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SECOND EDITION
Truck driver Safad Ali, injured in a petrol bomb attack on Tuesday, undergoing treatment in Sirajganj Sadar Hospital
I do not know whether the government will dissolve parliament. According to the constitution, the speaker is not the authority to dissolve parliament
Sheikh Hasina has vacated the Rangpur 6 seat to represent the seat in Gopalganj 3. The gazette says the other MPs are: 33 from Jatiya Party (Ershad), six from Workers Party, five from Jatiya Samajtatrik Dal, 14 independent, and one each from the Jatiya Party (Manju), Tariqat Federation and Bangladesh Nationalist Front. It has excluded the names of Sk Afil Uddin (Jessore 1) and Monirul Islam (Jessore 2) as the Election Commission has been investigating allegations of electoral code of conduct violation by the two Awami League candidates. If proven, their nomination
INSIDE
Business
B1 The inter-bank call money rate remained low throughout last year due to dull investment as banks were sitting with huge liquidity.
News
3 Main opposition BNP is planning to enhance the security of party Chairperson Khaleda Zia, as her security protocol as the leader of the opposition is likely to be withdrawn soon. 5 Commuting has become a nuisance for locals in the capitals Uttara, as the dilapidated roads in the area have not seen any repair work in the past 10 12 years.
Nation
6 Tobacco farming is increasing alarmingly in Lalmonirhat district causing threat to paddy cultivation.
Juris
7 Is our Supreme Court independent from the government or is it still a branch of the government? The ordinary answer would be, yes, our Supreme Court is independent and no longer a part of the government.
Op-Ed
11 Bangladesh Economic Association recently organised dialogue on the political impasse that has crippled the country and is eating into the future of the Bangladesh economy.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Gobindaganj Women's Degree College lecturer Saidul Islam lies on a DMCH bed after receiving burn injuries while performing duty as presiding officer NASHIRUL ISLAM
Sheikh Hasina gives 2 Paribagh burn victims die Miscreants set up Rangpur 6 seat fire to church two sons Swapon and Sujon were found Ashif Islam Shaon n mourning his death when this corre- in Sherpur n Mohammad Zakaria Two burn victims of the Paribagh petrol spondent visited the burn unit of DMCH Prime Minister and the President of bomb attack died yesterday after five yesterday. Nine-year-old Ripon, the coun Our Correspondent, Sherpur Awami League Sheikh Hasina decided days of struggle at the intensive care unit ples youngest child, had gone home to
to quit Rangpur 6 parliamentary constituency as she would take oath as a Member of the Parliament elected from Gopalganj 3 constituency. The premier yesterday submitted a letter to the Election Commission informing that she has left Rangpur 6 seat. ABM Riazul Kabir Kauser, member of sub-committee of Awami League election steering committee, submitted the letter to the commission in the evening signed by Sheikh Hasina. Sheikh Hasina along with other MPs is expected to take oath today. According to the Election Commissions rules, if any elected candidate dies or leaves his or her seat, the seat falls vacant and a by-election must be held within 90 days as per the constitution. l of Dhaka Medical College Hospital. They died within a space of eight hours. Insurance executive Shahina Akter, 42, succumbed to her injuries around 1:45am while fruit trader Farid Miah, 60, at 9:50am. With the deaths, the total number of victims who died of burns in the DMCH since November 26 comes at 22. In most of the cases, unidentified arsonists hurled petrol bombs at vehicles carrying them. On January 3, anti-election pickets hurled a petrol bomb at a passenger bus near Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in Paribagh leaving Farid, Shahina and the bus driver wounded. Shahina was on her way to Gulistan to catch a Khulna-bound bus while Farid was travelling to Badamtoli to pick fruits for his Friday sale. Farids wife Halima Akhter and their get some rest after staying the night at his fathers bedside. Have you ever heard that people can burn people on a Jumma day? Where will I go with my children now? a wailing Halima said. Farid was the sole breadwinner of the five-member family; he used to vend fruits on footpaths after buying them from Badamtoli. Halima is uncertain about how to bury her husband. If we get help we can bury him in Dhaka; otherwise we will have to take him to our ancestral village in Narshingdi. Shahina, who had suffered burns covering 64% of her body, was a Khulna-based employee of insurance company MetLife and left behind a marine engineer who living in Candada. She will be buried once her son comes back.
Miscreants had torched a church at Bakakura under Jinaighati upazila of Sherpur on Tuesday around 8pm. Locals doused fire after an hour attempt. One was arrested in connection with the incident. The arrestee was identified as Ameer Hossain, 55. The church was mainly used by the indigenous people of the locality. Indigenous leader Nobesh Khokshi, Hilari Marak and locals said petrol was poured into the church before setting the church on fire. Jinaighati police station officer-in-charge said signs of petrol were found on the carpet of the church, adding that the gate of the church was heavily damaged. Jinaighati Upazila Nirbahi Officer Mojammael Haq had visited the church. l
president, so he would not be the leader of the opposition. JaPa had participated in the 10th parliamentary election for the sake of constitution and democracy, she said. Asked if an all-party government would be formed, she said there had been no discussions on the matter but the party would discuss it. Rawshan said she had heard the telephone conversation between Hasina and Khaleda and they had failed to reach an agreement. A mid-term election could be held if all parties agreed, she added. All decisions for the development of the country should come from parliament, she said. JaPa called on everyone to stop conflict and violence and come to an understanding for a free and fair election with the participation of all parties, she said. That will resolve the prevailing political crisis. Before the press conference, the
JaPa parliamentary body held a meeting at the parliament premises. A JaPa leader present at the meeting said Rawshan had called Ershad during the meeting and requested him not to change his mind and to take oath as an MP. After the conversation, she looked upset for a few seconds but later announced that Ershad would take oath as an MP. Rawshan told the press conference:
We participated in polls alongside him [Ershad]. JaPa secured 13 constituencies in the 10th parliamentary elections held on January 5. The main opposition boycotted the polls. The party demanded the polls should be held under a neutral, non-partisan government. JaPa Chairman HM Ershad has been guiding party leaders from the Combined Military Hospital (CMH), Rawshan said, adding that the JaPa chairman was now okay and doctors would release him as early as possible. Jatiya Party Presidium member and Ershads brother GM Quader is also with us, she added. Rawshan thanked journalists for reporting on JaPa in the past two months. I came to know that reporters stood in front of my house for hours, but back then I had nothing to tell them, and I was not the party spokesperson. Today I have things to tell you and that is why we are holding this press briefing. l
Several men started hurling brick chips like rain from both sides of the road. I asked the cops to open fire. But before they could, a petrol bomb went off inside an auto-rickshaw, just in front of Saidul. My coat caught fire and I jumped off defying the brick-chip. With a policeman I ran for life to the nearby houses for shelter, he said. But Saidul was unfortunate. The first house they stopped by denied to give them shelter, fearing attack on the house. The constable with me grabbed the mans legs begging for shelter, but he would let us in. So we ran further. At last a family gave them shelter. But they could not arrange to rush
them to the hospital in fear of attack. I was screaming in pain and fainted several times. After two hours, two of my students came and took me to the hospital, he said. If I finally survivedo you think the scars on my face will be cured? Will I get back the shape of my face? Saidul asked this correspondent with a feeble voice. Constable Abul Kalam also sustained burn injuries. He was left unconscious on the spot for more than two hours. Finally a police team rescued him. He was also sent to the burn unit of DMCH. Saidul and Kalam sustained 12 and 10% burns respectively. They are still in danger, said Partha Sankar Paul, a physician of the DMCH. l
The Awami League will then hold the meeting of its parliamentary party and select the leader of the House, who would form the government. According to the constitution, the president must convene parliament in 30 days since oath taking. After taking oath, the new MPs will join a meeting of the Awami League Parliamentary Party to re-elect Sheikh Hasina its leader and eventually she will form the new government, Chief Whip Abdus Shahid told the Dhaka Tribune after a meeting with Hasina. The 10th parliament would start its journey after termination of the ninth parliament on January 24, he said. The newly elected prime minister will request the president to convene the first session of the 10th parliament after January 24, Shahid said. The new MPs will assume office as members of parliament with the start of the first session.
The current ninth parliament started on January 25, 2009 and is set to end on January 24, 2014, according to the constitution. When asked, Barrister Shafique Ahmed, the immediate past law minister and prime ministers law affairs adviser, said he was not in a position to talk on this issue. The debate over timing of taking office by the newly elected MPs of the 10th parliament arises following insertion of an article the original 1972 constitution contained. The article stipulates holding of the general elections 90 days before the expiry of the previous parliament. In line with the article, the Election Commission arranged the 10th national polls on January 5, without dissolution of the ninth parliament. Though inserted in 1972, the article of holding polls 90 days before the expiry of legislation could not be implemented because of interruption of the demo-
cratic practices. All the previous parliaments up to 1996 were dissolved before five years. The BNP-led parliament that lasted for only 12 days dropped the provision, inserting the arrangement of the non-party caretaker government which used to assume office after the completion of the mandated five years. The non-party caretaker government used to hold general election 90 days after the end of a parliament. The last caretaker government was in power for about two years beyond constitutional approval and arranged the ninth general polls on December 29, 2008. On June 30, 2011, the Awami League government, in line with a directive of the Supreme Court, dropped the non-party caretaker government and restored the original provision of holding elections under the incumbent government in 90 days before expiry of the previous parliament. l
with more than two-thirds majority. In the December 29, 2008 polls, Khaleda came out elected in three seats. During her role as the opposition leader, she attended the ninth parliament 10 days out of the total 418 sittings. The five-time MP and her party boycotted the January 5 polls. She joined politics after the death of her husband and former president Gen Ziaur Rahman in 1981. At present, Khaleda maintains an office inside the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The Parliament Secretariat provides her a private secretary, an assistant private secretary, two personal assistants, three office assistants, three peons, a full-time chauffeur-driven car and all logistic supports for the office. The parliament canteen provides all entertainment facilities for the opposition leader. According to the privilege act amended in 2010, the opposition leader gets monthly allowance of Tk53,100 and official residence that would be furnished at a cost of Tk5 lakh. If she lived in her own residence, Khaleda Zia would get Tk25,000 per month.
The government is to ensure all security arrangements for her residence, be it the official or personal. The state also provides her with all utilities including water, electricity, gas, and telephone and mobiles phone bills. The transportation pool provides her two vehicles one official car and an additional jeep for official business on the government expense. She also gets a sumptuary allowance of Tk6,000 per month. The opposition leader and her family members can travel by air with the state funding in the case of necessity. Inside the country, she travels with the treatment of a VIP on trains, launches and other modes of transports, with up to 45,000kgs of goods. An opposition leader can carry two of their personal servants on government expense. The privileges act ensures for Khaleda the other facilities as enjoyed by a minister. Jatiya Partys senior Presidium member Rawshan Ershad, wife of former military dictator and party Chairman HM Ershad, is likely to be the next opposition leader and will be enjoying the facilities extended for the position. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
Members of SHUJAN form a human chain in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh in the city yesterday condemning post-polls attacks on the Hindus
MAY 5 CRACKDOWN
BNPs Mahabub-Milon remanded, Afil, Monir face EC notice n Selima denied bail
Mohammad Zakaria
the bail plea before the court for the three accused, mentioning that they were not accused in the First Information Report (FIR) list. He also mentioned that his clients were aged and ill and they were not involved with the incidence. Barister Rafiqul Haque, who also represented the accused, told the court that the unrecognized elected government was trying to ruin the opposition leaders who were speaking against them. So the case was false and fabricated. On the other hand, Md Abdullah Abu, public prosecutor of the Dhaka metropolitan sessions judge court, opposed the bail plea mentioning that the accused are the planners of the cocktail blasting incident and they are the abettor of this crime. So they need to be under police remand for quizzing. After hearing, the court rejected the
bail plea and granted two days remand for Mahbub Hossain and Milon, and permitted the police to ask Selima Rahman at jail gate. Earlier, plainclothes police arrested Mahbub Hossain, Selima Rahman and Fazlul Haq Milon from separate places in the capital on Tuesday. After their arrest police showed the accused arrested in a case filed with Ramna police station under the explosives act. According to the case statements, on January 4, miscreants hurled several crude bombs targeting the office of Deputy Commissioner of Ramna division, Maruf Hossain, a day before the 10th general election. Ten to 12 crude bombs were exploded during the attack. Meanwhile, pro-BNP lawyers brought out a procession on the court premises protesting the arrest of the three BNP leaders. l
The Election Commission yesterday withheld the results of two Awami League lawmakerselect for violating electoral code of conduct. Sheikh Afil Uddin, who was elected uncontested from Jessore 1 constituency, and Monirul Islam, who won the Sundays polls in Jessore 2, were served show cause notices in this regard. Afil at an election rally on December 30 had asked his supporters to cast false vote for Monirul and bring out victory procession before noon on the election day. On Sunday, Afils men took over the polling centres in Jessore 2 constituency and followed the instructions. The electoral enquiry committee of
the district also accused him of violating electoral codes. According to the RPO, if any candidate violates the codes, the commission can cancel his/her candidature and mete out punishment. Afil is the vice-president of Jessore district unit while Monirul is the organisational secretary of the same unit. Afil made the directives while speaking as chief guest at a views exchange meeting of Moniruls polling agents on Parbazar High School premises in Jhikargachha upazila. The EC yesterday said re-voting in 392 polling centres in six districts would be held on January 16. The army is likely to remain deployed until January 18 in those districts, Election Commissioner Md Shah Newaz said. l
BNP leaders Khandaker Mahbub Hossain and Fazlul Haque Milon are being taken to a Dhaka court by police yesterday
DHAKA TRIBUNE
4
n Aminur Rahman Rasel
The number of illegal electricity connections has increased gradually across the country resulting in loss of revenues worth crores of taka. Four distribution companies disconnected a total of 1,504 illegal connections in different areas of the country in December 2013. It is suspected that over 200MW electricity is being pilfered daily through these illegal connections, distribution agency officials claimed. They also said such illegal demand for power was unidentified, which created serious problems during load management and financial loss for the agencies. Four distribution companies have disconnected a total of 1,504 illegal electricity connections in different areas of the country in December 2013. They disconnected 919 illegal electricity connections in August, according to the documents placed at the power divisions coordination meeting yesterday. Despite having information about it, the distribution companies are yet to take any initiative, and continue to only cut or disconnect illegal connections. We have disconnected 30,915 elec-
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
tions are given from the main lines and in some other areas from nearby shops. Distribution agencies do not get the price of the electricity consumed by illegal consumers although they spend much more than the tariff set by the agencies, officials said. Syndicates backed by distribution companies officers with linesmen of power distribution agencies have developed a business of providing such makeshift shops with illegal connections. PDB Chairman Md Abduhu Ruhullah said power pilferage had reduced significantly, particularly in cities. He also said illegal consumers usually take connections from nearby shops or houses having meters. It is, however, not possible to check the pilferage all the time everywhere, he added. DPDC managing director Md. Nazrul Hasan admitted the power pilferage. He said they DPDC was conducting drives against illegal connections to curb pilferage. No official or employee will dare to be involved in these acts. Local people might try to pass themselves off as DPDC men to carry on with their misdeeds. he claimed. l
n Nazmus Sakib
A Supreme Court lawyer has filed a writ petition, seeking directives on taking necessary steps to ensure sessions of the High Court during hartals or blockades. Lawyer Eunus Ali Akond filed the plea with the High Court yesterday, making the Supreme Court registrar, the home secretary, law secretary, finance secretary, cabinet secretary, the attorney general and the Supreme Court Bar Association as respondents. In the petition, he said if the government gave 100% risk allowance to all the judges of the Supreme Court like the International Crimes Tribunal, the court might sit on the days of hartals or blockades. l
WEATHER
Members of CPB hold a rally at the citys Shahbagh yesterday , protesting against atrocities carried out on the Hindu community across the country
n Ibrahim Hossain
Finance Minister AMA Muhith yesterday stressed the need to improve the countrys law and order situation to boost the economy in the wake of recent political turmoil. The countrys economic situation has gotten stuck in the face of worsening law and order situation, caused by political unrest, and it would become stable only if the situation improves, the minister said while meeting with leaders of the Real Estate and Housing Association of Bangladesh (Rehab) at his secretariat office. Hartals and blockades have appeared as a major threat to the economy as such political programmes paralyse our economic development, Muhith said. I am always in favour of putting a ban on destructive hartals through enacting a new law, he added. Referring to recent political violence, the frustrated finance minister said, We dont need any foreign enemy to destroy us, as we are good enough to destroy ourselves. Pointing at the businessmen who support BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, Muhith said they should react to the opposition leaders activities in their own interest. In response to a question from reporters, Muhith said the main chal-
The public administration ministry yesterday posted three additional secretaries as acting secretary to fill up the offices of three important ministries and institutions
SM Nazmul Islam retired from his service on December 30 and NBR Chairman Ghulam Hossain was supposed to start his PRL from January 8. According to the public administration ministry officials, parliament secretariats Senior Secretary Ashraful Moqbul, who retired on December 31, also got a contractual appointment from the secretariat on January 2. The contractual appointment of Prime Ministers Secretary Molla Waheeduzzaman will end on January 17. Local Government Secretary Abu Alam Md. Shahid Khan will also retire on the same day. Prime Ministers Principal Secretary Shaikh Md. Wahid Uz Zaman, Land Secretary Mokhlesur Rahman and OSD Secretary Nurul Haque will retire on March 7.
PRAYER TIMES
Fajar Sunrise Zohr Asr Magrib Esha 5:23am 6:42am 12:05am 3:51pm 5:27pm 6:47pm
Source: IslamicFinder.org
lenge for the new government would be to restore law and order at any cost to stabilise the countrys economy. The Rehab leaders, meanwhile, handed Muhith a two-point proposal for the government, demanding a stimulus package to revive the countrys troubled real estate and housing sector. The realtor platform demanded formation of a Tk3,000 crore fund to provide long-term, low-interest loans to low- and mid-income buyers on an urgent basis. Rehab also demanded rescheduling of existing bank loans, with a one-year grace period without any down payment. The minister, however, rejected the proposed fund for buyers, but added that it was important to reschedule loans for realtors. In its proposal, Rehab also claimed that the sale of flats and plots had dropped by 60%, while undertaking of new projects by developers also declined by 75%. Rehab president Nasrul Hamid urged the finance minister to declare the real estate and housing sector as a productive sector. Hamid said Bangladesh Bank through a circular identified the sector as a non-productive sector, prompting banks and financial institutions to stop financing developers. Low and mid-income buyers were also not showing interest in buying flats due to high bank rates, he added. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
News
5
Severe fuel crisis in Khulna n Our Correspondent, Khulna
The south-western region of the country was facing a severe fuel crisis because of the ongoing political deadlock and unrest, businessmen claimed. The fuel dealers have stopped taking deliveries of petroleum products from the state owned depots: Padma, Meghna and Jamuna oil companies in Khulna because of security concerns. These three oil companies have been supplying fuel to many districts of the region including Bagerhat, Satkhira, Jessore, Kushtia, Meherpur, Chuadanga, Rajbari, Faridpur, Magura and Gopalganj. Tank lorry driver Anawar Hossain of Magura said he would not carry any fuel oil deliveries taking the risk of being attacked by pro-blockade and hartal supporters, and added that he would make deliveries only when the political situation became normal. Because of the current political turmoil, continuous blockade and hartals, the dealers are feeling insecure to continue their business. As a result, the government has been incurring huge loss as far the revenue earning is concerned. Abdullah Rashed, Padma Oil Company depot manager, said not a single litre of petroleum products had been sold in last one and half months. This depot usually sell at least six lakh litres of petrol, octane and diesel every day if there is no strikes called by the political parties in the name of movement, he said. Ibrahim Hamidur Rahaman, assistant general manager of the company, said dealers were not buying fuel oil from his depot because of security risk in highways during strikes called by the political parties. Manager of Meghna Oil Company Mohiuddin Ahmed Chowdhury said his business had been absolutely dull because of continuous blockade programmes sponsored by the BNP-led 18-party alliance. Only 14,000 litres of fuel oil could be transported to some mills of Khalishpur Industrial belt through river routes with huge risk, he added. l
Vehicles move with difficulty in the dilapitated roads of Uttara sectors 3 and 13 riorates after cattle haat is set up during Eid-ul-Azha in front of the school which damages the road. Shahina Akhter, a resident of Uttaras Sector 9, said: I came here to reside in the year 2000, but have not seen any renovation of road since. A businessman from Uttaras Jasimuddin area said: Rickshaw-pullers in the Uttara sector 4 area sometimes charge Tk45-60 for a journey to the Uttara Sector 9 although the standard fare is between Tk25-30. Most of the footpaths are broken or occupied and the foot over-bridges are covered with dish wires, creating problems in free movement, he added. In this regard, Brig Gen Md Abul Khair, chief engineer of the DNCC, admitted that he was aware of the matter, saying: We have planned to repair the roads of only Uttara area for Tk25 crore from our own fund. The work will begin after election. He added: A big project of Tk120 crore for the development work of the 14 sectors of Uttara was sent to the planning ministry. It will be approved in the next Ecnec [Executive Committee of National Economic Council] meeting.
NASHIRUL ISLAM
A two-phase repair project by the DNCC with the first phase scheduled to begin in October and the second in December last year was also yet to begin. Brig Gen Khair blamed the ongoing political crisis for the delay in starting the project, saying: We cannot bring bricks from Sylhet because of the political crisis, which is delaying the work. l
in terror of the mayhem by Jamaat-Shibir activists as they vandalise and set Hindu residences and business establishments on fire. Their recent mayhem across the country has added panic among the Hindus of the locality. He added that the loom factory of his family came under attack on the very night of the execution of war criminal Abdul Quader Molla. Police Superintendent SM Emran Hossain said police surveillance was intensified in Belkuchi and other upazilas of the district, and added that plain clothes police were also deployed to avoid any untoward incident. l
Female police stand guard in front of the main gate of the National Press Club yesterday
6
n Our Correspondent, Lalmonirhat
Tobacco farming is increasing alarmingly in Lalmonirhat district causing threat to paddy cultivation. According to Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) sources, at least 50 thousand hectares of land have been prepared by farmers this year for cultivating tobacco in the district where it was 25 thousand hectares last year. Tobacco is being cultivated on large scale of lands that is double than that of the last year in five upazilas of the district this season due to lack of farmers awareness. Mahatb Hossain, a 70-year old farmer in Riktikir Hat village under Sadar upazila never cultivated tobacco in the past but this year he is encouraged to cultivate it on his three acres of land. Like Mahatab, many farmers started cultivating tobacco on their croplands. About two thousand farmers in the district newly enlisted their names as tobacco growers. It has been increasing alarmingly in the region due to tobacco companies door to door active motivation. Farmers at different villages said they were highly interested in cultivating tobacco instead of other crops especially paddy as it brought windfall profit for them. They get seed, fertiliser and technical supports from tobacco companies.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Nation
DHAKA TRIBUNE
the crop from May in Gangachara and Kawnia upazilas of Rangpur, Sadar and Nageswari upazilas of Kurigram, Sadar and Aditmari upazilas of Lalmonirhat, he said. Erosion victim Chan Mina, 63, of Dhushmara Char in Kawnia upazila said he sowed 250 pumpkin plants on char lands this year. He had sold 1,650 pumpkins last year at Tk5 lakh and profited Tk60,000. Mostafizar Rahman, 47, and widow Amena Begum, 45, of village Char Nazirdaho said they have cultivated pumpkin on 180 and 75 decimals char lands respectively. They earned huge profits Tk80,000 and Tk43,000 respectively last year through selling their products.
Many other farmers have also achieved similar success in Lalmonirhat, Kurigram, Nilphamari, Gaibandha, Bogra and Sirajganj districts. Horticulture Specialist of the Department of Agriculture Extension (DAE) Khandker Md Mesbahul Islam said that cultivation of pumpkin in the sandy-barren char lands has become popular in recent years through GONGO collaboration. Deputy Director of the DAE Feroz Ahmed said pumpkin cultivation has become popular in riverine areas to assist the char people in achieving selfreliance through adapting with adverse climate to improve livelihoods and ensure food security. l
NEWS IN BRIEF
Tk20 lakh valuables looted in Sylhet
Robbers looted valuables worth Tk20 lakh from an expatriates house at Barthakuri village in Jakiganj upazila early yesterday. Locals said a gang of armed robbers stormed into the house of Abdul Jubbar around 2am and held the house inmates hostage at gunpoint. They looted 33 tolas of gold ornament, Tk3.50 lakh and other valuables.The robbers also beat up Jobbars wife Ayatunnesa, his son Hifzur Rahman and two daughters Shakera and Sajeda as they tried to resist the robbery, leaving them injured. Later,the robbers escaped with the booty. The injured were given first aid. On information, police visited the spot. Officer-in-charge Yunus Mia of Jakiganj police station confirmed the incident and said a case was filed in this connection. UNB Nazimuddin of Dobarchar village in Sherpur district. Witnesses said three construction workers Nazimuddin,22, Sanwar Mia, 19, and Sunny, 30, came in contact with a live wire in Ikram Cold Storage as they were working there around 2pm, leaving Nazimuddin dead on the spot and the other two injured. The injured were admitted to Munshiganj General Hospital. UNB robbery case while the police filed another case in this connection. BSS
The Coast Guard of Kokoilmony station in Mongla West Zone, Khulna arrested a robber from Shaowla canal under Sharonkhola range in the Sunderbans on Tuesday. The Coast Guard also seized two guns and three rounds of bullet from the spot. The detainee was Ali Sheikh, 45, second- incommand of Master Bahini. Sheikh, of village Bagha under Rampal upazila, Bagerhat was a listed criminal, a press release said. The press release, issued by Lieutenant Commander ABM Mohiuddin of Coast Guard, said a unit of Coast Guard went on a drive at Shaola canal and arrested Sheikh. He was hiding beside the canal with injuries and was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition. Earlier, he was injured in a shootout between Kamal bahini and Master bahini. A case was filed with Sharonkhola police station in this connection. BSS
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Juris
7
JURIS QUOTE
LAW CARTOON
n Abdullah Al Arif
s our Supreme Court independent from the government or is it still a branch of the government? The ordinary answer would be, yes, our Supreme Court is independent and no longer a part of the government. But, at least the web address of our Supreme Court has yet to get independence from the government as the URL is www.supremecourt.gov.bd. In the cyber world, country codes such as .bd, and generic suffixes such as .com and .net, are known as toplevel domains. The second-level domain is whatever precedes this suffix: for example .edu or .gov. Hence, www. supremecourt.gov.bd simply means the Supreme Court is a sub division of the Bangladeshi government. Meanwhile, the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom has decided to change its web address in the New Year, reflecting the courts constitutional position as independent of other branches of government. A UK Supreme Court news release was issued in this regard on December 16, 2013. The previous URL of the UK Supreme Court was supremecourt.gov.uk. In contrast, some of the most important UK national institutions parliament, the police, the British Library, and, rather curiously, the Ministry of Defence were allowed to dispense with a shared second-level domain. Instead, they use their own name or initials followed by the country code for example, police.uk enhancing their status while stressing their independence. In the same vein, the obvious web address for Britains Supreme Court was supremecourt. uk, one that was available but that the court was not allowed to use while the website was initiated more than eight years ago. According to the press release, from January 6 this year,
the domain addresses of the UK Supreme Court and Privy Council will be www.supremecourt.uk and www.jcpc.uk respectively. This move follows a drive for most public bodies to publish their online material under the single gov.uk portal.
The new arrangement reflects that the UK Parliament, which is not suffixed with a .gov address, is free from the governments interference and influence
The Supreme Court was concerned that such a move would risk undermining perceptions of its independence, especially when as many as half of the Supreme Courts caseload involves the government as a party. The new arrangement reflects that the UK Parliament, which is not suffixed with a .gov address, is free from the governments interference and influence. The press release added: The overall content and design of the two websites will not change. Users searching for the current top level domains ie homepages will be
automatically redirected to the new addresses from January, though web users who have bookmarked or published deep links to pages or resources on the Supreme Court and JCPC websites will need to amend these to reach the new address. Legal professionals and other court users are also being informed of a corresponding change to the email addresses of Supreme Court staff and Justices, also effective from January 6. Although we all know that the UK legal system is very sophisticated and has developed many new legal standards over the centuries, France is fairly ahead of them in this regard. The URL of the highest court of France is www.courdecassation.fr. While many other countries with rich legal traditions have not yet thought of it, the UK and France have already done it, and set a precedent for other countries to follow. The web address of the US Supreme Court still bears a .gov suffix (http://www.supremecourt.gov/), and it seems difficult for them to find a quick alternative as the US domain addresses do not have country suffixes, such as .us or .usa. India is a bit different. The web address of the Indian Supreme Court is www.supremecourt.nic.in. Here, the second level suffix .nic, which stands for national informatics centre (NIC), and the website is designed, developed and hosted by NIC Computer Cell, Supreme Court of India. However, the content on the website is published and managed by the Registry of the Supreme Court of India. To conclude, since our judiciary is independent from the government, the Supreme Court of Bangladesh should consider changing its web address in line with the example set by the UK Supreme Court and the highest court in France to ensure its independence in the cyber world. l
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Fee for verifying, authentication, certifying or attesting the execution of any instrument is Tk20 n RaisuL Islam Sourav
sually, attestation by a notary public is required to authenticate various types of documents eg academic certificates, character certificates, birth/death certificates, emigration-related documents etc. It is mandatory to provide notary public endorsed copies of deeds or affidavits to transfer and register any kind of immoveable property. Sometimes, endorsement by a notary public is also required to transfer some moveable property (eg sale of a car, etc). In case the original document is in a different language, attestation by a notary public is required to authenticate any translation of the original document. Moreover, a notary public prepares deeds for foreign dealings in a prescribed format. Notary public also prepares charter party and other commercial documents, ensures safety of payment or demand of any promissory note or bill of exchange etc.
Generally, a person who has been a practicing lawyer for a term not less than seven years or had been a member of judicial service for a term not less than five years or had been serving as a government servant in the legislative drafting and law-making process of the government are eligible for appointment as a notary under the Notaries Ordinance and Notaries Rule, 1964. However, as per rule 60A of the Notaries Rule, 1964, every notary registrar must have an office and he/she cannot exhibit his signboard except in that office.
Beware of deception
How to authenticate
To attest any document, the concerned notary public must compare the copy produced before him/her with the original document. However, the executor of an affidavit must be present before the notary to execute an affidavit. After scrutinising the documents, the notary public will sign the document and affix a special government seal along with his official seal on the same.
BIG STOCK
Fees
Most people are not aware of the actual charge of notary. Many a time a notary public charges much higher than the actual fees, taking advantage of the ignorance of the common people. However, the fees have been fixed by the government and no one can charge more than that. If any notary public receives more than the specified fees, the injured party may a lodge a complaint against the notary public. According to Rule 10 of The Notaries Rules, 1964, the fee for administering oath to or taking affidavit from any person is Tk10 and for verifying, authentication, certifying or attesting the execution of any instrument is Tk20.
Notary public authenticated documents have little worth to prove a legal claim. It basically ensures originality of a document or certifies a formal declaration. Hence, some notary publics may engage in deceitful activities. Often, the person who wants to get an affidavit does not present himself physically before the notary, which is a legal prerequisite to attest an affidavit. Some do not have any authority to notarise, but they display fake signboards and fraudulently function as a notary public. Some of them use the name and seal of a notary public whose registration has expired. They endorse fake marriage in the name of court marriage, which does not have any legal effect, rather is a mere declaration. Hence, the concerned parties must observe their respective religious rituals and registration to solemnise a valid marriage. Some notary publics may also notarise fictitious documents, helped along by some unscrupulous lawyers. Often, they prepare forged deeds and predate documents to establish their clients claim. In addition, they may create fake power of attorney with a view to transferring property. Therefore, one has to be very careful before availing any service from a notary public and make sure that the notary public has valid and up-to-date registration from the government. l The author is a senior lecturer and coordinator, Department of Law, Dhaka International University.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
International
Rebels launched a series of strikes against the al-Qaeda affiliated ISIL in Syria
AFP
A state prosecutor charged Morsi and 14 other Muslim Brotherhood members in 2013 with committing acts of violence, and inciting killing and thuggery
His downfall has led to some of the worst violence in Egypts modern history, in the form of protests by his supporters, a bloody police crackdown on those supporters, and attacks on the police and churches. At least 900 people, most of them Morsi supporters, were killed in August 2013 after the authorities smashed two protest camps set up by Morsis supporters in Cairo. l
Brutal arctic chill means parts of US colder than Mars n AFP, Chicago
A deadly chill had much of the United States and Canada in its wintry grip Tuesday, as a record-breaking cold snap brought temperatures lower than on the surface of Mars. It was so cold in Chicago that the polar bear at the Lincoln Park zoo who admittedly had not built up the winter fat stores of her wild cousins was brought inside to warm up. And in Kentucky, an escaped inmate begged to be let back into prison so he could warm up after spending the night shivering in an abandoned house. All of Canada and all the US states bar tropical Hawaii recorded temperatures below freezing on Tuesday, even usually sunny and warm Florida and California. But the most dangerous cold cold that can cause frostbite in a minute and death in a matter of hours hit the Midwest, dragged down as the polar vortex brought frigid air from the Arctic. Schools, businesses and government offices were closed. Water mains and household pipes froze. Airplanes were grounded, trains were halted and roads and sidewalks became ice rinks. The town of Embarrass, Minnesota, recorded the lowest temperature in the United States Tuesday at a frigid -37 Celsius (-35 Fahrenheit). Then there was the wind chill: a calculation that represents how much colder it feels when the blinding gusts hit you in the face. That dipped as low as -52 Celsius in Montana and was in the -40 to -50 Celsius range in parts of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Virginia, West Virginia and Wisconsin. Thats cold enough to toss a cup of boiling water into the air and watch it turn into snow before it hits the ground. The Mars Rover has been sending back daily temperature readings from its tour of the Red Planet ranging from -25 to -31 degrees Celsius (-13 and -24 degrees Fahrenheit). To be fair, though, Mars is still way colder, the Smithsonian Institute wrote in a blog post. The Curiosity rover is driving around in a crater at, roughly, the equivalent latitude of Venezuela. But then again, Mars is 78m miles further away from the Sun. For a more Earthly comparison, the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station recorded a temperature of -23 Celsius (-9 Fahrenheit) and a wind chill factor of -35 Celsius (-31 Fahrenheit) on Tuesday. l
The banned Islamist militant group Boko Haram, fighting a four-year-long insurgency in northern Nigeria, has previously attacked mosques in Kano
The younger Kwankwaso was one of five state governors to defect from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) late last year. The defections prompted 37 PDP lawmakers in Nigerias lower house of parliament to switch allegiance to the APC, with more moves expected in the upper chamber, the Senate. A doctor at the Aminu Kano Teach-
Former Somalia president and Puntland presidential candidate: Abdiwali Ali Gaas
AFP
DHAKA TRIBUNE
International
n AFP, Mumbai
A fire on an overnight train killed at least nine people Wednesday with sleeping victims overcome by flames and smoke as the blaze ripped through three carriages, a railway official said. The blaze, which comes less than a fortnight after 26 people were killed in a similar fire tragedy, happened shortly after the train left Mumbai for the northern city of Dehradun. Nine people have died from the fire which spread to three coaches in the night. The fire broke out at about 2:30 am, said the Western Railway spokesman Sharat Chandrayan. The blaze, the cause of which is not yet known, started when the train was in Thane district neighbouring Mumbai. The gateman at a railway station informed the guard inside the
AFP
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India targets American expatriate club as diplomatic row escalates
Indian firemen try to extinguish a fire layed by a violent mob at a veterinary office in Diphu
Northeast India has seen decades of unrest among ethnic and separatist groups
Separatists belonging to the Karbi Peoples Liberation Tigers attacked a Rengma Naga village in late December, killing seven residents, police officials said. In a retaliatory attack, militants from the National Socialist Council of Nagaland, which comprises Rengma Naga tribes people, killed 10 Karbi villagers. Their bodies were found in an isolated jungle area near Dimapur, the commercial hub of adjoining Nagaland state, a police official said.
All the victims were first abducted, their hands tied and blindfolded and then shot at from close range with automatic weapons, V.Z. Angami, police chief of Dimapur, told AFP. There have been threats and counter-threats going on in the area with a sense of fear and hence the exodus of villagers from both communities, local police official A. Das said. Northeast India, linked to the rest of the country by a narrow land bridge, has seen decades of unrest among ethnic and separatist groups. The region is home to dozens of tribal groups and small guerrilla armies that resist rule from New Delhi. Many are fighting for separate homelands for their tribes, and they often compete against each other. The minister blamed the latest violence on attempts by one tribal group to take control of land dominated by the other. It is nothing but a turf war between the two tribes that has resulted in the clashes, he said. l
China reports first H7N9 bird flu death this year n AFP, Beijing
China has reported its first death from the H7N9 bird flu virus in 2014 after a significant drop-off in fatalities following an outbreak last year. A patient in the southern province of Guangdong died of the disease on Monday, the provincial health authority said on its website Tuesday. Official statistics compiled by Chinas health ministry show that by the end of October last year there had been 136 H7N9 cases and 45 deaths in the outbreak which began in February. The ministry separately announced another three cases and one death for the month of November, while provincial governments have reported additional cases. The latest death appears to be the first in mainland China since November. A Hong Kong man infected with the strain died late last month, the citys first such fatality. The H7N9 outbreak began in China in February 2013 and reignited fears that a virus could mutate to become easily transmissible, potentially triggering a pandemic. l
Security officers try to beat Buddhist monks who took part in a rally of the Cambodian National Rescue Party in Phnom Penh
AP
Reuters
The United States said on Tuesday it will send 800 more soldiers and about 40 Abrams main battle tanks and other armoured vehicles to South Korea next month as part of a military rebalance to East Asia after more than a decade of war in Afghanistan and Iraq. The battalion of troops and M1A2 tanks and about 40 Bradley fighting vehicles from the 1st US Cavalry Division based at Fort Hood, Texas, will begin a nine-month deployment in South Korea on February 1. A Pentagon spokesman said the personnel would remain for nine months but on departing would leave their equipment behind to be used by follow-on rotations of US forces. This addition of forces to Korea is part of the rebalance to the Pacific. Its been long planned and is part of our enduring commitment
to security on the Korean peninsula, Army Colonel Steve Warren said. This gives the commanders in Korea an additional capacity: two companies of tanks, two companies of Bradleys, he said. US Secretary of State John Kerry met with South Korean Foreign Minister Yun Byung-se in Washington on Tuesday and stated the US position on nuclear weapons in North Korea. The United States and the Republic of Korea stand very firmly united, without an inch of daylight between us, not a sliver of daylight, on the subject of opposition to North Koreas destabilizing nuclear and ballistic missile programs and proliferation activities, Kerry said. The United States has some 28,000 troops based in South Korea, which has remained technically at war with Communist North Korea since the 1950-1953 Korean conflict ended in stalemate. l
Cambodia on Wednesday defended its bloody crackdown on street protests in the face of growing international alarm, denouncing the rallies against strongman premier Hun Sen as violent and illegal. Anti-government demonstrations have been banned indefinitely after several striking workers were shot dead by police last week while dozens of others were injured. On Monday five land activists were detained temporarily as they tried to hold a rally. The demonstrations abused the law, Foreign Minister Hor Namhong told reporters, insisting that the government had exercised restraint for months. The public generally applauds the decision by the government to halt the violent demonstrations, he said. But the United Nations human rights office said Tuesday it
was alarmed by Cambodias crackdown and urged authorities to show restraint. Hun Sen has faced an increasing challenge to his nearly three-decade rule from garment workers seeking a pay rise, as well as from opposition supporters demanding that he call a new election due to alleged vote fraud in a July poll.
The opposition party has boycotted parliament since last years election, alleging that Hun Sen was returned to power because of widespread vote-rigging
Cambodia National Rescue Party leader Sam Rainsy and his deputy Kem Sokha have been summoned to Phnom Penh Municipal Court on January 14 for questioning in connection with the recent unrest.
The opposition party has boycotted parliament since last years election, alleging that Hun Sen was returned to power because of widespread vote-rigging. The 61-year-old prime minister has ruled for 28 years and vowed to continue until he is 74. He has faced mounting criticism over his rights record as well as accusations of excessive force against demonstrators. Last Friday police opened fire on striking garment factory employees demanding a minimum wage of $160 per month for their work in an industry which supplies brands like Gap, Nike and H&M. Rights activists said at least four civilians were shot dead in what they described as the countrys worst state violence against its citizens in 15 years. The strike has since been called off and most of the garment workers have returned to work, while some fled back to their villages in fear. l
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Editorial
LETTER OF THE DAY
Letters to
the Editor
he indictments issued against the director and secretary of Odhikar for publishing a false report illustrate the draconian nature of the ICT law, enacted first by BNP in 2006 and amended by AL in 2013. Odhikar staff have been charged in relation to their report that 61 people died when law enforcers forcibly cleared Hefazat-e-Islam activists out from Motijheel in the early hours of May 6 last year. The police, who vigorously dispute the figure, have brought charges on the basis that a false report has tarnished the image of the state and law enforcement agencies. If found guilty, the accused face up to fourteen years in jail under the ICT act and seven years under the Penal Code. Under these laws, any newspaper or other media which publishes reports that can potentially be described as false runs the risk of facing similar charges. The chilling effect on free debate and free media of such laws is self-evident. Free media not punitive tribunals should be the forum for debate about disputed reports. Like everyone else, the police and government should debate the facts and veracity of disputed reports within free media. They should not seek to punish citizens for merely disseminating information or points of view with which they disagree. Even if it is proved that reports are factually incorrect, a potential prison sentence is not the appropriate penalty. Independent observers both inside the country and out have commented on the threat to freedom of expression posed by provisions of the ICT Act. This weeks indictment justifies these fears. Coming at the same time when so many opposition figures continue to be taken into custody, this latest indictment raises a broader concern of the machinery of the state being misused to clamp down on voices of dissent.
Free media not punitive tribunals should be the forum for debate about disputed reports
Be Heard
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huge toll is being exacted on everyday life by the political crisis. Attention needs to be paid to economicwarning signs such as the reported slowdown in rates of GDP growth and investment. Most importantly, we should not allow the pervading uncertainty to distract us from the bigger picture. Bangladeshseconomy is still expected to expand at a higher rate than many countries around the world this year and has huge potential for continued growth. There is an open window of opportunity created by the demographic dividend of a large number of young people entering the workforce.Now is the time to invest in improving human capital and skills to raise productivity so that everyone can benefit from economic growth. Most people ultimatelydo not care to debate who is at fault for the shutdowns that have held back the economy. Without endorsing the position of either the government or the opposition with respect to who is to blame for the current crisis, they simply want the shutdowns to end and for life to go back to normal. Ordinary citizens have little alternative but to focus on getting on with their lives. Politicians may play out their differences as they will, but so long as people are left free to be able to go about their business, there is no reason to suppose that the economy should not be able to get back on track and start ticking at a faster rate again. The political parties must allow this to happen by working towards conciliation without stoking up confrontation and economic shutdowns.
Now is the time to invest in improving human capital and skills to raise productivity so that everyone can benefit from economic growth
PEANUTS
CROSSWORD
ACROSS 1 Fragments (6) 4 Period of time (3) 7 Sheeplike (5) 8 Collect (6) 11 Argument (3) 12 Drug-yielding plant (4) 13 That time (4) 15 Prophets (5) 16 Thin biscuit (5) 20 Scourge (4) 23 Uncommon (4) 24 Sharp blow (3) 25 Starry (6) 26 Ward off (5) 27 Bundle of notes (3) 28 Divers (arch) (6) DOWN 1 Long, detailed stories (5) 2 Sticks (7) 3 Classify (4) 4 Dreadful (4) 5 Soon (4) 6 Tree (3) 9 Beverage (3) 10 Digit (3) 14 Encourage (7) 17 Distant (3) 18 Age (3) 19 Transmit in stages (5) 20 Molten rock (4) 21 Copied (4) 22 Headwear (4) 24 Uncooked (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.
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Op-Ed
11
state in the international arena that supports and feeds terrorists? The leadership of this country has become a ping-pong ball that falls in the court of either of the two major parties, and the chaos continues between the two as long as the ball visits the other ones court. There needs to be a rise in the number of parties, especially ones that actually represents the country, and are willing to sacrifice and work for the country. India is a major nation, hoping to be the third largest superpower within 2020 after China and the USA. This country is assumed to be a friend of our country, and has recently seen the Aam Admi Party come to power. Through this common mans party, Arvind Kejriwal became the chief minister of Delhi. We have so much to learn from this nation, where the people have voted for someone to represent themselves.
n Mehrin Chowdhury
PMO
n Mamun Rashid
angladesh Economic Association (BEA) recently organised dialogue on the political impasse that has crippled the country and is eating into the future of the Bangladesh economy. Some say it was organised in response to another recent citizens dialogue held by a few NGOs and advocacy groups. I have been a life member of the BEA for the last 27 years. However, the BEA didnt feel like inviting me and many of my friends to their dialogue. Media reports showed a few ruling party supporters and loyal journalists, not necessarily economists or members of the BEA, taking central roles in the said dialogue. As usual, the dialogue could not go beyond the narrow interests of the ruling party. I could see the BEA also forcing in a direction to give birth to another forum named EAB (Economic Association of Bangladesh), like DAB (Doctors Association of Bangladesh), or MAB (MBA Association of Bangladesh), or TAB (Teachers Association of Bangladesh). No matter who does this, it will be very shocking. While the BEA has not produced anything satisfactory during past several years without publicising some utopian thinking of a few in their leadership, I would have thought the new leadership would do something strategically important for Bangladesh and its future. However, they were clear on one thing the ongoing political uncertainty was eating into the future of the country. No matter what happens in
the coming days or months, Bangladesh will be forced into an economically backward state. It will take a long time to recover, if that is at all possible. I bet the problems are not going to be solved with the recently held election, which has helped the ruling Awami League earn a crude majority. The honourable prime minister may crack down on political activists or troublemakers, her stalwarts might find a cunning way to further marginalise BNP, or become successful in sending Khaleda Zia out of the country, but Bangladesh wont settle down politically in the short term.
tasks on their hands. A few of the commanders are also exceptionally grateful to ruling party tycoons for where they have been brought today, and for more than adequate favours showered on them. Many also think running state affairs have become extremely complex over the years. Therefore it is better to stick to business as usual. This means a few of our civil society forerunners and international well-wishers are stuck for the time being. Uncertainly is likely to stay here for a few more months, if not years. Our politics will limp along. More
The honourable prime minister may crack down on political activists or troublemakers, but Bangladesh wont settle down politically in the short term
Therefore, economic stagnation is here to stay with lower GDP growth, higher unemployment, more job losses, and perhaps even increases in the number of people living below the poverty line. Some people thought military rule would have brought in some respite, or at least put a temporary brake to all these unnecessary killings, the supply chain breakdown, and disruption in business activities. But our military friends are thinking that military rule cant be a solution. They are haunted by the failures of Moeen U Ahmed, or their cushy lifestyle is not allowing them to take any challenges or risky importantly, our economic competitors will be gaining much out of our miseries, and smiling to themselves. Governance failures, massive corruption, distribution of favours among the beneficiaries of misrule, institutional failures, and policy paralysis will become synonymous with Bangladesh. Some people will blame their fate, some will migrate to developed countries, and some will go for massive compromises. The international community has more important issues like Sudan, Syria, Iran, or Africa to deal with. So they may pretend to be crying, but they dont have much time and energy to
dedicate to Bangladesh. The Bangladesh situation is much more complex. Politicians, and those who run them, are more cunning, lethal, and devastating. Khaleda is unlikely to stop violence or leave Jamaat, as is desired by Sheikh Hasina. Bangladesh has nowhere to go. Television reports said civil society members (I dont know what qualifies one to become a civil society member though) have opined that the newly elected government should try to go for another proper election involving all the parties within next two years or so. I dont know from where they got this two years term. According to Sheikh Hasina, the people of Bangladesh despite all odds and challenges have come to the polling centres and elected them for another five-year term to make Bangladesh a truly Shonar Bangla or Golden Bengal. The journey is on. We cant succumb to the pressures of the few who do not want a prosperous or successful Bangladesh. Yes, we wanted reform. We needed to go for massive political reforms which would change the way our politicians do politics. Who will drive these reforms? Sheikh Hasina or Khaleda Zia? Come on, give me a break. Will the Supreme Court or the media push us in that direction? That is not going to happen in the near future. We needed an overhauling of our political system. We are waiting and praying. The Almighty cant be so indifferent to Bangladesh with so many God-fearing people submitting to him five times a day. l Mamun Rashid is a business professor and financial sector entrepreneur.
he so-called epoch-making selection in the name of an election has been carried out amidst cries of the civil society and woes of the international arena. All the voices have fallen on deaf ears. Now what? The opposition will never accept this as it only promises its identity cessation. The retaliation has been displayed with the instant 48-hour hartal. A novice can tell that this sort of retribution will continue forever until a fair election takes place, and both the parties come to some sort of consensus. Meanwhile, the country burns and the economy gets shoddier. The GDP of the nation which was slowly but steadily rising every year has taken a nosedive to 5%. Some assume the lowest GDP will be this year. With the continuous political problems, many foreign buyers of garments, 80% of our export material, are looking towards others countries as alternatives, based on the fear that our industries will not be able to supply materials in a timely manner. The cost of transportation is also steadily increasing. In addition, continuous questionable catastrophes related to the garments sector have become a regular topic of today. With this superfluous selection-election game, the near future seems bleak as well. There is no hope for reconciliation with the opposition. This will create havoc and cause terror attacks as certain groups will go underground. Bangladesh, as a result, may become a failed state like Kenya, Congo, and South Sudan. This beautiful country has abundant resources, especially millions of hardworking people in all sectors willing to make a difference. With good leadership, Bangladesh can easily become more like Malaysia and Singapore. It will be very sad for the common people to see their beloved nation slowly shatter into pieces in front of their very own eyes. This once proud land, home of so many great minds, is being reduced to one where the children lose their limbs regularly, where women are beaten in broad daylight by men promising to support the spirit of freedom, where minorities are humiliated with no hope of retribution. How long will this mockery continue? Will it go on until the country has been brought down to its breaking point, and been labeled as a rogue
Common people select a person to represent them, and later that person falls prey to power and misuses it
Aristotle said a long time ago that democracy was the devil in disguise. He had said that the system was flawed. The common people select a person to represent them, and later that person falls prey to power and misuses it, forgetting once and for all why he was selected in the first place. For this democracy to work properly, the legislative and the judicial processes must be separated from the ministry. Otherwise, power can and will corrupt, and the lust for it will remain amidst violence. People will take unscrupulous measures to reach the top. This craziness must stop. The swinging of the ping-pong ball must stop. Both the parties must realise the destruction they are causing, and come to a consensus for the greater good. For the umpteenth time, the general people must also raise their voices to save what is left of the beautiful country that was, and can be again. l Mehrin Chowdhury is a freelance contributor.
FOCUS BANGLA
ny Indian reading this article should go to YouTube and do a search on police brutality in Bangladesh. Then they should watch some of the videos found at the top of the search. This should provide an idea of how, according to Ain o Salish Kendra, an average of 1.5 Bangladeshis a day have been killed in political violence, many by police bullets, in 2013. About 500 have died, with countless others injured. These are merely official numbers, yet they are the highest in Bangladeshs 42-year history. Needless to say, the majority of the wounded and dead are opposition activists, protesting actions of the most India-friendly government in the history of Bangladesh. When the videos and the statistics sink in, Indian readers should try to understand the following: Bangladeshis have become increasingly pro-India in their outlooks over the last three decades. Unlike Pakistan, where there is hardly any political party who can express pro-India sentiments, the Awami League and its allies are openly pro-India. Their electoral popularity should be within 35% to 45% of the population, depending on which ally is in, according to the average of the last several elections. Then you have Bangladeshs other
large political party, BNP, whose standalone electoral popularity should be similar: Around 35% to 40%. BNPs leadership was increasingly looking forward to improve ties with India. BNP, for almost the last decade, refrained from resorting to anti-India rhetoric, which used to be a staple of the partys political communication during the 80s and 90s. The Islamic parties of Bangladesh, who on a combined basis won less than 5% of the national vote, are probably predominantly anti-India. However, given their size, they are likely to be governed by one of the two major political parties of Bangladesh. If India plays its cards of regional influence over the major parties fair and square, it is more than likely that both the major parties will happily address Indias legitimate security concerns in Bangladesh, to say the least. Although Bangladeshis are very proud of their religious (read Muslim), ethnic (read Bengali), and independent (read 1971 war) identity, the majority of them enjoy Hindi movies, soap operas, music, and many are fluent in the Hindi language. A large portion of the population supports the Indian cricket team. In a nutshell, Bangladesh is by no means hostile territory for Indians, with or without Indias favourite political party in power. Now contrast that India-friendly
social backdrop with the following recent trends: The vast majority of Bangladeshis now believe that India is the lone back-up for the government of Sheikh Hasina and her farce of an election, which was boycotted by all the opposition parties. Taking matters to the next step, a majority of the Bangladeshi population now believe that based on Indias assurances alone, Sheikh Hasina has sent almost the entire opposition political leadership to jail. She sent the leader of the third largest political party General Ershad, who is also known to be pro-Indian, into a peculiar hospital confinement with golfing facilities. And Begum Khaleda Zia is in house confinement. The entire senior leadership of the Jamaat-e-Islami, the largest Islamist party in Bangladesh, is in far worse shape. They will be lucky to be alive for more than a year, as most of them are awaiting death sentences to be handed out by a special tribunal, with one already executed. In short, as matters stand, for the first time in Bangladeshs political history, the entire opposition leadership is praying hard to be simply alive and free. Taking matters further, many in Bangladesh now believe in the following grave accusations: India is behind the day to day security protection of certain Bangladeshi leaders. India is carrying out stealth operations inside
Bangladesh wearing Bangladeshi forces dresses. India has trained and sent special operations teams in Bangladesh. India is lobbying Western countries to take Sheikh Hasinas side. The above list of anti-India accusations are ever-increasing, and cannot be brushed aside anymore. In fact, it is now common practice among the entire opposition bloc and talking heads on television to find an Indian hand behind almost all the political misadventures of Sheikh Hasina and the AL. Please note: The above is not the perception coming from some fringe element of Bangladeshi society. People with very credible backgrounds are joining the ring. Considering the depth of these accusations, which are increasingly getting prominence, a fair conclusion for Indians will be that anti-Indianism of historic proportions is on the rise in Bangladesh. This cannot be, by any standard, welcome news for Indian business policy, geo-strategy, or for that matter, counter-terrorism matters related to Bangladesh. Bangladesh may now officially enter the hall-of-shame of countries known as one party states. And India, along with Sheikh Hasina and the AL, will share that blame, perhaps in front of a global audience. The gravity of this blame sharing must be understood from Bangladeshs history. Unlike
other Muslim-majority countries, Bangladesh has practiced multi-party elections going back over 40 years. Indians, who were Bangladeshs partners in its liberation war against Pakistan, should know very well that it was West Pakistans foolish reluctance to accept the all-Pakistan election results back in 1970. That foolish decision of West Pakistan to not honour the mandate of the East Pakistani voters eventually ended the existence of a united Pakistan on two sides of India.
Unlike in most democracies, Bangladeshis have regularly given their blood for protecting their right to vote
As history suggests, Bangladeshis take elections and the democratic practice of voting very seriously. Unlike in most democracies, Bangladeshis have regularly given their blood for protecting their right to vote. Therefore, India should urgently rethink its policy in Bangladesh and align its policy with the rest of the world. l Shafquat Rabbee Anik is a social media activist.
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DHAKA TRIBUNE
Entertainment
n Entertainment Desk
In memory of the late Khaled Khan, Prangonemor is going to stage their 8th production, Irsha, at 6:30pm at the Experimental Theatre Hall of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy today. Irsha is written by Syed Shamsul Haque and directed by Ananta Hira. The play features a conversation among three characters named Jubok, Juboty, and Prouro. The founder member of Prangonemor told the Dhaka Tribune: Our production of Irsha is composed of seven dialogues only. The longest duration of a dialogue is 26 minutes and the minimum duration is 12 minutes. I am playing the character of Juboty, Ananta Hira will play the character of Jubok, as well as direct the play, and Ramiz Raju will play the character of Prouro. Its a story about the conflict between lives, artists, artworks and a love triangle. l
TODAY IN DHAKA
Exhibition
Shilpacharya and his Outer World of Art Time: 12pm-8pm Bengal Gallery of Fine Arts House 42 Road 16 (New) / 27 (old) Dhanmondi City of Rhythm Second phase of Kazi Salahuddin Ahmed Time: 12 8pm Shilpangan House 7, Road 13 (New) Dhanmondi Zainul Quamrul Exhibition Time: 10am 8pm Nalini Kanta Bhattasali Gallery National Museum Shahbagh
Theatre
Irsha By Prangonemor, Experimental Theatre Hall Time: 6:30pm 8:30pm Experimental Theatre Hall, Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, Shegun Bagicha
Escape Plan The Conjuring The Hunger Games: Catching Fire Star Cineplex Bashundhara City Gravity Blockbuster Cinemas Jamuna Future Park Ka-244, Kuril, Pragati Avenue Dhaka
Film
Pacific Rim in 3D
ON TV
Kingbodontir Aj Holud Shondhya airs tonight
n Entertainment Desk
Maasranga TV will air the single-episode play Kingbodontir Aj Holud Shondhya today at 7:30pm. Written by Sagor Jahan and directed by Ratan Ripon, the telefilm features Tisha, Anisur Rahman Milon, Farukh Ahmed and many more. A ritual of her upcoming wedding ceremony is taking place at Kingbodontis (played by Tisha) home. All of a sudden her ex-boyfriend (played by Milon) comes to meet her at the ceremony. In the past he had broken Kingbodontis heart and left her. But now he realises how precious the girl is and wants her to come back. He starts to reminiscence about old times but Kingbodonti remembers the pain and humiliation she felt when they were together. She wants the ceremony to take place but inside her heart, she still feels for her old lover. l
MOVIE
8:50pm Zee Studio
Dear John
9:30pmStar Movies
DRAMA
10:00PM Star Jalsha
Jal Nupur
COMEDY
10:00am Comedy Central
Key & Peele
MISC
11:30am TLC
Worlds Weirdest Restaurants
8:30pm AXN
Amazing Race
n Entertaiunment Desk
After successfully hosting four consecutive seasons of reality show Bigg Boss, Bollywood superstar Salman Khan will return to the small screen next year as the host of a new show based on social causes. In 2012, his contemporary Aamir Khan launched the 14-episode talk show Satyamev Jayate, which highlighted issues like female foeticide, the evils of dowry and malpractices in medicine. We are working on something which is different. It is not along the lines of Satyamev Jayate. We will have a lot more entertainment in it. We will rock next year, Salman said. The 48-year-old, who helms the charity foundation Being Human, added: The show that we are doing will change a lot of things. Its a brand new show altogether, which will talk about social causes. I will be the host and this will definitely change a lot (of things). Recently the Bollywood megastar was caught in the lens of a photojournalist while helping a man and his wheel-chair bound son in the street. Currently, Salman is gearing up for the release of Jai Ho!, an action film set for release on January 24. l
Angelina Jolie
Nigella Lawaon
n Entertainment Desk
Angelina Jolie is set to play Nigella Lawson in a Hollywood movie about the British celebrated chef Nigella Lawsons turbulent life. Producers have reportedly made the 38-year-old actress their number one choice to play the TV chef who recently divorced husband Charles Saatchi and was ac-
cused of taking cocaine in a court case. She has recently admitted having taken cocaine and the news made huge waves in the media. Angie had planned to take a lot of time off next year but this role is very tempting, an insider on the project revealed. She has been gripped like everyone else by all the drama surrounding Nigella these past few months, and thinks she is a remarkable woman, the source added. l
Sport
week to assess the arrangements only. As part of the arrangement, BCB has already omitted Sylhet Divisional Stadium from the itinerary and shifted the matches to Dhaka instead. Sylhet was supposed to make its international debut with the first off the three-match ODI series between on February 17. The Pakistan Cricket Board over the last few days expressed concern over the political turmoil and the growing anti-Pakistan sentiment in Bangladesh. However, they too will send an official to assess security in Bangladesh before next months Asia Cup, officials said yesterday. PCB said it continues to have reservations over security and will send an official to attend an ICC meeting in Bangladesh to assess the situation. The ICC is also likely to decide on the fate of the World T20, scheduled to be held in Bangladesh in March-April this year. PCB has decided to send its security representative to Bangladesh to attend the ICC security meeting on 20th January to assess the situation there and report back, said a statement. The PCB does have reservations on the prevailing security situation in Bangladesh with specific reference to Pakistan, it quoted the boards interim chairman Najam Sethi as saying. Earlier, Sri Lanka offered to host both the Asia Cup and the World T20 if the security situation in Bangladesh does not improve. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
13
0 6 6
DAYS TO GO
RESULT
Brothers
Sheikh Jamal forward Emeka Darlington (L) tries to control the ball during their Bangladesh Premier League match against Brothers Union at the Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday MUMIT M
Yousuf 29
14
Sk Jamal
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS
Darlington puts Jamal 18GOAL! ahead, nodding in a low cross off Okemmiri from the right flank. GOAL! Ghanaian defender Issah Yousuf restores the parity for Brothers from the spot, after Nche Francis earned the penalty. GOAL! Darlington dribbles past two defenders, skips by the goalkeeper and sends the ball into the net. GOAL! Darlington completes his hat-trick, placing in a square pass from Wedson Anselme. Sabuj Das Rogu produces a superb save to deny Wesdons free kick from 25 yards out. Mamunuls 25-yard powerful strike is tipped away by Rogu. GOAL! Wedson smashes the ball in after a one-two with Darlington.
29 33 35
48 79 81
Jamal continued to attack in the second half and created three chances before they got the fourth goal. Rogu produced a superb save to deny Wesdons free kick from 25-yards out just three minutes into the half. Jewel Rana missed a golden chance to pull one back for Brothers when his shot in a one-on-one situation with the keeper was knocked away by Zia for a corner. Wedson completed the route in the 81st minute. Darlington was the architect of the goal. A quick one-two between the duo led to Wedson smashing the ball past the keeper from six yards. Wedson earlier headed down a long ball to Darlington who passed it back to Wedson to unbolt the defence. The victory saw Jamal move to the top of the table with six points, having won both of their games. Brothers, meanwhile, have yet to earn a point. l
I also have to score goals and serve my team, I was motivated to put forward my best and I am happy to see Jamal won by a good margin. The hat-trick man said he enjoyed his first goal the most of his strikes. Meanwhile Jamal coach Josef Afusi was also a happy man to see his players produce another well-organised performance. As a coach, I tried to use my resources and not think about who is present or absent. The team played well, Sony Norde has been rested as I dont want to aggravate his injury. Maybe he is fit to play but I am giving him rest for his safety, he will take the field when required. The league is a long journey and I have to use him with caution, said Afusi. Syed Naeemuddin, the Indian coach of Brothers Union, said the result was upsetting. It was a bad day. We took the field to salvage a draw. The initial minutes were ok and we created some chances but later, the lapses in defence made the proceedings worse, but I have to say Sheikh Jamal is a strong team in comparison with Brothers. l
Ushas Maumunur Rahman Chayan strikes to score from a penalty corner against Azad Sporting during their UCB Club Cup Hockey match at the Maulana Bhashani National Hockey Stadium yesterday MUMIT M
Mahmud, McInnes Mahmudullah looks to cash in from BCL plan for the future said, It will definitely help us. Playing and if he is available for the longer n Mazhar Uddin two matches before Sri Lanka arrives version it will be of great advantage for n Mazhar Uddin the Tigers. The Bangladesh Cricket League (BCL) will be great for the cricketers.
The chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) game development Khaled Mahmud informed that he sat with the head coach of the National Cricket Academy (NCA) Richard McInnes to plan strategies for the rising cricketers and also make use of the local coaches in various camps. There was very little work for the academy cricketers as there were no programmes so we had a long discussion regarding this issue at the same time we are thinking about utilising our local coaches for the camps, said Mahmud yesterday. Bangladesh U-19 team failed to reach the semifinals of the U-19 Asia Cup recently but the chairman of the game development informed that the main focus is to improve the game for the youngsters. I wont say that it was a failure, we are not thinking about winning a championship in the age levels. All we want is to improve the game and prepare those cricketers for future, said Mahmud. Once we used to hide the age of the cricketers which is now not happening and we are spending so much to develop the cricketers where we dont want to think about what happened in the past, he added. McInnes echoed Mahmud and said, Sujon (Khaled Mahmud) and I both agreed to the point of utilising the young talents for future and also fulfill the requirements of the cricketers for the national side by preparing the cricketers from age levels. l will begin from January 12 and the first two rounds of the four-team competition will be held at the BKSP, informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board through a press release yesterday. The national selection panel has selected 20 players for each participating team and the teams will determine their final 15man squad. After the first two rounds, the franchisee-based first class tournament will take a break and make way for Sri Lankas tour of Bangladesh, the Asia Cup and the ICC World Twenty20. Bangladesh vice-captain Mahmudullah is looking forward for the BCL as he thinks playing the longer version before the international series will be of huge benefit to the cricketers. He expressed his desire for the BCL and The right-handed batsman was hopeful that the series against Sri Lanka would go ahead and hoped the political issues going on at the moment gets better soon. Asia Cup is a huge tournament which we are going to host. At the moment, we are only concentrating on the Sri Lanka series and we are preparing ourselves for that. We all are working hard and hoping to play those two matches in the BCL where all the national cricketers can prepare and play against Sri Lanka positively, he said. Meanwhile, pacer Mashrafe bin Mortaza recovered from his injury and has been included in the BCL for Islami Bank East Zone. Mahmudullah said having Mashrafe back is a great boost
Bangladesh faced Sri Lanka last year and produced some brilliant individual performances and Mahmudullah hoped they play as a team and fare well in the Tests. We have played good cricket in Sri Lanka where we had some good individual performances and this time, we will be playing on our home condition and I am hoping to get something positive in the Test series, he said. Meanwhile, countrys leading allrounder Shakib al Hasan, named for Prime Bank South Zone, will be unavailable for his commitment to Adelaide Strikers in the Big Bash League in Australia. Shakib is expected to return prior to Bangladeshs home series against Sri Lanka later this month. l
Jan 12 15
Central Zone v East Zone at BKSP 2 North Zone v South Zone at BKSP 3
Central Zone v South Zone at BKSP 3 North Zone v East Zone at BKSP 2
Jan 18 21
SQUADS
BCB North Zone Mushfiqur Rahim, Junaed Siddique, Naeem Islam, Nasir Hossain, Myshukur Rahman, Sabbir Rahman, Forhad Hossain, Mizanur Rahman, Saqlain Sajib, Sanjamul Islam, Taijul Islam, Sohrawardi Shuvo, Hamidul Islam, Farhad Reza, Muktar Ali, Shuvhashish Roy, Mahmudul Hasan, Delwar Hossain, Jahurul Islam, Nazmul Hossain Islami Bank East Zone Tamim Iqbal, Nafees Iqbal, Mominul Haque, Nazim Uddin, Rumman Ahmed, Shafiul Islam, Tasamul Haque, Jubair Ahmed, Liton Kumar Das, Enamul Haque Jr, Nabil Samad, Dhiman Ghosh, Nur Hossain, Alauddin Babu, Abu Zahed Chowdhury, Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Tapash Baisya, Yasin Arafat, Alok Kapali Prime Bank South Zone Anamul Haque, Imrul Kayes, Md Mithun, Taibur Rahman, Soumya Sarkar, Nasiruddin Faruque, Monir Hossain, Salman Hossain, Fazle Rabbi, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, Nazmul Opu, Shakib al Hasan, Abdur Razzak, Ziaur Rahman, Al Amin, Rubel Hossain, Robiul Islam, Murad Khan, Sohag Gazi, Shuvagata Hom Walton Central Zone Shamsur Rahman, Mahmudullah, Abdul Majid, Roqibul Hasan, Shahriar Nafees, Sharifullah, Dewan Sabbir, Rony Talukder, Mehrab Hossain Jr, Marshal Ayub, Nurul Hasan, Elias Sunny, Arafat Sunny, Shahadat Hossain, Mohammad Sharif, Mohammad Shohid, Tarek Aziz, Saikat Ali, Sahagir Hossain, Talha Jubaer
14
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
Sunderland's Fabio Borini (R) scores his goal from a penalty kick during their English League Cup semifinal first leg match against Manchester United at the Stadium of Light, Sunderland, England on Tuesday
AP
RESULT
Valencia
Postiga 90+3
11
Atletico Madrid
Raul Garcia 72
The Belgium international, on loan from Chelsea, then denied Pablo Piatti in the 82nd before producing possibly his best stop of the night a minute later from Feghoulis close-range blast. It looked as if Diego Simeones Atletico side would hold on to their lead but Postiga struck in the final action of the game. l
Manchester United crashed to a third consecutive loss for the first time since 2001 after losing 2-1 at Sunderland in their League Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday. United were looking to bounce back from successive home defeats by Tottenham Hotspur, in the league, and Swansea City, in the FA Cup, but instead they lost again, and to the Premier Leagues bottom side. Ryan Giggs, who had earlier hit the crossbar, gifted Sunderland the lead with an own goal and despite Nemanja Vidic equalising early in the second half, Fabio Borinis 65th-minute penalty gave the hosts victory. For United manager David Moyes, the gloom grows ever darker, with his hopes of claiming a piece of major do-
RESULT
Sunderland
Giggs 45+2-og, Borini 65 P
21
Man United
Vidic 52
Giggs sent a deflected 25-yard shot against the crossbar, while Januzaj had a goal ruled out for offside and Vidic planted a header wide from a corner shortly before half-time. Sunderland emerged unscathed, though, and in first-half stoppage time they exploited defensive inattention from United to go ahead. From Sebastian Larssons deep
free-kick, Wes Brown stole in behind Michael Carrick to volley the ball back across goal, and in attempting to prevent Phil Bardsley from prodding home, Giggs succeeded only in scoring himself. The timing of the goal felt like a sucker-punch, but United regrouped at the interval and equalised within seven minutes of kick-off in the second period. Tom Cleverley curled a left-wing corner to the back post and Vidic outjumped former team-mates Brown and John OShea to power a header past Vito Mannone. For the umpteenth time this season, however, Uniteds momentum was to desert them. Jonny Evans had to hobble off with an injury, and after Borini had sliced wide and Larsson had drawn a sharp save from visiting goalkeeper David de Gea, Sunderland restored their lead. l
n Reuters, Paris
The 2022 football World Cup in Qatar will not be played in the summer months, Fifa secretary general Jerome Valcke said on Wednesday. The dates of the World Cup will not be in June or July. I think it will be played between November 15 and January 15 the latest, he told France Inter Radio. If you play between November 15 and, lets say, the end of December, its the time when the weather is the most favourable, Valcke added. You play with a temperature equivalent to that of a rather hot spring in Europe, you play with a temperature of
25 degrees (Celsius), which is perfect to play football. In October, Fifa delayed making a decision on whether to play the tournament in the winter saying it was setting up a consultation process to decide when the finals should be held. At the time, footballs world governing body announced it would reach a conclusion sometime after this years World Cup in Brazil. Valckes surprise announcement on Wednesday comes more than three years after Qatar was originally awarded the tournament in Dec. 2010. The average temperature in the summer months in Qatar can be around 35C (95 Fahrenheit) and 45C (113F). l
Schalke 04's players attend a training session at the Aspire Academy of Sports Excellence in Doha yesterday
AFP
Qatar players Khaled Muftah (L) and Abdulaziz Hatim hold the trophy after winning the 8th West Asia cup (WAFF) against Jordan in Doha on Tuesday
REUTERS
25-year-old was quoted as saying on Reals website (www.realmadrid.com) on Tuesday. It was a natural gesture that any man does, and all the more so when he is running, he added. You do it a lot on the pitch. On television you can see that it lasts a millisecond. Its nothing. Its not like I was doing it on purpose for an extended period of time. Di Maria said he was in very good shape and very happy at Real and that coach Carlo Ancelotti had faith in him. l
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Sport
15
QUICK BYTES
SCORECARD
West Indies K. Powell lbw N.McCullum 73 J. Charles run out (N.McCullum) 31 K. Edwards not out 123 L. Simmons c Williamson b Anderson 9 D. Bravo c McCullum b Williamson 106 A. Russell not out 6 Extras: (lb4, w11) 15 Total: (4 wickets; 50 overs) 363 Bowling Southee 10 0 64 0, McClenaghan 8 0 64 0, N. McCullum 10 0 64 1, Anderson 10 1 77 1, Mills 8 0 60 0, Williamson 4 0 30 1 New Zealand M. Guptill b Bravo 6 J. Ryder c Simmons b Holder 17 K. Williamson lbw Holder 16 R. Taylor c Ramdin b Miller 9 B McCullum c Charles b Miller 6 C. Anderson c Bravo b Russell 29 L. Ronchi hit wicket b Miller 15 N.McCullum c Ramdin b Russell 18 K.Mills run out (Holder) 26 T.Southee c Bravo b Miller 9 M.McClenaghan not out 0 Extras: lb6, w3) 9 Total: (all out; 29.5 overs) 160 Bowling Holder 5 0 35 2, Bravo 5 0 12 1, Miller 10 1 45 4, Narine 5.5 0 31 0, Russell 4 0 31 2 Result: West Indies won by 203 runs Series: Series is drawn 2 2
Britains Luol Deng, an NBA All-Star forward, was traded by the Chicago Bulls to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Tuesday in a deal for Andrew Bynum and draft picks, the teams announced. Deng, a 28-year-old playmaker born in what is now South Sudan, has averaged a career-best 19.0 points in 23 starts for the Bulls this season, also grabbing 6.9 rebounds and making 3.7 assists a game and connecting on 45.2 percent of his shots from the court. Deng would have become a free agent at the end of the season. The Chicago Tribune reported he had rejected an extension with the Bulls worth $10 million (7.35m euros) a year for three or four seasons. AFP
West Indies cricketer Kirk Edwards celebrates his century with teammate Dwayne Bravo (L) during their last ODI against New Zealand at Seddon Park in Hamilton yesterday AFP
Indias athletes lost all hope Wednesday of competing under the national flag at the Winter Olympics after the countrys suspended Olympic association said it would hold elections two days after the Games open in Sochi. The Indian Olympic Association (IOA) will hold a poll to elect new leaders on February 9, a senior source told AFP, meaning luge medal hope Shiva Keshavan and three other competitors will be classed as independents, not as Indians. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) froze Indias membership in December 2012 after the national association in New Delhi elected a number of tainted officials to key posts. AFP
Tennis legend Rod Laver of Australia (R) tosses the coin before the start of a charity match between Roger Federer of Switzerland (L) and Jo-Wilfried Tsonga of France (2R) as umpire Carlos Bernardes (2L) looks on in Melbourne yesterday AFP
DAYS WATCH
Sony Six NBA 2013 14 6:30AM Atlanta v Indiana 9:30AM LA Clippers v Boston 12:00PM Pakistan v Sri Lanka 2nd Test, Day 2 Star Sports 1 2:45PM Big Bash T20 Melbourne Stars v Adelaide Strikers Ten Sports 09:30AM WTA Apia International Sydney Semi-finals Ten HD 10:00PM Ram Slam T20 Challenge Titans v Cape Cobras Ten Action 11:00PM Coppa Italia 2013/14 Roma v Sampdoria 2:30AM Copa del Rey 2013/14 Real Madrid v Osasuna
SCORECARD, DAY 1
Pakistan 1st innings Khurram c Prasanna b Lakmal 73 Ahmed Shehzad lbw b Pradeep 3 Mohammad Hafeez b Pradeep 21 Younis Khan c Prasanna b Eranga 13 Misbah-ul Haq c Prasanna b Eranga 1 Asad Shafiq c Silva b Lakmal 6 Sarfraz Ahmed c Prasanna b Pradeep 7 Bilawal Bhatti not out 24 Saeed Ajmal c Silva b Herath 8 Rahat Ali lbw b Herath 0 Junaid Khan lbw b Herath 2 Extras: (lb7) 7 Total: (all out; 63.5 overs) 165 Fall of wickets 1 28, 2 78, 3 107, 4 109, 5 118, 6 127, 7 129, 8 151, 9 151 Bowling Lakmal 21 6 45 2, Eranga 14 4 25 2, Pradeep 18 2 62 3, Herath 10.5 3 26 3 Sri Lanka Ist innings D. Karunaratne lbw b Junaid 32 K. Silva not out 12 K. Sangakkara not out 12 Extras: (lb1) 1 Total: (for one wkt; 16 overs) 57 Fall of wickets 1 40 (Karunaratne) Bowling Junaid 7 1 26 1, Ali 7 1 28 0, Ajmal 1 10 0, Bhatti 1 0 2 0
16
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Back Page
n Moniruzzaman Uzzal
An innovative health service dubbed Little Doctors is set to be launched soon to ensure medical check-ups for 2.5 crore primary school students across the country. The programme of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) will see around 1.5 lakh primary school students trained as little doctors provide information to their peers about personal hygiene, healthy lifestyle, prevention of diseases. The programme has reportedly been built on the concept of child-to-child education, which engages children in learning about health issues and encourages them to disseminate their knowledge to other children, their families and their communities. Prof Dr Be-Nazir Ahmed, line di-
rector of the Communicable Disease Programme (CDC) of the DGHS, said regular health check-ups would allow knowledge about childrens medical conditions. He added that a healthy lifestyle adopted by the little doctors throughout their own lives would have a huge positive impact in the future health of the nation. The pilot phase of the little doctor programme has already been carried out, while it is now going to be run across the country, Dr Be-Nazir added. Sources said the DGHS will administer the little doctors health check-up programme twice (January and June) a year in one lakh primary schools across the country, with the first round of the programme to be held during January 18-20. Initially in the first round, the little doctors will focus on collecting infor-
mation, measuring weight and height, and carrying out refraction test to check the eye-sight of each student. As part of the preparations for the programme, Upazila Health and Family Planning Officers (UHFPO) will participate in the regular monthly teachers meeting organised by the upazila primary education officer on January 11, to instruct teachers about how they would train the students on health check-up and health messages. Later on January 12, 13 and 15, advocacy meetings will be held for civil surgeons, UHFPOs and upazila primary education officers. A total of 15 students, preferably from class five, would be selected and divided into five groups, one for each of the five classes. They will be regarded as Little Doctors and will follow a specific guideline.
A master trainer, who will be selected from the physicians and education officers working in the district, will train a teacher from every school in the area, who will in turn select and orient the students as little doctors and be responsible for implementation of the programme. They will visit all the classes (I V) of the school once or twice a month (to be decided) and discuss health issues using flip charts containing simple and short health messages. Some health issues like personal hygiene, nutrition, de-worming, rabies etc will be applied universally throughout the country. Other issues like malaria, filarial and Kala-azar will be area specific according to endemicity of the particular disease. The selected teachers will supervise and monitor the activity and guide the little doctors. l
n Tribune Report
The last 12 hours of the BNP-led 18-party opposition combines 60-hour hartal ended yesterday with very few incidents of blasts and clashes in Dhaka, Satkhira and Chandpur. Main opposition BNP in a statement said the nationwide nonstop rail, road and waterway blockade would continue until a further programme was announced. Yesterday, a garment worker died, five days after he was critically injured in an attack by pro-blockade activists in Chittagong. Also in Sirajganj, police recovered the body of a youth who was burned to death in an arson attack on a truck on Dhaka-Bogra highway at Horgati in Salanga upazila during the hartal hours. Police identified the Chittagong victim as Rashedul Alam Rasel, 25, of Panchbibi in Fatikchhari upazila. He succumbed to his injuries at Ma o Shishu Hospital in Agrabad around 4am.
The lowest temperature in the country was 6 degrees Celsius in Ishwardi while the highest temperature 26.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in Coxs Bazar yesterday.
The dense fog for the last few days had also been disrupting the road and water transportations. The ferry service on Mawa-Keurakandi and Paturia-Dawlatdia ghats were suspended for 12 hours because of heavy fog. Sirajul Islam, manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Corporation, Mawa, said water transports and ferry services were suspended to avoid accidents. l
Doctors kept him on life support for the last two days. Rasel received the injuries as blockade supporters attacked the CNG-run auto-rickshaw he was riding on with bamboo sticks and others at Hathazari on January 4. He was first taken to a local hospital. Meanwhile, police recovered the body of Lutfur Rahman Milon, 25, from Dhaka-Bogra highway at Sirajganj. On Tuesday, pickets set fire to a Dhaka-bound potato-laden truck at Horgati, leaving potato trader Imran, 30, dead on the spot and three others burn injured. As the driver lost control over the steering after the attack, it overturned on the road. Milons body was found under the truck when it was removed yesterday morning. Apart from the two, Shahina Akter, 42, succumbed to his injuries at the intensive care unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 1:45am and fruit trader Farid Miah, 60, at 9:50am. The capital, however, saw a slack
hartal with no major incident of picketing. Long-route buses started operating since the evening with a low number of passengers while launch operation was normal as before. Officials said train schedules could not be maintained because of taking extra security and fogs. Around 7:30pm, crude bomb attack by pickets left a woman and a rickshaw-puller injured at Segunbagicha area. Injured Runa Afroz, 32, and rickshaw-puller Naru Gopal, 40, were admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Runa told the Dhaka Tribune at the hospital that several youths threw three bombs targeting the rickshaw. In Dilkusha, a group of unidentified criminals set a staff bus of Sonali Bank on fire around 9:15pm when it was parked on the backside of the banks head office, witnesses said. Over 150 opposition men were arrested by the joint forces and the police in Bogra, Gaibandha, Feni, Gazipur, Pabna, Satkhira and Sirajganj districts in the last three days.
A train engine was derailed in Bajitpur upazila of Kishoreganj as pickets removed fishplates of rail tracks halting communication over seven hours. Communication between Dhaka and Kishoreganj was restored yesterday afternoon after a rescue train reached Halimpur, where the wheels of the engine veered off, Station Master Jayanta Kumar Saha confirmed to the Dhaka Tribune. In Chandpur, a clash between the supporters of ruling Awami League and the BNP left at least 10 injured at Ghosherhat around 11:30am. In a separate drive, police arrested eight opposition men while they were picketing at different points of the town, reports our correspondent quoting Superintendent of Police Amir Zafar. In Satkhira, pickets vandalised a truck at Ramchandrapur intersection while unknown miscreants burnt down the house of an AL supporter, Jahir Uddin Chowkider, in Dhulihar Berbari area in the morning. l
An army official stands guard in a bunker set up to prevent violence during blockade in the risky areas of Rajshahi. The photo was taken from Baneswar Bazar of Puthia upazila yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE
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
Business
B3 US to Europe: Stronger
banking union would help boost growth
It drops to 6 8% from the previous years double-digit figure Fixed deposit interest rate decreased n Jebun Nesa Alo to single-digit last year frommore than
12%, said Ali Reza Iftekhar, who has recently been elected chairman of Association of Bankers Bangladesh (ABB). Bangladesh Bank data showed in 2012 the call money rate peaked at 19.66% while the lowest point was 9.81%. Banks excess liquidity increased 50% to Tk90,000 crore in November from Tk60,000 in January, said the central bank. Last year just ahead of Eid-ul-Fitr festival, call money rate slightly increased to 8%. But such rates were as high as 20-22% during previous Eid festival. The demand of money from the clients usually goes up before the largest Muslim festival Eid, which pushes up the rate. High remittance inflow and less imports have also contributed to the increased liquidity in banks. While investments remain dull, remittance continues to grow, and imports have fallen. All these factors have createdhuge idle money in the banks, keeping bank-to-bank lending rate stable instead of its seasonal upswing, said a senior official of Bangladesh Bank. He said the banks were also cautious in disbursing loans after revealing of credit scams. Bangladesh Banks Chief Economist Hassan Zaman said the central bank intervenes in the call money market when it does not reflect the real situation of the banks. But the current rates do project the real situation. l
A covered van carrying parcels is set on fire after Wednesday midnight on the highway in Ishwardi during hartal called by the opposition
FOCUS BANGLA
'The regulator should relax the conditions for the interest of the affected investors as well as for the market'
So far 35 institutions, including merchant banks and brokerage houses, on behalf of the affected investors applied for the credit worth Tk346 crore. Of which, applications of seven institutions on behalf of 2,131 investors for Tk66.4 crore has already been approved but it remained to be released due to the new condition. So far only 1% of the total around 10 lakh investors affected sought credit, sources in the Investment Corporation of Bangladesh (ICB) said. Most investors and institutions showed no interest to avail of the credit due to the complex procedure and tough conditions. For sanctioning loan, the regulator set 18 conditions,
Ailing Biman wants $200m as commercial loan BB removes bar to cash incentives against TT It seeks governments sovereign guarantee to get the credit
n
Asif Showkat Kallol
Biman Bangladesh Airlines has requested the government to allow it for a commercial borrowing of $200m to help overcome the financial crisis before the fleet is going to be landed. Chief executive officer and managing director of the cash-strapped national flag carrier requested the senior officials of finance ministry for some sort of sovereign guarantee against the loan at a meeting recently. Biman authorities expressed utter fear of becoming a bankrupt airliner soon as it apprehended relevant companies such as Boeing, general electric, leasing companies and fuel companies might put cash-hit Biman on cash only categories as the financial deficit of the company rose to over Tk1,500cr. It would virtually force the company to cease its operations in the coming days, says a meeting source. Kevin stressed on the need for injecting around $200m as soon as possible to face the ongoing financial crisis and sought governments help in arranging such a commercial loan in preferential term. Total deficit of Biman now stands Tk1,502cr while the outstanding dues stands at Tk1,589cr and available funds stands at Tk87.31cr, according to a Biman statement as of December 15 last year. Biman has incurred a loss of Tk200 crore in 2012-13 after a loss of Tk600 crore in 2011-12. However, Biman projected the loss would come down to Tk80 crore in the current fiscal with the inclusion of more new generation air craft in its fleet. Under such a circumstance and financial conditions, state-owned Padma Oil Company has already threatened Biman to stop fuel supply while Boeing also threatened not to supply an engine-changing kit for boroscope checks. Apart from that Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh (CAAB) is also unwilling to lease the offices or business class lounges in both Chittagong and Sylhet airport any further, according to a document revealed from Biman Bangladesh Airlines. 300ER aircraft and leased aircrafts while it will pay the rest of the money for paying the dues which has already been increased in maintenance and engineering spares for all the new and leased aircrafts. It is noted here Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation had earlier got $300m loan twice first in 2003-2004 when the oil price soared to $56 per barrel from $23 in quick succession and same amount in 2008 when the fuel oil price surged to record $146 per barrel on commercial interest rate from Standard Chartered Bank. According to Biman officials, two new Boeing-737-300ER aircrafts are expected to join its fleet by March, next. Biman signed a contract with US aircraft manufacturer, the Boeing Company, to purchase eight aircraft at a cost of more than $1bn or Tk8,728 crore in 2008. Two aircraft had already been added to the Bimans fleet in October and November 2011. Apart from procuring the eight Boeings, Biman later ordered for another two Boeing-737-800 aircrafts. l
n Tribune Report
According to Biman officials, the aforesaid commercial bank loans will be used to pay back 50% dues to Padma Oil and also will be agreed on a repayment schedule for the remaining 50%. Besides, national flag carrier will also pay all the outstanding non-aeronautical charges to CAAB, and other outstanding dues to the National Board of Revenue (NBR) Apart from that Biman will have to pay all upfront costs for the new B777-
Bangladesh Bank has revived the facility of providing cash incentives to apparel exporters against advanced telegraphic transfer (TT) after finance ministers assurance. The central bank issued a circular in this regard yesterday. According to the governments decision, the cash incentive will be given to the exporters of garment products including woven, knitwear and terry towels against advanced TT. Such incentive will be allowed after ensuring compliance of the proposed conditions, said the central bank.
The cash incentives against TT was halted after the allegations of money laundering through the system. At a meeting with finance minister last month, the apparel leaders urged the government to reopen this cash incentives for the apparel exporters. Then, finance minister asked the central banks official at the meeting to resume the facility in one week. BGMEA, BKMEA and BTMA leaders urged the finance minister to help sector recoup their losses during political unrest. They called for financial supports. At the latest meeting held on Monday, the finance minister renewed his assurance. l
EXCHANGE RATES
Average selling rates to public in BDT Banks Rupali Bank Currencies SELL BUY USD 77.4 78.4 EURO INR SAR 104.9575 1.1743 20.5366 108.1578 1.3306 21.0049 Sonali Bank SELL BUY 77.4 104.884 1.17 20.5335 78.4 107.3383 1.27 21.0095
B2
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Stock
DSE GAINERS Company
Closing (% change)
Beach Hatchery -A Sinobangla Indu.-A Meghna Con. Milk -B Miracle Industries -B Modern Dyeing -Z Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Shampur Sugar -Z Bangladesh Welding -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A
10.00 9.41 9.38 .26 9.14 7.28 6.85 6.41 6.03 5.88
Average (% change)
Closing average
Closing
Daily high
Daily low
Turnover in million
Latest EPS
Latest PE
9.71 6.78 7.81 9.26 9.20 8.34 4.43 4.69 3.39 3.86
8.81 30.87 30.93 11.80 20.05 86.67 58.50 8.26 24.06 35.54
8.80 31.40 31.50 11.80 20.30 85.50 59.30 8.30 24.60 36.00
8.80 31.50 31.60 11.80 20.40 85.70 59.80 8.50 24.80 36.20
8.70 27.00 29.10 11.80 17.90 85.40 56.60 8.10 21.00 31.00
0.546 25.242 14.632 0.962 13.077 0.013 57.712 0.057 10.438 159.356
-0.52 0.79 0.64 -4.60 0.12 1.44 8.29 -45.28 0.57 1.03
-ve 39.1 48.3 -ve 167.1 60.2 7.1 -ve 42.2 34.5
CSE GAINERS Company Sinobangla Indu.-A Beach Hatchery -A Rangpur Foundry -A Familytex (BD) Ltd.-N Imam Button -Z Central Insur -A Miracle Industries -B Prime Insur -A MBL 1st M. F.-A Sandhani Life -A Closing (% change) 9.62 9.34 8.16 7.91 6.90 6.90 6.88 6.55 6.15 6.14
Average (% change) 7.45 7.09 8.43 5.71 6.41 6.79 9.27 6.55 6.93 5.93
Closing average 31.16 30.95 106.26 59.26 9.29 31.00 20.16 35.80 6.94 74.15
Closing 31.90 31.60 106.00 60.00 9.30 31.00 20.20 35.80 6.90 74.30
Daily high 32.00 31.70 107.80 60.50 9.50 31.00 20.40 36.00 7.00 74.60
Daily low 29.80 29.50 103.40 56.00 9.00 31.00 19.70 35.00 6.70 74.00
Turnover in million 4.253 16.745 1.275 1.215 0.153 0.006 1.633 0.098 0.174 0.141
Latest EPS 0.64 0.79 3.03 8.29 -2.20 2.49 0.12 2.36 1.48 2.39
Latest PE 48.7 39.2 35.1 7.1 -ve 12.4 168.0 15.2 4.7 31.0
Dividend/AGM
ECABLES: 10% cash, AGM: 01.03.2014, RD: 29.12.2013. USMANIAGL: 11% Cash & 10% Stock, AGM: postponed, RD: 07.11.2013. DESCO: 10% Cash & 15% Stock, AGM: 04.01.2014, RD: 05.11.2013. ANWARGALV: 7% Case for general shareholders, AGM: 13.01.2014, RD: 11.11.2013. MPETROLEUM: 70% Cash & 20% Stock, AGM: 17.01.2014, RD: 28.11.2013. POWERGRID: 15% Cash, AGM: 25.01.2014, Time: 10:00 AM. RD: 01.12.2013.
(+) 1.40% (+) 1.78% (+) 1.34% (+) 1.88% (+) 1.42%
Unchanged Issue (Avg. Price Basis) Market Capital Equity (Billion. Tk.) Market Capital Equity (Billion US$)
Average (% change) -5.81 -5.63 -1.24 -1.52 -2.13 0.22 -0.71 -1.77 -1.71 0.90 Average (% change) -8.74 -1.77 -5.87 -6.09 -3.83 -1.51 -2.80 -0.55 -2.11 -0.93
Closing average 365.44 8.04 79.64 80.18 9.20 59.39 87.88 119.23 29.96 42.61
Closing 365.50 8.00 78.30 78.60 9.10 58.10 87.30 118.50 29.80 42.00
Daily high 380.00 8.20 83.00 82.40 9.30 61.00 89.10 126.00 30.30 43.50
Daily low 358.00 7.90 76.00 75.00 8.50 55.00 87.00 114.00 29.20 41.00
Turnover in million 0.739 0.623 6.411 40.586 0.023 8.292 0.290 22.168 0.343 56.328
Latest EPS 9.80 0.40 -0.64 3.33 0.52 2.24 0.68 5.33 -0.56 1.16
Latest PE 37.3 20.1 -ve 24.1 17.7 26.5 129.2 22.4 -ve 36.7
Closing average 355.93 78.24 736.10 301.68 7.03 79.59 57.67 50.65 129.00 17.12
Closing 355.90 75.40 736.10 301.70 7.00 79.20 57.40 49.60 129.00 16.90
Daily high 356.00 82.00 750.00 345.00 7.10 80.80 60.00 52.80 129.00 17.30
Daily low 355.90 75.00 728.10 301.00 7.00 78.80 57.10 49.10 129.00 16.90
Turnover in million 0.481 0.626 0.221 3.047 0.193 1.344 0.479 4.569 0.032 2.341
Latest EPS 11.53 -0.64 -6.76 12.46 1.52 3.33 2.24 3.55 -0.77 1.61
Latest PE 30.9 -ve -ve 24.2 4.6 23.9 25.7 14.3 -ve 10.6
ANALYST
Improved expectations in political frontier seemed to give a push up to the stock prices during the session
Volume shares
DSE Million Taka 406.55 582.67 89.96 915.57 196.57 732.16 2.08 664.81 481.93 0.52 26.08 158.57 47.89 284.50 33.45 79.87 121.28 205.29 120.70 246.29 0.30
% change 7.53 10.80 1.67 16.96 3.64 13.57 0.04 12.32 8.93 0.01 0.48 2.94 0.89 5.27 0.62 1.48 2.25 3.80 2.24 4.56 0.01
Million Taka 42.44 46.66 7.07 95.04 31.22 55.84 67.37 41.21 0.17 4.19 5.60 9.22 16.54 6.54 3.11 7.25 16.12 22.81 54.70 0.01
CSE
% change 7.96 8.75 1.33 17.83 5.86 10.47 0.00 12.64 7.73 0.03 0.79 1.05 1.73 3.10 1.23 0.58 1.36 3.02 4.28 10.26 0.00
Million Taka 448.99 629.33 97.03 1010.62 227.79 788.00 2.08 732.18 523.14 0.69 30.28 164.17 57.10 301.04 39.99 82.98 128.53 221.41 143.51 300.99 0.32
Total
% change 7.57 10.61 1.64 17.04 3.84 13.29 0.04 12.35 8.82 0.01 0.51 2.77 0.96 5.08 0.67 1.40 2.17 3.73 2.42 5.08 0.01
Golden Son -A BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Appollo Ispat CL -N S Purbanchol Power-N Square Pharma -A Grameenphone-A Summit Power -A Generation Next-A HeidelbergCement -A ApexAdelchi Ftr -A UCBL - A Orion Pharma-N Titas Gas TDCLA Bengal Windsor-N
CSE TURNOVER LEADERS Company
3,555,090 3,686,660 4,484,124 4,139,200 2,180,615 748,976 641,200 3,088,142 3,417,900 305,620 235,300 4,048,216 1,395,160 1,122,794 1,193,476
Value in million
265.07 251.99 159.36 151.96 151.13 149.26 134.45 132.19 127.94 126.90 119.07 103.97 88.76 86.01 77.04
% of total turnover
4.91 4.67 2.95 2.82 2.80 2.77 2.49 2.45 2.37 2.35 2.21 1.93 1.64 1.59 1.43
Daily closing
75.90 67.70 36.00 36.60 69.00 199.80 210.50 43.10 37.00 418.80 497.70 25.60 63.10 77.40 64.70
Price change
4.26 0.15 5.88 1.10 -0.86 1.52 1.35 2.38 -0.27 3.38 1.76 3.23 -0.16 3.48 3.35
Daily opening
72.80 67.60 34.00 36.20 69.60 196.80 207.70 42.10 37.10 405.10 489.10 24.80 63.20 74.80 62.60
76.30 69.20 36.20 37.30 70.50 200.20 211.50 44.00 38.00 423.90 517.00 27.00 64.40 77.90 67.00
Daily high
67.00 62.00 31.00 36.10 64.00 185.00 207.40 38.00 34.00 408.00 490.00 22.40 57.00 70.00 57.00
Daily low
Daily average
74.56 68.35 35.54 36.71 69.31 199.29 209.69 42.81 37.43 415.21 506.05 25.68 63.62 76.60 64.55
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
BEXIMCO Ltd. -A Appollo Ispat CL -N S Purbanchol Power-N Paramount Textile Ltd.-N UCBL - A Beach Hatchery -A Golden Son -A Generation Next-A UNITED AIR A LankaBangla Fin. -A Grameenphone-A Orion Pharma-N Bengal Windsor-N BSRM Steels-A
Volume shares
1,145,979 931,000 263,970 346,500 705,471 541,000 234,493 415,840 855,707 169,080 55,600 174,700 151,964 115,050
Value in million
40.69 34.21 18.28 18.19 18.15 16.74 16.05 15.63 14.48 12.64 11.68 11.10 9.79 8.61
% of total turnover
7.63 6.42 3.43 3.41 3.41 3.14 3.01 2.93 2.72 2.37 2.19 2.08 1.84 1.61
Daily closing
36.00 36.60 69.00 52.30 25.60 31.60 67.90 37.10 17.00 76.20 210.80 63.10 64.70 75.20
Price change
5.26 0.83 -1.00 0.58 2.40 9.34 0.30 0.00 1.80 4.38 1.54 0.16 3.52 3.72
Daily opening
34.20 36.30 69.70 52.00 25.00 28.90 67.70 37.10 16.70 73.00 207.60 63.00 62.50 72.50
36.20 37.30 70.50 53.20 26.00 31.70 69.50 38.10 17.10 76.50 212.00 64.50 65.80 75.50
Daily high
Daily low
34.50 36.40 68.20 51.90 24.80 29.50 67.30 36.90 16.70 72.50 207.10 63.00 63.00 74.00
Daily average
35.50 36.75 69.24 52.49 25.73 30.95 68.45 37.58 16.92 74.74 210.04 63.56 64.43 74.83
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
nese companies accounted for 70,000 full-time jobs in the United States. The total value of investment hit a record high of $14bn, with high-profile deals in real estate as well as Chinese investors took stakes in the General Motors Building and Chase Manhattan Plaza in New York. Private firms and entrepreneurs dominated, accounting for 87% of transactions and 76 percent of the total value of Chinese investment, a contrast to the dominance of state firms until recently, the study said. US lawmakers have raised concern about investments by several Chinese firms. Telecoms giant Huawei has largely dropped hopes of expansion in
B3
So far, the type of cost sharing favored by Washington has been ruled out by Germany, which does not want to commit taxpayer money to bank bailouts in other countries. German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble is likely to reiterate that when he meets Lew later on Wednesday. Lew then flies to Lisbon for talks with Portuguese Prime Minister Pedro Passos Coelho. Lew is seeking to build ties with like-minded officials in other corners of the continent in an attempt to build momentum for a deeper banking union and reorient the focus of policymakers toward boosting growth. French Finance Minister Pierre
French President Francois Hollande (left) welcomes US Treasury Secretary Jack Lew (centre) and French Finance Minister Pierre Moscovici (right) at the Elysee Palace in Paris REUTERS Moscovici, following a meeting with Lew on Tuesday, said: We have converging views and are hoping to get our voices heard. French President Francois Hollande, with whom Lew also met on Tuesday, is due to make a state visit to Washington in February. Much has been made of Americas recent criticism of the German economic model, and whether that criticism creates tension between Lew and Schaeuble. In October, the US Treasury said in a report to Congress that Germany wasnt doing enough to spur its domestic economy, and that its dependence on exports was putting downward pressure on wages and prices around the world. German politicians were furious, saying Germanys export success is a reflection of its competitiveness and highly-skilled workforce. But any tension there is likely to be secondary to the banking union issue for a number of reasons. For one, the United States has little moral high ground with Germany on issues of macroeconomic policy. Washington has engaged in harsh austerity in recent years and has had little success boosting real wages - both of which keep domestic demand low. Also, boosting domestic demand in Germany could take some time, while the risks of a flawed banking union could be more pressing. The European Central Bank is due to finish a review of big banks balance sheets by years end, and might call on some to recapitalize. l
Jamuna Bank Training Academy (JBTA) arranged training programme on Orientation on Banking Operations for Executive Officer. Jamuna Bank Limited Deputy Managing Director Mirza Elias Uddin Ahmed inaugurated the training programme. Besides, JBTA Director General Md Motior Rahman, and SVP and Co-ordinator S M Altaf Hossain were present on the occasion
Social Islami Bank Limited (SIBL) Board of Directors Chairman Major (Retd) Dr Md Rezaul Haque handing over blankets to Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) Chief Executive Md Arifur Rahman for distribution among the distressed cold stricken indigenous Tipra tribune people living in Shitakund hills range. SIBL Managing Director Md Shafiqur Rahman, Deputy Managing Director AMM Farhad and senior executives were also present at the programme
B4
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Business
Domestic tourism reached on the verge of collapse as it already suffered a business loss of 90% while inbound tourism came down to zero level. Hotels, restaurants, tourism vessels and vehicles are facing setback as well
to run the park as visitors presence fell by around 90%, said Enamul Hossain, assistant manager (sales) of Fantasy Kingdom.We had to pay staffs though the income is at zero level. In the Fridays and holidays, generally 15,000 to 20,000 visitors come to enjoy their holidays, but due to political unrest, it came down to 400 to 500 per day, he added. During December to January period of every year, the amusement park faces huge rush from corporate houses, schools and collages for picnic. But this year, they hosted no such groups as yet, said Enamul. Tourist spots are to enjoy. But no one could enjoy due to violence, said Mizanur Rahman, general manager of Swapnopuri, an amusement park at Dinajpur. He said the political unrest hindered people from moving, affecting the amusement park business. We are not getting reservations for picnics by corporate or institutional clients as they are suffering from indecision due to political programmes being announced indiscriminately beyond prediction, said Zubaid Al Hafiz, head of marketing at Nandan Park. If the unrest continues, the whole sector will fall into deep crises as the business of the sector in the peak season is at stake, said Hafiz. We have incurred a loss of over Tk1 crore in last two months. Domestic tourism reached on the verge of collapse, Taufiq Uddin Ahmed, president of Tour Operators Association of Bangladesh (TOAB), spoke of the state of the sector that already suffered a business loss of 90%. On the other hand, he said, inbound tourism came down to zero level as the operators have been forced to cancel scheduled visits by the foreign tourists. As a result, the linkage business like hotel, restaurants, tourism vessel and vehicles are facing setback as they cannot bear the expenses, Ahmed said. l
A view of Dhaka Shishu Park (children's amusement park). There has been remarkable drop in the number of visitors to amusement parks and other tourist spots across the country due to political unrest RAJIB DHAR the lake a decorated look for the New Year, but the investment for renovation only increased the amount of our looses, said Ghos. We, a group of 10 first year student of Dhaka International University, have planned to go on a three-day tour to Coxs Bazaar on the first week of January, but had to put off the plan as BNP enforced hartal, said Munim Chowdhury, a member of the group. It has now become difficult for us
Analysis - Emerging market investors face year mined with political risks
n Reuters
As the tidal wave of global central bank liquidity recedes in 2014, emerging market investors are growing more anxious about local political risks - and how to spot them early on. Developing economies have had a rough ride since the US Federal Reserve first mooted a wind-down of its money printing last year. The looming withdrawal of easy cash worldwide pushed the dollar and Treasury yields up and drove Western investors home, jarring countries most dependent on foreign capital. Emerging market bonds posted only their third year in the red since 1998 last year, while emerging equities ended 2013 in the red for the second year in three. And as the global investment tide sweeps out, it may reveal a beach strewn with political detritus. As competition for funds hots up while their economies rapidly lose steam, political risks have been amplified in the so-called Fragile Five of Turkey, South Africa, India, Indonesia and Brazil, the emerging economies with the biggest overseas financing needs. All five face elections this year, adding to brewing local concerns over a deepening corruption probe in Turkey or the waning popularity of South Africas and Brazils leaders. South Africa and India hold parliamentary elections in 2014, while Brazil and Turkey have presidential elections. Indonesia has both. In fact, 12 of the major emerging markets go to the polls in some format this year. 2014 will be a year in which the return impact from idiosyncratic political events in emerging markets could increase substantially, asset manager M&G Investments told clients this week. The prospect of these elections could potentially reduce the net capital flows into these economies on a temporary basis, it added, citing the threat of local capital flight, delayed foreign direct investment or portfolio flows as well as increased demand for currency and bond hedging. Navigating the scheduled elections may be the easy bit, however. Some of the biggest political disruptions of the past four years were rather more sudden, such as the Arab Spring upheavals across the Middle East and North Africa or the more recent street protests in Ukraine. For funds seeking to assess political risk well in advance, some form of advance warning system or scorecard is critical.
NEWS IN BRIEF
PM expects 5% economic growth in 2013/14
Indias economic growth in the current fiscal year will likely remain flat at 5%, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said on Wednesday. Singhs forecast is more optimistic than those of several private economists, who are predicting growth in the year to March 2014 to slip below 5%. Pace of economic expansion in Asias third largest economy hit a decade-low of 5% in the last fiscal year. Reuters
Willingness to pay
The worlds biggest asset manager Blackrock, for example, publishes a Sovereign Risk Index every quarter that now ranks 50 countries in terms of governments overall creditworthiness. The index covers areas such as external finance needs, fiscal policies and banking stability, but also captures the essence of pure political risk under a heading Willingness to Pay. The introduction of Ukraine and Nigeria to the list this week saw the two countries come in at 45th and 39th respectively on overall ratings. Their scores for Willingness to Pay, however, are far below the average of their emerging market peers. Only Venezuela has a worse rating than Nigeria, for example. Whats more, Blackrock highlighted the growing political element in its
risk ratings, citing the recent unrest in Thailand and Ukraine in particular, and it said it had added an additional source in compiling its willingness to pay gauge to strengthen monitoring. All of the Fragile Five flashed red on this category when Blackrock last updated this index in October. Portfolio investors, therefore, may have their radars up in order to exit quickly, but does this work for companies with bricks and mortar investment on the ground? Political risks to so-called foreign direct investments go well beyond tax hikes or payment risks and extend to outright expropriation of assets, threats to staff or plant and inventory damage from conflict or social unrest. Traditionally these risks to foreign direct investment have had to be judged by deep local knowledge, or assessed by government insurance bodies or bespoke political risk agencies. But a study published by the USbased National Bureau of Economic Research this week showed that early-warning political risk gauges can be constructed from bond market prices and provide just as valuable a guide for
business overseas. The paper, by four US economists from Columbia and Duke Universities and Universities of Washington and North Carolina, showed political risk gauges do provide a good warning of events defined both by claims recorded by the US governments political risk insurance arm and major adverse news events. Whats more, the authors - Geert Bekaert, Campbell Harvey, Christian Lundblad and Stephen Siegel - reckon they can construct a real-time accurate gauge using a subset of sovereign bond spreads stripping out non-political factors like market liquidity, economic trends or the global market climate. By and large, they argue, sovereign spreads in emerging markets overstate pure political risks by 3.1 percentage points. But - in a warning as much to national policymakers as investors - their striking conclusion is that a 1 percentage point rise in the political risk spread leads to a drop in FDI of almost 12%, or some $305m on average, for the 30 emerging countries in major debt indices. l
Fund managers in India to place bold bets on mid-caps in 2014: Reuters poll
Indian asset managers plan to increase their holdings of cheaper mid-cap shares in coming months, signalling increased confidence about the economy and the outlook for inflation despite looming general elections, according to a Reuters poll. Reuters
Supporters of Arvind Kejriwal, leader of the newly formed Aam Aadmi (Common Man) Party, wave India's national flag during the first party workers' meeting after their party won 28 constituencies in the state assembly elections, in New Delhi REUTERS