Académique Documents
Professionnel Documents
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DA 6238 Vol 2, No 23
www.dhakatribune.com
SECOND EDITION
Relatives mourn at the grave of a Rana Plaza collapse victim at the Jurain graveyard in the capital yesterday. The first anniversary of the countrys biggest industral disaster will be observed on Thursday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
AB SIDDIQUE ABDUCTION
Although police have yet to make any headway in pinpointing the motive for the abduction of apparel businessman Abu Bakar Siddique, the husband of prominent environmental lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasan, the couple have narrowed down the list of reasons by excluding the ones they believe are not linked to the kidnap. Speaking to the Dhaka Tribune, BELA (Bangladesh Environment Lawyers Association) chief Rizwana and her husband claimed that the abductors have not picked Siddique for anything concerning his business since there was no dispute between him and the owner of the factory. The factory had faced a closure and Abu Bakar resumed operations. There was no row over ownership of the factory located in Fatullah of Narayanganj. State Minister for Power and Energy Nasrul Hamid Bipu was the sole owner of it and he had no partner, Rizwana asserted. Although the environmental lawyer could not reveal any exact reason for her husbands abduction, she claimed he might have been kidnapped for her professional activities and not for his own acts.
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INSIDE
News
5 Environmental activists and leaders of 50 organisations termed the recent comments of Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club President Manjur Kader on the Dhanmondi playground issue as a reiteration made by the ghost of late former Pakistan dictator General Ayub Khan, yesterday. intelligence agencies are in league with one another to preserve the status quo of the oppression of the average citizen at any cost.
Entertainment
Nation
12 A brand new set of The Tom and Jerry Show, one the worlds most loved cartoon duo, is back with a fresh take on the classic cat and mouse frenemies.
6 Thousands of passengers suffer everyday as there are no facilities for them at the bustling Patgudam Bridge Bus Stand in Mymensingh.
Sport
Op-Ed
13 According to the International Cricket Council, the eighth and ninth ranked side of the ICC ranking will have to play in the qualifying round to play in the fifty over World Cup which is scheduled to be held in England in 2019.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
GTF compensation fund for Rana Plaza victims to be disbursed from today
n Mohosinul Karim
The compensation for the victims of Rana Plaza and their family members from the Global Trust Fund (GTF) will be disbursed today, on the eve of the first anniversary of the catastrophic disaster. The fund authority will begin the disbursement at the conference room of the labour and employment ministry by handing over compensations to only two persons as a token distribution. Rest of the victims will receive their due compensation through their mobile accounts, Labour Ministry Joint Secretary Khandoker Mostan Hossain confirmed the Dhaka Tribune yesterday. He further added that the authority had already completed all arrangements for opening mobile accounts for all victims and their families. A programme will be arranged at 3pm on Tuesday [today] at the ministry to distribute the compensation. The state minister will hand over the money from the global trust fund to two of the victims, he added. Mostan said a total of 3,080 victims and their family members will be compensated, each receiving Tk50,000 from the trust fund created by international retailers. Earlier, ILO Country Director Srinivasa Reddy, the key stakeholder for managing the fund, had assured that the compensation for Rana Plaza victims would be handed over shortly. According to the ministry, the some 580 victims who have already received compensation from the British retailer Primark have been excluded from the lists. The Primark gave $1,000,000 for compensating the victims of the tragedy. Of the amount, $900,000 was disbursed among the employees and workers of Neway Bottom, one of the factories housed in the collapsed Rana Plaza. The rest was transferred to the fund for common compensation. Currently, the trust fund has only $1.7 crore, while it needs around $4 crores to complete the compensation process. The compensation figure was summed as per the International Labour Organisations Convention 121, used as a guideline to pay off victims of industrial accidents across the globe. Meanwhile, IndustriALL, a global union federation; UNI, a global trade union; and Clean Clothes Campaign, a leading rights network for the garment sector, recently demanded that the 29 brands which sourced from factories housed at Rana Plaza must pay towards the trust fund before April 24. Currently, 15 retailers including Benetton, Matalan, Adler Modemarkte and Auchan have failed to even make an initial contribution to the trust fund, UNI Global Union General Secretary Phillip Jennings said. l
TIB trustee board Chairperson Sultana Kamal speaks at a programme marking the launch of a research report on the countrys garment sector at Abakash Hotel in the capital yesterday RAJIB DHAR
IGP: Terrorism and militancy under control 20kg gold seized, CAAB guard among 4 held
n Kailash Sarkar
Inspector General of Police Hassan Mahmood Khandker yesterday claimed that although the people of the country had to face the worst consequences of terrorism in recent times, the law enforcement agencies have kept terrorism and militancy under control. Terrorism and militancy in the country are now under control due to the activities being carried out by the law enforcement agencies, the police chief said while addressing as the chief guest the inaugural session of a four-day workshop. The event on Responding to Terrorism: Alternative Approaches began at Police Staff College in Mirpur. The IGP said: The professional members of the law enforcement agencies have combated terrorism and militancy efficiently and we want to play more active role in curbing terrorism. In the global perspectives, he said, terrorism was no more an issue of any specific country so regional and international cooperation was essential for controlling terrorism. Time has come to improve the efficiency of law enforcement agencies for curbing crimes. Effective measures needs be taken through joint efforts, the IGP said. This workshop has been organised for the personnel of those agencies which are working to fight crimes and terrorism in Bangladesh. Police Staff College, Bangladesh organised the four-day workshop in cooperation with Singapore-based International Centre for Political Violence and Terrorism Research (ICPVTR). l
n Kailash Sarkar
Members of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID) last night seized 20kgs of gold at the Shahjalal International Airport after arresting four persons, including a security guard of the Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh. Ayesha Akhter, an assistant commissioner of the CIID, said they had seized the gold bars following the arrests. Each of the bars weighs 1kg. The four are businesspersons
Shahnaz Hossain, 44, Anjila Hossain, 26, Navil Ibne Ekram, 35, and CAAB security guard Mobarak Hossain, 40. Shahnaz, Anjila and Navil arrived at Dhaka on a flight of the Singapore Airlines around 10:30pm. They were arrested along with CAAB security guard while crossing the immigration area around 11:15pm, Ayesha said. The CAAB man was arrested for helping the smugglers to cross the immigration area. The gold bars, smuggled into Bangladesh from Singapore, were found after searching all the four persons.
According to sources, smuggling of gold has turned a common phenomenon since the Indian authorities imposed some restrictions in the import of gold. Over 1,200kg gold was seized at the airports in Bangladesh in the last one year. The sources also said a section of unscrupulous officials and employees of different government and private organisations including customs, NSI, CAAB and different airlines working at the airports have been aiding the smugglers. l
inspection of 80 factories out of 1,626 when they had said they would inspect all by April 2014. On the other hand, the Alliance inspected 247 factories among 626 and BUET engineers inspected 247 among 2,000. Inspection is running at a snails pace which is killing time. Besides, there could be uncertainty over ensuring safety in the factories because of the sluggish progress in completing inspection, he added. Moreover, during the period that a factory is temporarily shut down for a retrofit, the lack of coordination between buyers and the owner over workers pay was observed, though there is a condition which says buyers will continue placing orders for at least two years if a factory is temporarily shut down for structural flaws.
It has been found that some buyers have reduced the volume of orders and sometimes have even stopped placing orders, the TIB study pointed out. If the buyers dont act sensibly then social unrest will grow. In addition, our economy will be hampered and workers will become jobless, Sharif observed. A hotline for receiving complaints made by workers was supposed to be set up as part of the National Tripartite Plan of Action, which hasnt been set up yet, he added. The speaker suggested including Rajuk and the fire service officials in the Accord and Alliance team so that their skills can be developed. TIB Executive Director Iftekharuzzaman said: When it came to compen-
sating the Rana Plaza collapse victims, a lack of responsibility among buyers was noticed. We suggest forming a Sramik Kallyan Tahabil for workers where buyers and owners will contribute. He also demanded a separate ministry for the readymade garment sector to ensure labour rights and improved working conditions. There is a lack of coordination among the government agencies involved in the sector, said TIB Chairperson Sultana Kamal. TIB also made around nine suggestions, including mandatory formation of trade unions in every factory and the formation of a separate authority titled Readymade Garment Good Governance Authority, for resolving the existing problems. l
Abu Bakar also firmly claimed that he had not been abducted for ransom as the abductors did not demand any money from him. They just discussed how much they should have demanded among themselves, he said. Superintendent of Police in Narayanganj Syed Nurul Islam said they have yet to ascertain whether claims made by the couple are the real facts behind the abduction. We are still investigating and the probe is being carried out with scrupulous attention to details. We are working with total sincerity. We, however, cannot jump to a conclusion until we can get hold of a lead, he said.
Policemen conducting the investigation said they had taken all possibilities into consideration. Abu Bakar, who was kidnapped by armed miscreants on April 16 while on his way to Dhaka from work, claimed to have been dropped off at the capitals Mirpur in the later hours of the night on April 17, bringing his more than 30 hours of captivity to an end. Apart from police in the Fatullah police station, where Rizwana lodged a case in connection with the abduction, the Narayanganj district police formed a 12-member committee while the police headquarters formed another 5-member committee comprised of officials from the police, RAB and DB. l
implemented through load shedding, acting PDB chairman Tamal Chakraborty told the Dhaka Tribune. Abul Kalam Azad, managing director of West Zone Power Distribution Co Ltd (WZPDCL), also admitted that they had to enforce load shedding as demand exceeded supply. Comments could not be collected from the State Minister for Power, Nasrul Hamid, as he was visiting Japan. A PDB official, seeking anonymity, said people in the urban areas might have to experience up to four hours and rural people up to six hours of
load shedding, adding that efforts were on to keep load shedding at around 500MW during the irrigation season. Each spell of rolling blackouts reportedly lasts one hour or longer, varying for different areas. According to Power Division officials, irrigation requirements prompt an additional demand of 1,700MW of power during summer. Last year, the country experienced about 2,000 MW of load shedding during summer, as 5,000- 5,600MW of power was produced against a demand for 7,500MW.
Sources said the Rural Electrification Board (REB) was getting only an average of 3,300MW against its peak demand of 3,700MW during the Boro season. The Dhaka Power Distribution Company Limited (DPDC) which covers Dhanmondi, Mohammadpur, Tejgaon, Moghbazar, Dhaka (south) and Narayanganj had a demand of 1,100MW, against which it got only 900MW on Sunday. The Dhaka Electric Supply Company Limited (Desco) covers Mirpur, Shyamoli, Gulshan, Badda, Dhaka (north) and Tongi areas. Against a daily de-
mand of around 850MW in these areas, average supply was only 700MW. The PDB supplies electricity both to rural and urban areas except Dhaka Metropolitan, Barisal and Khulna metropolitan areas. PDB was getting an average of 1,300MW supply against its demand of 1,600MW. The WZPDCL covers 21 districts including Barisal and Khulna City in the southwestern region of the country. Against daily demand of about 900MW, the average supply was only 800MW. Meanwhile, power consumers across the country complained of sufferings caused by the frequent spells of
blackout. Shafiqul Islam, a farmer from Satkhira sadar upazila, said: We are not getting electricity properly to operate irrigation pump and Boro cultivation. Abu Talib, a resident of Dhakas Uttara, said: Sometimes we have to wait for two hours without electricity. It is really unbearable. Shamima Khatun, a resident of Khulna, told the Dhaka Tribune: My baby could not sleep at all last night (Sunday) because of frequent power failures We are experiencing load shedding five to seven times a day. l
upstream in the Teesta River. The neighbouring country has been withdrawing water from the common river, violating international laws, he said. BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir will lead the long march, while the partys standing committee members, vice chairmen, advisers and hundreds of leaders and activists will take part. Rizvi said they are hopeful that the general people will also join the march. The former opposition party will hold six roadside rallies on the way to the northern region to drum up public support in favour of their programme. Rizvi said the meetings will be held at Kaliakoir in Gazipur, at the Tangail bypass crossing, at Koddar Mor in Sirajganj, at the Matidhali intersection in Bogra, at Gonidaganj in Gaibandha and at Palashbari. The marchers will stay overnight in Rangpur city and head to the Dalia point in Nilphamari tomorrow. l
After inspection, they would hold a meeting with the government review committee to discuss the findings and decide on next course of action. Buet Professor Ahsansul Kabir told the Dhaka Tribune that: During our discussion, we [the committee and Accord] try to find out the discrepancies between the original approved design and the actual structure. The Accord team verbally tells us about their findings following which we do some rough calculations and reach certain estimations. When the Dhaka Tribune wanted to see documents, he claimed: Those are engineering terms, which you will not understand. The estimations are 100% accurate. There are also discrepancies between what the Accord team says and the review team knows about how the inspections are done. Rob Ways, executive director (Bangladesh operations) of Accord, claimed that they used ferro scanners and thermal imaging cameras to check structural compliance of factories.
However, Prof Kabir said the Accord inspectors only used sledgehammers to check the material used in the columns. Last month, the team recommended the review committee to temporarily shut down two factories Fame Knitwear and Softex Cotton both located in the same building in the capitals Mirpur. They said the columns and the foundation of the building was not strong enough bear the load. They also claimed to have found discrepancies between the original design and the actual structure. Md Moshiul Azam Shajal, owner of Fame Knitwear and also a BGMEA director, told the Dhaka Tribune that: The Accord team told me that the foundation of the building was weak. He claimed that the Accord team did not conduct the soil boring test and therefore could not comment on the foundational weakness of the building. Mahbubur Rahman, officer of Dhaka development authority Rajuk, also said a soil test was needed for determining the strength of the buildings foundation.
Interestingly, the Accord team has not discussed anything about the matter with the review committee. Prof Kabir said they discussed problems with the buildings structural design, not about foundational weaknesses. When asked, Mahbubur Rahman said there was absolutely nothing wrong with the structural design of the building. Rajuk or the Rajdhani Unnayan Kartripakka is the authority in charge of approving structural designs of the buildings erected within the capital. The Labour Ministry review committee does not have any representative from Rajuk. Mahbubur also said: The Accord team cannot say anything verbally and recommend closing a building. What they are doing is not the proper way. They have to give a certificate mentioning the tests they have conducted and also their results so that we can understand. If any building is unsafe, it should be written in a certificate. Earlier this month, a member of the review committee informed the Dhaka Tribune that Accord had recommend-
ed closing Attune Garments Ltdin the capitals Mirpur area. It is located in the same building as the Softex Cotton, which the Accord team had actually inspected and recommended for closing. Interestingly, Attune owner claimed that the factory had been under lock and key for more than 15 years because of fund crunch. Neither did I get any email for did any Accord team inspect my factory. I have no idea how the team could call for closing a factory that had been closed many years ago, said Towhid Islam, owner of Attune. According to the working norms of the review committee, if just one member disagrees with the Accord recommendations, the committee cannot shut down a factory. Shahidullah Azim, a member of the review committee, told the Dhaka Tribune: Accord is kind of stubborn. During a meeting, our Buet specialists did not want to sign a closure order but they literally forced them to. Azim said: Accord did not give any money for remediation as is mentioned in their rules. They have a fund for the
workers but the workers did not get any money from it. He also said: If the results are based on estimation then they are not correct. I am not a technical person so I do not understand. If it is true then I will not sign [any closure order]. As far as I know, they use a formula for calculation. Softex Knitwear owner and BGMEA Director Md Moshiul Azam Shajal said he had a suspicion that the Accord team might have come on a mission to destroy the highest foreign currency earning sector of the countrys economy, only to serve the interest of some other countries. When asked whether they made recommendations based on estimations, Accord ED Rob ways said: The allegation is misplaced. Accord assessments are based on professional assessments performed by highly qualified experts. When inquired about the name and qualification of the engineers, he did not give any direct answer. Our engineers are very busy, so it is not possible to talk to them, he said. l
The government and the law enforcers will extend every co-operation if you observe it peacefully, he said. Award-winning environmental lawyer Syeda Rizwana Hasans husband Abu Bakar Siddique was rescued on Thursday a day after he was abducted. We also dont like incidents of the abduction and/or kidnapping of anybody. The nation heaved a sigh of relief following his recovery 35 hours after abduction. The nation should know about the questions raised regarding his abduction. We want it to be solved through proper investigation, Suranjit said. l
Security dialogue
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review international military education. Bangladesh usually procures US arms under the Excess Defence Article initiative. These are the agendas fixed for discussion during the dialogue, said a Foreign Ministry official. Earlier, Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque said the dialogue will enhance partnerships in peacekeeping, counterterrorism and security cooperation as well as joint military exercises and exchanges. He said cooperation between the countries has increased in training, information sharing and counterterrorism and collaboration in other areas has also increased since the first dialogue in 2012. About the regional briefing, he said both the countries will discuss strategic relationships with regional countries in terms of security issues. Bangladesh would like to know the US India relationship while the US may want to know about the Bangladesh-Myanmar relationship, Shahidul said. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
3
Seventh witness in Qaisar case cross examined n Udisa Islam
The seventh prosecution witness, Shah Ali Hasan alias Fulu Mia, in the case against former Jatiya Party state minister Syed Mohammad Qaisar was cross examined at the war crimes tribunal, yesterday. Fulu testified on Sunday and described the abduction of his father Shah Hossain Ali by the Qaisar Bahini, a group of collaborators led by the accused in Habiganj. During the questioning, defence counsel Abdus Sobhan Tarafder asked the witness more questions about his personal life rather than focusing on the deposition he had submitted earlier. The tribunal refused to accept some of the questions related to Fulus personal life. The International Crimes Tribunal 2 adjourned the proceedings until today and asked the prosecution to call in the next witness. Qaisar was indicted on February 2 this year on 16 counts of crimes against humanity which he had committed during the 1971 Liberation War. l
n Mohosinul Karim
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the cabinet members to take immediate steps to execute the existing law on house rents in a bid to resist illogical hike of house rents in the capital city and its suburbs. At the regular cabinet meeting held at the secretariat, she also asked them to create new posts and fill the vacancies in the civil bureaucracy, a senior cabinet member who attended the meeting told the Dhaka Tribune, seeking anonymity. Chaired by the prime minister, the meeting was also attended by senior officials. After the meeting, Cabinet Secretary M Musharraf Hossain Bhuiyan told reporters that the premier had asked the high officials to take immediate steps to create new posts and fill the vacancies in different ministries and public offices. There are few stages to complete a recruitment process. It takes enough
time to create new posts and recruit manpower as recommendation of the Public Service Commission is a must for appointing Class I and Class II officers. It is time-consuming. But the authority can easily appoint other employees, he said, adding that the premier asked them to develop a mechanism to expedite the process. The cabinet, finance and public administration secretaries as well as secretary to the Prime Ministers Office will find out a way to streamline the process. A committee would be formed, if necessary. He added: The PSC will do it; we will just help them work out the mechanism. The meeting also discussed the progress in implementing the cabinet decisions. It was informed that around 51.35% decisions of the present government were implemented during its three months. Only 19 out of total 37 decisions taken by the present cabinet have been implemented, the cabinet secretary said.
The premier asked the authority to accelerate the preparation of their plans as per the election pledges of the government. She ordered completion of preparation for laws following important military ordinances which became invalid due to High Courts order. State Minister for Labour Mujibul Haque Chunnu raised the issue of hike in house rents across the country mainly in industrial areas, causing sufferings to the labours. He requested the prime minister to take initiative to resist increasing house rents as garment workers and labours can easily lead their life with their existing wages. Shipping Minister Shajahan Khan also supported the state minister. The prime minister said, We have a number of good laws, but those are not being enforced properly. As a result, the people of the country have to suffer a lot. Peoples sufferings would ease, if the house rent act is executed. The au-
thorities concerned should take steps in this regard. Public Works Minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain informed the meeting that the government is building some flats in Dhaka city and other areas. It will reduce the crisis of houses and house rents too. Another cabinet member said most of the ministers took part in an open discussion on shortage of manpower and huge vacancies. The issues of shortage of doctors and nurses as well as AC (land), kanoongo and surveyors came up in the meeting. The premier asked the ministers and high officials concerned to take steps in this regard. She also asked the ministries to follow the recruitment and posting rules. She said, The ministries must take the rules into account while posting public servant couples. They must get a posting in nearer place, if it is not possible to accommodate them in the same place. l
Picture shows the depleted condition of the Dhaka-Purbachal highway due to ongoing construction work of a nearby flyover. The picture was taken yesterday
RAJIB DHAR
Excessive heat and lack of adequate water destroy yields of a brinjal farm causing immense losses to farmers in Rajshahi. The photo was taken yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE
The Dhaka Special Judges Court 3 yesterday deferred the date for the submission of the High Court order in two corruption cases filed against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia until May 21. It also said the prosecution witnesses will testify if the High Court order is not submitted on that day. The Judges Court passed the order after the defence filed a petition seeking time for witnesses to testify in the cases. Judge Basudev Roy granted the time petition and the deferral. In the petition, Khaledas defence said the High Court would pass its order on April 23. The HC heard the defence last Sunday when they challenged the lower courts order on the charges against the BNP chairperson. As the High Court order was pending, they asked for more time to begin the testimonies of the witnesses, said the defence counsel. On March 19, the court framed charges against Khaleda Zia in the Zia Orphanage Trust and the Charitable Trust graft cases. On August 8, 2011, the Anti-Corruption Commission filed a case with the Tejgaon police station, accusing four individuals, including Khaleda, of abusing power while raising funds for the Zia Charitable Trust from unknown sources. The ACC filed another case with the Ramna police station on July 3, 2008, accusing Khaleda Zia, her son Tarique Rahman and four others of misappropriating over Tk21m which came in as grants from a foreign bank for the orphans. l
The court asked DB police to investigate the assault of four ETV newsmen at the hospital on April 19 and file a report by May 11
Meanwhile, the interns in the hospital started work abstention from 2pm yesterday in protest at filing of the case. Soeb, one of the accused in the case, said they would not join work until the ETV authorities withdrew the case. A total of 207 interns are now working at the hospital, he claimed. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Britain wants to see the country having a democratic system where there will be accountability
In response to the UK envoys assertion, Mayor Ariful said the city corporation authorities are very sincere about the expatriates. He said a website would be launched soon for solving problems of the expats. The Mayor said the city corporation would be extending all necessary supports so that the expatriates could invest safely in Sylhet. He also sought assistance of the British government in solving a variety of problems in the city, including water-logging. Chief Executive Officer of Sylhet City Corporation Enamul Habib, Secretary Mamtaz Begum, Chief Health Officer Dr Sudhamoy Mazumder and acting chief engineer Nur Azizur Rahman were present there among others. l
Injured journalists being transported by an ambulance after being assaulted by intern doctors of RMCH yesterday while local lawmaker and president of the RMCH conducting council Fazle Hossain Badshah, lawmaker Ayen Uddin and Rajshahi Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mahbubur Rahman spoke to journalists at the spot. The RMP commissioner later closed the Officer-in-Charge of Boalia police station, Sayedur Rahman, and assured justice for the journalists. Meanwhile, a large number of journalists yesterday brought out a procession from the citys Shaheb Bazar Zero Point and held a rally demanding immediate punishment of the attackers. A wide selection of people including Rajshahi Rakkha Sangram Parishad joined the rally to express their solidarity with the journalists demands. Rajshahi journalists gave the police administration a 24-hour ultimatum to arrest the attackers and announced the holding of rallies tomorrow at every upazila and district of the greater
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Rajshahi region. When contacted, RMCH Director Brig Gen AKM Nasir Uddin told the Dhaka Tribune that the hospital administration held an emergency meeting at noon yesterday to form a seven-member body, headed by himself, and probe the incident. On the other hand, the intern doctors of the hospital have started an indefinite work abstention programme since yesterday. l
Picture shows mealybugs infest a tree trunk on Dhaka University campus yesterday. The infestation of the foreign pest continues to grow in different parts of the capital
SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
The Nagarik Somaj forms a human chain in front of the National Press Club yesterday, demanding withdrawal of a case filed against green activists, who have been demanding opening of Dhanmondi playground for public DHAKA TRIBUNE Ahmed and Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) President Abu Naser Khan. Addressing the rally Ruhin Hussain Prince said: The real owners of the Dhanmondi playground are the general people. So the general people should file suits against the grabbers of a public playground. Instead, the grabbers have filed suits against the environmental green activists, who are fighting to recover the grabbed playground. He further alleged that many groups are now using portraits of Bangabandhus family members for personal gain. The general public should protest against this Pakistani ghost immediately, he added. He also said the movement to free the public playground will continue and will not be deterred by lawsuits and arrests. Professor Saleh Ahmed said: The club authority has misinterpreted the High Court order and thus, we urge the government to open the public playground to all. Bapa General Secretary Abdul Matin said: The club has been using funds from the Bangabandhu Trust for commercial activities, which is illegal. Demanding the withdrawal of the false lawsuit against the environment activists, he further urged Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to direct authorities to open the playground for all as the children in the capital have no place for recreational activities and sports. l
WEATHER
Garment workers block a road at Rasulpur in the city yesterday, protesting closure of their factory without prior notice DHAKA TRIBUNE
SUNNY
TUESDAY, APRIL 22
TODAY SUN SETS 6:23PM
Dhaka Chittagong Rajshahi Rangpur Khulna Barisal Sylhet Coxs Bazar
DHAKA
40.7C Rangamati
Source: Accuweather/UNB
I never disturbed any of their friends. The Chhatra League leaders and activists beat me up because of political rivalry and their rage against me
Sources said Chhatra League leaders Asif Ahmed and Shamim Molla of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall, along with some activists, swooped on Rabbi Hasan in front ofthe Zahir Raihan auditorium on) the campus around 3.30pm, when few people were around. Rabbi, a student of Bangla department and joint convener of the halls Chhatra Dal unit, sustained injuries in his head and body. He was first rushed to the universitys medical centre, and
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha 4:14am 5:32am 11:58am 4:25pm 6:23pm 7:42pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Nation
District Superintendent of Police Mofazzal Hossain said a group of robbers numbering six to seven shot Pallab and Shakhawat when they were going to deposit Flexi Load money to the National Bank branch around 11am. The robbers also snatched Tk2 lakh cash and two cheques of Tk46 lakh and Tk7 lakh from the duo, said SP Mofazzal. Gaibandha sadar police station Officer-in-Charge Rajiur Rahman said police were conducting drives to arrest the criminals. l
Schoolboy killed
Miscreants killed a minor schoolboy yesterday in the Gorsthanpara of the district. The deceased was identified as Mohontha Robi Roy ,12, the son of Chun Moon Roy in the area. He was a class IV student at the local primary school. Sources said Robi went missing on Monday and did not return home. Later his body was found in a paddy field near the school. Our Correspondent
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Long Form
n Benjamin Kuehne
did not know until now that the RTI Act can be so powerful, said Mohammad Saud Khan, after getting an Agriculture Input Assistance Card and Tk800 for one bag of fertiliser and 2kg seeds. Bangladeshs Right to Information Act was adopted by the Jatiyo Sangshad in 2009. It is among the more elaborate RTI laws around the globe. As the law provides a great opportunity for citizens to change their personal situation and to get involved with transparency and accountability of public authorities, it is a commendable step towards good governance. Under the law, every citizen has the right to access information from any public authority and their private contractors. Upon demand of the citizen, the authority is bound to provide this information. At best, only one form has to be filled and delivered to the designated official, to request the information and receive an answer within 20 days. However, some exceptions exist - ongoing police investigations, personal data and information that pose a threat to public security and international relations. Mohammad Saud Khan is a nomadic river gypsy belonging to the Bede community in Munshiganj district. He has been farming alongside the Padma River for a long time. Due to lack of agricultural utilities including seeds, fertilisers and equipment, his harvest has always been scarce. He repeatedly sought help from the local agricultural officials, who promised him financial support if money was officially sanctioned. He soon gave up all hope for assistance. In 2010, Khan became an animator in a non-governmental organisations (NGO) Right to Information project. It was only then that he became aware of the Agriculture Input Assistance Card, which the Government of Bangladesh issues to small farmers to provide them with cash subsidies. He felt that he had been denied this assistance because he belongs to the Bede community. After learning about the RTI Act, he requested for a copy of the rules to obtain a card and a list of most recent recipients in his area from the designated officer of the Upazila Agriculture Office. Khan received part of the information
The establishment of the Information Commission as an overseeing public body, is an important step towards properly implementing the RTI Act. An RTI applicant who was denied information, or is dissatisfied with the information received, can file a complaint with the commission. The institution then makes the final decision, if and which information is to be disclosed. The Information Commissioners can exercise the power of a civil court and therefore enforce the attendance of officials and compel them to give testimony. If the Commission is convinced that an official or an authority has violated duties under the RTI Act, it can take action against them.
If the Commission is convinced that an official or an authority has violated duties under the RTI Act, it can take action against them
and was invited to the office, where he was informed that his name would be added to the list of beneficiaries. Since he was not satisfied with the information he received within the RTI Acts time limit, he decided to file a complaint to the Information Commission. A few days before the scheduled hearing, he finally received the missing information.
After Mr Saud Khan applied for the information, we started collecting it. Since the RTI Act was new and we were not really aware of it, we did not furnish all the information in a proper manner. Now that we are aware of it, we will furnish all information requested, stated the Upazila Agriculture Officer. The Information Commis-
sion admonished him for not caring to learn about the law when it was announced by the Government. The reaction of the Upazila Office to Saud Khans request shows two shortcomings lingering since the adoption of the RTI Act - a lack of awareness not only among citizens but also among designated officers and an insufficiently effective information management system. To overcome these and other shortcomings is not only a responsibility of public authorities themselves but also of citizens. While training designated officers, creating awareness of the RTI Act, enhancing proactive disclosure and removing bureaucratic hurdles are public duties; making regular use of the RTI Act will inevitably compel officers to develop a habit of properly responding to requests from citizens and to resort to good practice. Authorities will lack motivation to make a big effort towards properly implementing the law if there is no serious demand. According to the Information Commission, Bangladeshis submitted 16,475 RTI requests in 2012. But many requests were not related to the aim of the law. The Information Commission takes any request into account which is delivered on an RTI form, although information on how to open a bank account or how to get a passport are matters relating to proactive disclosure and can be enquired over the telephone or through face-to-face conversation with an employee of the concerned authority.
So far, more than 12,500 designated officers have been appointed throughout the country. Many of them were not concerned with a single RTI request. As being responsible for responding to these requests is an additional task for an officer who already has other duties, it loses significance for him if there is no demand. A 2013 study conducted by The Nielsen Company revealed - 38% of the designated officers who received training on RTI, have forgotten most of what they had learnt since they handled no RTI application following the training. Furthermore, case studies conducted by NGOs point out that an initial hostile reaction to a citizens request is often derived from a lack of awareness regarding the RTI Act among officers and this behaviour changes as soon as they get to know about the law. Bangladesh has a long tradition of government secrecy. The efforts taken in recent years to make governance, bureaucracy and public private partnership more transparent and accountable to citizens are highly commendable. But if public officers are not aware of their new duties they will act according to old patterns. An increasing number of RTI applications can serve as a catalyst to change their mentality. An extrapolation conducted by the Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative indicates that Indians filed around 40 lakh RTI requests in the business year 2011-12. That is about 32 times as many applications per capita as in
Bangladesh. This success story can be traced back to grassroot activities dating back to the mid 1990s. The government facilitated the movement by institutionalising the right to information. The Indian RTI Act in its current form was adopted in 2005.
So far, more than 12,500 designated officers have been appointed throughout the country. Everyone can be an agent for change by using RTI
Indian citizens since then uncovered fraud in the construction sector, healthcare system and the Public Distribution System among other things. Using RTI has become very popular in India. Examples from India and Bangladesh show that RTI can make a difference. Not only restricted to a persons life, it can also affect society as a whole. Misuse of public money and bad governance in general are less likely, if the designated personnel fear that their misdeeds have a high probability of getting discovered. Additionally, RTI is a gain for authorities as well - it provides an easy way to assess the citizens needs and wishes. Apart from that, reducing corruption should be a shared goal. RTI-related success is possible in Bangladesh, as the story of Mohammad Saud Khan shows; but it is a rare example. Today, RTI is mainly used by marginalised people for personal benefit, if they get facilitated by NGOs. It can only unfold its full impact on society, if it gets used massively. NGOs can play a key role in promoting RTI, especially when it comes to raising awareness; what really counts is the peoples commitment. To go beyond personal benefit, it is inevitable that the educated middle class gets involved and asks serious questions like journalists do for research purposes. One might ask to see documents, which show what designated authorities are doing to assess environmental pollution by tanners in Hazaribagh of Old Dhaka, to monitor workers rights in the garment sector or to monitor its contract partners in the construction of the Padma Bridge. Everyone can be an agent for change by using RTI. l Benjamin Kuehne is working for NETZ Partnership for Development and Justice and Research Initiatives, Bangladesh (RIB) as volunteer since September 2013.
RTI act can only unfold its full impact on society, if it gets used massively, if the educated middle class gets involved and asks serious questions like journalists do
NASHIRUL ISLAM
8
n Reuters, Gaza
Seven rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in southern Israel during the Jewish Passover holiday yesterday, drawing retaliatory air strikes from the Israeli army, officials said, the first cross-border clash in several weeks. Israels army said its strikes hit two training camps run by Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that controls Gaza. Medical sources there said two Hamas militants were lightly wounded. Hamas has largely maintained a truce with Israel since a brief war in late 2012, but it has sometimes struggled to rein in smaller armed Islamist factions hostile to the Israel. There was no claim of responsibility for the latest rocket salvo from any of those factions, who are opposed to troubled peace talks between their Palestinian rivals in the occupied West Bank and Israel. Two of the projectiles from Gaza exploded in the southern Israeli border community of Sderot in a road and an open area, Israeli police said. There were no reports of any injuries. Israel holds Hamas responsible for
DHAKA TRIBUNE
World
Indictment rate for all crimes An Israeli boy looks at shrapnel at a parking lot in the Israeli southern city of Sderot after a rocket fired by Palestinian from Gaza Strip landed in the town REUTERS any rocket fire from the Strip and routinely retaliates against it. Israeli civilians celebrating the Passover Holiday woke up this morning to the sound of Code-Red alarms and rockets ... Hamas rocket terrorism is an intolerable reality Israelis should not have to accept, Israeli army spokesman Peter Lerner said in a statement. Residents of Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza said an Israeli helicopter opened fire there, though it was not clear what it was targeting. Hamas confirmed its training camps had been attacked but did not comment on the reports of rockets. Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005 after 38 years of occupation, a unilateral move that boosted Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other Palestinian groups. Palestinians seek a state in the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital. Two Islamist groups fired rockets at Israel over several days in early March, and Israel responded with air strikes. l
With the economy in ruins, many are looking to Sisi to return the stability needed to reassure investors and tourists
The authorities say more than 500 people, mostly policemen and soldiers, have been killed in militant attacks since the overthrow of Morsi. It is precisely this insecurity from which Sisi derives his unparalleled popularity, as supporters see in him a leader capable of bringing stability to the country. Since a military coup in 1952, every president in Egypt has come from the military, except Morsi. However, with the economy in ruins,
Ukraine peace deal falters as rebels show no sign of surrender n Reuters, Kiev
An agreement reached last week to avert wider conflict in Ukraine was faltering as the new week began, with pro-Moscow separatist gunmen showing no sign of surrendering government buildings they have seized. Washington says it will hold Moscow responsible and impose new economic sanctions if the separatists do not clear out of government buildings they have occupied across swathes of eastern Ukraine over the past two weeks. US Vice President Joe Biden was due in Kiev later on Monday. Kiev and Moscow traded accusations over a deadly shooting on Easter Sunday morning, when at least three people were killed at a checkpoint manned by armed separatists. Moscow and its separatist allies accused Ukrainian nationalists of attacking the checkpoint; Kiev said Russia had provoked the violence. In a later incident, the Ukrainian defence ministry said gunmen on motorcycles fired on an army checkpoint between Donetsk and Slaviansk shortly after dark on Sunday. The troops opened fire, wounding one attacker and capturing two, it said. Russia, Ukraine, the European Union and the United States signed off on an agreement in Geneva on Thursday, designed to lower tension in the worst confrontation between Russia and the West since the Cold War. The agreement calls for occupied buildings to be vacated under the auspices of envoys from the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe, a security body. All sides are meant to refrain from force. But no sooner had the accord been signed than both sides accused the other of breaking it, while the pro-Moscow rebels said the pledge to withdraw from occupied buildings was not binding on them. l
A pro-Russian protester stands at barricades at the police headquarters in the eastern Ukrainian town of Slaviansk
REUTERS
DHAKA TRIBUNE
World
9
Sherpas consider boycott after Everest disaster n AP, Katmandu, Nepal
Buddhist monks cremated the remains of Sherpa guides who were buried in the deadliest avalanche to hit Mount Everest, a disaster that has prompted calls for a climbing boycott by Nepals ethnic Sherpa community. A Sherpa boycott could critically disrupt the Everest climbing season, which is key to the livelihood of thousands of Nepali guides and porters. Everest climbers have long relied on Sherpas for everything from hauling gear to cooking food to high-altitude guiding. At least 13 Sherpas were killed when a block of ice tore loose from the mountain and triggered a cascade that ripped through teams of guides hauling gear. Three Sherpas missing in Fridays avalanche are presumed dead. Right now, I cant even think of going back to the mountain, said Tashi Dorje, whose cousin was killed. We have not just lost our family members, but it is a loss for the whole mountaineering community and the country. Since the avalanche, the Sherpas have expressed anger that there has not been a bigger response from Nepals government, which profits from the permit fees charged to the climbing expeditions. The Tourism Ministry said it has not been told of any cancellations by expedition teams. Some Sherpas had already left the mountain by Monday, either joining the boycott or mourning their friends and colleagues. The government has announced an emergency aid of 40,000 rupees ($415) for the families of the deceased climbers. l
Parents of the children missing in the accident in what is likely to turn out to be one of South Koreas worst maritime disasters sat exhausted from days of grief on Monday, waiting for the almost inevitable news that their loved ones had died. They have spent all their time since the accident in a gymnasium in the port city of Jindo, taking it in turns to vent their anger at the crews inaction and slow pace of the rescue operation. One of those waiting in the gymnasium was Kim Chang-gu, whose son Kim Dong-hyup is among the missing. I dream about him and hear hallucinatory sounds, he told Reuters. Somebody told me he was alive but I now have given up. I know how he said Dad. I keep hearing that. Divers are retrieving the bodies at a faster pace and some parents have moved from the gymnasium to the pier to await news. Others stay put on their mattresses in the gym, where one by one, parents are informed that a body
South Korea Coast Guard members transfer the bodies of passengers from the sunken South Korean ferry Sewol, to a ship at sea off Jindo. Divers began retrieving bodies on April 20 from inside the submerged South Korean ferry that capsized five days ago with hundreds of children on board AFP matches a family DNA swab, prompting wailing and collapses. Two US underwater drones have been deployed in the search for bodies, a coastguard official said. Strong tides hampered operations overnight but the weather was better on Monday. A clearer picture has started to emerge of the time around the accident after coastguards released a recording of a conversation between vessel controllers and the ship. Witnesses have said the Sewol turned sharply before it began listing. It took more than two hours for it to capsize completely but passengers were ordered to stay put in their cabins. According to the transcript, the controllers told the captain to decide how best to evacuate the passengers and that he should make the final decision on whether or not to evacuate. l
ELECTION FRANZY
Supporters listen as unseen union minister, patron for the National Conference and candidate for Srinagars seat for the lower house of parliament in Indias general election Farooq Abdullah speaks during an election rally in Chadoora. The sixth phase of the worlds largest election will begin on April 24 AFP
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www.dhakatribune.com
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
LETTER OF THE DAY
Letters to
the Editor
he long-running misappropriation of the Dhanmondi playground by the Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club and its barring of the public to this popular recreation area, contrary to a High Court order, is an outrage. Insult has now been added to injury by the clubs recent attempts to denigrate park users and its spokespersons ridiculous and offensive statement claiming that this playground is the preserve of an elite. The lack of swift action on this matter is symptomatic of the low priority given by authorities towards managing and facilitating public space for the benefit of all citizens. This attitude, to which the club is now seeking to pander, is perverse as all citizens want and deserve more access to safe and green public space for recreation. In a city that sorely lacks public spaces for citizens, and in particular playgrounds for children, an incident such as this is unconscionable. Urgent intervention is now needed from the government to ensure that the Dhanmondi playground is promptly reopened for public use. The PM, whose family name is being used by the club in question, should support immediate action to open up this playground to for public use. Those groups such as the Bangladesh Cricket Board and Bangladesh Football Federation, which have lent support to the club, need to remember that they have a duty to encourage more access to and participation in sport. Barring the public from a playground is contrary to everyones interests.
April 19 Our government should earnestly expedite an agreement on CERNs interest in training our science teachers. The longer the agreement remains valid, the better for us! For technological development and awareness, this deserves the highest priority and attention to improve the quality of education. CERNs proposed teacher training facilities offer is the best way to go about it to have a knowledgeable pool of trained teachers. However, it must be noted that we need to improve our access to and understanding of the available scientific and technological information, as this is vital in developing our country. Unfortunately, in this important matter, we are going downhill every day. This very important deficiency also needs to be addressed. The scope and depth of English teaching urgently needs to be upgraded at both the primary and secondary levels. Otherwise, we will remain a technically backward country. SA Mansoor
All citizens deserve more access to safe and green space for recreation
April 16 The law and order situation of this nation was never good. Shamim E Haque
Be Heard
Siddique released unhurt after 30 hours
April 18 fahad Thats great to hear, I thought he wouldve been gone forever! deep purple blue Rizwana thanked the prime minister, which I found odd. To me it seems the media deserves the entire credit, not the law enforcers nor the prime minister.
April 13
Write to us at: Dhaka Tribune FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath Sukrabad, Dhaka-1207 Email us at: letters.dt@dhakatribune.com Send us your Op-Ed articles: opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com Visit our website: www.dhakatribune.com Come join our Facebook community: https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune
Sharing costs for improvements is a key way to build confidence in the industry
PEANUTS
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Top cards (4) 5 Retains (5) 9 Long, deep narrow valley (6) 10 Corded fabric (3) 11 Encourage in crime (4) 12 Sweetener (5) 14 Cosy retreats (5) 16 Woody plant (4) 19 Painful spot (4) 21 Packages (5) 24 Country (5) 27 Old-stringed instrument (4) 29 Perfect score (3) 30 Fierce looks (6) 31 Put on (5) 32 Tidy (4) DOWN 1 Desert dweller (4) 2 Taxi (3) 3 Happenings (6) 4 Location (4) 5 Small falcon (7) 6 Work unit (3) 7 Vegetable (3) 8 Merry frolic (5) 13 Employ (3) 15 Odd (7) 17 Make certain (6) 18 Squander (5) 20 Kimono sash (3) 22 Dash (4) 23 Direction (4) 25 Female swan (3) 26 Also (3) 28 Beverage (3)
SUDOKU
YESTERDAYS SOLUTIONS
Crossword
How to solve Sudoku: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no numberrepeating.
Sudoku
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Op-Ed
11
rational I do not mean the Spock-induced variety where every decision is logically debated, pros and cons weighed, and a consensus is reached where the benefits of buying a Pran mango bar outweigh the costs (why would anyone NOT buy a Pran mango bar, they are awesome!) Rather, a rational consumer is one who is conscious about what is best for her, and in the grand scheme of things, will end up making decisions that cater to her best interests. Always.
Completely fair
F
n Faruq Hasan
airness creams get a bad rap. If theyre not racially dividing the country, they are lowering self-esteem, embedding patriarchy, consigning women as sex objects, etc etc. Heck, they are probably to blame for vote rigging during the upazila polls as well. What our unfair detractors dont seem to know, or care, is that the debate is seldom black and white. First item on the charge sheet is that fairness creams contribute to a kind of racism. Ill be the first one to admit that they kind of do. Bangladeshi society loves, nay worships, fair skin. Any product that plays on our obsession with a particular skin tone is obviously partly responsible for engendering societal blinkers. After all, you dont walk down a Bangladeshi departmental store aisle and see a lot of skin tanning lotions. But walk down the same aisle and you will see a gazillion products that basically serve the same purpose as a whitening cream: They accentuate one part of your body, and cater to a stereotype that has been perpetuated long before skin whitening creams entered the local markets. Want luscious lips, cherubic cheeks, enticing eyes, and a free (sugar-free) candy bar with it as well? Yes, we have them all, and we have been gleefully buying them over centuries without feminists and marketing Nazis breathing down upon our collective necks. Bottom line is, a fairness cream is a cosmetic product that totes the marketing line that it will make you aesthetically pleasing. And like any other successful cosmetic product, the rules of how it works is based on a narrow definition of what we, as a society, find attractive and appealing, and then shoving ourselves into that category. Dont want to play the game? Perfectly fine, just discard all makeup then, dont just pick on our poor buddy the fairness gel. The irony of course is that when you are typing an article on fairness cream promoting hypocrisy with your perfectly manicured hands using that trendy nail polish, you are a hypocrite yourself.
BIGSTOCK
n Ikhtisad Ahmed
he government, leading financial institutions, prominent entrepreneurs, and intelligence agencies are in league with one another to preserve the status quo of the oppression of the average citizen at any cost. Their collusion has resulted in unlawful harassment and inhuman treatment of those determined to exercise the freedoms granted to them by the fundamental doctrines of human rights, thereby quashing anything remotely resembling a stance taken for justice and what is right. This is not a conspiracy theory, nor is it the plot for a thriller about the common man facing the adversities presented by a crooked system. Recent revelations have shown these to be the appalling facts of the demise of the Occupy movement in the US. Supported by Noam Chomsky and the late Eric Hobsbawm amongst other academics and figures of note, the defeated physical movement and its limited tangible achievements gave way to a cerebral movement that still hopes to win the war in the long-run. The nature of its defeat, however, in a country that forces all others to fall in line with its beliefs because these values are seen as the best, should act as a cautionary tale. The movement was born out of the need to take a stand against the actions of the financial institutions that were responsible for the worldwide crisis, whose effects can still be felt. The frustrations took the shape of
a collective protest. From its inception, it was treated as a criminal and potential terrorist group rather than the peaceful peoples movement that it was, despite this definition being publicly acknowledged by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. Granted, some of the methods of protest fell foul of the law, but these minor and infrequent infringements were far outweighed by law-abiding citizens lawfully exercising their fundamental rights. The attitude of the authorities was little more than a clear distrust for any sort of movement that went against the status quo, especially one that espoused justice and egalitarianism.
New York Stock Exchange, at least one local Federal Reserve and several large banks in organising the surveillance that was conducted as early as August 2011, a full month before Occupy Wall Street and other Occupy movements took to the streets. The FBI, in true trustworthy law-enforcement agency manner, tried to hide the existence of all surveillance-related documents. It was only under the Freedom of Information Act that this knowledge became public, albeit heavily redacted and after their existence had previously been denied. This shows that Occupy was treated as a matter of serious national security. It is staggering, to say the least, that a
Freedoms of speech in countries that champion human rights exist on condition that they never threaten to speak the whole truth
FBI branches across multiple states, including states like Alaska where Occupy did not take off actively like in New York, were given powers to have special task forces to tackle this potential threat. The eventual, violent police crackdown was not just coordinated by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security, but also involved the big banks. There was clear involvement of the
country that was actively fighting two wars physically, and countless others (such as its War on Drugs and Terror), zealously, often covertly, was investing so much of its resources in keeping lawful citizens on a leash and suppressing evidence of such activities. This is the nightmare police state that horrify citizens of third world countries. They need not worry: Their reality has come about because their
governments are following the developed world. It would appear that the freedoms of speech and assembly in countries that champion human rights exist on condition that they never threaten to speak the whole truth, demand exact justice, and seek accountability and egalitarianism. The future for third world countries where politics is synonymous with autocracy and sycophancy, and who take their lead from these champions often funded by their bureaucratic development programs is therefore bleak in a world that has accepted that there is to be no defence against oppression. When security is prioritised over freedom, the ideal circumstances are created for protectors to become tyrants. The price of complete subjugation, loyalty, and compliance out of fear, and regular tributes that always steadily increase, becomes too high for the average citizen, the defenceless, and the wronged. The perfect storm that is created only benefits those at the top. The heinous injustices and unlawful activities of the authorities will cause a small amount of embarrassment before becoming an anecdotal footnote post-haste. This will be repeated again followed by shameless defences, sporadic apologies sans remorse, and a continued preservation of this absurd system. l Ikhtisad Ahmed is a writer and an erstwhile lawyer. He can be contacted on Twitter via @ Ikhtisad.
Dont want to play the game? Perfectly fine, just discard all makeup then
But my biggest gripe about the morality police trying to handcuff fairness cream peddlers and junkies is the patronising and condescending tone they bring to the table. A consumer of any product by definition exhibits rational behaviour. A quick caveat: By
Are fairness creams part of that equation that guarantees an elixir, or does it just make you a pawn in a (fairness-obsessed) mans game? Its up to the consumer to decide. Appealing that fairness products be banned because they promote racism and sexism, a society that judges you by the colour of your skin, all miss one single point: Skin whitening products exist not because evil companies force us to use them, they exist because we want to use them. And here is the crux of the problem with all that finger wagging. If you want to ban a product that you think sends all the wrong messages to the public in large, whats to stop someone else from trying to ban something that you may think is sending all the right signals? Video games for kids might make them violent, but they also promote tech savviness and expedite decision-making skills. A product that you find fulsome may be wholesome to someone else. The solution, of course, would be to let the invisible hand do all the picking. If people really ind fairness creams repulsive, they will stop buying them in the long run, and eventually evil companies will go bankrupt. No amount of hurtling abuse, pleading sanity, or downright banning has made any impact on people smoking, drinking, or gambling. Why do you think your moralising and demonising fairness creams would work any better? Caveat emptor, I say! A fairness cream, a bottle of wine, or a cigar may do all kinds of mischief and promote all the wrong messages. But moral policing and calling outright bans on them is not the answer. If you want consumers to make informed choices, give us information, not opinions or your disapproval. Just give us the facts, man. l Faruq Hasan is a journalist at the Dhaka Tribune.
Because of the diverse electorate and dominance of local candidates, it is extremely difficult to forecast Indian elections
It is now being predicted that the BJP-led alliance will just cross the magic figure of 272
Bihar would be another state to keep a close eye on. Of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in this state, Lalu Prasad Yadavs RJD has forged an alliance with the Congress Party in 27, and this has placed them in an advantageous position. It is thought that Gujarat and Punjab would go the BJP way, Gujarat
Some say that quitting the government in Delhi was a big jolt to their prospect, and their hasty decision to quit isolated a section of their supporters. AAP is expected to bag around 10 seats, but what their candidates could do is create an arithmetical problem in some pockets as they are likely to pull anti-Congress and anti-BJP votes. In fact, in some constituencies there could be havoc. Experts also say that although AAP came into the political scene with a loud bang, their main problem is that they are yet to get themselves organised as a party. But people hope that after the elections, they will get themselves more structured and function
the diverse electorate and dominance of local candidates, it is extremely difficult to forecast Indian elections. In 2004, opinion polls predicted that the BJP-led alliance would win, which was proved wrong. In 2009, the margin of the Congress-led alliances win was underestimated in the predictions. It is now being predicted that the BJP-led alliance will just cross the magic figure of 272 to clinch absolute majority. The Indian voters do have a history of proving the experts wrong, and they would have the final say. l Uday Sankar Das is a senior journalist who worked for BBC World Service radio and is presently based in Chittagong.
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
n Shadma Malik
TODAY IN DHAKA
Exhibition
Exile in Calcutta by Thomas Meyer Time: 3pm 8pm Drik Gallery, House 58, Road 15/A (New), Dhanmondi Serenading Suchitra Time: 12pm 8pm Shilpangan Gallery House-7, Road-13, Dhanmondi Last Summer by Iffat Ara Dewan Time: 12pm 8pm Bengal Art Lounge, Gulshan Avenue Freezing Moments Time: 3pm to 8pm Drik Gallery House 58, Road 15/A (New), Dhanmondi
Film
Captain America: The Winter Soldier (3D & 2D) Jonakir Alo, Boishommo The Legend of Hercules 3D Avatar in 3D , Frozen in 3D Time: 10am 10pm Star Cineplex, Level 8 Bashundhara City
Indian actor Paoli Dam, who created controversies by acting in the erotic film Hate Story, will be seen opposite to Shakib Khan in a film titled Shotota. Directed by Hasibur Reza Kallol, the shooting of the film is set to begin from July. Paoli will play the role of a prostitute in the film which is based on a story titled Ma by Sohani Hossain.
n Entertainment Desk
New music sensation Kiesza has reached the top spot in the UK chart singles with her debut single Hideaway. The Canadian singer-songwriter has incredibly sold 136,000 copies in the UK in the last week, beating Sigma and their new track Nobody To Love from the top spot down to second place. Kieszas new song has become the third fastest-selling single of the year so far. Revealing her surprise, she told OfficialCharts.com: Being Number 1 is the most amazing feeling ever. I just want to say thank you to everybody who's supported it. I never expected this at all when I created Hideaway; it's amazing to see people come out of the woodwork and fall in love with it, so thank you!" Shift K3y bagged his first Top 10 hit with Touch at number three, while John Legend's All Of Me stayed at number four with Aloe Blacc's The Man dropping to five. Meanwhile, Scottish singer Paolo Nutini scored the fastest-selling album of 2014 with his third album Caustic Love. The album sold a staggering 109,000 copies in the past seven days. l
n Entertainment Desk
Marvels superhero in Captain America: The Winter Soldier claimed a third straight box office win, collecting $26.6 million at the domestic box office to beat the colorful birds of animated film Rio 2. Heaven Is for Real, based on a best-selling Christian book about a boy who claims to have witnessed heaven during surgery, was a strong third at US and Canadian theaters with $21.5 million over the Easter holiday weekend. Transcendence, the science fiction thriller starring Johnny Depp as an artificial intelligence researcher, was a disappointing fourth with $11.2 million in ticket sales, according to studio estimates provided by tracking firm Rentrak. The film has earned a global total of $586 million, including more than $200 million domestically, since it started rolling out internationally on March 26, validating the strategy of distributor Disney to ramp up its pipeline of films featuring Marvel Comics super heroes. The film is also being screened in Bashundhara Citys Star Cineplex. l
Sport
Bangladesh would be hosting the qualifiers of the 2019 World Cup in 2018, a year before the main event. Zimbabwe will host the 2022 World Cup qualifiers and these decisions were taken in an ICC meeting which took place back in June 2011. The tigers will play a total of 44 one day international matches till 2017. The 2015 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Australia and New Zealand where Bangladesh will play directly with other eleven nations while England will host the 2019 World Cup where only ten teams will be playing in the main event. Despite being the host and a Test playing nation, Bangladesh had to play in the qualifiers of the recently concluded World T20. The tigers will have to go through the same system again in order to qualify for the next World T20 which will be hosted by India in 2016. Earlier it was revealed that the bottom ranked Test playing nations will have to play four Test matches, home and away. But now the performance in the ODIs will also play a role in deciding the fate of Bangladesh. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
13
14 Atletico ready
15 Struggling Nadal
Sheikh Russells Haitian forward Pascal Millien tries to go past Chittagong Abahani goalie Salimullah at the BNS yesterday
MUMIT M
Having played a game more than others, Russell now sits fourth in the points table with 16 points from 11 matches
National forward Mithun Chowdhury created the first real chance for Sheikh Russell just five minutes into the game. However, his defense splitting through pass was wasted by the Haitian forward Pascal Millien as goalkeeper Salim Ullah moved forward to clear the ball. Salim Ullah produced a superb save five minutes later by punching away Serbian midfielder Miroslav Savanovics curled free kick. Sheikh Russell went
The 2012-13 Dhaka premier League (DPL) season was full of drama as the cricketers almost begged for the league to take place while the clubs pressured the BCB and introduced the players by choice system for the first time. That being said the 2013-14 season may not even take place at all as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) Cricket Operations Committee sent a letter to the clubs to get ready for the 2014-15 season while 2013-14 season needs to be completed by July 1 this year. The Cricket Operations committee will hold a meeting today where the agenda will be to form a cricket calendar while the club officials will be asking to form a complete cricket schedule for the next three years for premier League, First Division and other leagues. We have received a letter from the BCB Cricket Operations manager Sabbir Khan where we have been asked to get ready for the Dhaka Leagues 201415 season as the last date of holding the 2013-14 season is July 1 which at the moment looks impossible as the rainy
season will be in full flow by then, said a club official requesting anonymity. Which means the current 2013-14 DPL season will not take place any more while the BCB are planning to hold the 2014-15 seasons by scheduling the cricket calendar. Earlier last year the clubs had negotiations with the board where the clubs were not interested to play the league in the absence of national cricketers first and later the clubs demanded a huge token from the BCB and after that the clubs demanded to form the players by choice payment system which was later introduced for the first time in Dhaka League history. However the cricketers opposed the players by choice system and it was later informed that the system will be applicable for that particular season only where the cricketers received much less than previous seasons where the cricketers have been divided into five categories which was also given in installments where most of the cricketers did not receive their full salary from most of the clubs yet. l
Nazrul Islam, (L) the general secretary of Bangladesh Bodybuilding Federation speaks at the press conference of Muscle Mania Bodybuilding at the BNS yesterday COURTESY
Rangpur v Barisal
Sylhet v Chittagong
At BKSP, Sylhet trailed by 374 runs chasing 439 against Chittagong. Mominul Hauqes 168 off 235 balls that included 20 boundaries saw Chit-
In reply to Rangpurs 254-run first innings lead, Barisal posted 133 runs at the end of day three at Fatullah Outer Stadium. Rangpur resumed their first innings with an overnight score of 346 for five. The side went to stretch the innings to 543 for nine (declare) with Tanvir Haiders unbeaten 121. His 262-ball innings included nine fours and a six.
At Chittagongs Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, Rajshahi trailed by 151 runs chasing 224 against Dhaka Metro. Metro scored 352 runs in the second innings riding on Asif Ahmeds 54. Left-arm spinner Taijul Islam bagged five wickets for Rajshahi. Pace bowler Shohid and left-arm spinner Elias Sunny claimed two wickets each for Metro as Rajshahi were reduced to 120 for six. l
14
Aimar axed by Malaysian club
Former Argentina star Pablo Aimar has been axed by Malaysias Johor Darul Takzim after being sidelined by injury problems, the clubs president said. The 34-year-old World Cup veteran was part-way through a two-year contract which reputedly made him the highest paid foreigner ever to play in Malaysia. Tunku Ismail Ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the crown prince of Johor state, announced the move as part of a clear-out strategy which also involved replacing coach Cesar Jimenez with Bojan Hodak. AFP
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
Chelsea players take part in a training session at Cobham in Surrey in south England yesterday. Chelsea will play Atletico Madrid in their Champion's League semi-final first leg match in Madrid today REUTERS
RESULTS
Almeria
Rodri 39, Diaz 88
2 4 3 1
Celta Vigo
Real Betis
Chica 79
Rochina 14, Paulao 27-og, Larrivey 51 Mainz 14-og, Gameiro 51, Mbia 58, Vitolo 68
4 0 2 1
Granada
Barcelona
Pedro 72, Messi 74
Athletic Bilbao
Aduriz 50
Pedro levelled in the 72nd minute after more chances had gone begging and Messi struck the winner three minutes later when he drove the ball powerfully into the net, the Argentina forwards 26th goal of an injury-disrupted
season. With four matches left including a trip to Barca on the final day of the season, surprise leaders Atletico top the standings on 85 points following Fridays 2-0 home win over Elche. Barca are second on 81 points, two ahead of Real, who have a game in hand. Bilbao are a further 17 points behind Real and remain well placed to secure a berth in Champions League qualifying for next season. Bilbao are three points clear of fifthplaced Sevilla, who continued their fine recent run with a 4-0 victory at home to Andalusian rivals Granada on Sunday. Celta Vigo pulled further away from danger when they won 4-2 at secondfrom-bottom Almeria, while basement side Real Betis are on the brink of relegation after they were beaten 3-1 at Rayo Vallecano. l
stand the problems he has faced in taking over from Alex Ferguson and is sure that he can turn the situation around. I think everybody knows that we are on track to make changes and do some different things. We are rebuilding. We have got things we want to do, he said. At Everton there were things that were not that good, but there were things that were good. We need to try and get rid of the bad things and do better with the things we should have done. The supporters have been incredibly behind the team and supported the team throughout. They understand it has not been good. I recognise it has not been good. It needs to be better. l
RESULTS
Monaco
Berbatov 5
1 0 2 1
Nice Ajaccio
Camara 4
Bastia Bordeaux
Raspentino 32, Squillaci 89 Diabat 8, 20, 26, Jussie 48, Rolan 68-pen
5 1
Guingamp
Mu. Diallo 29
Lorient
Aliadiere 31-pen, Monnet-Paquet 87, Aboubakar 90, 90+3
4 4 0 1 2 6
Montpellier
Cabella 26, 81, Niang 56, Deza 78
Reims Valenciennes
Medjani 80, 86-og, Bahebeck 84
Sochaux
Corchia 41
Nantes
Barcelona forward Lionel Messi (L) tries to score against Athletic Bilbao goalkeeper Gorka Iraizoz during their La Liga match at Camp Nou stadium in Barcelona on Sunday REUTERS
Marseille
0 0
Lille
He added: Russias players are completely focused on the World Cup. After 12 years of absence at the world football feast they want to perform at their best, to win something. And theyre ready to show their best to
Benfica's Oscar Cardozo kisses the trophy title after beating Olhanense at Luz stadium in Lisbon on Sunday REUTERS
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
BCCI proposes panel to probe IPL scandal
n
The Indian cricket board on Sunday decided to recommend to the Supreme Court a three-man panel to probe a spot-fixing scandal that hit the Indian Premier League, an official said. The Supreme Court had last week asked the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to provide details of how it planned to conduct a fresh probe into the scandal, or face investigation by a court-appointed tribunal. BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel declined to reveal the names in the proposed panel, saying they will be handed to the court at the next hearing on Tuesday. But the Press Trust of India and TV channels said the panel will comprise former captain and commentator Ravi Shastri, Jai Narain Patel, an ex- chief justice of the Kolkata Hight Court, and R.K. Raghavan, who earlier headed the federal Central Bureau of Investigation. Lawyers for the BCCI will put forward the three names on Tuesday, hoping the court will accept the proposal to prevent an outside agency from interfering in the case. The apex court had last week rejected N. Srinivasans plea to reinstate him as BCCI chief, saying he had effectively turned a blind eye to allegations of wrongdoing in the IPL. l
QUICK BYTES
Grandmaster Ziaur Rahman on Sunday drew with 2699 rated GM Bu Xiangzhi of China in the 4th round of the Open Section of the Asian Continental Chess Championships held in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates. Zia played with white pieces used Queens pawn opening against the top rated player in the event Bu. The game continued to irregular line and Zia made draw after 30 moves. Zia earned three points after the end of 4th round and shared the 2nd position in the points table along with other 12 players. Meanwhile in the womens section, WFM Nazrana Khan Eva drew with Al Najar Huda of Syria. Eva earned 1.5 point out of 4 games. Tribune Desk
Captain of the Australian cricket team Michael Clarke is coaching American kids in the Cricmax indoor cricket facility in Sayreville, New Jersey on Sunday
PTI
Donna Vekic of Croatia holds her trophy during the prize presentation as she celebrates her victory against Dominika Cibulkova of Slovakia at the BMW Malaysian Open tennis tournament in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday AFP
DAYS WATCH
Star Sports 2 3:55 PM AFC Champions League Sydney Wanderers vs Guizhou Renhe Star Sports 4 5:30 PM Barcelona Open Sony Six 6:00 AM NBA Playoffs 2014 Memphis vs. Oklahoma City 8:30 AM Golden State vs. LA Clippers 8:30 PM Indian Premier League 7 Punjub v Hyderabad Ten Sports, Ten HD, Ten Action 11:30 Uefa Champions League Atletico Madrid vs Chelsea
16
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
Abu Bakar Siddique, back from the north
India agrees on Lalmonirhat environment takes a hit from stone extraction from rivers Khulna-Kolkata illegal n direct train
Bangladesh continues bargaining for Benapole-Bongaon route, India prefers Darshana-Gede point The Indian delegation, led by Addin Kamran Reza Chowdhury tional Member (traffic) of the Railway
Unlike in the past, the Indian authorities have agreed, in principle, to introduce a second direct passenger train between Bangladesh and the West Bengal capital Kolkata as the first train, Maitree Express, has gained huge popularity. The Indian railway officials attending the India-Bangladesh Inter-Governmental Railway Meeting (IGRM) in Dhaka yesterday told the home side that the proposed train between Khulna and Kolkata could be operated through the Darshana-Gede point. AK Maitra, chief interlocutor of the Indian side, told the meeting that they cannot accommodate a second Maitree Express via the Khulna-Benapole-Bongaon-Sealdah route, which has a high frequency of trains. The Bangladesh Railway proposed the route in 2011 as passengers from the south-western and south-central districts must come to Dhaka to avail the Maitree Express train. Head of the Bangladesh side Shah Zahirul Islam, the additional director general (operation), and his officials requested India to reconsider the decision as the passengers must travel an additional 72 kilometres via the Darshana-Gede route. An official from Bangladesh said the passengers would be able to reach Kolkata by the time they arrive at Darshana, stating, It will be a useless additional distance to travel. The distance between Khulna and Kolkata via the Benapole-Bongaon is 175km (around four hours) while travel via the Darshana-Gede would be 247km (around six hours). The first Maitree Express train takes 10 hours and 25 minutes to run between Dhaka and Kolkata (396km). Board AK Maitra, met the Bangladesh Railway officials at the Prime Minister's Office yesterday on possible cooperation between the two state agencies. The two sides, however, agreed to continue the discussion. The IGRM will end tomorrow. They [Indian side] are positive about it. The discussion has been going on about the train between Khulna and Kolkata. Let it be conclusive, Mazibul Hoque, the railway minister, told the Dhaka Tribune. He said the proposed train would facilitate smooth movement of the people travelling between the countries. Railway officials said Bangladesh, in 2011, proposed for the first time the launching of the second Maitree Express between Khulna and Kolkata. It also proposed turning the existing local train between Khulna and Benapole into the second Maitree Express. However, the response from the Indian side was lukewarm at that time. On April 14, 2008 the military-backed interim government started the Maitree Express between Dhaka and Kolkata, a service that was stopped during the India-Pakistan war in 1965. In the first two years, the train ran with 50-70 passengers, raising questions about the justification of its operation. During the last two years, it has been running at full capacity. The Maitree Express train has 326 seats in the Bangladesh train and 388 seats in the Indian one. The Bangladeshi train starts from the Dhaka Cantonment Station at 8:10am (BST) on Fridays and returns the next day. The Indian train starts from Kolkata (Chitpur) Station at 7:10am (IST) on Tuesdays and goes back to Kolkata on Wednesdays. l Ignoring a government ban, politically influential people have been allegedly running a profitable business of extracting stones from three rivers in Lalmonirhat Dharla, Shaniajan and Singimari significantly hurting the areas environment. Local administration has expressed concerns that a large portion of Patgram upazila might face a major landslide at any time, as mechanical extractors like dredgers have been lifting stones from the rivers and it adjacent areas at depths of over 100 meters, creating a hollow space underground. The district administration launches regular drives against them, but somehow they are continuing their activities with the help of political influence, said Rafiqul Haque, the Upazila Nirbahi Officer of Patgram. Citing an example, Rafiqul said although he had seized some stone extraction machines during a drive on April 8, some of the unscrupulous people continued their operations at night time. Professor Mujibur Rahman of Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (Buet), who specialises on water resources, also pointed out the risk of landslide, adding that stone extraction should not be carried out without any assessment of the particular soil structure. The locals alleged that politically influential people both from the Awami League and the BNP have been carrying out the business of illegal stone extraction for almost two decades. Previously, the business was run by BNP Jamaat men, while it is now controlled by Awami League men, they claimed, adding that the owners did not come to the spot as the local administration conducted regular raids. Seeking anonymity, workers at different locations in the Burimari union said they were hired for a daily wage of Tk300-400 to lift stones from the rivers using dredgers. Asked why the stone extraction could not be stopped, UNO Rafiqul told the Dhaka Tribune that most of the
Politically-backed influentials continue to lift stones from the Dharla River and its adjacent areas in Lalmonirhats Patgram upazila, ignoring a government ban on stone extraction ABU BAKAR SIDDIQUE
Ruling party men alleged to be involved; authorities helpless to stop the business
people involved had direct or indirect political affiliations and cared about nothing but earning profits. At least 600 machines each with an ability to extract 700 cubic feet of stones have reportedly been extracting stone illegally from the three rivers since 2001. In a recent visit to the area, the Dhaka Tribune found that the extractors were lifting stones along with a huge amount of sand from the Dharla River
and piled up the sands to obstruct all the channels of the river. Buets Professor Mujibur said lifting and piling sand along with stone chips would heighten the river bed, increasing the risk of flood over a vast area during monsoon. Apart from the river area, the unscrupulous businesspeople have also been expanding their stone extraction operation in the nearby arable lands. Seeking anonymity, a local Awami League leader told the Dhaka Tribune that the stone extraction activities were currently going on under the patronisation of ruling party MP Motahar Hossain. However, the Dhaka Tribune failed to get any comment from the lawmaker on the issue, despite repeated attempts.
Alal Hossain, an Awami League leader of Patgram who was also involved in stone extraction, admitted the issue of political patronisation, adding that at least 15,000 workers and their families were directly or indirectly dependent on stone extraction, although it was declared illegal by the government. Along with inflicting environmental damage, the stone extraction business was also hurting the areas roads, which were used by heavy trucks to load and unload stones. Kholilur Rahman, executive engineer of Lalmonirhats Local Government and Engineering Department (LGED), told the Dhaka Tribune that he has sent a letter to the district authority to take necessary action in this regard. l
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093 94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com
B4 Commodity markets:
Hedging your bets
TUESDAY, APRIL 22, 2014 www.dhakatribune.com/business
Photo shows head office Rupali Bank at Motijheel in Dhaka the process of privatisation. As a result, the bank had distributed only a small amount of loan as compared to Sonali, Janata and Agrani banks for last couple of years, and that, the bank would face financial difficulties because of the credit growth limit, he said. The Rupali Bank authorities viewed that the MOU would just impose extra financial burden. It would not be right to compare Rupali Bank with three other state-owned banks. Rupali Bank has incurred an accumulated loss Tk1,200 crore during a period between 2002 and 2009. It could
DHAKA TRIBUNE
not also collect enough clients in last five years due to the accumulated loss. M Farid Uddin, Managing Director of Rupali Bank, said the financial situation of the bank is different from the three other state-owned commercial banks. So, the credit growth limit is too high for Rupali Bank. l
Andrew Tilke (centre), CEO of HSBC Bangladesh seen addressing the press yesterday in Dhaka NASHIRUL ISLAM $50m are in Group B. Companies in the export processing zones will be awarded under the EPZ enterprises category. The non-RMG or textiles companies with annual export turnover worth $5m or more will be awarded under the traditional and emerging sectors category. The SME category is for the nonRMG or textiles companies with annual export turnover below $5m. Through a sophisticated process of adjudication by an independent panel of jury members, winning exporters are selected based on not only the annual contribution to the national exports but also on the diversity, responsibility sustainability and governance strengths of their respective businesses. HSBC does not get involved at any stage of the winner adjudication process of this awards programme. The banks head of corporate banking Md Mahbub-ur-Rahman said: The excellence of entrepreneurs of Bangladesh is often best displayed by the exporters. He said they make Bangladesh more international. The journey of Bangladesh has been a success story and the relentless efforts of our exporters help the country being recognised as a country of great potentials across the globe. Local exporters can participate in the programme by filling out a nomination form on the banks website. Exporters can also nominate other exporters in any category for the programme. The deadline for submissions is May 21 and HSBC is expected to announce the winners in next two or three months. l
Photo shows Pawan Munjal, MD & CEO of Hero MotoCorp Ltd, Industry Minister Amir Hossain Amu among others at the launching ceremony held yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN stake. There will be a total equity injection of $12.6m in a ratio of 55:45 over a period of two years. The new venture will have a capital expenditure of $23.2m in the first year of its operation (financial year 2014-15) and the total investment of $40m over the next five years. While the manufacturing plant will be operational by the second quarter of 2015-16, the Hero range of two-wheelers are already being made available in Bangladesh through the initial 50 retail outlets. More outlets are also being rapidly added in markets across the country. After expiry of the deal with Japanese automaker Honda in 2011 and state-owned automobile company Atlas Bangladesh in 2013, Hero now joined hands with Nitol-Niloy Group for producing motorcycle in Bangladesh.
B2
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS Company
Closing (% change) 9.32 9.15 8.65 8.45 8.06 7.00 6.89 6.47 6.43 6.40
Fareast Finance-N Mercantile Bank -A Rahim Textile -A Bay Leasing.-A UCBL - A Southeast Bank-A Jute SpinnersA First Lease- A Shahjalal Islami -A Grameen M F One-A CSE GAINERS Company Rahima Food -Z Mercantile Bank -A Fareast Finance-N Prime Insur -A AIBL 1st Is. M. F.-A Asia Pasific Insu. -A Grameen M F One-A Dhaka Bank -A Republic Insu.-A Southeast Bank-A
Average (% change) 10.67 9.93 6.90 7.44 5.12 5.75 4.69 5.92 4.26 5.79 Average (% change) 9.91 6.31 9.24 9.13 7.88 7.71 5.53 5.16 7.24 5.05
Closing average 12.86 16.38 324.26 31.61 26.07 20.97 69.80 21.46 14.68 44.59
Closing 12.90 16.70 329.00 32.10 26.80 21.40 69.80 21.40 14.90 44.90
Daily high 12.90 16.80 329.20 32.50 27.10 22.00 69.80 21.90 15.20 45.90
Daily low 12.50 13.80 302.80 28.00 22.40 18.00 69.80 19.00 12.60 42.40
Turnover in million 9.021 40.216 8.200 5.676 144.829 126.748 0.003 11.431 23.695 15.898
Latest EPS -0.97 2.68 11.56 1.56 3.66 3.69 -43.98 1.20 1.96 3.40
Latest PE -ve 6.1 28.1 20.3 7.1 5.7 -ve 17.9 7.5 13.1
Closing (% change) 10.00 9.80 9.09 8.89 8.33 7.88 7.60 7.25 7.23 7.00
Closing average 49.48 16.35 13.01 24.50 7.80 26.00 44.47 19.99 34.05 20.81
Closing 49.50 16.80 13.20 24.50 7.80 26.00 45.30 20.70 34.10 21.40
Daily high 49.50 16.80 13.30 24.50 7.80 26.00 45.50 20.70 34.10 21.60
Daily low 49.30 15.30 12.10 24.50 7.80 26.00 43.50 19.70 34.00 19.90
Turnover in million 0.396 4.592 4.904 0.012 0.023 0.039 0.867 0.921 0.034 12.130
Latest EPS -1.00 2.68 -0.97 2.23 1.24 2.67 3.40 3.49 2.45 3.69
Latest PE -ve 6.1 -ve 11.0 6.3 9.7 13.1 5.7 13.9 5.6
(+) 0.70% (-) 0.32% (+) 0.09% (+) 0.61% (+) 0.12% (+) 0.70%
Traded Issues Issue Gain (Avg. Price Basis) Issue Loss (Avg. Price Basis) Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
Average (% change) -7.92 -2.87 -1.29 -0.62 -2.42 -3.28 -3.81 -2.28
Closing average 398.14 147.82 19.16 48.06 298.25 219.40 26.00 1200.70
Daily high 400.00 154.70 19.80 49.30 312.00 226.80 26.40 1225.00
Daily low 397.40 141.50 18.00 46.70 292.50 215.00 26.00 1175.00
Turnover in million 0.856 23.547 3.112 47.049 1.536 51.241 0.065 3.422
Latest EPS 3.92 1.40 0.57 1.40 5.01 2.92 0.04 46.53
-3.53 -3.53
-2.60 -2.34
30.35 38.74
30.10 38.30
31.20 43.50
28.10 36.50
7.143 13.857
1.74 2.80
17.4 13.8
Closing (% change) -9.05 -8.37 -8.18 -6.09 -4.91 -4.75 -4.51 -4.49
Average (% change) -9.20 -8.37 -7.45 -2.82 -4.75 -2.98 -4.83 -5.69
Closing average 18.07 104.00 101.80 146.88 46.55 45.98 218.18 68.00
Daily high 18.20 104.00 103.00 150.00 47.00 47.00 226.10 68.00
Daily low 18.00 104.00 101.00 141.80 46.50 44.60 215.00 68.00
Turnover in million 0.003 0.062 0.255 1.293 0.101 0.276 5.934 0.034
Latest EPS 0.59 4.95 5.33 1.40 2.42 2.21 2.92 1.10
-4.25 -4.18
-2.58 -4.19
20.37 78.00
20.30 78.00
20.80 78.00
20.20 78.00
1.102 0.008
0.93 2.13
21.9 36.6
ANALYST
SECTORAL TURNOVER SUMMARY
Sector Bank NBFI Investment Engineering Food & Allied Fuel & Power Jute Textile Pharma & Chemical Paper & Packaging Service Leather Ceramic Cement Information Technology General Insurance Life Insurance Telecom Travel & Leisure Miscellaneous Debenture
Buoyant by the high level of trading volume in financial stocks, especially in banking stocks, market ended the day closed to more than one month high
CSE Total
DSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company Meghna Petroleum -A LafargeS Cement-Z HeidelbergCement -A Square Pharma -A Padma Oil Co. -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N
AB Bank - A
DSE Million Taka 863.95 333.81 117.03 307.14 257.90 737.84 1.43 401.71 390.19 1.16 30.34 49.82 15.12 497.49 33.14 114.82 97.66 199.12 37.26 124.64 0.29
% change 18.73 7.24 2.54 6.66 5.59 16.00 0.03 8.71 8.46 0.03 0.66 1.08 0.33 10.79 0.72 2.49 2.12 4.32 0.81 2.70 0.01
Million Taka 130.85 22.27 6.79 18.55 23.91 49.62 45.15 20.52 14.42 1.27 17.90 1.34 63.15 3.76 1.26 6.57 20.08 8.00 20.83 0.02
% change 27.48 4.68 1.42 3.89 5.02 10.42 0.00 9.48 4.31 3.03 0.27 3.76 0.28 13.26 0.79 0.26 1.38 4.22 1.68 4.37 0.00
Million Taka 994.80 356.08 123.81 325.68 281.81 787.46 1.43 446.86 410.72 15.58 31.61 67.71 16.45 560.64 36.90 116.08 104.23 219.19 45.26 145.47 0.32
% change 19.55 7.00 2.43 6.40 5.54 15.48 0.03 8.78 8.07 0.31 0.62 1.33 0.32 11.02 0.73 2.28 2.05 4.31 0.89 2.86 0.01
Southeast Bank-A FAS Fin. & Inv. Ltd-B Jamuna Oil -A LankaBangla Fin. -A GreenDeltaInsu -A
CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company HeidelbergCement -A
Volume shares 977,465 3,389,000 345,220 631,633 494,538 2,794,500 4,862,958 624,100 5,554,725 562,276
Value in million 305.21 239.69 195.02 177.18 173.89 153.20 148.29 147.25 144.83 142.79
% of total turnover 6.62 5.20 4.23 3.84 3.77 3.32 3.22 3.19 3.14 3.10
Daily closing 308.80 69.80 564.10 281.80 347.30 54.10 30.80 232.80 26.80 252.70
Price change -0.83 -3.06 1.51 0.39 -1.53 -3.39 4.05 -2.31 8.06 0.96
Daily opening 311.40 72.00 555.70 280.70 352.70 56.00 29.60 238.30 24.80 250.30
Daily high 317.40 73.50 585.00 295.00 359.00 58.40 31.00 240.00 27.10 256.00
Daily low 290.00 69.30 550.00 274.90 346.50 53.60 27.00 230.20 22.40 240.00
Daily average 312.24 70.73 564.90 280.51 351.62 54.82 30.49 235.94 26.07 253.95
Prepared exclusively for Dhaka Tribune by Business Information Automation Service Line (BIASL), on the basis of information collected from daily stock quotations and audited reports of the listed companies. High level of caution has been taken to collect and present the above information and data. The publisher will not take any responsibility if any body uses this information and data for his/her investment decision. For any query please email to biasl@bol-online.com or call 01552153562 or go to www.biasl.net
LafargeS Cement-Z Bank Asia -A Rupali Bank - A UCBL - A Padma Oil Co. -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N BSC A Meghna Petroleum -A Southeast Bank-A Grameenphone-A LankaBangla Fin. -A AB Bank - A BD Submarine Cable-A Matin Spinning-N
61,900 343,000 1,324,710 300,400 737,885 46,188 259,000 23,665 40,455 582,895 43,600 188,852 339,383 43,910 224,600
Value in million
35.01 24.35 23.58 21.03 19.09 16.24 14.32 14.20 12.64 12.13 11.05 10.43 10.32 9.03 8.80
% of total turnover
8.22 5.72 5.53 4.94 4.48 3.81 3.36 3.33 2.97 2.85 2.59 2.45 2.42 2.12 2.06
Daily closing
562.00 69.80 18.00 70.00 26.70 347.70 54.40 596.00 309.20 21.40 251.60 55.20 30.70 204.60 38.90
Price change
1.22 -3.46 4.05 1.45 7.66 -1.59 -3.03 -2.30 -0.90 7.00 0.48 1.66 3.72 -0.53 -2.51
Daily opening
555.20 72.30 17.30 69.00 24.80 353.30 56.10 610.00 312.00 20.00 250.40 54.30 29.60 205.70 39.90
571.00 73.80 18.00 70.00 27.00 360.00 58.00 615.00 317.90 21.60 255.80 56.00 30.90 209.90 40.50
555.00 69.20 17.60 70.00 24.80 345.00 53.50 592.00 308.50 19.90 250.10 53.50 29.00 204.00 38.60
Daily average
565.59 70.99 17.80 70.00 25.87 351.59 55.28 599.96 312.48 20.81 253.39 55.23 30.39 205.59 39.16
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
B3
'We dont feel any sign that aggressive yen selling is set to start amid falling volatility'
In other currencies, the greenback firmed to 1,039.00 South Korean won from 1,038.18 won Friday, to Tw$30.23 from Tw$30.18, and to 11,437.00 Indonesian rupiah from 11,423.80 rupiah. It also edged up to 32.23 Thai baht from 32.18 baht and to 60.33 Indian rupees from 60.29 rupees. It was almost flat at Sg$1.2525 against Sg$1.2526, while it weakened to 44.41 Philippine pesos from 44.43 pesos. The Australian dollar firmed to 93.34 US cents from 93.32 cents while the Chinese yuan fetched 16.46 yen against 16.45 yen. l
will have an option to raise its holding later. The company, due to start up in July, will have over $600m a year in revenues, the statement said. Last week TCS reported a 48.2% jump in quarterly net profit, led by new European and emerging market contracts.
TCS expects its new joint venture to generate more Japanese turnover. Analysts estimate the Japanese IT market to be worth over $100bn in revenues. The Japanese market has strong existing players but is under-penetrated from a global delivery model perspective, TCS chief financial officer Rajesh
A Euro sign is seen in the window of a discount store on Moore Street in Dublin Equity Ownership Services, said the rules would start important new developments in corporate reporting and enable investors to access materially important information that would help them to better evaluate the sustainability of companies operations. A January report by fund manager Hermes found that well governed companies had outperformed returns on the poorly governed by an average of over 30 basis points over the past five years. Total global ESG (environmental, social and governance) assets under management amounted to at least $13.6tn at the end of 2011, with Europe accounting for 49%, according to The Global Sustainable Investment Alliance (GSIA), a group of membership-based investing organizations. We believe that in many cases, as a business, doing the right thing over the long term pays shareholders because of
REUTERS
things like regulation, fines, your brand and so on, said Avivas Waygood.
The legislation builds on the work of pressure groups, academics, investors and politicians over the past decade. Some 1,200 asset owners, investment managers and service providers managing nearly $35tn around the globe have signed up to the United Nations-backed Principles for Respon-
Microsoft yesterday announced in a press conference the national finals round of the Imagine Cup Bangladesh 2014 will be held at Independent University, Bangladesh. On behalf of Microsoft Pubudu Basnayake was present at the conference that was held at Microsoft Bangladesh office in Dhaka
Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited for the first time in the country will be installing POS terminals in the Taxi Cab which is to be launched by Toma Group. This will enable the passengers to pay their taxi fare through DBBL Nexus Debit Card or VISA / MasterCard / UnionPay card (issued by any bank) by using DBBL POS Terminals. An agreement was recently signed by Mohd. Ataur Rahman Bhuiyan, managing director of Toma Group and Md Kamruzzaman, head of the banks personal banking division on behalf of their respective organisations
Standard Chartered Bank recently arranged a corporate seminar with select clients from a variety of industries, highlighting challenges and solutions in management of working capital leveraging technology at a city hotel. Gautam Jain, global head of client access, Standard Chartered Bank was present at the seminar
AB Bank Limited approved 7% stock and 5% cash dividend for its shareholders at the 32nd annual general meeting at the Bashundhara Convention Centre yesterday. The meeting was presided over by the banks chair M Wahidul Haque
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Kashif Choudhury
DHAKA TRIBUNE
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harvest of potatoes, its bottom line improves because the spread between its high selling prices and the price of the potato has increased. The opposite happens during a bad year for potatoes. What has just been described is a situation where there are cyclical variations in the price of a particular commodity, in this case potatoes, that affects the seller (farmer) and the buyer (KFC) in opposing ways; that is, when one goes bust the other has a ball. Now, suppose the farmer comes to KFC and makes a deal. He says, I will sell you 30 tonnes of potatoes (hes apparently a potato baron) one year from now and you are going to pay me 20 taka per kg for it regardless of what the market price is at that time. What just happened is that the two parties have hedged (trimmed) their risk profiles and settled somewhere where they will neither go bust nor have a ball. I therefore welcome you to the world of derivatives by way of the forward contract. Where prices of commodities are set beforehand (sometimes years ahead of time) by both the buyer and the seller. If the story ended here it would not have been worth writing about, but being the geniuses that some of our particular brethren are, they figured out new ways of hedging risk to the point where the actual physical commodities that were being traded were made to take a back seat to people such as Mr Black, Scholes, and countless others. Another sort of derivative is called the futures contract. The principle difference here is that futures, unlike forwards, are traded in exchanges. Hence they are a form of standardised forward contracts that allow for increased liquidity in the market for these instruments and take away from the counterparty risk because the exchange guarantees settlement of all transactions. In addition, because futures are traded in exchanges and are inherently more flexible, gains and losses from these contracts are settled daily. This gives rise to a very interesting and sometimes confounding phenomenon. That is, even though futures contracts, in essence, function to reduce the price risk for a commodity, the person trading the futures contract doesnt necessarily have to take delivery of the commodity. In other words, if person X buys 500 tonnes of crude oil futures, he doesnt necessarily have to take delivery of said commodity (so he doesnt have to worry about waking up one morning to see an oil tanker berthed in the nearest harbor). This creates scope for speculation in the futures market where investors who have absolutely nothing to do with crude oil or potatoes will nonetheless be trading them and making money off of them. This sort of speculative trading was argued to hedge and distribute risk in an efficient way. But after the recent financial crisis, these voices have quieted down quite a bit. l Kashif Choudhury is a business analyst at LightCastle Partners. This article was originally published in the LCP Blog (lightcastlebd.com/blog)
Commodity markets: Hedging your bets Japans digital eyes n show your emotions for you
Exciting times we live in. Never before in the history of humanity have we been able to boil down millions of tons of coal and acres upon acres of wheat to mere numbers in a Bloomberg terminal. However, such a mechanism exists in Wizard of Oz world of high finance. Its in the form of commodity markets and exchange traded commodities in those markets. Trading commodities is not a new phenomenon; in fact it is the oldest one when it comes to business in its truest sense. People have traded wheat for corn and coal for clothes since the beginning of time. However, global commodity markets operate a little differently than they used to before; well, actually, it operates in a way that is worlds apart from the way it used to, before alternating current turned into 0s and 1s. What hasnt changed since is the fact that commodities such as oil, natural gas, coal, wheat, corn, and others, play a pivotal role in industry and is the fuel that keeps globalisation ticking. The process by which this mechanism works will be explained below, from the perspective of a layman, by a layman, for a layman. The principle difference between a vanilla commodity trade (the way it has always been traded) and the status quo (the way global commodities are traded) is the concept of hedging. Suppose a farmer grows potato every year and sells his harvest in his local market. Now, the supply of potatoes varies from year to year, the reason being that the climatic conditions may be favorable for potato harvest one year and unfavorable in the next; and the farmer has no way of forecasting this beforehand. So the farmer might have to absorb a huge loss in a bad year and undue gains in good ones. Take, on the other hand a fast food franchise such as KFC (KaluMiyar Fried Chicken) that buys potatoes, makes french fries with them and sells them at obscene prices. Now, in a particular year, when there has been a bumper
n AFP, Tokyo
Cant be bothered to show anyone what youre thinking? Then a Japanese scientist has the answer - a pair of digital eyes that can express delight and anger, or even feign boredom. Building on a long line of slightly wacky and not-very-practical inventions for which Japan is famous, Hirotaka Osawa has unveiled the AgencyGlass. I wanted to build a system that is capable of carrying out social behaviours for humans, he told AFP. Just as robots can reduce the need for physical labour, the AgencyGlass which looks like two small TV screens set in spectacle frames - aims to cut down its users emotional demands by carrying out their eye movements for them. The two organic light-emitting diode (OLED) screens, which are connected to motion sensors and an external camera, show a pair of eyeballs that can appear to be making eye contact while the wearer is looking somewhere else entirely. The wearer has to choose their emotion in advance - if they want to appear attentive, for example, they must switch it to this mode before putting the glasses on. Osawa, of the prestigious Tsukuba University, said possible applications include for flight attendants dealing with irritating passengers, or teachers who want to project an image of kindness towards shy students. As the service sector grows and becomes more sophisticated, it becomes increasingly important that we behave by showing understanding to others, he said. That requires us to behave
The photo shows the "AgencyGlass", developed by Osawa, which has OLED screens in the prototype dark glasses to display emotional expression with wearer's digital eyeball images at Osawa's laboratory in Tsukuba in Ibaraki prefecture, suburban Tokyo AFP differently from our true feelings. Such emotional labour has caused some people to become deeply conflicted and develop emotional illnesses, Osawa said, adding that his technology could eventually help them. The glasses weigh around 100 grams (3.5 onces) with the battery lasting roughly an hour, Osawa said, adding that the prototype cost just over 30,000 yen ($290) to make. They are currently not in production. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
'Its very hard to time the market precisely, so in general you need to have the insurance before the house is on fire'
Its very hard to time the market precisely, so in general you need to have the insurance before the house is on fire. For cautious or contrarian investors, taking out insurance on such apparently unlikely events as a China crisis has to be cheap. It is futile to spend large sums of capital on so-called tailrisk bets, waiting for such long odds to pay off. hedging strategies can also be the most complex. One such strategy involves variance swaps, a financial instrument that tends to pay the investor when volatility of an underlying bond or stock spikes. In hedging against the risk of a major outbreak of defaults, a straight-forward approach such as buying credit default swaps (CDS) is not the most cost-effective. Instead, funds will off-
There are still some hedge funds that take out insurance against extreme, improbable events - such as the notion that Chinas economic miracle will end in tears. Andrew Wong, co-chief investment officer of Fortress Convex Strategies Group, runs a fund that aims to make money from these so-called black swan events. A pattern weve seen through long cycles is that in the period leading up
set the cost of buying CDS insurance against a distressed company by also selling CDS protection against a more creditworthy one. If they want to hedge, it is relatively cheap, said Camiel Houwen, head of equity derivatives trading at ING Asia. But not too many people are setting up the trade. In Chinas case, some fund managers think investors may be overestimating the hold Chinese authorities have on markets. A China hard landing is not our base-case scenario, but if it were to happen, it is one of these events that would have significant implications for a wide number of assets, said Viktor Hjort, head of Asian fixed-income strategy at Morgan Stanley. So it is a low-probability, highimpact type of scenario, and against those it always makes sense to consider hedges. l
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Visitors take photos of a model posing on a Toyota FV2 concept car at the China International Exhibition Center new venue during the 'Auto China 2014' Beijing International Automotive Exhibition in Beijing on April 21. Leading automakers are gathering in Beijing for the kickoff of China's biggest car show, but lackluster growth and environmental restrictions in the world's largest car market have thrown uncertainty into the mix. More than 1,100 vehicles are being showcased at the auto show, which opens to the public on April 21 AFP