widely regarded as a successful hosting of the tournament, the second time they have reached the fi nal in three attempts since switching from Oceania in 2006.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) President Salman Bin Ibrahim Al-Khal-ifa, in an interview with United Arab Emirates newspaper Al-Ittihad, said there was a desire by Gulf Arab federa-tions to review Australia’s membership.

“Yes, it is true, there are indica-tions that confi rm that there is a desire among West Asian federations to re-move Australia from the AFC,” he told the paper on Wednesday.

“But I also know that the Arabs are not the only ones that are not con-vinced with the value of Australia stay-ing within the Asian football family.”

Critics of Australia’s move to Asia, a switch aimed at securing more compet-itive football and an easier route to the World Cup fi nals, say the benefi ts have been all one way.

The Socceroos have reached the last two World Cup fi nals through Asian qualifying, while the Arabian Gulf, which had one team in soccer’s show-piece event from 1990 to 2006, was not represented in South Africa or Brazil.

Asia has four automatic qualifying spots for the World Cup with a fi fth coun-try getting a shot at the fi nals through an intercontinental playoff . Bahraini Al-Khalifa, who took over the AFC in 2013, said no mechanism had been put in place to review Australia’s member-ship when it was agreed in 2005.

“The decision to include Australia was taken many years ago, before I be-came head of the AFC,” he added.

“There are several Asian federations that see that it is necessary for Australia to leave the AFC, and for the AFC to cut all ties with Australia, but we can’t just base any decision on opinions.

“Any decision about Australia’s membership will have to come from the general assembly.”

Al-Khalifa released a statement on Friday saying Australia had earned its place in Asia by “working diligently” and contributing to the confederation at all levels.

“This eff ort includes development work among AFC member associations, administration through the various AFC committees and economic benefi ts through the commercialisation of AFC’s broadcast rights in Australia,” it read. l

Heavyweights collide in � nal n AFP, Sydney

Top-scorers Australia will try to unlock the Asian Cup’s stingiest defence on Saturday when they meet South Korea in a blockbuster fi nal between two of

the region’s heavyweights.The Socceroos are desperate to win

a fi rst Asian title on home soil, but to do so they will have to fi nd a way through a Korean rearguard which has not con-ceded all tournament.

It could be a case of who blinks fi rst as Australia look to be crowned kings of Asia, after defecting from Oceania in 2006, and South Korea try to end a hoodoo stretching back a staggering 55 years.

Runners-up to Japan in 2011, Aus-tralia have hit 12 goals in fi ve games and they will start as slight favourites, despite losing 1-0 to South Korea in the group phase.

Coach Ange Postecoglou opted to rest talisman Tim Cahill for that game in Brisbane and he was robbed of cap-

tain Mile Jedinak through injury, but he insisted the result would count for little with the stakes now so high.

“Previous records go out the win-dow,” he told reporters on Friday. “It will be the team able to deal with what-ever may happen who wins, because fi nals never run to script.”

Cahill has netted three times so far, including a venomous overhead kick in the quarter-fi nal win over China, and is

likely to be central to the plot in one of the biggest games in Australia’s history.

“It just takes one second for some-one to switch off ,” said the former Everton forward. “Hopefully I can be on point to make it count.”

Both teams possess players capable of delivering a knockout blow, with South Korea hoping golden boy Son Heung-Min can weave his magic as they seek to win a fi rst Asian Cup since

1960 having already defi ed the odds by reaching the fi nal.

Their title drought is a curious anomaly for a nation who stormed to the World Cup semi-fi nals in 2002, but they have reached the fi nal -- their fi rst in 27 years -- despite an injury crisis and a fl u bug which swept through the squad, forcing medical staff to work overtime.

“It’s been too long for Korea to be champions,” said captain Ki Sung-yueng, who has been a calming infl u-ence on South Korea after losing the dynamic pairing of Lee Chung-Yong and Koo Ja-Cheol in the group stages. 

“We don’t have anything to lose in this game, maybe Australia have more pressure than us. I told the players it’s a great opportunity, maybe once in a life-time, to become Asian Cup champions so everyone is ready for tomorrow.”

South Korea are the fi rst team to reach the fi nal without conceding a goal since Iran in 1976, but their resilience will be severely tested by Australia’s fi repower in front of a sell-out crowd of nearly 80,000 in Sydney and an esti-mated global audience of 80 million.l

Moyes tests Real Madrid mettle without Ronaldo n AFP, Madrid

David Moyes will face the biggest test of his brief spell in charge of Real So-ciedad when the Basques visit Real Madrid at the Santiago Bernabeu on Saturday.

However, the trip for Moyes’s men isn’t quite as daunting as it could have been with three-time World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo banned for kicking out at Cordoba defender Edimar during Madrid’s 2-1 win last weekend.

Gareth Bale sealed those crucial three points for Carlo Ancelotti’s men with a late penalty after Ronaldo had been dis-missed for the ninth time in his career.

And Madrid will need Bale to be on top form whilst their top scorer watches on from the sidelines for the next two games.

Bale netted in Ronaldo’s absence through injury when the sides met earlier in the season, but, despite roar-ing into an early 2-0 lead, Madrid were eventually defeated 4-2.

Upsets have been a feature of So-ciedad’s season as they have beaten La Liga champions Atletico Madrid and Barcelona as well as Real under three diff erent coaches. Moyes mastermind-ed the latest of those triumphs against Barca early this month, but his side have failed to kick on since with just one win in fi ve games since to remain in the bottom half of the table.

Esteban Granero will be returning to face the club where he started his career and all too aware that Sociedad have to be at their best if they are to shock Madrid once more.l

UAE beat Iraq to � nish third in Asian Cupn Reuters, Newcastle

The United Arab Emirates overcame a 10-man Iraq 3-2 in an action-packed Asian Cup third-placed playoff on Fri-day to complete an impressive tourna-ment for Mahdi Ali’s side.

Ahmed Khalil netted twice before Ali Mabkhout converted a second-half penalty for his fi fth of the tournament to take him top of the scorers’ charts with only Saturday’s fi nal between hosts Australia and South Korea to come in Sydney.

UAE playmaker Omar Abdulrahman was again at the heart of his side’s good play, with two brilliant assists for Khalil, who stepped in as skipper with goalkeeper Majed Naser rested after the 2-0 semi-fi nal loss to Australia.

The opener came in the 16th minute when Abdulrahman controlled a long ball from deep and played a one-two with Mabkhout before sliding an invit-ing pass for Khalil to slot home under the onrushing Mohammed Hameed in the Iraq goal.

The neat counter-attack goal had a negative eff ect on the UAE, who knocked out holders Japan in the last eight, with Iraq taking a grip of the game and the lead just before the half-time break.l

Battling Borussia � ghting for Bundesliga survival n AFP, Berlin

Borussia Dortmund coach Jurgen Klopp admits feeling the pressure as his side resume their fi ght to stay in Germany’s top fl ight on Saturday at fellow Champions League side Bayer Leverkusen.

Just over 18 months after losing the 2013 Champions League fi nal to arch-ri-vals Bayern Munich, Dortmund are sec-ond from bottom and threatened with relegation from the Bundesliga.

Their domestic fall from grace has been even more dramatic on the back of a successful European campaign which has seen them reach the Cham-pions League’s last 16.

Like most teams, Dortmund had ex-pected to drop a league point here or there after fi ve of the squad returned weary from helping Germany lift a fourth World Cup title last July.

But Klopp’s dejected fi gure on the sidelines, struggling to accept any one of Dortmund’s 10 league defeats, be-came an all-too common sight.

Having won the 2011 and 2012 Ger-

man league titles, then fi nished run-ners-up to Bayern in 2013 and 2014, Dort-mund suddenly found themselves at the wrong end of the table this term.Defeats at Mainz, Schalke and Cologne preceded humiliating loses at Hertha Berlin and Werder Bremen in December.l

UAE players and coaching sta� pose for photos after winning their Asian Cup third-place playo� match against Iraq at Newcastle Stadium in Newcastle yesterday REUTERS

HEAD-TO-HEAD RECORDMATCHES PLAYED - 26

AUSTRALIA Draws - 10 SOUTH KOREA 9 wins 7 28 goals for 27

PATHS TO THE FINAL

Beat Kuwait 4-1 GROUP A Beat Oman 1-0 Beat Oman 4-0 Beat Kuwait 1-0 Lose to South Korea 0-1 Beat Australia 1-0

QUARTER-FINAL

Beat China 2-0 Beat Uzbekistan 2-0 SEMI-FINAL

Beat UAE 2-0 Beat Iraq 2-0

FIXTURES Real Madrid v Real Sociedad Eibar v Atletico Madrid Granada v Elche Celta Vigo v Cordoba

FIXTURES Chelsea v Man City Crystal Palace v Everton Hull v Newcastle Liverpool v West Ham Man United v Leicester Stoke v QPR Sunderland v Burnley West Brom v Tottenham

FIXTURES Freiburg v Frankfurt Hamburger SV v FC Cologne Mainz 05 v Paderborn Schalke 04 v Hannover 96 VfB Stuttgart v M’gladbach Leverkusen v Dortmund

Algeria national team players players train with tennis balls during a training session at Estadio De Rebola yesterday ahead of their quarter� nal against Ivory Coast at Estadio De Malabo in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea AP

DHAKA TRIBUNE Entertainment Saturday, January 31, 2015 15

WHAT TO WATCHTELEVISION

KUNG FU PANDA 2Zee Studio, 11:35pmCast: Jack Black, Angelina Jolie, Jackie Chan Po and his friends fi ght to stop a peacock villain from conquering China with a deadly new weapon, but fi rst the Dragon Warrior must come to terms with his past.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN MUMBAAIStar Gold, 2:15pmCast: Ajay Devgn,, Emraan Hashmi, Kangana RanautA smuggler rises to power in 1970s Mumbai, a younger gangster seeks to overthrow him, and a police offi -cer is caught in the middle.

CATCH ME IF YOU CANHBO Hits, 2:40pmCast: DiCaprio, Hanks, WalkenA true story about Frank Abagnale Jr, who, before his 19th birthday, successfully conned millions of dol-lars’ worth of checks as a Pan Am pilot, doctor, and legal prosecutor.

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1 I PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR (3D) I ROMEO V/S JULIET I BOYHOOD I BEAUTY AND THE BEAST@ Star Cineplex

NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM: SECRET OF THE TOMB I EXODUS 3D I THE HOBBIT: THE BATTLE OF THE FIVE ARMIES I THE PENGUINS OF MADAGASCAR 3D I EK CUP CHAINTERSTELLAR@ Blockbuster Cinemas

THEATRE

Zahir Raihan Film Fest in the capital

n Entertainment Desk

To mark the 43rd disappearance day of the eminent fi lmmaker Zahir Raihan, a 3-day fi lm festival dedicat-ed to his work and memory began yesterday at the na-tional art gallery of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy.

The festival named after him is featuring four of his popular movies and a documentary on his life.

The fi lm festival started by screening a documen-tary on Zahir Raihan titled “Epoch-making Film-maker Zahir Raihan” followed by his fi lm Kanch-er Deyal (1963). Today, Anwara (1966) and Behula (1966) will be screened at the same venue at 6:30pm and 8:30pm respectively. On the concluding day, Raihan’s famous documentary “Stop Genocide,” a 20-minute documentary on the killings and atroci-ties by the Pakistan Army during war of liberation, was screened. It will be followed by showcasing Za-hir Raihan’s popular fi lm “Jibon Theke Neya” (1970).

Zahir Raihan went missing on January 30 in 1972. l

On this Valentine’s Day, charming personality Nusrat Faria will be seen on small screen endorsing Mr Cookie Bis-

cuit with heartthrob actor Arefi n Shuvo. Talking to the Dhaka Tribune, the model cum actress, Faria expressed her feelings: “The

commercial is diff erent from other TVCs. It has music, drama, and dance that we usu-

ally see in fi lms. I can assure that it will be a hit commercial in 2015.”

Asked how her shooting experience was, she said: “It was fi lmed in beautiful

Cox’s Bazar. The weather was fantastic. On the fi rst day of shooting, I had to stand

on a rock in the middle of the sea for three and a half hour wearing a sari. I got a tan while shooting

in the scorching heat.” Recalling her fondness for Mr Cookie biscuits, Faria said:

“Back in 2000, when I was a school-goer my mother gave me a pack of biscuit as snacks. The biscuit was so delicious with butter and sugar. When I reached home I asked my mother what it was and she told me that it was Mr Cookie, which I am endorsing now. When I was off ered for the TVC, I just grabbed it without thinking twice.”

“I have always preferred to work for TVCs. This time working with Arefi n Shuvo was another great experience,” the model added.

Directed by Riyad Rahman, the jingle titled “Bhalo Tomai Bashi Bondhu Prothom Dekhatey” was sung by Kona and Mehedi with

music by Shondhi.The commercial will be aired on various TV channels. l

Nusrat Faria: I almost got sunburnt while shootingn Shadma Malik

‘Jibon Theke Neya’ will be screened on the concluding day

A dance drama festival titled ‘Amar Mukti Aloy Aloy’ is being held at the Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy. Jointly organised by Shilpakala and Bangladesh Nritto Shilpi Sangstha, the � ve day festival will end today KHAN HASAN MD RAFI

Shakira gives birthto second childin Barcelonan Entertainment Desk

Colombian pop star Shakira has given birth in Barcelona to her second child, a boy, Spanish media said on Friday. Their son, born by caesarean section, is called Sasha, the player’s proud grand-father has confi rmed.

The singer and her boyfriend, Span-ish soccer player Gerard Pique, had their fi rst child, a son named Mi-lan, in 2013.

Shakira, 37, and Pique, 27, met in 2010, but only confi rmed that they had been in a relationship in March 2011.

The “Hips Don’t Lie” singer, one of the best-selling Latin pop idols, gave birth in

Barcelona’s Teknon clinic, local media said. Pique is a defender for Spanish La Liga team FC Bar-celona.

As with the birth of their fi rst child, the couple recently asked fans in an online baby shower to buy gifts such as fresh water kits and vaccines to help needy children. Shakira is a UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador. l

Depp set to wed Amber Heard on his private island in Bahamasn Entertainment Desk

Johnny Depp is all set to wed Amber Heard on his private island in Baha-mas, it has been revealed.

Sources have revealed that the “Mortdecai” star, and his 28-year-old actress fi ancee, will marry in an in-timate ceremony at his Little Hall’s Pond Cay island home, the New York Post reported.

It has also been mentioned that the guest list will include just 50 people, including Heard’s family and Depp’s children with former love Vanessa Paradis, Lily-Rose and Jack. Heard and Depp chose the February 7 to 8 week-end after working around their vari-ous schedules. The couple met while making the 2011 movie “The Rum Diary” and was engaged in December 2013 after a year of dating. l

Singh is Bling is a perfect mix of comedy, action, romance: Akshay

n Entertainment Desk

Bollywood’s actor Akshay Kumar is excited to begin shooting for “Singh is Bling” and says it will be a wholesome entertainer. The “Khiladi” Kumar, whose espionage action thriller fi lm “Baby,” released January 23, will soon begin shooting for the new fi lm, in time for it to hit theatres on “Gandhi Jayan-ti” October 2.

“Pre-prod. on in full swing 4 #Sin-ghIsBling. It’s d perfect amalgamation of action, comedy & romance. Can’t wait to begin shoot.” the actor tweeted Thursday.

Prabhudheva directorial “Singh is Bling” also stars Kareena Kapoor and Kriti Sanon. l

Old wisdom in new garb: Su� Festival takes Dhaka to new heightsn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The Sufi Festival has taken the genre and indeed lifestyle of Sufi sm from its traditional association with mazars and faqirs, and repackaged it for the well-heeled and trendy.

Derived from the Arabic word, “safa” which means “purity,” Sufi sm is the path for the purifi cation of the nafs, or human soul, by cleansing the qalb, the spiritual heart, for the re-fl ection of the Almighty’s love – Ishq.

Juxtaposing renunciation and ec-stasy, the ruh, or spirit, is wiped clean of its egotism and replaced with the recollection of the divine attributes, zikr.

This balm for the world-weary soul speaks many tongues but carries a single message of love for all.

Thursday’s fi nal show of the three-day event reached out across borders and divisions, leaving the audience with the hope that peace and beauty might yet prevail in the world.

In Bangladesh, Sufi songs have never really broken into the main-stream of cultured society because of their association with the cult of tombs and other heterodox practices.

The genre was never the choice of

the upper class but was the entertain-ment of the khankas, spiritual spaces open to all regardless of religion.

The three-day Sufi Fest in Bangla-desh brought together thousands of people irrespective of age, religion and race.

Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani and Western people including Danish, French and others thronged the fes-tival venue.

The last day of the festival was packed but there was pin-drop si-lence as Pakistani singer Sufi maestro

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan took the stage.The main attraction of the day,

and some would say the festival, Ra-hat and his qawwali troupe brought with them the majesty and expertise of their family tradition in Sufi music that spans six hundred years.

When Rahat started performing around 10:35pm, it seemed sanctity and serenity took command of the whole venue. Things spiritual invisi-bly took over the material, it seemed. The mesmerised audience sometimes even forgot to clap, so enraptured were they by the music.

Earlier, Zik’r came on stage with a genre named Flemenco, a type of Spanish folk music and tap-dancing from Andalusia. This was a complete package as it included guitar playing, dance and hand clapping.

The group seamlessly blended traditional instruments with exciting electronic elements and the whole performance was punctuated by the spectacular, powerful Flamenco dance.

The diff erent performers used both modern and traditional instru-ments but, interestingly, the harmo-nium was used by all, even the Span-ish Flamenco ensemble. l

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan took the stage on the concluding day

16 Back PageDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, January 31, 2015

TWELVE YEARS OF BTRC

Less focus on customer satisfaction, more on revenue and licensingn Muhammad Zahidul Islam

As Bangladesh Telecommunication Reg-ulatory Commission (BTRC) observes the 12th anniversary of its foundation today, there are fewer achievements than what the expectation was when the organisation started its journey.

Founded on January 31, 2002 under the Telecommunication Act 2001, the telecom regulator so far has mostly con-centrated on collecting revenues and awarding licences to a host of telecom-munication and information technology service providers in the past 12 years, with little focus on customer satisfaction.

As the numbers of both mobile phone and internet users have increased expo-nentially over the years, the BTRC put emphasis on collecting revenue. So far, they have collected around Tk34,669 crore for the government, with around Tk10,000 crore collected alone in FY2013-14, according to BTRC sources.

Besides, it has awarded 1,948 licences to diff erent communication service pro-viders – mobile operators, international gateway exchanges for internet connec-tivity, internet service providers, voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) service pro-viders, etc – to operate in the country.

But the quality of service has not im-proved as was expected.

The BTRC’s liberal view of awarding li-cences has especially caused more disad-vantages than advantages, several sourc-es in the industry told the Dhaka Tribune.

“We cannot say or do much since we have investments in this industry, but working with hundreds of licence hold-ers is quite challenging,” said a senior executive of a leading mobile phone operator in the country on Thursday, seeking anonymity.

“The BTRC needs to realise that it has made some poor decisions, since many of them are now being challenged at court,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

A press release issued by the tel-ecom regulator on the occasion of its 12th anniversary stated that it has brought down the mobile call charge to around Tk0.83 per minute now from Tk11.37 12 years ago.

But it was shot down by another senior executive of a mobile operator.

“Bangladesh indeed has one of the lowest call tariff s currently in the world, but the BTRC can hardly claim any contribution to it. This happened due to the competition among the mo-bile phone operators,” he claimed.

‘They don’t care about our interests’ The telecom regulator has also failed to make any signifi cant improvement

of services or introduce new services in the country.

It has been trying to implement mobile number portability (MNP) in the country for six years, but without success.

The MNP service allows mobile phone subscribers to switch to diff er-ent mobile operators without having to change their numbers.

The BRTC’s performance as a regu-lating body has been quite unimpres-sive, opined many telecom experts while talking to the Dhaka Tribune.

Mustafa Jabbar, former president of Bangladesh Computer Samity and one of the prominent telecom experts in the country, said: “We had a lot of expectations from the BTRC regarding rights and services at the customer end, which it has failed to meet.”

Jamil Uddin, a student at Dhaka Uni-versity, told the Dhaka Tribune: “On many occasions, we have fallen victim to embezzlement by the mobile opera-tors, but have not been able to get the BTRC’s support. They simply do not care about the customers’ interests.”

The Dhaka Tribune contacted Md Sarwar Alam, BTRC secretary and di-rector of IT and media wing, yesterday regarding the aforementioned issues.

“We have taken several initiatives to protect the customers’ rights,” he said. l

Rajuk says building did not tilt at Bashundharan Abu Hayat Mahmud

Rajuk authorities have denied the news that a nine-storey building had tilted in the capital’s Bashundhara Residential Area on Thursday, instead claiming that only an adjoining wall had collapsed.

“The nine-storey building had not tilted. Only a bound-ary wall of the building had collapsed when a building de-veloper company was digging soil at a neighbouring plot,” said Sheikh Abdul Mannan, a board member (planning) at Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakkha.

“The real estate company was not careful while digging soil, causing the wall to collapse,” he told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. Soon after it was feared that the structure had start-ed to lean, all of its occupants were evacuated on Thursday.

However, after checking the condition of the building yesterday, Md Mahabubur Rahman, Rajuk authorised of-fi cer of the respective area, said: “The building is fully free from risk and the residents of the apartments are likely to return to their apartments on Sunday.”

Answering to a query, he said the building’s utility lines had been disconnected on Thursday evening to avoid any accident.

“As the utility lines have been disconnected, the resi-dents did not get permission to return to the apartments,” Mahabub said.

However, police and fi re-fi ghters confi rmed journalists on Thursday evening that the nine-storey residential build-ing – located near the Apollo Hospital – had tilted.

Golam Sarwar, offi cer-in-charge of Bhatara police station, and Fariduzzaman, duty offi cer of Fire Service and Civil De-fence, had confi rmed the tilting of the building to the Dhaka Tribune. l

‘Prime Evil’ granted parolen AFP, Pretoria

One of South Africa’s most notorious apartheid mass murderers, Eugene “Prime Evil” de Kock, was granted pa-role on Friday after 20 years in jail, a decision set to re-ignite painful debate over the crimes committed by the coun-try’s former white-minority rulers.

“In the interest of nation-building and reconciliation I have decided to place Mr De Kock on parole,” Correc-tional Services Minister Michael Masu-tha told a news briefi ng, adding that he had rejected parole to two other prom-inent convicted apartheid-era killers.

De Kock was sentenced to two life terms plus 212 years in prison for his activities as head of the infamous Vlak-plaas police death squad targeting an-ti-apartheid activists.

The highly-decorated former colo-nel confessed to more than 100 acts of murder, torture and fraud before the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC), which was established in 1995 to consider amnesty for those who con-fessed their crimes during apartheid.

He was granted amnesty for most off ences – including the 1982 bombing of the ANC’s London offi ces – but was jailed for six murders found to have lacked direct political motivation.

The run-up to the parole decision rekindled bitter debate over the crimes of the former white-minority regime. l

Psychological distress haunts arson survivorsDoctors say burn patients’ mental health concerns are often ignoredn Abid Azad

An under-reported facet of the coun-try’s deadly siege by arsonists is the psychological toll it has taken on vic-tims who struggle, sometimes for years afterwards, with post-traumatic stress.

“Flame injuries are terribly destruc-tive to victims’ psychological states. For one thing, post-traumatic stress disorder causes survivors to relive their trauma as fl ash backs leaving them ex-hausted and deeply battered,” National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) Clin-ical Psychologist Md Zahir Uddin said.

Geeta Sen, 45, a housewife living in the capital’s Tantibazar area, is still haunted by memories of the petrol

bomb attack in Shahbagh on November 23, 2013, that left her and her daughter severely injured.

Although Geeta, who received 11% burns including inhalation injuries, has enjoyed a degree of physical recovery, she still cannot forget the trauma of that day.

“She barely goes out. She feels safer when she stays at home. She says she feels threatened outside, and does not even allow us to leave the house. She is afraid of travelling by bus or CNG,” her elder daughter Kona Sen said.

“She abruptly forgets what she has just said. She gets frightened for silly rea-sons. She gets nervous lighting a candle or the oven. All of a sudden, she becomes agitated without reason,” Kona added.

Kona, a university student, tries to be strong. Her younger sister Shushmi-ta Sen, 15, also suff ers from psycholog-ical stress.

“Shusmita also does not want to go outside and gets frightened on buses and CNGs. When we take an autorick-shaw, she only feels safe if she takes the middle seat,” Kona said.

Geeta is one of nearly 300 people who were burned in petrol bomb at-

tacks in 2013. The attacks left 31 dead.This month, some 87 people have

sustained burn injuries arising from ar-son. Six have died so far.

Zahir, the clinical psychologist, said: “Such incidents are not accidents. They are intentional attacks.

“People who suff er such injuries are always chased by fear and depression. They lose their faith in people. They suff er from uncertainty. They lose their self-confi dence.”

Rahajul, 23, received 25% burns in-cluding inhalation burns in 2013.

The Pabna Sadar man who lives in the capital’s Wari neighbourhood said a few months ago he fi nally returned to his job as a computer operator at Kash-mir Fans in the city’s Gulistan Nawab-pur area.

“I feel terrible fear whenever I go outside; I am always tense. Whenever I am out walking, I fear that a bomb might at any time be thrown at me,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

His parents and two younger broth-ers live in Pabna. Rahajul is the primary income earner in his family.

“I am tense about my family’s fi nan-cial condition. At the same time, I know I need better medical treatment. I un-derstand that I am fearful of everything but I cannot escape this overwhelming fear,” he said.

Zahir, explaining how social reac-tions to visible burn injuries add anoth-er dimension to patients’ distress, said: “People who receive visible fl ame burns start feeling that other people are afraid of them. Patients can start thinking that the people around them will abandon them. Thus they gradually become de-tached from family and friends.”

Al-Amin, a 27-year-old assistant electronic engineer at a garment fac-tory, who received 18% burn injuries on Saturday, described how he felt in-creasingly detached from his nearest and dearest ones.

“My elder sister fainted when she fi rst saw me.

“I still have not seen my face in the mirror. But when people look at me their reactions are a mirror for me,” he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Dr Samanta Lal Sen, founder, coor-dinator and adviser to the Burn Insti-tute at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH), said: “Most arson victims are poor. They do not receive proper psy-chological treatment.

“The Burn Institute is not equipped to deal with this issue. It does refer pa-tients to DMCH for physiotherapy but many patients need psychotherapy as well.” l

‘People who receive visible � ame burns start feeling that other people are afraid of them. Patients can start thinking that the people around them will abandon them. Thus they gradually become detached from family and friends’

Well of Death, a daredevil driving spectacle usually staged with motorcycles, is performed with a car as part of an attraction at the Dhaka International Trade Fair 2015. The photo was taken yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

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