SECOND EDITION
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
|
Shraban 27, 1423, Zilqad 7, 1437
|
Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 106
|
www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10
JMB, ABT in terror merger
n Kamrul Hasan
Police’s elite force Rapid Action
Battalion yesterday claimed to
have received information of a possible merger between two banned
militant groups – Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh and Ansarullah Bangla Team. The new wing is
identified as Daulatul Islam.
RAB, however, could not confirm the number of militants working under the new platform and
refused to disclose the identity of
their chief.
The law enforcers got the information questioning six Daulatul Islam members from different parts
of Dhaka from Tuesday night to
early yesterday.
After the Gulshan attack, investigators told the media that they
had recovered a handkerchief from
the crime scene that reads Daulatul
Islam of Bangladesh in Bangla.
Police have claimed that the
Gulshan and Sholakia attackers,
and the nine militants killed in a
raid at Kallyanpur were from the
same group – New JMB – which is
a faction of the JMB and linked to
Islamic State.
In April, DB police said that they
had got proof that a new organisa-
n Mohammad Jamil Khan
A RAB press release yesterday
said that two teams of Ansarullah and JMB had decided to work
together under the banner of
Daulatul Islam. A website named
Investigators are yet to make any
headway into the deaths of two
high-profile persons, both
of
whom went missing from Dhaka’s
Dhanmondi area this year within
three months of each other.
On April 2, Mohammad Irfanul
Islam, an official of Drik Gallery,
went missing from Dhanmondi
Road 8 after he withdraw Tk3.8
lakh from Dutch Bangla Bank’s
Dhanmondi branch. his dead body
was found near Dhaka-Narayanganj Link Road on the evening of
the same day.
Irfan’s elder brother Imdadul
Islam filed a murder case with Kalabagan police station a day after
the killing. The case is now being
investigated by Criminal Investigation Department (CID).
President of Dutch-Bangla Chamber of Commerce and Industry
(DBCCI), Md Hassan Khaled, went
missing on July 23 and his dead
body was found on July 26 near
Kholamora ghat of Buriganga river
under Keraniganj police station.
Victim’s younger brother Murad
 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
Members of RAB produce six militants in front of media at its headquarters yesterday after they were arrested from different
parts of Dhaka in separate drives
DHAKA TRIBUNE
tion Daulatul Islam was providing
financial support to the members
of Ansarullah and Hizb ut-Tahrir.
According to RAB, the six militants detained are the members of
a suicide squad and one of them,
Mustafizur Rahman alias Shifat, belongs to Ansarullah Bangla Team.
He used to claim terror attacks in
Bangladesh on behalf of Islamic
State alongside updating IS’ official
website Amaq news agency.
Razakar Sakhawat to die
n Ashif Islam Shaon
The gang of
war criminals
unleashed
series of
incidents of
terror during
the war
under the
leadership of
Sakhawat
No progress in
probe of 2 high
profile deaths
Former Jamaat-e-Islami MP Sakhawat Hossain has been sentenced
to death for the crimes against humanity he had committed in Jessore during the 1971 Liberation War.
Sakhawat, now a leader of Jatiya Party, was given the punishment for the torture and murder of
Chandtulla Gazi and his son Atiyar
of Keshabpur upazila’s Chingra
village; and the abduction, torture
and murder of Abdul Malek Sardar
of Keshabpur Upazila’s Hijaldanga
village in Jessore.
“The sentence of death awarded be executed by hanging the
convict accused Md Sakhawat
Hossain by the neck or by shooting
him till he is dead, as decided by
the government,” the verdict says.
Delivering the judgement yesterday, the International Crimes
Tribunal headed by Justice Anwarul Haque said that all the five
charges – abduction, confinement,
torture, rape and murder of Bangalis – brought against him had been
proven against him.
Two other members of the tribunal are Justice Md Shahinur Islam and Justice Md Shohrowardi.
It is the 26th verdict in war
crimes cases. The first judgement
was pronounced against war criminal Abul Kalam Azad alias Bachchu Razakar on January 23, 2013.
The tribunal yesterday also sentenced seven others to imprisonment until death. They are Md Billal Hossain, Md Ibrahim Hossain,
Sheikh Md Mujibur Rahman, Md
Abdul Aziz Sarder, Qazi Ohidul Islam alias Wahidur Salam, Md Aziz
Sarder and Abdul Khalek Morol.
Another accused, Lutfor Morol,
died of cardiac arrest in police custody on May 6 this year. All but
Sakhawat and Billal have been on
the run.
The defence lawyers said that
they would file an appeal with
the Appellate Division against the
judgement while the state counsels said they were satisfied.
A total of seventeen witnesses
testified against the war criminals during the trial. The tribunal
 PAGE 2 COLUMN 1
DT
News
2
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1
JMB, ABT merger detected
At-Tamkin was working as their
media to claim responsibility for
the attacks. The website was accessible as of last night.
Shifat, 27, was an administrator
of the website, RAB’s Legal and Media Wing Director Mufti Mahmud
Khan told reporters at its headquarters. “During primary interrogation, Shifat has admitted that he
claimed 11 such attacks under the
banner of Daulatul Islam,” he said.
The five others are members of
JMB – Jahid Hasan alias Moin, 21,
Noyon Hossain, 21, Jahid Anowar
alias Porag 21, Tajul Islam alias Tajul, 29, Ziabul Haque, 24.
Since September last year, IS
has claimed responsibility for 25
attacks in Bangladesh that killed
45 persons, mainly foreigners,
and non-Sunni and non-Muslim
preachers.
RAB sources said they detained
Porag from Airport Railway Station
area on Tuesday night and following his statement detained two
others – Tajul and Moin – from Al
Arafat Hotel in Gabtoli area around
2am.
Later, a RAB 4 team detained
Shifat, Ziabul and Noyon from a tinshed house in Uttar Bisil area under
Shah Ali police station around 5am.
They rented the house three days
ago. A large number of firearms,
ammunition and explosives were
recovered from the house.
Asked if Shifat was the only administrator of At-Tamkin, Mufti
said: “There can be more. We will
have to investigate and find out
more about this.”
Asked if the militants were planning to launch an attack, he said
that they were still in dark about
the matter. “But in a note book
recovered it was found that they
drew a map of Hazrat Shah Ali
shrine.”
As the JMB is generally against
shrines, they might have targeted
the shrine on Mazar Road. “But it
will be too early to comment about
it,” another RAB official told the
Dhaka Tribune.
Madaripur attackers had code
names
The elite force also revealed that
militant Golam Faizullah Fahim alias Abrar, who along with his associates, attacked a Hindu teacher of
Madaripur Government Nazimuddin College on June 15, was also a
member of JMB.
Fahim was earlier involved with
another outlawed militant group
Hizb ut-Tahrir.
He was killed in an alleged gunfight between his cohorts and the
police during a raid in Miarchar
area at Bahadurpur on June 18, a
day after he had been placed on a
10-day remand.
RAB yesterday said Ziabul, one
of the militants caught yesterday,
was supposed to take part in the attack under the code name of Abdur
Rahman. But their ameer, who is
yet to be identified, asked him not
to participate in the attack few days
prior to the attack.
In June, police also arrested JMB
recruiter Khalid Saifullah Jamil ali-
as Afif Kayfi alias Pothbhola Pathik,
son of a teacher of the same college, for masterminding the attack.
After analysing his phones,
Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit officials discovered that he had recruited at least
49 people to work as JMB sleeper
cell members at different places
across Bangladesh.
a view to evading arrest, RAB said
quoting a Facebook conversation
between the militants.
Digital recruitment
RAB’s Mufti said they had received
information from Shifat that the
militants had been involved in gold
smuggling to finance their activities.
A well-placed source, closed to
the investigation, said that from
this, they would get two benefits
– if they succeed they would receive huge amount of money, and
if caught during smuggling, they
would be labelled as smugglers not
militants. In that case they would
get bail easily and resume work after coming out of jail.
The members of Daulatul Islam
used children to carry arms with
The new group was operating in three
separate units – recruitment, training
and operation groups. The recruitment work was mostly done through
social media platforms including
Facebook, Telegram and Threema.
The recruiters used to operate
fake Facebook profiles to monitor
the activities of potential members. Once selected, the freshers
were contacted through Telegram
and if found trustworthy, they
were given new IDs on Threema.
The operational instructions
came through the Threema app,
RAB said. If a suicide attacker survived and could join them again,
he is given a new name.
Throughout the process, the
members are barred from asking
any question about the operations
and names of the team members
and leaders. l
their houses on fire. But Sakhawat
kicked her down along with her
son. As a result, they were thrown
down on a wooden cot and Atiar
was seriously injured that resulted
in his death after 17 days.
In the Bangla month Ashwin, the
collaborators again raided the house
but Chandtulla luckily escaped and
hid himself inside a bush near his
house. They found him out, took
him to Chingra razakar camp, confined him for four days and killed by
rifle shot on the bank of the Kopotakkho River and left his body there.
For these offences, Sakhawat
was sentenced to death while the
seven others to life in prison.
According to the third charge,
in the month of Ashwin, the local
razakars including Mujibur, Ibrahim
and Khaleque instructed by Sakhawat picked up Nur Uddin Morol and
brutally tortured him at the razakar
camp. He was released later.
Sakhawat, Khaleque and Mujibur were sentenced to 10-year jail
while Ibrahim acquitted.
Meanwhile, at the end of Ashwin, the razakars of Chingra camp
having abducted A Malek Sardar,
a source of the freedom fighters,
confined him at the camp and tortured him mercilessly.
Sakhawat, Ibrahim, A Aziz Sardar, Abdul Aziz and Khaleque along
with other 6/7 razakars brought
Malek from the camp to Chingra
Bazar ferry ghat and Sakhawat
himself killed him by a gun shot.
The body was thrown down on the
bank of the Kopotakkho River.
Sakhawat was awarded death
sentence for the offence while four
others to life in prison.
The last charge says that upon
Sakhawat’s instructions, razakars detained freedom fighter Miron Sheikh.
As he tried to escape, razakars shot
him and took him to the Chingra Bazar camp. Miron became crippled due
to the torture and was later thrown
into the river thinking him dead.
Sakhawat, Ibrahim, two Aziz and
Khaleque were sentenced to 15-year
imprisonment each for the offence. l
23 morning saying he was going to
buy some medication, the family
said. A general diary was filed with
the Dhanmondi police station after
he went missing.
Khaled’s wife Dilara Khaled said
his business had not been going
well for sometime.
“He took a huge loan from the
bank and was under mental pressure and taking medication for
that,” she added.
However, Dilara said she did not
believe her husband would commit
suicide for such mental suffering.
But she did not have any explanation for the tragedy.
Nure Azam Miah, officer-in-
charge of Dhanmondi police station, said police were not clear what
Khaled was intending to do that day.
“His cell phone was switched
off from 8.33am, soon after he got
out of home. We did not find anything suspicious on his call list and
nothing peculiar was found in his
autopsy,” he said.
DB sources said they had interrogated all family members
and business partners of Khaled
but nothing suspicious had been
found. Detectives were waiting
for the viscera report to determine
the actual cause of death and were
hoping that the mystery would be
unveiled from that point. l
Militants in gold smuggling
Razakar Sakhawat to die
finished hearing in the case on July
14 and kept the case pending for
verdict.
In 1971, Sakhawat was the a member of Islami Chhatra Sangha, the
erstwhile student wing of Jamaat,
and later become a leader of al-Badr
in Jessore. The seven others were involved with the razakar force.
He went into hiding after the
independence and resumed politics in 1986 as a leader of Jamaat
in Jessore. He was elected lawmaker from Jessore 6 constituency
with Jamaat ticket in 1991. He later
joined the BNP and became an MP
in the February 15 elections in 1996.
Also known as Maulana Shakhawat, the war criminal is now the
religious affairs secretary of Jatiya Party. During the 2014 national
elections, he contested from Jatiya
Party from the same constituency
but could not win.
He was arrested over war crimes
charges on November 29, 2014. The
tribunal’s probe body started investigation against him in 2012.
In this case, the prosecution
pressed charges against 12 people
on July 26 last year. The tribunal
accepted the charges against nine
on September 8. Finally, five charges were framed against them on
December 23. The offences took
place between mid-September and
mid-October in 1971.
After the full verdict is published, the convicts will get 30-day
time to file appeals but the absconders will have to surrender to
avail the legal opportunity.
Their role in 1971
The gang of war criminals unleashed series of incidents of terror
during the war under the leadership of Sakhawat.
In the Bengali month of Ashwin,
Sakhawat asked his fellow men to
pick up a woman of Boga area on
charge of “spying” for the freedom
fighters. The woman was picked
up by a team of Ibrahim, the two
Azizs and 10-12 razakaras. During
her confinement at Chingra Bazar
camp for three days, she was tortured and raped by Sakhawat.
The tribunal awarded Sakhawat,
Ibrahim, two Azizs 20-year imprisonment each for the offence.
Sakhawat also used to incite
his men to to kill supporters and
activists of the Awami League and
pro-liberation people in the area
terming them kafirs and munafeks.
In such a meeting held in Bengali
month of Shraban, he asked his 2530 razakars to carry out a massacre.
Thereafter, in the mid of Bangla
month Bhadra, Shakhawat, Ibrahim, Billal, Mujibur, Aziz Sardar, Abdul Aziz Sardar, Ohidul, Lutfor, Khaleque and other 8/9 razakars raided
the house of freedom fighter Chandtulla Gazi but could not get him.
They having plundered set fire to
two dwelling houses of Chandtulla.
At that moment, the wife of
Chandtulla having taken her one
and a half year old son
Atiar, who was crying in her
lap, touched the legs of Sakhawat
requesting not to plunder and set
No progress in probe of 2 high profile deaths
Hasan filed a murder case with Dhanmondi police station.
According to sources, CID has
changed the investigation officer in
Irfan murder twice now. The case is
currently with Sub-Inspector Mohammad Yousuf.
Sources at the investigating
agency said they had interrogated
a suspect known to be involved in
mugging using fake police detective ID, but no solid lead had been
found in the case.
SI Mohammad Yousuf said investigation was underway to track
down Irfan’s killers but there had
been no breakthrough yet.
“We are primarily suspecting
that mugging was the primary
motive of the killing, took place
mugging but it cannot be said
clearly before the full investigation
report,” he said.
Irfan’s autopsy report shows he
has been strangled to death. Investigators suspect muggers were
waiting in front of the bank took
away Irfan by force when he came
out with the money.
Irfan’s wife Johora Khatun said
she believed her husband may
have known his killers.
“It is not possible to pick up
someone forcefully from a busy
area like Dhanmondi,” she told
Dhaka Tribune.
Investigators had spoken to
the family and relatives but had
not given any updates yet, she
said. Asked whether Irfan had any
known enemies, Johora said couple of months before the murder,
he had received some phone calls
demanding extortion.
On the other hand, the investigation of the DBCCI president’s death
was taken up by police’s detective
branch (DB) just a day after Hassan
Khaled’s body was found in Buriganga. Investigators are suspecting that
it is a suicide, according to sources.
Khaled, who lived with his wife
and daughter at house 45, Dhanmondi Road 4/A, went out on July
3
DT
News
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
IGP to militants:
If you return, we
will help you
n Arifur Rahman Rabbi
In what becomes a common scene during a rainy day in Dhaka, a woman haggles with an autorickshaw driver on Dhaka University campus for a justified fare. Instead of
going by the metre, autorickshaw drivers take advantage of the desperation of commuters and demand exorbitant fares whenever it rains
MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK
BNP to implement one
leader, one post policy
n Mohammad Al-Masum Molla
BNP is set to reinstitute an old policy of restricting one person to just
a single party position, in hopes of
quelling the newly surfaced tension within the party.
This move would presumably
free up enough positions to accommodate disgruntled and deprived
leaders of the party and rejuvenate
the new leadership as had been expected.
Several senior leaders had threatened to quit the party after being left
out of the newly declared executive
committee of over 500 people.
BNP sources said party Chairperson Khaleda Zia was irritated
that many deprived leaders were
expressing their grievances publicly and had asked some of the top
leaders to accommodate those left
out by implementing “one leader,
one post policy.”
There are more than a hundred
leaders who are enjoying more
than one post in the party. If the
policy was implemented, then 100
additional leaders will be able to
get posts in the new committee.
The policy will be implemented
especially among the district-level leaders who got position in
the central committee; they will
now reportedly be given option to
choose one post.
Earlier, a section of deprived leaders met Khaleda and expressed their
grievances; to which the party chief
assured them that they would be included in the committee in time.
Following the announcement
of the new committee, three BNP
leaders have already tendered
their resignation and some are also
threatening to leave politics.
Party sources said two vacant
posts in the party's standing committee will be filled up soon while
some new faces will be included in
the party's executive committee.
Seeking anonymity, a senior BNP
leader told the Dhaka Tribune that it
would not be a problem if some dedicated leaders get positions in the
new committee. “Apart from this,
the number of standing committee
members could be 23 or 21 instead
of 19. If some leaders are accommodated in the standing committee,
the problem will be resolved.”
Source said that among BNP
leaders Abdullah Al Noman, Shah
Moazzem Hossain and Major (retd)
Hafizuddin Ahmed — two or all
three might be accommodated.
Gulshan office sources said BNP
Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman has also suggested including the
deprived leaders in the committee.
Asked for comment, party's
standing committee member Goyeshwar Chandra Roy said: “Wait and
see. There are all sorts of chances.
As per party charter, party chairperson can appoint any leader in
any position.”
BNP Vice-Chairman Mohammad
Shahjahan said: “If 'one leader, one
post policy' is implemented, then
some posts will be vacant and more
leaders will be accommodated.
There will be grievances in the party but it could be addressed by accommodating as much as possible.”
Days after the announcement
of the committee, BNP Secretary
General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir admitted that many competent
leaders did not get proper positions
in the committee.
The BNP’s announcement of a
new 502-member executive committee on Saturday triggered widespread outrage among many party
leaders who felt they were deprived
of their deserving positions while
many controversial names were included in the committee.
Fakhrul urged the disappointed
leaders to remain patient. “There
will be no use in demonstrating.
Keep patience, because there is no
last word in politics.” l
Inspector General of Police AKM
Shahidul Hoque yesterday said police would extend help to the militants who are willing to return to
normal life.
“If the militants do not have
previous criminal records, we will
help them return to normal life,” he
said at a programme in Dhaka.
The function was organised to extend financial assistance to the families of four policemen killed in militant attacks in Gulshan and Sholakia.
IGP Shahidul also asked district
police chiefs to maintain register
and database detailing circumstances under which policemen
died while performing their duties.
He instructed police to extend
help to the families of their slain
colleagues when necessary.
He also said when policemen are
killed in militant attacks It does not
weaken our morality rather strengthens it. Police is determined to eliminate militancy from Bangladesh.
“Our youths are misguided by
wrong interpretation of Islam. No
one can accept it.” l
BFIU seeks account
info of 18 militants
n Tribune Desk
The central bank’s Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) has
sought bank account information
of 18 people whose names came in
the media in connection with the
three recent terror incidents.
Banks have been asked to freeze
the accounts immediately after
their identification.
The names include
militants killed in
Kallyanpur, Sholakia and
Holey Artisan Bakery
The account details have been
asked to be submitted within 15
days to find out the financiers of
militant activities. The regulator
will also assess whether the militants conducted any financial
transaction using the local banking
channel, officials said.
Names of two masterminds behind the attacks and those killed in
police operation are on the list sent
by the law enforcers, said Debaprosad Debnath, general manager
of the BFIU.
Those people include Tamim
Chowdhury and Maj (sacked) Syed
Md Ziaul Haque, now on the run
with Tk20 lakh bounty each on
their heads. They both were found
linked to the Gulshan restaurant
and Sholakia attacks.
The list also include the names
of militants killed during a raid at
Kallyanpur in Dhaka, at Sholakia
and Holey Artisan Bakery, said
sources at Bangladesh Bank.
Debaprosad said that the account
information of the people who are
found involved in any terrorist activities is collected according to the
Anti-Money Laundering Act.
“The law enforcement agencies
regularly seek such information of
accused persons. It is regular job of
the BFIU,” he added.
The BFIU has asked for information on the Gulshan attackers – Rohan Imtiaz, Meer Samih Mubasshwer, Nibras Islam, Khairul Islam
Payel, Shafikul Islam Uzzal and
Tasin Rownak or Andaleeb Ahmed.
Saiful Islam Chowkidar, a chef killed
during the attack, is also on the list.
The central bank’s intelligence
unit has also wanted to know bank
details of two Sholakia attackers –
Shafiul Islam and Abir Rahman.
Seven of the nine militants killed
during the “Operation Storm 26” at
Kalyanpur on July 26 are on the list.
They are Abdullah, Abdul Hakim
Naym, Taj-ul-Haque Rashiq, Akifuzzaman Khan, Shazad Rouf, Motier Rahman, and Jobayer Hossain. l
DT
News
4
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Khaleda Zia granted bail
n Md Sanaul Islam Tipu
A Dhaka court yesterday accepted
the sedition and violence charges
against Bangladesh BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.
In presence of the BNP chief,
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge
Md Kamrul Hossain Molla accepted
the charge sheets against Khaleda
in six cases amid opposition of her
lawyers.
Of the six cases, on January 25,
Supreme Court lawyer Momtaz
Uddin Ahmed Mehedi filed the
sedition case against Khaleda on
charge of her alleged defamatory
remarks about the number of the
Liberation War martyrs.
The other five cases were filed
with Darussalam Police Station
on charge of violence in the area
in January and February last year
during blockade and hartal of the
BNP-led alliance.
Meanwhile, BNP chairperson
Khaleda Zia was granted bail in 10
cases including the aforesaid six after she surrendered before several
Dhaka courts.
The BNP chief surrendered before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Md Kamrul
Hossain Molla in eight violence
cases filed with Darus Salam Police
Station.
Khaleda also surrendered before
the court of Dhaka Metropolitan
Magistrate Nurunnahar Yeasmin
in another violence case filed with
BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia being escorted by her personal security as she appeared before several courts in Old Dhaka
yesterday
MEHEDI HASAN
Darus Salam Police Station. The
court granted bail to Khaleda on
her furnishing a personal bond of
Tk10,000.
The nine cases of Darus Salam
Police Station were filed on charge of
violence in the area during the BNPled alliance blockade and hartal in
January and February last year.
The former prime minister also
appeared before the Metropolitan
Sessions Judge Md Kamrul Hossain
Molla and sought fresh bail in a sedition case.
Accepting her bail petition the
court accepted the sedition charges against Khaleda in the case and
fixed October 10 for charge framing
hearing against her in the case.
Khaleda also gave her appearance before the Dhaka Special
Judge’s Court-2 of Judge Hosne Ara
Begum in the Barapukuria Coalmine Graft Case. The court fixed Sep-
tember 8 for the next hearing.
On February 26, 2008, the ACC
filed the case with Shahbagh Police Station accusing Khaleda and
15 others, including 10 ministers,
for causing a loss of Tk159cr to
the state exchequer by awarding a
contract for the operation of Barapukuria coalmine to a Chinese
company by abusing power.
The former prime minister also
appeared before the Dhaka’s Ninth
Special Judge’s Court in the Niko
Graft Case where judge Md Aminul
Islam set August 16 for charge
framing hearing in the case.
On December 9, 2007, the ACC
filed a graft case against Khaleda
Zia and four others in connection
with a Tk137.77cr loss to the national exchequer caused by the signing
of an oil-gas exploration agreement
with Niko.
Earlier in the day, Khaleda
Zia reached Dhaka Judge’s Court
around 11:45am to give appearance
and also for seeking bail in 12 cases amid tight security in and out of
the court.
A large number of members of
RAB, Police and plainclothes members were deployed at the court
premises and its nearby areas since
yesterday morning following the
Khaleda’s appearance in the court.
The security forces searched
everyone before letting them
through and even lawyers and
journalists had to produce their
identities.
Meanwhile, several hundred
leaders and activists of BNP and
its wing organizations gathered on
the court premises and its adjacent
areas and they also blockaded the
nearby Sadarghat-Gulistan road for
several hours amid rain.
Khaleda’s counsels Khandaker
Mahbub Hossain, Barrister Mahbub Uddin Khokon, AJ Mohammad
Ali took part in the hearing at the
court. l
Stray elephant rescue
attempt fails again
Santu: Only
secularism can
fight militancy
n Abu Bakar Siddique
n Shadma Malik
The rescue attempt of the Indian stray
elephant which entered into Bangladesh
with flood water failed again yesterday as
the tranquillizer dart could not hit the elephant properly.
“We tried to tranquilize the elephant
from a safe distance but the attempt failed
again,” said Syed Hossain, veterinary surgeon of the forest department said.
The team took the attempt while the
elephant was roaming in a shoal of Sharisabari upazilla in Jamalpur district yesterday morning.
The forest department rescue team has
already collected different types of tranquilizer darts including plastic, metal and
wooden ones.
“We have got the elephant at a dry
place which was favorable for its transportaiton but unfortunately the attempt went
in vain,” the surgeon said.
However, he said the team would try to
administer the tranquilizer from a closer
range today, he added.
It is now easier to do so as the flood wa-
ter is receding from the land quickly.
The three-member Indian expert team
arrived in Bangladesh on August 03 to
bring back the stray wild elephant and finally left the country on Monday leaving
the poor animal behind.
Since then the forest department rescue team has been trying to rescue the elephant but failed due to lack of favorable
condition.
A 17-member technical team, including a veterinary surgeon Syed Hossain has
been stationed at the spot from the very
beginning of the operation.
Once the elephant is tranquilised, she
will be transported on a truck, the surgeon also said that the elephant might be
taken to Bangabandhu Safari Park, Gazipur or Gozni forest in Sherpur depending
on the situation before he is sent back
to India.
On his journey from Rowmari to Kazipur, the elephant has been spotted
on the shoals of five different districts,
Kurigram, Gaibandha, Jamalpur, Bogra
and Sirajganj in the last one month
and a half. l
Only a secular state can eliminate
extremism in the society and provide a respectful and peaceful place
for people of all faiths, indigenous
leader Santu Larma yesterday said.
Chittagong Hill Tracts Regional
Council Chairman Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma addressed the International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples 2016 seminar, themed
‘Land grabbing, communalism and
preventing terrorism and protection of the rights of indigenous,
marginalised communities’ at the
Cirdap auditorium in Dhaka.
Minister Rashed Khan Menon,
said: “Not only Hindus, Buddhists
and Christians but Muslims are also
being killed by extremists.”
Advocate Sulatana Kamal said:
“We need to develop people-oriented systems in the country. The
government should work with the
people to eliminate extremism and
communalism.” l
5
DT
News
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
'Government
giving false info
on Rampal plant'
n Nure Alam Durjoy
Convener of the National Committee to Save the Sundarbans Sultana
Kamal has alleged that the government is continuously spreading
untrue and unacceptable information to defend the construction
of the 1,320MW coal-based power
plant at Rampal.
“Instead of showing any interest
to protect the Sundarbans, the government is using controversial and
pollutant experts and institutions
from different countries to justify
a dangerous coal-fired power plant
[near the Sundarbans],” she told a
press conference yesterday at Dhaka Reporters Unity.
On July 12, the government
signed an agreement with an Indian firm to set up the India-Bangladesh joint venture plant on the
bank of the Pashur River, disregarding protests.
The $1.49 billion plant is likely to
start producing electricity in 2019.
Seventy percent of the project cost
would be provided by Indian Exim
Bank as loan. The governments of
Bangladesh and India will share 30%
of the rest of the amount equally.
A former caretaker government
adviser, Sultana Kamal said: “Both
the countries are UN signatories of
Sustainable Development Goals.
So they have to consider the Sundarbans, which have been created
over thousands of years, because it
is their duty to protect it. It is a demand of the time, it is the demand
of the world.”
Moreover, she alleged that activists were subjected to torture
and harassment for raising their
voices against the project.
Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers' Association (BELA) Chief Executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan said that
the government's politics on Rampal
had reached an extreme position.
Terming the project a “devastating development project,” Rizwana
urged the government to scrap the
initiative. She said: “The government's unnecessary and unscientific excuses given in favour of the project will not affect the agitations ...”
Dhaka University economics
teacher MM Akash said that the
government would have to come
away from the project because it
will destroy the Unesco World Heritage site gradually.
The press conference was also
addressed by TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman, rights
activist Khushi Kabir and National
Committee member Sharif Jamil. l
Cultural activists under the banner of Sorbopran Sangskritik Shakti bring out a procession on the Dhaka University campus yesterday, calling for a stop to the Rampal
power plant project in the Sundarbans
MEHEDI HASAN
BERC body for raising PGCL
gas distribution charge
n Aminur Rahman Rasel
increase from the current distribution charge of Tk0.2521 to Tk0.7614
per cubic metre.
PGCL also submitted a proposal
to increase gas price by 94.92% on
weighted average. It asked the energy regulator to increase domestic
gas prices from the existing Tk600
and Tk650 for single and double
burner to Tk1,100 and Tk1,200 respectively.
The technical evaluation committee
(TEC) of Bangladesh Energy Regulatory Commission (BERC) yesterday
recommended a 6.73% increase in
the distribution charge for the gas
supplied by Pashchimanchal Gas
Company Limited (PGCL).
During the third day of public
hearing on gas prices at BERC's
Karwan Bazar headquarters yesterday, the TEC, headed by AKM
Monowar Hossain Akand, recommended this increase.
However, the full body of the
BERC, headed by its chairman AR
Khan, will make the final decision
on the proposal once all hearings
are completed.
At yesterday's hearing, where
PGCL took part, the TEC recommended a Tk58.332 crore revenue
requirement for PGCL for 2016-17
fiscal.
During the same time, the total
current operating revenue of PGCL
is expected to be Tk56.282 crore,
which means there will be a revenue deficit of Tk2.05 crore.
Under the circumstances, the
TEC recommended to increase the
distribution charge from Tk0.2526
to Tk0.2696 per cubic metre.
Earlier, PGCL had asked for an
TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY
HEAVY RAIN LIKELY
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11
Dhaka
33
26
Chittagong
32
The TEC recommended increasing the
distribution charge from Tk0.2526 to
Tk0.2696 per cubic metre
It also asked to increase price for
the power sector from Tk2.82
to Tk4.60 per cubic metre; from
Tk6.74 to Tk10.95 for industries;
from Tk11.36 to Tk19.50 for commercial connections; from Tk27
to Tk49.50 for CNG; from Tk8.36
to Tk19.26 for captive power; and
from Tk2.58 to Tk4.60 for fertiliser.
Consumer groups, business
leaders, representative from different associations and political parties harshly criticised PGCL for its
proposal of increasing gas prices.
Opposing the PGCL's tariff hike
proposal, Consumers Association
27
Rajshahi
DHAKA
TODAY
SUN SETS 6:35PM
of Bangladesh (CAB) Adviser Prof
Shamsul Alam raised a set of questions regarding its justification. He
alleged that there was no transparency in the earnings and expenditures of the PGCL.
He also observed the PGCL and
Petrobangla deliberately ignored
and violated the directives of the
BERC regarding their project implementation.
30
25
Rangpur
33
25
Meanwhile, Communist Party
of Bangladesh (CPB) and Bangladesher Samajtrantik Dal (BSD) will
jointly hold a mass sit-in at Karwan
Bazar today, protesting the move to
raise gas prices.
The sit-in programme will be
held from 11am in front of the
Bangladesh Energy Regulatory
Commission (BERC).
In a joint statement yesterday,
CPB President Mujahidul Islam
Selim and BSD General Secretary
Khalequzzaman urged all to join
the demonstration programme to
make it a success. l
Khulna
29
26
Barisal 30
YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW
TOMORROW
SUN RISES 5:33AM
33.8ºC
Sayedpur
23.5ºC
Teknaf
Source: Accuweather/UNB
26
PRAYER
TIMES
Rajuk eviction
drive continues
in Gulshan
n Abu Hayat Mahmud
As part of its ongoing eviction drive
against allegedly unauthorised
businesses in residential areas, Rajuk carried out demolitions in the
city's Gulshan area yesterday.
A mobile court of Rajdhani Unnayan Kartipakkha shut down
three restaurants, demolished three
ramps on footpaths and roads, and
evicted an illegal business that had
been set up in the car parking area
of a residential building in Gulshan.
Rajuk
Executive
Magistrate
Khondokar Aliour Rahman led the
mobile court, which also disconnected power and gas supply of those
businesses, read a press release.
In the wake of the terror attack
at Gulshan's Holey Artisan Bakery,
Dhaka’s development authority Rajuk started the eviction drive on July
25 and plans to continue it until August 31 in the city's Uttara, Gulshan
and Dhanmondi residential areas.
The eviction drive will resume
today in Dhanmondi, sources said.
Earlier on Sunday, apex trade
body FBCCI urged the government
to stop the ongoing eviction drive
in the upscale residential areas.
Dhaka North City Corporation
Mayor and former FBCCI president
Annisul Huq had previously also
suggested that the eviction drive
should not be rushed. l
Sylhet
32
24
Cox’s Bazar
30
Fajr: 4:55am | Zohr: 1:15pm
Asr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:50pm
Esha: 8:45pm
Source: Islamic Foundation
26
DT
News
6
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Chandpur flood control
embankment at risk
n Ibrahim Roni, Chandpur
The
people
around
the
Meghna-Dhonagoda River dam at
Matlab upazila in Chandpur have
been passing their days amid fear
of erosion by the Jamuna River,
since cracks have developed at several points of the dyke.
According to local sources, the
dam was built on 64 square kilometre land in 1987 where 4,00000
people live on 18,000 hectres land
by cutivating crops.
Due to incessant rainfall and rise
of water level in the river erosion
has taken serious turn causing immense sufferings to the people living beside the dam.
At least 50 cracks have developed from Beltoli to Galimkha
Bridge area.
In the wake of rising and receding
water level, the people in the area
have become panicked in apprehension of losing their belongings.
Rampant plying of water vessels
like trawlers and cargos through
the river on a regular basis adds to
onrush of upstream water resulting
in strong current.
Locals fear that the dam may
collapse anytime causing damage
crops on thousands acres of land.
They alleged that some local influentials are increasing the danger
by lifting sand from the river.
They urged the government to
take action against the illegal business.
Matlab Upazila Chairman Manjur
Ahmed said he had informed the
matter to the executive engineer of
Water Development Board (WDB).
He also said : “I have informed
the incident to the Disaster Management and Relief Minister Mofazzal Hossain Chowdhury Maya.”
Rafique Sarker , 60, of Mohonpur
village said in the wake of rising and
receding water level, the dam was
facing the risk of destruction.
Meghna-Dhonagoda River Dam
Irrigation Federation General Secetary Sarker Mohammad Alauddin said : “ I have visited the area
recently. The people should not be
panicked as sand bags have been
placed around the dam.”
The upazila chairman, WDB executive engineer and Nasiruddin,
assistant comissioner visited the
area. They also echoed the words
of Alauddin.
Locals alleged that Mahmudul
Hasan, a lease holder of the WDB
and his associates lifted sand from
the river putting the dam at risk.
The upazila chairman also
blamed the WDB for the vulnerable siuation of the dyke.
When contactd, Executive Engineer of WDB Ataur Rahman said
the dam was not at risky position.
‘We are trying to repair the dam
immediately,’ he said. l
Teacher gets
life-term for
violating girl
n Afzal Hossen, Tangail
A home tutor was sentenced to lifeterm imprisonment by a court yesterday in the district for violating a
fourth-grade female student in 2010.
According to the prosecution,
Tofail Hossen Hira, 29, of Purbopara village in Bhuapur upazila, also
the tutor of the girl was teaching
her at her house. On March 2, 2010,
he took the girl to his house in the
name of teaching. At one stage, he
violated the girl sexually.
Later, the girl returned home
in critical condition and described
the incident to her mother.
At first she was admitted to Tangail Hospital from where she was
sent to Dhaka Medical College and
Hospital. The mother of the victim
filed a case with Bhuapur police satation in this regard. l
Strike in three
districts of CHT
n Ziaul Haque, Rangamati
Several Bangalee organisations
yesterday observed a dawn to dusk
strike in Bandarban, Rangamati and
Khagrachhari districts, protesting
against the CHT Land Dispute Resolution Commission (Amendment)
Act, 2016. Parbatya Nagarik Parishad,
Parbatya
Bangalee
Chhatra
Parishad, Parbatya Chattagram
Samaodhikar Andolon, Parbatya
Gana Parishad and Parbatya
Bangalee Chhatra Oikya Parishad
called the strike.
They claimed that the approv-
al of the Act would take away the
rights to land the Bangalee settlers
have in the Chittagong Hill Tracts
(CHT) region.
The activists of the organisations were seen picketing on the
main points of Rangamati town.
The draft was recently approved
in a cabinet meeting at the Secretariat with Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina in the chair.
Assistant Police Superintendent
of Rangamati Chitto Ranjan Paul
said additional security measures
had been taken in the town as well
as in the whole district to avert any
untoward situation. l
CBA men of Janata Bank Ltd in Rajshahi form a human chain in the city protesting the militancy and terrrorism across
the country
AZAHAR UDDIN
Chittagong court defers Himu
murder verdict again
Apparel workers take
to the street for arrears
Mizanur Rahaman,
n FM
Chittagong
n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong
A Chittagong court yesterday
pushed back the date for delivering
verdict in the case of Himadri Majumdar Himu, who was allegedly
killed by his friends in 2012 for protesting against drug trading.
Additional public prosecutor
Anupam Chawkrabarty yesterday
told the Dhaka Tribune that court
activities would remained suspended today as a “full court reference” will be held in memory of
several lawyers.
“The new date will be announced today,” he added.
A Chittagong court had rescheduled the verdict date last month.
The court wrapped up argument in
the case on July 16.
A German Doberman was let
loose on Himu, 18, an A-level student of Summerfield School and
College in Chittagong, before he
was pushed off from a four-storey
building in Panchlaish area on April
27, 2012.
He succumbed to his injuries at
a Dhaka hospital on May 23.
A day later, his maternal uncle
Asit Das filed a murder case with
Panchlaish police station accusing
five persons.
The accused are Junaid Ahmed
Riad and his father Shah Selim
Tipu, Zahedul Islam Shaon, Shahadat Hossain Shaju and Mahbub Ali
Khan Danny.
Tipu, Danny and Saju are in police custody while Riad is on the
run, police sources said.
After securing bail, Shaon, too,
went into hiding.
Police submitted charges before
the court against the accused on
September 30, 2012.
The court indicted them on February 3, 2014.
Himu's family and police said
he was murdered for his intimate
involvement with an anti-drug organisation “Shikor.” l
Hundreds of workers of an apparel factory took to the street and
staged demonstrations yesterday
morning demanding arrears.
Vehicular movement remained
suspended for around 20 minutes,
as apparel workers of Kron Sweater Ltd put up barricade on Arakan
road.
Abu Md Shahjahan Kabir, officer-in-charge of Chandgaon police station, said about 200 out of
300 workers of the factory have
been appointed on the basis of “no
work, no basis.” But authorities
of the factory were not providing
their dues for the last couple of
months.
Workers of factory yesterday came
to their workplace, but found the factory under lock and key. Finding the
factory closed, the workers started
staging demonstration.
On receiving information, police
rushed to the spot and brought the
situation under control.
Tofayel Ahmed Mia, deputy director of Chittagong Industrial Police, told the Dhaka Tribune that
the factory authorities had agreed
to pay off the arrears of workers.
“Owner of the factory will sit a
meeting with workers to solve the
problem.” l
7
DT
News
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Rain compounds woes of Dhaka dwellers
n Rokshana Yesmin
Residents of the capital city Dhaka yesterday suffered a lot due to
heavy downpour and severe traffic
congestion throughout the day.
Many low-lying areas of Dhaka,
including Malibagh, Mouchak, Arambagh, Motijheel, Santinagar, Rokeya
Sarani, Badda, Merul, Manda, and
Rampura, were inundated following
incessant rain caused by depression
formed in the Bay of Bengal.
Commuters, mostly school- and
office-goers, faced sufferings while
going to their destinations in the
morning due to severe traffic jam
triggered by heavy rain.
The country has been experiencing heavy downpour since Tuesday
night due to depression formed in
the Bay. Under the influence of the
depression, a deep convection is taking place over North Bay and its adjoining coastal areas of Bangladesh.
Severe traffic congestion was
seen in Shahbagh, Shantinagar,
Mohammadpur, Malibagh, Mirpur,
Gulshan, Banani areas, as roads
of those areas were submerged by
rainwater.
Motorised vehicles were seen
moving slowly on the streets, creating traffic congestion in the areas. Apart from this, a good number
of vehicles went out of order in
Malibagh and Shantinagar when
water entered the engines.
Shahida Quader, a resident of Banasree, told the Dhaka Tribune that
while returning home from her office in Dhanmondi 15, she remained
stuck on the road for hours because
of traffic gridlock as many roads had
gone under knee-deep water.
She said: “Today [yesterday] I
came to my home around 8pm, but
usually I come to my home from
workplace by 6pm.”
Presence of students was also
very thin at educational institutions.
Ashru Rozario, a teacher of Saint
Francis Xaviers Girls’ High School,
told the Dhaka Tribune that most
students of the school were absent
With no other option left, people walk by a submerged Nazimuddin Road in Old Dhaka as yesterday’s day-long rainfall caused water stagnation in the area. Many parts of
Dhaka was affected with the continuous rainfall as authorities concerned have failed to address the lingering drainage system issues
DHAKA TRIBUNE
on the day.
Many city dwellers alleged that
drivers of rickshaws and CNG-run
autorickshaws demanded excessive fares from them, taking advantage of the rough weather.
Nurul Islam Tito, an employee
of a private company in Gulshan,
said: “The fare of CNG-run autorickshaw from Pallabi to Gulshan
2 is Tk120 to Tk150, but today I had
to pay Tk250.”
In Dhaka district, 31mm rainfall
was recorded in the 24 hours before 6pm yesterday, according to
Dhaka met office. l
Low-lying areas submerged in Ctg
n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong
The low-lying areas of the premier
port city were submerged following
incessant rain induced by seasonal
depression formed in the Bay of
Bengal.
85.8mm rainfall was recorded in
the last 24-hour till 6pm yesterday,
said Md Mushfiqur Rahman, assistant
meteorologist of the Chittagong
Patenga Met Office.
Many low-lying areas of the
city including No 2 Gate, Agrabad,
Prabartak circle, Chawkbazar,
Muradpur, Shulakbahar,
Bahadderhat, Pahartali, Kalamia
Bazar, Kalurghat, Chandgaon and
Bakalia went under ankle to kneedeep water.
The office-goers, students,
commuters and apparel workers
faced immense suffering due to the
incessant downpour.
The water entered some low-lying
residential houses and business firms
leaving the people marooned.
Motorised vehicles stopped moving
in areas under water while many of
those were seen stuck in waters with
their engines downed in knee deep
waters.
Low-lying areas of coastal districts
are also likely to be inundated by tidal
surge of 3-4 feet height above normal
astronomical tide. l
Disruption of ferry services mounts people’s misery
Shimulia-Kawrakandi suspended; Paturia-Daulatdia ferry services yet to be normal
n Motiur Rahman, Manikganj
People yesterday suffered immensely due to suspension of
ferry as launch services on the
major routes of the country –
Shimulia-Kawrakandi and Paturia-Daulatdia.
Ferry services on the route have
remained suspended since Sunday
after landing stations of four ferry
terminals were devoured by the
Padma River.
The movement of Ro-Ro ferries
remained halted while small vehicles were being ferried using utility
ferries after the authorities concerned managed to repair No 3 ghat
of the landing stations.
However, no heavy vehicles,
including buses and goods-laden
trucks, could be ferried.
On Tuesday night, the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority suspended launch services
on the route due to tidal surge in
the Padma River caused by inclement weather.
After failing to get ferry or
launch to cross the river, many
people yesterday were seen choosing alternatives such as trawlers
and speed boats spending extra
money.
BIWTA
Assistant
Director
(traffic) Faridul Islam said three
ferries were carrying light vehicles
only from no 1 landing station,
leaving more than 500 buses and
trucks stuck on both sides of the
route.
He also added that launch ser-
vices of the route would remain
suspended till the weather became
normal.
Traffic Inspector of the BIWTA
told the Dhaka Tribune that signal 2 has been hoisted for the Paturia-Daulatdia route.
Shahjahan Sheikh, a truck driver, said: “I have got stuck here [Patuaria] since Sunday.”
He said about 300 hundreds
good-laden trucks got stuck on the
side of the route.
“I have all the money which I
brought with me. Now, I need more
for my meals, moreover, I cannot
leave the place for the truck,” he
said.
Similarly, hundreds of buses and
trucks stranded at Daulatdia ghat.
Deputy General Manager of the
BIWTA, Aricha Sheikh Mohammad
Nasim advised transport owners to
avoid the route.
Besides, ferry service on Shimulia-Kawrakandi route was partially disrupted due to the inclement
weather in the morning. l
DT
8 World
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
SOUTH ASIA
300 IS fighters killed in
Afghan operation
Afghan forces, backed by the
US, have killed an estimated
300 IS fighters in an operation
mounted two weeks ago, the
top US and Nato commander in
Afghanistan said on Wednesday,
calling it a severe blow to the
group. General John Nicholson
said the offensive in the eastern
province of Nangarhar was part
of US operations to degrade the
capabilities of IS.
-REUTERS
INDIA
Robbers cut hole in Indian
train roof in $750,000
heist
A gang of robbers cut a hole
in the roof of a train travelling
through southern India and stole
more than $750,000 in cash. The
daring heist occurred somewhere
along the more than 300km long
journey, but the missing loot was
only discovered hours after the
express train arrived in the city
of Chennai.
-AFP
CHINA
China city suspends SinoFrench nuclear project
A Chinese city said Wednesday it
would halt preparations for a possible Sino-French nuclear project
after thousands of locals protested
against it over the weekend. After
days of protests by angry residents, the government of Lianyungang said on a verified microblog
that it would temporarily suspend
selection of a location for a nuclear
fuel processing plant.
-AFP
ASIA PACIFIC
Vietnam sends rocket
launchers to S China Sea
Vietnam has discreetly fortified
several of its islands in the disputed South China Sea with new
mobile rocket launchers capable
of striking China’s runways and
military installations. Diplomats
and military officers told Reuters
that intelligence shows Hanoi has
shipped the launchers from the Vietnamese mainland into position
on 5 bases in the Spratly islands in
recent months.
-REUTERS
MIDDLE EAST
12 premature babies killed
in Baghdad hospital fire
12 prematurely born babies were
killed in a fire that broke out in the
early hours of Wednesday on a maternity ward in a Baghdad hospital
and was probably caused by an electrical fault, Iraqi authorities said.
Firefighters and hospital staff took
about 3 hours to put out the blaze
that engulfed the ward.
-REUTERS
ANALYSIS
Western nations wary of reset
between Russia, Turkey
n Tribune International Desk
There are plenty of people who
welcome the rapprochement between Russia and Turkey: Russian
tourists looking for an affordable
vacation along Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, executives with big
Turkish energy companies, and
Russian farmers who want a slice
of Turkey’s fruit and vegetable
market.
Then there are those in Washington, Ottawa and European capitals who warily watched the handshakes yesterday between Russia’s
Vladimir Putin and Turkey’s Recep
Tayyip Erdogan.
The “reset” of relations between
the two countries is a cause for concern for Western nations, as Turkey,
a member of Nato, moves toward a
closer alignment with Moscow.
The axis of friendship between
Moscow and Ankara will be restored,” said President Erdogan on
Tuesday at a joint news conference
with his counterpart from Russia.
Relations hit rock bottom last
November when Turkey’s air force
shot down a Russian warplane
that strayed briefly into Turkish air
space while on a mission over Syria.
Russia imposed economic sanctions that hurt Turkey’s tourism
and agricultural sectors. Russians
normally fill the resorts on Turkey’s Mediterranean coast, but
Moscow grounded charter flights
last fall, leading to a 90 per cent
decline in Russian visits.
Under economic pressure, the
normally stubborn Erdogan issued
a surprise apology to Moscow in
June, about two weeks before a
faction of Turkey’s military tried to
overthrow Erdogan’s government.
Erdogan thanks Putin
Erdogan’s trip to St Petersburg
marks the first time the president
has left Turkey since the July 15
failed coup attempt.
The Turkish president thanked
his “dear friend” Putin. “Your call
straight after the coup was very
pleasing for me and our leadership
and our people,” Erdogan said.
Turkish leaders have felt stung
by the harsh response by Western nations in the aftermath of the
botched putsch. Tens of thousands
of soldiers, police officers, civil servants and academics have been arrested or suspended from their jobs,
accused of links to the coup plot.
“We are … troubled by reports
of tens of thousands of dismissals and detentions, including of
Russian President Vladimir Putin shakes hands with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan during a news conference following
their meeting in St Petersburg, Russia on August 9
REUTERS
members of the judiciary, public
servants, teachers, academics,
members of civil society and the
media,” said Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister Stéphane Dion in a
statement last month.
Russia is not feeling much love
from the West these days either.
Sanctions have been imposed after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014,
and for Moscow’s continued involvement in the ongoing conflict
in Eastern Ukraine.
Putin, who has never hidden
his opposition to Nato, most likely
feels vindicated that his decision
to intervene military in Syria was a
gamble that paid off. US President
Barack Obama warned last fall that
the Russian leader faced a “quagmire” in Syria. Instead, Moscow
helped reverse the course of the
Syrian war in the favour of its ally,
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Russia’s stance on recent coup
attempt in Turkey
Putin reiterated Russia’s stance on
anti-constitutional actions referring
to recent coup attempt in Turkey.
Russia categorically stands
against any attempts of unconstitutional actions such as an attempted coup d’etat in Turkey,
Putin said.
Putin noted he had been among
the first to call the Turkish president and express his support for
overcoming the internal political
crisis provoked by the attempted
coup d’etat.
Restoring trade and economic
cooperation
Vladimir Putin has offered Erdogan to discuss opportunities for
restoring trade and economic cooperation.
We will have an opportunity today to talk both in the narrow and
broad format on the whole range
of our relations, including on restoring trade and economic ties,
cooperation in the sphere of fighting against terrorism,” Putin said
adding that he is “very glad about
this opportunity.”.
The talks are attended by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and presidential aide Yuri
Ushakov, and Turkey’s Foreign
Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and
Deputy Secretary General of the
Turkish presidency in charge of
foreign policy Ibrahim Kalin.
Pragmatic business
Foreign affairs analysts say Western hostility to both countries
helped drive Putin and Erdogan to
patch up their relationship.
“Foreign affairs is a pretty pragmatic business, and so in a sense
we in the West should not be surprised by this,” Tony Brenton, a
former British ambassador to Moscow, told the BBC.
“It does raise questions about
if we are tough with these countries, tough with China, and we do
therefore push them into the same
corner, is that actually advantageous for us in security terms?”
While international relations
experts say the West is nervously
watching the warming of relations
between Turkey and Russia, there
has been little public criticism in
Washington, Brussels or Ottawa.
“It’s not a zero sum gain. You
know these are sovereign nations,” said State Department
spokeswoman Elizabeth Kennedy
Trudeau. “They have relationships
around the world. Turkey and Russia have common goals.”
Turkey is an important American ally in the Middle East. But its
relationship with Ankara has taken a beating recently, with many
Turks — on the streets and in the
seat of power — blaming the United
States for last month’s failed coup.
Behind closed doors, unease is
likely on the rise among American
officials watching the handshakes
between Putin and Erdogan, as the
two presidents grow closer as relations with the West have soured.
“The fact that they can get together is a demonstration, both to
each other but also deliberately to
the West, that both of them have
alternative sources of support,”
said Brenton. l
Sources: CBC, TASS
9
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
INSIGHT
USA
Europe’s migrant crisis still simmers
n Reuters, Athens/Zagreb
A year after hundreds of thousands of refugees snaked their
way across southeastern Europe
and onto global television screens,
the roads through the Balkans are
now clear, depriving an arguably
worsening tragedy of poignant
visibility.
Europe’s migrant crisis is at the
very least numerically worse than
it was last year. More people are
arriving and more are dying. But
the twist is that, compared with
last year, a lot of it is out of sight.
Take the border between Greece
and Macedonia. Summer crops
have replaced the city of tents at
the border outpost of Idomeni,
even if some locals are convinced
there is an unseen population
hiding in the surrounding forests,
waiting for smugglers to assist
them on their onward journey.
The tiny Greek village was a
focal point of the migrant flow
north towards Germany and other wealthy countries, with thousands of refugees squatting for
months waiting for sealed borders
with Macedonia to open
Elsewhere in the Balkans, a
Reuters photographer, revisiting
the people-packed locations where
he and his colleagues captured
last year’s diaspora, found empty roads, unencumbered railway
tracks and bucolic countryside.
More than one million people
fleeing conflict in Syria, Iraq and
Afghanistan made their way to
Europe last year, with the majority of them crossing the precarious
sea corridor separating Greece and
Turkey, the temporary home for
more than 2 million refugees displaced from Syria
They came carrying their
worldly belongings in plastic
bags and hauling babies on weary
shoulders, a visual exodus of the
kind not seen in Europe since the
end of World War Two.
Visibility down, arrivals up
According to data from the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), arrivals are up 17% on
last year, stoked mainly by a spike
at the start of the year through
Greece.
Deaths among those trying
to get to Europe, mainly due to
drowning, are up more than 15%.
Some of the mantle of accepting huge migrant flows that was
carried by Greece last year and
the beginning of this one has been
taken up by Italy.
This follows a resurgence of
migrant flows from northern Africa. More than 140,000 asylum
seekers are now housed in Italian
shelters, a seven-fold increase on
2013, with the migrant crisis in its
Voting rights are
in flux in the final
months of Barack
Obama’s two terms
as the first black president. Citing a need to combat fraud,
Republican-controlled legislatures are
tightening voter laws by limiting early voting and same-day registration,
by requiring IDs at polling places, and
more. In 2013, declaring “our country
has changed,” the Supreme Court invalidated a key provision of the 1965
Voting Rights Act, which required
mostly Southern states with a history
of discrimination to get advance federal approval to change election laws.
The court decision made it easier for
states to impose new restrictions, reports The Associated Press.
This year, 17 states were set to have
restrictions involving voter ID or other requirements for the first time in a
presidential election. Among them:
the battlegrounds of North Carolina,
Virginia, Ohio, Wisconsin, Arizona and
Georgia.
The Obama Justice Department
Where they stand:
Without offering specifics, Republican
Donald Trump has emphasised the
dangers of voter fraud, calling America’s
electoral system “out of control” with
people who are “voting many, many
times.” He has said — without evidence
— that dead voters helped elect Obama.
Trump opposes same-day voter registration, saying it could allow people to
“sneak in through the cracks.”
Democrat Hillary Clinton is urging
Congress to restore the Voting Rights
Act. She seeks a national standard
of at least 20 days of early in-person
voting and urges automatic voter reg-
US House of Representatives
Speaker Paul Ryan handily won a
primary election for his congressional seat on Tuesday, a contest
overshadowed by presidential
candidate Donald Trump’s brief
refusal last week to endorse his
fellow Republican. Ryan, who ran
unsuccessfully for vice president
in 2012, had roughly 84% of the
vote compared with challenger
Paul Nehlen’s 16%.
-REUTERS
THE AMERICAS
Migrants standing in a makeshift restaurant in the so-called ‘Jungle’ migrant
camp in the French northern port city of Calais on March 3
AFP
third year.
In Greece, where arrivals
plunged in the wake of an accord
between Turkey and the EU to
stem the flow in March, an estimated 57,000 migrants were still
stuck in the country by August 8.
Campaigners say the accord
has lulled policy-makers into a
false sense of accomplishment
by allowing them to believe that
Europe’s migration problem has
been solved.
“By outsourcing the responsibility to Turkey and to Greece,
European governments are basically saying ‘we have solved the
crisis because we don’t see it, and
we can’t smell it and we can’t hear
it,” said Gauri van Gulik, deputy
Europe director at Amnesty International.
IOM data says that 258,186 people arrived in Europe by the end of
July, compared with 219,854 over
the same period in 2015. There
were 3,176 fatalities by August 7,
outpacing the 2,754 who died in
the first eight months of last year,
a slightly longer period.
“Its absolutely incredible because if you think about the panic
this caused last year and the incentive there was to really get some
policy changes in place, nothing
has happened,” Van Gulik said. l
Why it matters: Voting rights
has challenged voter ID and other
laws, saying they could restrict access
for minorities and young people. In
recent weeks, lower courts temporarily staved off some of the toughest
requirements in North Carolina, Texas
and Wisconsin after judges found no
evidence of rampant voter fraud.
With the November election looming, litigation remains knotted up with
Supreme Court appeals likely. Bills in
the GOP-led Congress to restore the
voting act are stalled.
House Speaker Ryan
easily wins primary
Maduro gloats over his
opposition’s faltering
recall bid
US ELECTION
n Tribune International Desk
DT
World
istration for eligible 18-year-olds. Clinton backs voting rights for ex-felons.
Her campaign has joined lawsuits to
stop policies that may burden minorities, including in Arizona, where voters
had to wait hours in March after cuts in
polling locations.
Why it matters:
Who gets to vote, and how easily,
matters because it can determine who
wins elections.
The issue is particularly salient for
black Americans, who for much of US
history were disenfranchised and then
effectively barred from voting until passage of the 1965 law. It’s also become
more partisan with the rapid growth of
minorities such as Latino and Asian immigrants, who tilt Democratic.
In 2008, Obama was elected with
the help of a record black turnout rate
that rose even higher in 2012, surpassing the white turnout rate.
That was noted by Chief Justice
John Roberts, who led the 5-4 ruling
that the Voting Rights Act was outdated. In dissent, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg argued the law is needed to stop
new forms of discrimination — redraw-
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro
late Tuesday taunted his political
opponents after they hit an apparent
roadblock in efforts to oust him from
office. Maduro vowed Tuesday that
his political enemies-whom he has
accused of fomenting public disorder
and widespread unrest-would fail. On
the other hand, opposition leaders
must hold a recall referendum by
January 10 if they are to succeed. -AFP
UK
Scotland’s Sturgeon makes
surprise visit to Germany
Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon met the deputy foreign minister
of Germany on Tuesday, seeking to
strengthen her ties with Europe’s
economic powerhouse in the wake
of Britain’s vote to leave the EU. Sturgeon has said that Scotland, where
62% of voters backed staying in the
EU, must not be dragged out against
its will and that she would start preparing for independence.
-REUTERS
EUROPE
ing districts to reduce Hispanic voting,
for instance, or restricting early voting
near a historically black university.
It’s unclear how much voting restrictions may suppress turnout. The
Government Accountability Office in
2014 found voter ID laws could reduce
voting by 2 to 3%, particularly among
young people, blacks and newly registered voters. That can tip a race in
close contests. Still, voter enthusiasm
for a candidate and mobilisation can
offset that.
GOP legislatures cite voter fraud,
including those who impersonate
dead people on voter registration lists.
Studies found the number of actual
cases was minuscule.
States and the lower courts largely shape who can vote. But the next
president will set the tone on federal
oversight — through legislation in Congress, the prosecutorial stance of the
Justice Department and nominations
to the Supreme Court, which is certain
to revisit Voting Rights Act powers.
If minorities continue to back
mostly Democrats, the issue could decide which party gets the upper hand
in elections. l
Turkey accuses EU of
encouraging coup plotters
Turkey accused the EU on Wednesday of encouraging the plotters on
the night of the July 15 coup in an
escalating row that has raised questions over Ankara’s future relationship with the bloc. A day after President Recep Tayyip Erdogan made
a highly-symbolic visit to Russia,
Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu
said Turkish people’s confidence in
the EU had unfortunately fallen in
the wake of the coup.
-AFP
AFRICA
South Sudan rejects UN
proposal
South Sudan on Wednesday rejected
a US proposal for the UN Security
Council to send 4,000 additional
troops to the East African country to
restore calm. The Security Council
could vote Friday on the proposal,
which comes after a former US
special envoy suggested last month
that the UN and African Union temporarily administer the country after
fighting broke out once again.
-AP
DT
10
World
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
INSIGHT
Holy cows and Hindu crusaders cloud PM
Modi’s reform drive
n Reuters, Agra
Two miles down the road from the
white marble walls of the fabled
Taj Mahal, a heavyset man crouches in the dirt of a cow shed and
explains how the future of India
belongs to him.
Digvijay Nath Tiwari is commander of a vigilante group that
claims 5,000 members in the northern city of Agra, and which cultivates informants, swarms shop
owners, ambushes trucks at night
and metes out extra-judicial violence, all for one cause: protecting
the holy cow, an animal held sacred
by Hindu beliefs.
Across the country, hardline Hindu groups have made headlines after being captured on video insulting and beating men they accuse of
involvement in cow slaughter.
“Retaliation is important at
times,” said Tiwari, as he sat with
17 men squeezed around a straw
mat on the shed floor. His cell
phone contained photographs of
stick-wielding men rushing to the
aid of fallen cattle.
Local police say they cannot stop
Tiwari’s actions, laying the blame
partly on lax laws.
The “gau rakshaks”, or cow
protectors, are inflaming tensions
among India’s religions and castes.
They risk undermining Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s efforts to
focus on economic advancement,
even as the right-wing Hindu nationalist forces that got him elected
promote their own agenda.
The implications reach far beyond the winding alleyways of
Agra. Social and religious stability
are key to future assumptions of
prosperity in India, currently the
world’s fastest expanding major
economy.
“India will remain one of the
strongest growth stories in the region,” a Goldman Sachs strategist
said in April, echoing the sentiment
of many foreign investors.
Yet such outlooks built on macro-analysis risk missing a ground
truth: if the right-wing groups empowered by Modi’s rise do not stop
antagonising minorities, then the
ruling Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP)
plans for nurturing that growth will
not easily come to pass.
Changing focus
Cow slaughter is illegal in most of
India, an overwhelmingly Hindu nation. However, it had long been tolerated under the Congress party, which
ruled the country for most of its independent history and prides itself on
protecting Muslims and lower castes
who ply the meat and leather trade.
Dalits feel under siege
UNDERSTANDING ECOWNOMICS
How is a cow skin transformed into a leather product? HT looks at the stages involved form skinning dead
cattle to finished leather. And the benefits that are shared by every community in this intricate journey...
People from the Chamar caste (a derogatory term used for the commu-
Gujarat after nity involved) skin dead cattle and are called to pick up the carcasses.
a cow dies Such people have about 15 to 20 villages in their purview. For this, they
actually have to bribe the panchayat head of each and every village.
Sometimes a few
families get together
to put up the bribe
amount and take turns
on a weekly or monthly basis to skin cow.
The pay-off depends on
the size of the village,
higher for villages with
large Panjrapole (Shelters for sick, old and
abandoned cattle).
The amount a panchayat
head (often an upper caste
if the seat is unreserved)
charges to allow a person
exclusive rights over dead
cattle is between Rs5,000
Curing the skin
The deal
The local merchants pay a little
less than the merchants who
have direct links to leather
tanneries and factories.
After skinning the
cow, the skin is cured
for a few weeks
using salt and lime.
The cured hides are then sold to
local resellers and taken to hide
markets or directly to merchants
from Kanpur or Kolkata.
Each cured hide
sells for between
Hides of cows killed by lions are the cheapest
because the hide is in tatters.
The fur on the hide should be intact. Those with
scars and missing tufts are sold cheaper for
around Rs400 or less.
Selling the hide
Rs400
or Rs700
The hides are normally transported to the two hide markets in Uttar Pradesh-Hapur and Kanpur.
The hides are transported to Kanpur by truck, something that is not limited to any one particular community.
Kanpur procurement of cow skin
Horse and buffalo carts, largely owned by Muslims, are
used to carry the hides from Penchbagh in Kanpur
(where the warehouses are to the tanneries in Jajmau.
Transportation
Dalits and Muslims are usually involved in moving the
hides from trucks to warehouse. They water the hides
further and apply more salt.
The violence of cow vigilante
groups this year, some of it caught
in disturbing videos on the Internet, has unsettled minority groups.
One clip from the western
state of Gujarat shows four men,
shirtless, tied to a bumper being
whipped with rods. The victims
were Dalits, or Indians at the bottom of the caste hierarchy who
traditionally take away cow carcasses which can then be used for
leather.
In another, from the northern
state of Haryana, two people are
made to sit on the road and eat a
concoction including cow dung.
They were reportedly Muslims,
and the footage was taken during
Ramadan, the Islamic month of
fasting.
While the BJP does not bank on
the support of many Muslims, it
does want to secure the votes of the
Dalits, a caste formerly known as
untouchables.
Together, the two groups account for about 30% of India’s population, a major consideration with
important state elections due next
year and a national ballot set for
2019.
Chandra Bhan Prasad, a prominent Dalit writer and adviser to the
Dalit Indian Chamber of Commerce
and Industry, compared the violence to that of Ku Klux Klan racism
in the United States.
“It’s like India’s version of KKK –
the past was great so long as these
blacks were under our thumb, society was beautiful. So, how to control these Dalits?”
Cow not just an animal
Tanning process
Extracted hairs and fat are
sold to brush makers and
glue factories, respectively.
The leather industry has about 40,000 Dalit workers. Their primary
work is to soak the hides in large pits filled with limewater.
Hides are then sent for peeling-done manually - so that the fat and
other wastes can be removed. This work is also done by Dalits.
Finishing
A cattle hide passes through several stages before it is cleared as
processed leather. It is then sold to buyers to be turned into leather
products. Hindus, Muslims and Dalits are all part of these stages.
Source: Hindustan Times
Now the Hindu nationalist BJP
is in power, and that is changing as
vigilante groups gain prominence.
And Modi, while saying he’s concerned, has been either unwilling or
unable to halt their more extreme
actions.
The prime minister was trained
and nurtured by hardline Hindu organisations that were instrumental
in his rise from the son of a train
station tea seller to leader of the
world’s biggest democracy.
Once at the helm, however, he
Infograph: Mohammad Razon/ Dhaka Tribune
has focussed on more pragmatic and inclusive economic issues:
spurring growth and creating
enough jobs for a rapidly expanding
workforce.
These initiatives could be derailed by a narrower, Hindu nationalist agenda aimed at protecting
symbols made sacrosanct by religious texts and countering a perceived threat of foreign influences.
In a speech on Saturday night in
New Delhi, Modi lashed out at the
cow protectors.
“I feel so angry at times. Some
people who are engaged in anti-social activities for the whole night
wear the mask of ‘gau rakshaks’ in
the day,” he said.
A senior aide to Modi, who is approaching the halfway mark of his
five-year tenure, said at the end of
July that while the leader is aware
of the social and economic implications, “we cannot do much to stop
cow protection forces ... cow protection is integral to our core support base.”
The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh
(RSS), the nation’s umbrella rightwing Hindu organisation which
helped create the BJP, does not
appear willing to tackle cow protection forces, blaming outlaws for
causing the trouble.
“The cow is not just an animal.
We have an emotional and religious
attachment to it and we want to
make it the centre of our economic activity,” said a senior RSS leader in New Delhi, who asked not to
be named so he could speak more
frankly.
Champat Rai, a leader of the Hindu activist Vishwa Hindu Parishad
(VHP), or World Hindu Council, a
group formed by RSS leadership
which oversees cow groups, was
more direct.
“I am a cow patriot and want to
free cows from the slavery of Muslim butchers,” he said. “It’s better
we shed our blood to save the blood
of cows.” l
DT
11
World
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
FACTBOX
Brexit and Europe: The question of contagion
Ü
Ü
Ü
Montagne, Philippe
n Fabrice
Gudin de Vallerin
The likely withdrawal of the United Kingdom from the European Union following
its referendum has far-reaching economic
and geopolitical implications for both its
domestic market and the European Union.
Below is a summary of the impacts
that Barclays Research analysts anticipate in the UK and Europe, the debates
that may be triggered in other EU states,
and a timeline of key events.
IMPACT ON THE UK
Very short term
Ü Sterling index depreciates by more than
10% since the referendum, to reach a
multi-decade low against the US dollar.
Ü Safe-haven assets including gold and
gilts rally as investors turn risk off.
Ü Bank of England increases liquidity-providing operations; expected to
announce a 25-50bps rate cut and an
extension of QE in August.
Short to medium term
Ü Inflation set to rise faster as sterling
depreciates – headline CPI to average
2.0% in 2017.
Ü Investment to contract sharply as business face unusual levels of uncertainty.
Ü Unemployment rate expected to
move back to 6% by end of 2017.
Ü UK fiscal targets likely to be relaxed
significantly – announcement likely to
be made in the government’s Autumn
Statement in October.
Longer term
Ü Annual GDP growth to drop from
2.3% in 2015 to 1.1% in 2016, and to
contract by 0.4% in 2017.
Ü UK economy to pursue its adjustment
as UK and EU discussions relating to
future relationship progress.
IMPACT ON EUROPE
Very short term
Ü High uncertainty regarding the future
of Europe and the political situation in
some member states causes a decline
in business confidence.
Ü Bond yields in core countries remain
low, reflecting their safe haven status
and the ECB’s ongoing quantitative
easing (QE) programme.
Short to medium term
Ü Euro weakens against the US dollar
Ü
Ü
as the economy slows and the uncertainty about the future of the currency union rises.
Populist parties campaign for debate
on EU membership.
ECB extends its QE programme beyond March 2017 – announcement
likely in September 2016.
Projected GDP growth in the euro
area likely to slow from 1.7% to 1.4%
in 2016 and 0.6% in 2017
Bond yield spreads likely to widen in
peripheral countries such as Italy and
Portugal
Lower business confidence leads to
a downturn in business investment,
a slowdown in job creation and consumer demand by end-2016, especially in peripheral countries
Longer term
Ü Output losses across all euro area
countries – both core and peripheral
Ü Investment in southern euro area
countries likely to decline – with gross
fixed capital formation likely to fall
0.6% in 2017
Ü Impact on Europe will depend on reaction by Europe’s leaders:
¤ Scenario I
Swift action to reform a functioning
EU and strengthen the single currency union could result in a reduced impact and faster resumption of growth.
¤ Scenario II
Should European leaders focus on
their disagreements and struggle to
make progress – and if the political situation deteriorates in some countries
(e.g. Italy in the wake of its constitu-
tional referendum in Oct) – the downturn could turn into a renewed euro
area crisis and a deeper recession.
A NEW DEBATE IN EUROPE
Ü The UK vote to leave the EU has highlighted that voters are more willing to
reject the status quo in the EU, and
on economic policies implemented in
member states (notably austerity, structural reforms, immigration policies) than
markets have so far anticipated.
Ü We anticipate the ‘Leave’ vote has
triggered a greater likelihood of debate on the EU in other member
states, including debate on the reforms necessary to improve the functioning of the union and membership
of the single currency. Trends likely to
arise in the coming months are:
Pressure for EU referendums
Ü The greatest pressure for debate
on membership of the EU is likely to
arise in those countries with a strong
populist Far Right political presence
(France, the Netherlands); and those
outside the single currency that
viewed the UK as a strong ally (Finland and Denmark).
Ü However, this populist drive may be offset by a swing to support for the EU, if
currency, market and economic turmoil
in a post-Brexit UK is seen to worsen.
Increased debate on euro
membership
Ü While many EU states may stop short
of questioning their support for the
union, increased debate over mem-
bership of the single currency may
well arise in peripheral countries
struggling economically.
Ü Italy faces political and economic crisis if Prime Minister Renzi’s referendum on constitutional reform in September fails to achieve support and
this could easily transform into support for a referendum on euro membership as 5 Star Movement leaders
suggest.
Ü In Portugal, which is under pressure
to enact further public-sector austerity reforms following its EUR78 billion
bail-out by the EU and International
Monetary Fund five years ago, debt
sustainability and euro membership
could be questioned by investors.
Election debate on immigration
and terms of EU membership
Ü General and presidential elections
take place in 2017 in the Netherlands,
France, Germany and possibly Italy.
Ü To counter support for the far left and
right, centrist party platforms are likely to focus much more on the issue of
immigration and security. l
[Fabrice Montagne is Chief UK
Economist at Barclays. Previously,
he was a Senior European economist
responsible for French, Greek and euro
area macroeconomics. On the other
hand, Philippe Gudin de Vallerin is a
Managing Director and Chief Economist
for Europe, Middle East and North Africa
at Barclays. He is based in Paris and
London and runs the Economic Research
team for EMEA].
DT
12 Business
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Alliance: Four
more RMG
units complete
CAPs
n Tribune Business Desk
The Alliance for Bangladesh Worker
Safety – a platform of north American buyers – has declared that another four readymade garment factories, which supply products for
its signatory brands, have completed Corrective Action Plans (CAPs).
However, the retailers platform
also suspended operations with
eight additional factories for failure
to show evidence of remediation
progress.
According to the latest information of Alliance, to date the Alliance has cut ties with a total of 91
non-compliant factories.
While 32 RMG factories have
completed critical repairs outlined
in their CAPs, 57% of all safety issues in Alliance factories have been
corrected.
As part of its on-going mission
to improve safety in its affiliated
garment factories in Bangladesh,
the Alliance for Bangladesh Worker
Safety announces that within the
last month, four additional factories have completed all material
components outlined in their Corrective Action Plans, said a statement of the organisation.
“We commend Park (Bangladesh) Company, Olio Apparels,
Fountain Garments Manufacturing and Unitex International for
their commitment to making their
factories models of worker safety,”
said Alliance Country Director Jim
Moriarty.
“Conversely, our suspension of
eight new factories demonstrates
that those unwilling or unable to
address critical safety issues will
no longer be welcome as partners
in our supply chain,” said Moriarty, also former US ambassador to
Bangladesh. l
Capital market snapshot:
Wednesday
DSE
Broad Index
4,569.3
0.0% ▲
Index
1,123.0
0.4% ▲
30 Index
1,783.9
0.0% ▲
Turnover in Mn Tk
4,818.6
6.1% ▲
Turnover in Mn Vol
124.7
22.1% ▲
All Share Index 14,059.3
-0.0% ▼
30 Index
12,902.3
-0.2% ▼
8,558.6
-0.0% ▼
CSE
Selected Index
Turnover in Mn Tk
Turnover in Mn Vol
228.2 -12.6% ▼
6.6
-1.0% ▼
Tribal people lag behind in skills
n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi
Only 2.63% of the country’s indigenous and tribal people (ITP)
are skilled workers, according to
a survey.
It said informal employment
among the ITPs stands at 89.84%
compared to national rural average of 87.5% while skills level of
the employed indigenous population is extremely poor.
The survey titled “Skill and
Employment Baseline Assessment
of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples
in Bangladesh” was carried out
by the Bangladesh Institute of Development Studies (BIDS) for the
Swiss Agency for Development
and Cooperation (SDC) with the
support of the International Labour Organization.
The finding of the survey,
which was conducted over 10,000
indigenous people, of which 2,000
were drawn from the hills and the
rest from the plains.
It said only 2.63% of the indigenous population can be considered skilled workers while over
80% have either no or very limited
levels of skills training.
However, unemployment is
higher among tertiary graduates
(2.04%) compared to those with
no education (0.11%) indicating an
inverse relationship between unemployment with education, the
report finds.
ITP working age population accounts for 71.15% of total population compared to the national rural figure of 61% with almost equal
distribution in hilly and plain areas as well as by gender, it added.
Indigenous people in CHT harvest paddy as part of jhum cultivation. Informal employment among the indigenous and
tribal people stands at 89.84% compared to national rural average of 87.5%, says BIDS survey report
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Very broad range of cognitive
and practical skills is very negligible. This pattern is more pronounced for the ITP female workforce, the survey states.
“It is an important survey that
provides a wealth of detailed, accurate and up-to-date data on the
lives and employment of indigenous and tribal people,” said Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Secretary Naba Bikram Kishore Tripura
at the survey report launching in
Dhaka yesterday.
“It (the survey) will provide a
foundation for the government’s
future development actions in
these areas,” Tripura said.
Gagan Rajbhandari, deputy
director of ILO Bangladesh said:
“The skills and employability of
indigenous men and women in
Bangladesh urgently needs to be
enhanced.”
“Providing skills that link to
decent work is an important step
which will help lift many out of
poverty.”
Charge d’ Affaires of the Embassy of Switzerland in Bangladesh Siroco Messerli said: “Swiss
Agency for Development and Cooperation’s (SDC) interest in ITPs
is from a poverty perspective.”
SDC’s interest was to understand how the ITPs fared, compared to the national average, in
terms of socio-economic indicators such as education, consumption, water, etc as well to explore
whether skills development is an
appropriate tool for intervention
with this group, said Messerli.
The survey recommended undertaking active labour market
policies and programs for ITPs to
enhance skill and to engage them
in productive jobs.
It also suggested that such programs should include job creation,
supporting the unemployed and the
underemployed through micro-enterprise development, linking training with the labour market, and
helping match jobs with job seekers.
The overall objective of the
proposed study is to assess the
socio-economic conditions, skills
and employment situations of
indigenous and tribal peoples in
Bangladesh and develop recommendations for related interventions and programmes. l
BTRC reschedules MNP auction procedures
n Ishtiaq Husain
Bangladesh Telecommunication
Regulatory Commission (BTRC)
yesterday announced a new schedule for Mobile Number Portability
(MNP) auction procedures, keeping the auction date unchanged on
September 21.
According to the new schedule,
submission date for the bid application has now been fixed on August 22, the name of the qualified
bidders to be disclosed on September 5, date for submission of
bid earnest money is now on September 6, letter of acceptance or
rejection is on September 8 while
consultation of auction procedure
will be held on September 19.
MNP allows the subscribers to
switch their services among operators without changing their
phone numbers.
An official of BTRC told the
Dhaka Tribune that Mobile Number Portability (MNP) auction procedures have been rescheduled
just to attract more applicants in
participating the auction.
“Though the regulator announced a new schedule, it will not
hinder to accomplish all the procedures in time,” said the official.
Earlier on June 14, BTRC had
set June 16 for the invitation of application while last date of submission of any query was on June 30.
Base price of the auction will be
fixed at Tk1 crore while bank guarantee would be Tk1 crore.
The annual license renewal fee
will be Tk20 lakh while the company will have to share 5.5% revenue with the BTRC.
The commission has fixed Tk1
lakh as the application fee and bid
earnest money would be Tk10 lakh.
After the bidding process, a
license will be given to an independent company for 15 years to
run the MNP system.
The company will have to roll
out the MNP service within six
months after given the license.
Once the MNP is introduced,
customers can switch from one
mobile phone operator to another, while keeping their number
unchanged within the country’s
territory and they can avail the
facility again after 40 days with a
subscription fee of Tk30.
Registered Bangladeshi firms
but no mobile phone operators are
eligible for the bidding. l
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Govt to import 60K tonnes MOP
n Tribune Business Desk
The government will import 60,000
tonnes of Muriate of Potash (MOP)
from Canada and Russia at Tk108
crore to meet Bangladesh’s demand
of the potash fertiliser this year.
The Cabinet Committee on Public Purchase yesterday approved a
proposal placed by the Ministry of
Industries to import the fertiliser
under the government-to-government contracts, said Mostafizur
Rahman, additional secretary of
the Cabinet Division.
MOP is the most common potassium source used in agriculture
worldwide.
“The Russian authorities will
supply 30,000 tonnes of MOP for
Tk54.59 crore under a G-2-G deal
signed between Russia and Bangladesh Agriculture Development Corporation (BADC),” Mostafizur Rahman told reporters after the meeting.
He said the cost to import MOP
from Canada will be Tk54.60 crore.
According to the Ministery of
Agriculture, Bangladesh has an annual demand of around 5m tonnes
of fertiliser, and of the amount,
2.7m tonnes are urea and the rest
are non-urea fertilisers.
Industries Ministry sources said
68% of the country’s fertiliser had
been imported in the FY2014-15.
As of November 3, 2015, the
demand of urea fertiliser in last
fiscal year was 2.8m tonnes while
MTB Unit Fund
declares 10%
dividend
n Tribune Business Desk
The Trustee Committee of MTB
Unit Fund has declared 10% cash
dividend for its unit holders for
the Fiscal Year 2015-2016, said the
fund manager in a statement.
The declaration came at the trustee committee meeting held yesterday. Alliance Capital Asset Management Ltd (ACAML) is the Asset
Manager of the MTB Unit Fund.
Bangladesh General Insurance
Company is the Trustee while Mutual
Trust Bank is the sponsor and BRAC
Bank is the custodian of the Fund.
The unit holders, whose names
appeared in the registers of MTB
Unit Fund on June 30, 2016 will
be entitled to receive the aforesaid
dividend.
Kh. Asadul Islam, managing
director and CEO of ACAML, said:
“Our mission is to provide investors with good returns on their investments while maintaining our
high standard of ethics and professionalism.
“We are grateful for the support
and confidence placed in us by investors.” l
DT
13
Business
Shimanto
Bank listed as
scheduled bank
n Tribune Business Desk
The import of urea fertiliser reached a record-high of 1.8m tonnes in the fiscal year 2014-15
Bangladesh had produced 213,000
tonnes.
The demand was 2.7m tonnes in
2014-15 fiscal year while domestic
production was 878,000 tonnes,
the minister added.
The import of urea fertiliser,
one of the key agricultural inputs,
reached a record-high of 1.8m tonnes
in the past fiscal year 2014-15, on the
back of local production debacle.
By the year-end, the actual consumption was 2.64 million tonnes.
To fulfil the demand, the local
factories could produce 900,000
tonnes of urea.
On the other hand, Bangladesh
Chemical Industries Corporation
(BCIC) and Bangladesh Agricultural
Development Corporation (BADC)
jointly imported 1.8m tonnes.
BADC entered into urea procurement for the first time in the fiscal,
importing 100,000 tonnes.
Urea was mostly imported from
Qatar under government-to-government arrangement and through
international tendering.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
Chittagong Urea Fertiliser Limited (CUFL) in Chittagong, Ashuganj
Fertiliser in Brahmanbaria, Palash
and Urea Fertiliser Factory in Narsingdi, and Fenchuganj Fertiliser
in Sylhet remained closed due to
unavailability of gas. Only Jamuna
urea factory in Jamalpur was in full
operation, according to reports.
The government has to hand
over a significant amount of subsidy on this farming input, as its import cost is much higher than that
of local production. l
Limited tender system okayed
n Asif Showkat Kallol
The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs has approved a proposal to introduce limited tender
processing system for Chinese
firms to implement development
projects in Bangladesh with Chinese credit.
At a meeting yesterday, the
committee gave go-ahead to the
proposal placed by the Economic
Relations Division.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith
presided over the meeting.
Cabinet Division’s Additional
Secretary M Mostafizur Rahman
breifed the media after the meeting.
He said as per the ERD proposal
the limited tender system would be
applicable to the Chinese-funded
projects taken after August 12, 2015
and for the projects taken before
the date direct procurement system would be applied.
Ministries and divisions would
follow directives given by the cabinet division in relation to the China-funded projects.
In the proposal, the ERD said
China has abstained from investing in new Bangladeshi projects as
limited tender processing system
for the Chinese firms has not been
finalised yet. l
Stocks end flat in volatile trade
n Tribune Business Desk
Stocks closed marginally up yesterday as weak oil offset the gains in
financial and cements, dealers said.
The benchmark index of Dhaka
Stock Exchange DSEX inched over
1 point up to finish at 4,569.
The DS30 index, comprising blue
chips, witnessed a fractional rise of
0.8 points to 1,783. The DSE Shariah
Index gained only 4 points to 1,123.
The Chittagong Stock Exchange
Selective Category Index CSCX declined only about 3 points to 8,558.
Trading activities still remained
subdued despite increase as the
DSE turnover stood at Tk4,80 crore,
which is over 6% higher than the
previous session’s value.
The turnover increased mainly
due to block trade of Tk47.4 crore led
by Social Islami Bank that accounted
for about 90% of the block trade.
Of a total of 325 companies traded, 138 ended up, 131 closed down
while 56 remained unchanged.
The market closed marginally
positive after the benchmark index
traded volatile in the range of 100
points and lost all the morning gains
on profit-booking, said a dealer.
Mutual funds made a notable
move ahead of dividend declaration.
Early gains were primarily led
by cement, non-banking financial
institutions, telecommunication,
engineering and pharmaceuticals,
which rose 1.3%, 0.7%, 0.6%, 0.5%
and 0.2% respectively.
Food and allied sector posted
the highest loss of more than 1%,
followed by banks 0.2%. Power sector remained almost unchanged.
Lanka Bangla Securities said the
market finished near the unchanged
mark in a session that saw a marked
swing in and out of red zone, owing to lack of catalyst and following
some profit bookings after the gains
that occurred last week. l
Bangladesh Bank has listed newly established Shimanto Bank as a
scheduled bank.
A circular of Bangladesh Bank
yesterday said Shimanto Bank has
been listed as the scheduled bank
from July 21.
The new commercial bank came
into being for the welfare of Border
Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members.
Earlier in January this year, the
bank got the nod from the central
bank to operate formally.
The bank will not operate as fully commercial, but as welfare bank
to a large extent.
All the profits of the bank will
be provided for BGB members and
retired persons as loans on simple
conditions.
The bank will play a vital role in
improving overall living standard
of BGB members, the proposal described.
Shimanto Bank would provide
various services and schemes
for the Border Guard Bangladesh
members like soft loans, pension
scheme, house loan, local and foreign aid for health, marriage loan,
agricultural loan and One House,
One Farm loan.
Currently, 56 scheduled banks are
operating in the market, of which 39
are private commercial banks.
The ruling Awami League government gave licence to nine private commercial banks in 2013. l
Agrani Bank
DMD suspended
n Tribune Business Desk
Agrani Bank Deputy Managing Director Mizanur Rahman, who is
now on bail in a corruption case,
has been suspended.
An official circular was issued by
the finance ministry on Tuesday in
this connection.
According to the circular, Mizanur has been removed due to a case
filed against him with Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC), that is now
pending.
Earlier on June 30, Sayed Abdul
Hamid was removed from the post
of Agrani Bank managing director due to his alleged involvement
with Tk792 crore corruption, which
was given to Moon Group by Bangladesh Bank.
Mizanur Rahman, who was also
accused in same irregularities, was
earlier given the charge of acting
Managing Director of Agrani Bank
soon after the removal of Syed Abdul Hamid from the bank by the Finance Ministry.
On the same day on June 30,
ACC arrested Mizanur in the same
case of the Moon Group. l
Business
DT
14
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
RBA governor: Central banks
can’t just dial up growth
Indian Railways
opens GSA
office in Dhaka
n Tribune Business Desk
n AFP, Sydney
Central bankers can’t just “dial up
growth” to stimulate economies,
outgoing Reserve Bank of Australia
governor Glenn Stevens said yesterday, expressing serious reservations about the world’s reliance on
monetary policy.
Central banks, particularly in developed nations, enacted unprecedented monetary easing policies
after the global economic crisis to
kickstart growth - including pumping huge amounts of liquidity into
markets, cutting interest rates to ultra-low levels and buying up assets.
But the path towards recovery has
been uneven. Amid fears that zero or
negative interest rates and quantitative easing are becoming ineffective,
central banks have started to consider other measures including so-called
“helicopter money” where they funnel cash directly into economies.
“We can’t just assume that monetary policy can simply dial up the
growth we need. We need some realism here,” Stevens said in Sydney
in his last speech before he steps
down as Reserve Bank of Australia
(RBA) governor next month.
“I have serious reservations
about the extent of reliance on
monetary policy around the world.”
Stevens said although low interest rates were meant to encourage
households and other private entities to take on more debt and spend
more, some were already struggling with indebtedness.
Reserve Bank of Australia governor Glenn Stevens
Instead, governments should increase their borrowing and invest in
“long-lived assets that yield an economic return” to generate demand.
“It isn’t that the central banks
were wrong to do what they could,
it is that what they could do was
not enough, and never could be
enough, fully to restore demand after a period of recession associated
with a very substantial debt buildup,” Stevens added.
The Organisation for Econom-
ic Cooperation and Development
in June cut its forecast for global
growth to 3% from the previous
3.6%, and called on governments
to boost spending or risk being
caught in a low-growth trap.
Stevens said a return to previous interest rate levels around the
world was likely to take some time.
“Through a combination of extraordinary circumstances, the central banking community globally
has found itself doing unprecedent-
Rocket-backed Foodpanda turns
profit in two of its three regions
n Reuters, Frankfurt
Foodpanda has become profitable in two of its three operating regions, Central and
East Europe and the Middle
East, with profits in Asia a
function of how quickly it
can grab market share, its
chief executive said.
The emerging markets
food delivery specialist said
it had become profitable in
the Middle East after agreeing to a deal to merge its Hellofood business in Saudi Arabia with Saudi delivery firm
Hungerstation.
The combined operation
will serve 1 million active
customers and 2,000 restaurants across 30 cities in
the largest Gulf state. It also
runs food delivery services
in Egypt as Otlob and in the
United Arab Emirates as 24h.
Foodpanda, 49% owned
by Berlin-based ecommerce
investor Rocket Internet,
turned profitable in its
nine-country Central and
Eastern Europe region earlier
this year, the company said.
The global food delivery market is consolidating
quickly through acquisitions
and asset swaps and as investment in new start-ups
has fallen sharply in the
past year. Companies such
as Foodpanda are under
pressure to produce profits
instead of chasing growth at
any cost as consumers are increasingly shifting to on-demand food delivery ordered
via mobile phones.
“We are profitable in two
of our three broad regions,”
said Ralf Wenzel, co-founder
and chief executive of fouryear-old Foodpanda group.
“In Asia, we are focused on
improving market share”.
Company-wide,
adjusted earnings before interest,
taxes and depreciation, including stock-based compensation, improved to a loss
of 13m euros ($14.4m) from
a loss of 18.7m euros a year
earlier, Rocket reported in
late May.
Foodpanda is market leader in 23 of the 24 markets in
which it operates and is working to win more customers to
its mobile phone-based delivery service in each market,
Wenzel said.
“Over the next couple of
months we will turn breakeven and then profitable
in the first Southeast Asian
countries,” Wenzel said. l
AFP
ed things,” the 58-year-old said.
“The ‘return to normal’ at the
global level looks like being a very,
very slow process. And normal is a
different place now.”
Stevens, who is handing over
to deputy governor Philip Lowe
next month after a decade in the
hot seat, has been praised for his
steady hand as he guided the country through an unprecedented
mining investment boom as well as
the global financial crisis. l
Indian Railways has appointed its
General Sales Agent in Bangladesh
to facilitate buying rail tickets to
travel across any destinations
within India.
Galaxy Travel International got
the appointment as local GSA for
Indian Railways recently.
The Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh, Harsh Vardhan
Shringla, and Ambrish Kumar
Gupta, additional member, Traffic-Indian Railway Board, jointly
declared the official opening at
Gulshan, Dhaka yesterday.
Indian Railways (IR) is an Indian
state-owned enterprise, owned and
operated by the Government of India
through the Ministry of Railways.
It is one of the world’s largest
railway networks stretching across
115,000 kilometres of track and
7,112 stations.
In 2014-15, IR carried more than
23 million passengers a day, half of
them was roughly suburban passengers and 1058.81 million tonnes
were freight.
In the year, Indian Railways
had revenues of 1,634.50 billion (US$24 billion) which consists
of 1,069.27 billion (US$16 billion)
from freight and 402.80 billion (US$6.0 billion) from passengers tickets.
Indian
Railways
is
the
world’s seventh largest commercial or utility employer by number
of employees, with over 1.376 million employees as of last published
figures in 2013. l
DT
15
Business
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Fears ease over China’s weaker yuan
n AFP, Shanghai
A year ago on Thursday Chinese
authorities stunned global markets
by devaluing their yuan currency,
raising fears the world’s second-largest economy was worse off than
thought - but investors are now more
sanguine about a weaker “redback”.
The normally stable unit was
guided down by nearly five percent
over a week last August, and has
declined steadily since then.
It closed at 6.6430 to the US
dollar yesterday, not far from its
weakest level for almost six years
and approaching the rate where
authorities held it rock steady between 2008 and 2010, in a bid to
escape the turmoil of the global financial crisis.
But unlike the deliberate government policy of the past, finan-
cial markets see economic fundamentals as driving the recent
decline in the yuan, also known as
the renminbi (RMB).
A rise in US interest rates, Britain’s vote to exit the European Union and the failed coup in Turkey
have all sparked flight to the dollar.
Even so traders and China’s business partners still want Beijing to
pursue deeper reforms and greater
transparency of its currency regime.
“A year on, investors appear
slightly more relaxed about movements in the renminbi but we suspect that they remain as wary as
ever about trusting Chinese policymakers to keep their word,” Capital
Economics said in a research report.
Beijing keeps a tight grip on its
currency as part of Communist authorities’ control mechanisms, as
well as worries that sudden inflows
or outflows of capital could damage the economy.
The government only allows the
yuan to rise or fall two percent on
either side of a daily fix on the national foreign exchange market.
Chinese officials have pledged
to keep the unit stable, but at the
same time gradually move towards
making it freely convertible as they
seek to secure a greater role in the
world financial system.
After years of lobbying, the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
late last year finally agreed to include the yuan in its “special drawing rights” reserve currency basket.
“Concerns over the renminbi
have eased in recent months and
outflows have returned to a more
manageable level,” Capital Economics said.
Billions of dollars have flooded
Rangs Limited, the sole distributor of Mitsubishi Motors has recently launched a new SUV named Pajero
Sport in Bangladesh, said a press release. COO of Rangs Limited, Shoeb Ahmed launched the new SUV
model in Dhaka
out of China in the last year, although
the torrent has slowed dramatically,
with Chinese banks selling $49bn
more in foreign exchange than they
received in the April-June period,
sharply down on the $124.8bn of the
previous three months.
China’s foreign exchange reserves fell to $3.2tn in July, according to the latest figures, but remain
by far the world’s largest.
‘Competitive devaluations’
The yuan is expected to go lower
this year, given the continuing impact of Brexit.
“Global uncertainties are gradually taking a toll,” Citic Bank International chief economist Liao
Qun told AFP. “And how much
longer yuan is going to fall depends
on when the euro and pound will
bounce back again.” l
IDLC has recently appointed Jane Alam
Romel as the group’s chief marketing
officer, said a press release. Prior to
his joining, Romel was the head of
marketing at Rangs Industries
DT
16
Interview
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
‘Huawei phones have the best network
quality in the world’
n Mahmood Sadi
Within one and half years of
operation, Huawei smartphones
have been able to grab 7% market
share of Bangladesh’s smartphone
market. Ingmar Wang, director
of Device Business of Huawei
however doesn’t feel too complicit
about the Chinese company’s
achievement in such a short span
of time.
He believes that Huawei still
has miles to go in Bangladesh,
at least on the front of its device
market here. Huawei has already
taken a lion share of the country’s
telecommunication market with
its network related services.
Ingmar Wang recently sat
down with the Dhaka Tribune
to Huawei’s performance in the
Bangladesh market.
How do you rate the performance
of Huawei phones in Bangladesh?
H
uawei started its Smartphone
business in Bangladesh
from January 2015. Before our
smartphone business, we used
to have a small scale feature
phone business here. Those
feature phones were provided
with Citycell. Now we have
stopped the feature phone section
and completely gotten into
smartphone business.
Our smartphones have been
able to grab 7% of Bangladesh’s
market. It is the fourth largest
selling smartphone in Bangladesh.
In 2016 H1 (January to June
period), Huawei smartphone sales
in Bangladesh increased 133 %
compare to 2015 H1 (January to
June).
Are you happy about the
outcome?
I
can’t say that I am too satisfied.
Grabbing 7% of the market
within one and half year is
obviously a success. And most
importantly, we have been able
to take the brand name to the
remotest corner of the country.
I can tell you that almost all the
mobile users of Bangladesh now
know the name of Huawei.
Still, we believe there is ample
scope to make the sector grow
further, especially in semi-urban
and rural area. Around 5 lakh
unit smartphones are now being
sold each month in this country
with a possibility to reach 8 lakh
each month in next two to three
years.
How do you evaluate the
Bangladeshi smartphone market?
S
martphone’s now account
for around 30 percent of the
total market share in Bangladesh
and each year, this is growing.
Especially after the launch of 3G
technology, we have seen robust
growth in smartphone sales
in this country. All segments
of customers from young to
middle aged people are using
smartphone’s due to its reasonable
pricing.
For the last couple of months,
we have observed that Huawei
is expanding its smartphone
business opening more outlets
and launching new flagship
handsets in the country.
What’s your future plan for the
Bangladeshi market?
F
or the last one year, we have
opened more than 200 Huawei
brand shops across the country.
Our Huawei smartphone sales
point reaches around 3,000 with a
plan to set up more sales points.
We will continuously bring new
models to the Bangladeshi market
so that users will be benefited
with new phones. Huawei is
dedicated to invest in R&D, bring
innovative features, international
standard quality control to make
sure customers have good quality
products.
Similarly, we will continue
to expand the sales and service
channels in Bangladesh as we
believe in the near future, we will
become the top three smartphone
brands in the Bangladeshi market
since more and more customers
start to use Huawei smartphones.
Which Huawei phones are selling
well in Bangladesh? Which is your
best phone?
H
uawei currently sells
18 different models of
smartphones under four series’
- P, M, G and Y. Out of these four,
phones of P and M series are
premium phones with higher price
tags. In Bangladesh the best selling
ones are from the Y series. Because
of their lower price tags, they have
been able to grab the attention of
the younger generation who find
these to be trendy, fashionable and
with higher specs.
Our best phone is of course our
P9 phone. We have launched this
flagship model of Huawei in June
this year and it was a great success
in both the global market and the
Bangladeshi market.
The problem with Chinese brands
like Huawei, Xiomi and Vivo is
that people don’t consider them to
be premium brands such as Apple,
Samsung or Blackberry. Also,
many high end customers feel that
the Chinese phones aren’t durable
like premium brands because they
have lower price tags. What are
your thoughts?
We believe there is ample scope to make
the sector grow further, especially in
semi-urban and rural area
U
ntil now, Huawei has always
been a bit of a budget brand.
Its devices provided decent bang
for buck, but nothing that could
compare to high-end phones from
Apple or Samsung. Our flagship
phone P9 is trying to change that
– it’s the first phone from Huawei
that feels genuinely premium and
is built without cost-cutting in
mind.
It’s a premium phone in every
sense of the phrase. The addition
of a dual lens rear-facing camera
made in collaboration with world
renowned camera brand Leica sets
the P9 apart. I can tell you that this
is the best available camera phone
in the world now.
With phones like P9, we want
to grab the high end smartphone
market across the world. The
truth is if you consider the
hardware, Samsung or Apple
phones are no better than Huawei
because most of their phones are
manufactured in China. If we can
manufacture their phones, we
can manufacture our own brands.
Apple and Samsung have branding
advantage. I believe, with phones
like P9, we will be able to brand
ourselves in the high end phone
market as well.
What do you think will give
Huawei phones edge over other
premium brands like Apple or
Samsung?
I
t’s superior network quality.
Huawei phones have the best
network capturing capacity
among all other smartphones.
This is because Huawei is one of
the world’s most trusted network
service provider which has been
providing network and other
telecommunication services
in over 170 countries across
the world. Huawei phones are
integrated with better network
capturing capacity too.
Let me tell you a story. In
Myanmar, one general from their
army was lost inside a forest and
he had three phones with him - a
Samsung, a Nokia and a Huawei
phone. He tried with Nokia and
Samsung but he couldn’t connect
from the forest but when he tried
to connect with a Huawei, he
could. Later he visited our Huawei
office in Myanmar and thanked
us for our phone’s quality which
practically saved his life.
From network service business,
Huawei has expanded to
smartphone business. Does it
plan to develop software for its
smartphones in the near future?
W
e have very good working
relation with Google and
we are using their operating
system - android. We build our
own user interface software on
top of Android. We have tried
using the Windows phone’s OS but
it has been difficult to persuade
consumers to buy a Windows
phone. It wasn’t profitable for us.
We were losing money for two
years on those phones. So for now
we’ve decided to put any releases
of new Windows phones on hold.
Globally, our software team
has roughly 2,000 people, and
we are increasing our investment
about 20% to 30% every year. To
provide better services, we have
partnered with some software and
Internet companies. The industry
is changing and you cannot do
everything by yourself. l
17
DT
Youth
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Young YouTube stars to lookout for
Amanda Steele
Founder of the YouTube channel
MakeupbyMandy24, Amanda
started making YouTube videos at
only 10 years old. The American
YouTube Star is known for her
beauty and fashion expertise,
and has accumulated more than
2.9 million subscribers. She was
only in the 5th grade when she
launched her YouTube channel.
The crazy success has helped her
launch her own make-up line.
n Features Desk
This week we revisit some of our favourite YouTube stars from
home and abroad. From skits to parodies to social experiments,
these young ones know how to get us howling with laughter with
their fun take on life, love and everything in between. Read on to
find out our picks of our favourite teen YouTube stars.
Brent Rivera
Having over 1.5 million
subscribers on YouTube, and over
8 million followers on Vine, Brent
Rivera is known for his sketch
comedy video under the moniker
MrBrent98. He created his
YouTube channel in 2009 and his
Vine channel in 2013. He started
his acting career at the age of 11,
and it has always been his dream
to entertain. Brent is also popular
on Twitter and Instagram, where
he has huge fan following.
Salmon TheBrownfish
Salman Mohammad Muqtadir, the man behind the raging YouTube
channel Salmon TheBrownfish, is a self proclaimed “22 year old second
year drop out,” who’s also an entrepreneur who loves to travel. Owner
of YouTube channels Salmon TheBrownfish and Salmon ThePutimaas,
the first has 249,653 subscribers with over 24 million views. Joining the
YouTube family back in 2012, Salman has posted a whole range of skits,
talks, and music videos. Some of his best videos include the music video
of Jaan o Baby which has reached around 2 million views. However, the
one video that garnered the most views and comments was one where
he pranks his mother, pretending to bring home a new, pregnant bride to
gouge his mothers reaction. The over 383 thousand views.
BhaiBrothers LTD
Starting off around 2014, a young
trio consisting of Asif Bin Azad,
Rudro Tahsin and Rakin Absar
began a journey through YouTube,
bringing viewers everything from
hilarious skits, pranks, music,
webisodes, talk shows, shows
and event live films. With over 16
million views on their YouTube
channels, the trio is now down to
a duo with Abser no longer part
of the group, but still making
appearances here and there.
They’ve also had their fair share of
social experiment videos as well
as interviews of musician Xefer
and DJ Sonica. Their latest video
is a funny skit on things people
do during Holud rehearsals. Other
interesting videos include Bengalis
at restaurants, Bengali’s reactions
when Facebook is down, Night
before exam and Bangladeshis
react to porn ban. Currently,
their Facebook page has over 90
thousand likes with their latest
video being an awareness post on
the stigma attached to those who
work in the media line.
Nash Grier
Comedic vlogger Nash Grier
initially rose to fame as a Vine
star, however, soon enough he
ventured into YouTube, currently
having 4,818,097 subscribers
and 202,607,051 views. Some of
his more popular videos include
“Reading mean tweets” (reaching
over 2 million views),#Ask Nash
and Skylynn. l
Photo: courtesy
DT
18
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Biz Info
| what's on |
Aug 11
Dining | South East Asian Flavors
When August 11
Where Seasonal Tastes, The
Westin Dhaka,Main Gulshan
Avenue, Plot-01, Road 45, 1212
Dhaka, Bangladesh
What
Experience the delicacies of
Singapore, Malaysia & Indonesia
masterfully prepared by Chef
Jegatheeswaran Kuppusamy in
the South East Asian Flavors.
Dinner is priced at Tk4,500
(net). For reservations call
+8801730374871. Card offers
available too.
Aug 13
Open mic | Comedy Adda comedy open mic show with
music session
When 5-9pm
Where Studio 6/6, Block F, Aziz
Moholla, Mohammadpur, Dhaka
What
Comeday Adda is an open mic
session hosted by Max Mystel.
Along with Max they will also
have four surprise performers.
This platform welcomes everyone
who wants to perform comedy
and music. It is an open call
for everyone who is looking
for a space to showcase their
talent. Interested applicants are
encouraged to call 01683453850
or sign up at (https://goo.gl/
WUE9Zu). l
| commencement |
14th Graduation
ceremony of Sunnydale
The 14th graduation ceremony of Sunnydale school was held at
Krishibid Institute of Bangladesh (KIB). The chief guest Professor Dr
Anupam Sen, internationally known eminent social scientist and vice
chancellor, Premier University, Chittagong, special guest Professor Niaz
Zaman, advisor, department of English, school of liberal arts and social
sciences, Independent University, Bangladesh along with chairman of
the school Dr Tanvir Ahmed Khan, Principal Tazeen Ahmed are seen
with a student. l
| navy |
On Tuesday, August
9, 2016, Navy Chief
Admiral Nizamuddin
Ahmed inaugurated an
opening ceremony in
Yichang shipyard, China
to build two warships for
Bangladesh Navy.
Image courtesy: ISPRl
DT
19
Biz Info
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
| tech |
| meals |
Huawei successfully conducted LTE/4G
technology trail at Banglalink Head office
Crazy crisp chicken at Kenny
Rogers Roasters
To take Bangladesh’s
government’s “Digital
Bangladesh” vision one step
forward and make the latest
technology available to
everyone’s reach, Huawei, a
leading global ICT solutions
provider, successfully conducted
LTE/4G technology trial in
one of the leading digital
communications service
providers premises Banglalink
recently in presence of
Banglalink and Huawei officials
at Tiger’s Den, Banglalink’s
Headquarters. According to
BTRC permission provided to
Huawei for a given period of
time, this trial was conducted
as part of the survey before
commercial launch of 4G
technology in the country by the
Bangladesh government.
4G is the short name for
fourth-generation wireless,
the stage of broadband mobile
communications that will
supersede the third generation
(3G). 4G uses a new technology
which called orthogonal
frequency-division multiplexing
(OFDM) instead of the traditional
technology includes time division
multiple access (TDMA) and code
division multiple access (CDMA).
People can experience the
highest level of internet speed in
4G network.
The result of the trail was quite
satisfactory. Download speed was
experienced more than 60 Mbps
during the trial in 4G technology.
On the occasion of this
successful trailing, CEO
of Huawei Technologies
(Bangladesh) Limited, Zhao
Haofu, said, “We are happy to
trail the 4G experience at the
Banglalink head office. We have
seen how people are excited
about the technology which is
the future of digital world. We are
happy to be a part to it.”
Sanjay Vaghasia, chief
technology officer, Banglalink
said, “We are really happy and
thank Huawei for choosing
our premises for the trailing
of this technology which will
bring huge change to society.
We believe that offering digital
services is the path to the future
and 4G technology is the key to
enable us to offer these services.
Banglalink also welcomes 4G to
be introduced for its customers in
the near future.”
Besides Zhao Haofu, CEO,
Huawei Bangladesh and Sanjay
Vaghasia, CTO, Banglalink, Erik
Aas, CEO, Banglalink was also
present during 4G/ LTE trail. l
Kenny Rogers Roasters is an
internationally renowned
franchise restaurant located at
Molly Capita Center, 76 Gulshan
Avenue, Gulshan 1, Dhaka,
Bangladesh. It provides a unique,
delicious and healthy dining
experience using fresh products
which are prepared completely
oil-free.
Following the successful
launch of its “Greatest Grill”
steaks, Kenny Rogers Roasters
is now proud to introduce its
Crazy Crisp Chicken on Thursday,
August 11, 2016. The chairman of
Capita Group, Meraj Husain Khan
was present at the launching
event.
Perfectly seasoned with
Kenny’s original marinade, the
mouthwatering and savoury
Crazy Crisp Chicken is served with
refreshing coleslaw, perfectly
seasoned mashed potatoes and
gravy, macaroni and cheese
and Kenny’s delectable, warm
homemade muffins.
For a delicious, healthy
meal shared with your loved
ones, reserve your table now at
+8801937-990-988. l
| hospitality |
Le Meridien Dhaka wins Today’s Traveller award
With just over a year of operation
in its history, Le Méridien
Dhaka this week won the 2016
Today’s Traveller Award for
“Best International Business
Hotel in Bangladesh”. The award
was presented by Shri Vinod
Kumar Duggal, former Governor
Manipur, Union Home Secretary,
Member National Disaster
Management Authority to Le
Méridien Dhaka during the 10th
Annual Today’s Traveller Awards
held at the Taj Palace, New Delhi
on August 1, 2016. The event was
also presided over by chief guest
Vijay Goel, Minister of State (IC),
Ministry of Youth Affairs and
Sports, Government of India. This
long anticipated event also marked
the cover launch ceremony of
the Coffee Table Book 2016 Game
Changers, denoting the theme on
which winners were selected by
the award jury.
Over 300 top-level management
professionals from the travel
and hospitality industry, as well
as, heads of the corporate world
attended the grand event. Chief
guest Vijay Goel, Minister of State
(IC), Ministry of Youth Affairs
and Sports, Government of India
joined the celebrations as he
took to the stage to personally
recognise the felicitated leaders
for their achievements. Vijay Goel
while congratulating the winners
said,“Every award brings both joy
and responsibility. The joy of being
recognised and the responsibility
of setting and maintaining new
benchmarks.”
Today’s Traveller Awards,
one of the most respected
awards in the travel industry,
has always identified and
recognised the achievements and
accomplishments of progressive
companies and leaders from
the industry. The 10th Today’s
Traveller Awards recognised
game changers who have changed
the rules of the hospitality
and tourism industries in their
respective nations.
The Today’s Traveller Award
is the third global award received
by the Le Méridien Dhaka in the
past one year since the hotel soft
launched in June 2015. Upon its
grand opening in November, the
hotel has been nominated by
three other international award
program and is currently also in
the running for three categories
in the 2016 World Luxury Hotel
Awards, for which the hotel’s
team has also expressed high
hopes. l
DT
20 Editorial
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
TODAY
The elephant in the
room and our denial
We may dismantle all the unauthorised
business and educational
establishments in the city, we may
continue to round up the usual suspects
for terrorism all over the country, but
we will continue to have the elephant
in the room unless we are prepared to
face it
PAGE 21
Thank you,
Mr Trump
While 7/10 young women (35 and
younger) are likely to vote for Clinton
in November, over half of them are
doing so as a vote against you -- not
necessarily because they support her
PAGE 22
Standing against
the GST
The GST bill is aimed at corporate
control of one of the most important
democratic mechanisms of people’s
control over revenue and resources
PAGE 23
Be heard
Write to Dhaka Tribune
FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath,
Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207
Send us your Op-Ed articles:
[email protected]
www.dhakatribune.com
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DhakaTribune.
The views expressed in Opinion
articles are those of the authors
alone. They do not purport to
be the official view of Dhaka
Tribune or its publisher.
DHAKA TRIBUNE
A smart approach to security
and public transport
T
he need for heightened security in key areas -- as well as greater
discipline in Dhaka’s public transportation system -- has been
palpable ever since the horrific attack in Gulshan last month.
The government’s decision to introduce 30 air-conditioned buses
and 500 rickshaws in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone, then, is most laudable.
New buses and yellow-hooded rickshaws that will serve Niketon,
Gulshan, Baridhara, and Banani exclusively will bring some much needed
order to the traffic flow of those areas.
Restricting other rickshaws from entering the diplomatic zone will make it
easier to monitor those areas for suspicious activities.
Dhaka has been in need of a better organised public transport system
for a long time, and we hope this is only the beginning of better things to
come. Setting fixed fares for both rickshaws and buses, and providing airconditioned interiors for the latter, will go a long way in providing citizens
with a hassle-free and comfortable commute.
However, the government must make sure that others who use the
diplomatic zone to travel to other areas of the city are provided with
alternatives which cater to their needs as well.
Problems of transportation in Dhaka are complex, and this initiative is
merely a step in the right direction. Other challenges include the design
of the rickshaw itself. Though rickshaws have retained the same design
for decades, they need to be updated. The present design is unsafe and
inhumane, and a more efficiently engineered vehicle would go a long way
towards making Dhaka more liveable for all.
The job does not end with special zones. The authorities must also look
into making the rest of the capital safe, secure, and orderly.
Restricting other
rickshaws from entering
the diplomatic zone will
make it easier to monitor
those areas for suspicious
activities
DT
21
Opinion
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
The elephant in the room and our denial
There is plenty of evidence that globally inspired terrorism has come to Bangladesh
Extremist ideology spreads across borders
COURTESY OF DMP
We may dismantle all the unauthorised business and educational
establishments in the city, we may continue to round up the usual
suspects for terrorism all over the country, but we will continue to have
the elephant in the room unless we are prepared to face it
n Ziauddin Choudhury
T
he home minister has
denied again the presence
of foreign hands in the
militancy that has been
raging in the country over the
last two years or so. He and his
colleagues have been consistent in
this regard.
They think all militancyrelated activities in the country,
that include over 20 killings in
Gulshan and many others before
and after this incident, have been
perpetrated by domestic terrorists
with a local agenda.
Their assertions fly in the
face of overwhelming evidence
of presence of globally-inspired
terrorism in the country, that
includes videos of call to Jihad
by people of Bangladeshi origin
purported to have been made in
IS-controlled territory in Syria.
This is beside claims of ownership
of acts of terrorism in the country
by followers of that militant outfit.
The repeated denials by some
of our people in authority of any
foreign linkage of recent acts of
terror and terrorists are an inyour-face rebuttal of the legion
of reports from foreign press and
intelligence agencies (including
that of US) of the overarching
reach of Islamic militants.
This is an outreach that
transgresses international borders,
and are making new associates
wherever possible, Bangladesh
included. Most recently, while
talking about the global reach of
IS, President Obama referred to
Bangladesh as one of the countries
that IS has attacked.
He said this in the context of
US efforts to defeat the militant
organisation -- remarking that
the organisation will continue to
inspire, if not directly conduct, its
terror attacks in other countries,
even as though it may lose its
stronghold in Syria.
We wish our government
leaders were right, and the acts
of terrorism shaking the country
today were all the handiwork
of local hoodlums recruited by
political parties out to harass the
government and destabilise the
country.
We wish the mastermind of the
tragic and horrific happenings in
Gulshan, Sholakia, and murders
of Hindu priests and foreigners
were truly a local thug, and he and
his group of criminals would be
apprehended soon. We wish this
could bring an end to this violence.
Unfortunately, this is not so.
The reality is far from this simple
assumption or declaration. The
genesis of the violence in Gulshan
or Sholakia did not begin with
these two places, nor did it begin
with the perpetrators of the
incidents in two places.
The genesis has to do with
the blindfold that we have
been wearing for years denying
existence or possibility of spread
of radicalism in the country
by people who have been
indoctrinated by an ideology
that has attracted hundreds of
thousands before them in different
parts of the world.
This blindfold which our
leaders have been wearing,
either unwittingly or on purpose,
distracted our government
from combating radicalism and
extremists, and instead directed
its attention toward suppressing
political opponents by blaming
them for the acts of terror.
Only two months before the
terrible incident in Gulshan,
the government launched a
countrywide strike against
terrorism, leading to arrests of
thousands of so-called suspects
all over the country -- very few of
whom had any known ties with
any militant group.
Ironically, the tragic event
happened and nearly two dozen
innocent people perished in
an apparently high-security
residential neighbourhood
after thousands of “suspected
terrorists” were put away in jail.
It may take years and months
for our government to find out
the why and how of these terror
acts, but the simple fact remains
that all of these were possible
because we have been denying
the possibility of a global hand in
indoctrinating our youths in such
radical ideologies and acts.
As in the past, where the
previous government adamantly
refused to accept the presence
and growth of foreign-inspired
terrorism in Bangladesh and
blamed the opposition for causing
instability through hired hands,
we are witnessing a repeat of the
same story with fresh attacks
despite evidence of foreign hands
and foreign inspiration.
The perpetrators of terrorism
and violence in Bangladesh may
be all Bangladeshis, and some of
them may perhaps belong to home
grown militant organisations. But
their ideology and inspiration are
not necessarily rooted in domestic
political goals.
The ideology that IS spreads
attracts youths all across the
globe, youths of all descriptions,
from marginalised societies in
foreign countries, disgruntled and
economically deprived parts, and
as we are seeing in Bangladesh,
youths from economically well-off
and well-to-do societies.
Like radicals in the Middle
East, and other parts of Europe
or US, the people embracing the
extremist ideology in Bangladesh
have shown the same level
of attraction or loyalty to this
overarching militant entity -- be
it a romantic idea of establishing
an Islamic State or carrying out a
distorted vision of Jihad.
The point is that the surfeit
that is affecting Bangladesh is not
endemic, it is an epidemic that has
spread globally and we need to
address it accordingly.
Our leaders should come out
of their fear to make the call they
need to combat this crisis properly.
It is said that crisis always
presents opportunities for change.
But these changes should be for
the better not worse. The crisis
that Bangladesh faces today is not
only a threat to internal security
and safety of our people; it is also
a serious threat to our economic
growth, business, and future
investment.
The more we deny the real
threat and refuse to see the
sources of the threat, the more
danger we expose our people to
the threat. We may dismantle all
the unauthorised business and
educational establishments in the
city, we may continue to round up
the usual suspects for terrorism
all over the country, but we will
continue to have the elephant in
the room unless we are prepared
to face it.
We have to find out and
terminate foreign connections to
terrorism in the country, and stop
our youths from getting ensnared
by the foreign groups. And for this
Bangladesh should seek help from
all. l
Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the
higher civil service of Bangladesh early
in his career, and later for the World
Bank in the USA.
DT
22
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Long Form
Thank you, Mr Trump
Donald Trump has repeatedly shot himself in the foot. This is the first part of a two-part long form
n Samier Mansur
D
ear Mr Trump,
I never thought I’d say
this, but thank you. Since
you announced your
run for the presidency, you have
held up a giant mirror, and shown
us just who we are as a nation.
Some of what we see reflected
back is not so pretty; but by and
large, our country’s response to
your candidacy has shown us that
the character of America remains
strong.
By the latest estimates, the
majority of the voting public -including many within the rank
and file of your own party’s most
respected individuals -- will not
accept into the highest office of the
US a Trump presidency.
As we review the past year since
you’ve announced your candidacy,
let’s take a look at some defining
moments from your campaign
which were revelatory not only
of your character, but that of this
nation.
When you went after Mexicans
(June 2015)
It was the kind of ill-conceived,
stereotypical, and irresponsible
statement that would characterise
your run for office: “When
Mexico sends its people, they’re
not sending their best ... they’re
sending people that have lots
of problems ... they’re bringing
drugs, they’re bringing crime.
They’re rapists.”
What was the nation’s
response?
There was the natural public
shock and outrage; and highranking GOP officials disavowed
your views from those of the
Republican Party. This was soon
followed by leading brands like
NBC, Macy’s, ESPN, NASCAR, PGA
(among a long list of others) that
severed ties, costing you from
estimates of $50-80 million in lost
business deals.
On the very heels of your
announcement for candidacy,
many of us thought your
statement would be the end of
the very beginning. But not so; it
was simply the beginning of a long
and drawn out affair that would
not only see a long list of business
defections, but of political
defections as well.
When you went after Sen John
McCain (July 2015)
If there’s a Holy of Holies of
American politics, it’s a decorated
war hero who happens to be a
well-respected leader in your own
party. Your political disagreements
with him escalated last year
when you directly challenged his
military reputation: In reference
to Sen McCain’s five years as a
tortured POW in Vietnam, you
had this to say: “He’s not a war
hero ... I like people who weren’t
captured.”
If there ever was a moment to
collectively face-palm, this was
it. Not only did it demonstrate a
complete lack of sensitivity for
what was undoubtedly a traumatic
experience, not just for Sen
Mccain, but for tens of thousands
of current and former US military
personnel; it also revealed a
complete disregard for the norms
of political discourse or civility.
It’s okay to disagree with an
individual over their views, but
to malign them so personally,
and so publicly, falls well below
the temperament required of a
leader interviewing for the most
powerful office in the world.
What was the nation’s
response?
We questioned your judgment
as a statesman and leader. We
wondered how you could serve as
a legitimate representative of the
Republican Party when a whole
cohort of its leaders repudiated
your statements in the strongest
terms. Among them was this blunt
The Republican nominee for president isn’t exactly hitting the right note
While 7/10 young women (35 and younger) are likely to vote for Clinton
in November, over half of them are doing so as a vote against you -- not
necessarily because they support her
message from South Carolina Sen
Lindsay Graham on Twitter: “If
there was ever any doubt that @realDonaldTrump should not be our
commander-in-chief, this stupid
statement should end all doubt.”
When you went after Megyn Kelly
(August 2015-April 2015)
Conservative Fox News
commentator Megyn Kelly directly
challenged various statements you
made about women: Everything
from labeling them “fat pigs,”
“dogs,” “slobs,” and “disgusting
animals” to making derogatory
sexual references to them in
professional contexts. Rather
than take accountability, you
defended your virtue of vulgarity,
countering with this deflective
statement: “I think the big
problem this country has is being
politically correct.”
In the following days you
made a controversial reference
to Megyn Kelly’s blood flows;
and over the course of nine
months continued to disparage
and undermine her qualifications
as a journalist for calling you out
on an important issue.
Now, compare your comments
with the sitting president’s
recently published essay on
feminism, and you’ll see just how
high the bar has been raised on the
issue in the Oval Office.
What was the nation’s
response?
I think it’s fair to say that you’ve
lost the female vote this election.
Poll after poll shows widening
female voter support for Clinton
as the election nears. In fact, NPR
projects that the gender gap this
year will likely be the largest in 60
years -- which is as far as such poll
data goes back.
And here’s the stinger: While
7/10 young women (35 and
younger) are likely to vote for
Clinton in November, over half of
them are doing so as a vote against
you -- not necessarily because they
support her.
When you went after US District
Judge Gonzalo Curiel (May 2016)
With allegations of fraud
culminating in a civil litigation
against your now defunct Trump
University, you publicly called for
Federal Judge Gonzalo Curiel’s
removal from the case on the
grounds of unfair treatment. Why?
Because he is (a born and raised
American citizen) of Mexican
heritage, who must therefore -according to your logic -- harbour
bias against you and your great
wall agenda.
When CNN host Jack Tipper
pressed you on the issue,
clarifying, “if you are saying he
REUTERS
cannot do his job because of his
race, is that not the definition
of racism?” your response,
unsurprisingly, was: “No, I don’t
think so at all.”
What was the nation’s
response? Your party’s top ranking official
and Speaker of the House Paul
Ryan contradicted you directly
when he called your statement,
“the textbook definition of a racist
comment.”
The chorus of repudiation once
again came from the rank and file
of an increasingly frustrated GOP;
and the pulse of the nation, just
two weeks after your statements,
revealed an unfavourability rating
of 70%.
For reference, you had polled
at an unfavourability rating of 57%
one month prior. By comparison,
Clinton dropped from a 57% to
55% unfavourability rating within
the same period. l
The concluding part of this long
form will be published tomorrow.
Samier Mansur is a writer, thinker,
and entrepreneur driven by ideas and
technologies that make this world a
happier, and more peaceful place. This
article was previously published in the
Huffington Post.
DT
23
Opinion
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Standing against the GST
AIADMK has some good reasons
n Garga Chatterjee
I
ndia’s Finance Minister Arun
Jaitley announced recently
that almost all states except
Tamil Nadu are on board on
the draft goods and services tax
bill that aims, among other things,
to take away most autonomous
taxation powers from the state
governments.
GST will replace almost all taxes
that the state governments and
the Union government now exact
on goods and services. From being
opposed by then-chief minister of
Gujarat, Narendra Modi, to now
being furiously pursued by the
Union government of India, led by
its prime minister Narendra Modi,
the GST bill has come a long way
indeed.
And although it has come a long
way, and it has picked up converts
to its cause along the way like
the incumbent prime minister,
the GST idea has not changed
fundamentally. It still represents,
as originally conceived, the
greatest assault of the Union
government on state rights and
autonomy in general, and revenue
collection rights of states in
particular.
While most other parties,
including some erstwhile opposers
of the GST, are now on board due
to reasons best known to them,
none have been able to explain
why they have come around to
support such a grave attack on
state rights and hence on the federal structure of the Indian Union.
One party that does not need to do
such explaining happens to be the
third largest party in the present
Lok Sabha, the AIADMK.
The ruling party of Tamil Nadu
has remained steadfast in its
opposition to the GST at a time
when “negotiations” have pretty
much ensured the passage of
the GST and its implementation,
sooner or not too later.
The unfortunate procentre nature of constitutional
amendments is that even on
matters that directly affect rights
of the state, laws can be imposed
on Tamil Nadu. Thus, their
taxation rights can be taken away
even when Tamil Nadu might
oppose such infringement.
The opposition by the AIADMK
has more symbolic value than
an actual threat to GST. But, in
terms of optics, it looks bad if
the consent of one of the most
advanced large-scale industrial
manufacturing states is not gained
as part of the GST bill passage rites
-- in the form of a constitutional
amendment.
Jaitley and Modi need to answer a few tough quesitons
In the select committte report
on the 122nd constitutional
amendment bill that will snatch
most taxation rights of the state,
the AIADMK presented a dissent
note. What does that say?
Firstly, it points out that an
unelected GST council “impinges
on the legislative sovereignty of
both Parliament and the State
Legislatures.” AIADMK opposes
such an unelected GST council’s
sweeping powers on such a
fundamental matter such as
taxation. Secondly, it calls out
the conspiracy against federalism
embedded in the GST council by
stating clearly that the council
“completely jeopardises the
autonomy of the states in fiscal
matters.”
In terms of decision-making
rule and voting weightage in
proposed council, “they give the
government of India an effective
veto in the GST council, and no
distinction is sought to be made
amongst the states in weightage.”
It exposes the Union
government’s design of
controlling GST council by giving
it one-third of total votes in
the council. Basically, then the
Union government and a small
minority of ruling party-led
state governments can force any
decision on the majority of states.
Thus, AIADMK demands that
“if at all a Council is formed,
the weightage of the vote of the
central government should be
reduced to one-fourth of the total
votes cast and that of the states
should be increased to threefourths of the total votes cast.
Further, the weightage of
each state’s votes should be in
proportion to the representation
of each state in the council of the
states. This is important as the
changeover to GST has different
implications for different states
based on their size and reliance
on own tax revenues. The existing
arrangement for deciding on
VAT-related issues is for the
Empowered Committee of State
Ministers.
Why does the centre need to
hog so much power if it actually
cares for federalism and not bulldoze the voices of the states, is
a question that Arun Jaitley has
never answered, or has chosen
to ignore. That should be a good
indicator of the sharpness of
AIADAMK’s intervention and its
readings into the real intent of
the centre. Most importantly, the
AIADAMK dissent note marks out
the most important aspects of the
GST bill, which might explain why
big corporations and corporatefunded Delhi think-tanks and
media are clamouring in its
support.
AIADMK states: “Some
provisions of the constitution bill
ie Goods and Services Tax Bill
are likely to adversely impact the
federal structure of the country.
There is a need for decentralisation
of powers and devolution of the
taxes in favour of the states and
further to the local bodies. Fiscal
federalism and protection of the
REUTERS
The GST bill is aimed at corporate control
of one of the most important democratic
mechanisms of people’s control over revenue
and resources
powers of the states is important.”
And finally nails it by saying:
“The clauses are designed in a way
that the centre will have absolute
powers in deciding tax proposals.
This is likely to harm the concept
of Union and states. It will be
turning into a structure of Union
alone. GST should not be in the
interest of big corporate houses,
who want a free flow of goods
and services with the technology
promoted and owned by them.
With the centre having an
absolute say over the decisionmaking process on the GST,
the states will lose its financial
independence in the long run and
corporates will dictate the policies
of even the local governments.”
The GST bill is aimed at
corporate control of one of the
most important democratic
mechanisms of people’s control
over revenue and resources.
Select committee dissent notes
are typically along partisan lines.
This one is an exception that sees
the Congress and BJP together.
AIADMK traditionally has had
good parliamentary coordination
with the BJP.
Hence, AIADAMK’s dissent matters
-- since it has broken with the
government and the opposition,
its steadfast and principled
opposition to GST. The dissent
by Tamil Nadu is important to
take stock of the other narrative
-- about why many people, in and
outside Tamil Nadu, not belonging
to big businesses, business media,
and think-tank businesses, oppose
the GST.
Thus, the AIADAMK viewpoint
is not a Tamil viewpoint but
the viewpoint of a federalist
party that other parties, often
opportunistically shouting
for federalism, have ignored,
probably due to illiteracy of its
MPs as well as rank-and-file on the
implications of GST.
It’s important that we listen
to what the AIADMK is trying to
say. It is probably one of the most
important decisions that will be
taken in the lifetime of the Indian
Union. And at present, there is no
consensus. l
Garga Chatterjee is a political and
cultural commentator. He can be
followed on twitter @gargac.
DT
24 Sport
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
TOP STORIES
Siddikur’s dream bid
begins today
Bangladesh’s first-ever Olympics
qualifier Siddikur Rahman and
swimmer Mahfizur Rahman Sagor
will begin their Rio campaign today
on day six. Siddikur will tee-off in
the opening round at the Olympic
Golf Course at 4.30pm. PAGE 25
Serena’s five-gold
dream ends in Rio
Serena Williams’ hopes of a fifth
Olympic gold medal were crushed
by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina.
Williams was clearly struggling
with a right shoulder injury as she
was stunned 6-4, 6-3 by Svitolina,
13 years her junior. PAGE 26
Combination picture shows Michael Phelps with the 21 gold medals he won at the Olympic Games in Athens 2004, Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Rio 2016
Two more golds for Phelps
Biles powers USA
to team gold
Simone Biles got her bid for a
record five gold medals at the
Rio Olympics as the United
States defended their women’s
gymnastics team title. The US
team took the title ahead by over
eight points on Russia. PAGE 27
Five EPL signings
worth your time
Eric Bailly’s signing might have
been slightly overshadowed by
the eye-catching purchases of
Paul Pogba, Zlatan Ibrahimovic
and Henrikh Mkhitaryan but
nonetheless, the tall Ivory Coast
centreback will play no lesser part
for the Red Devils. PAGE 28
n Reuters, Rio De Janeiro
Michael Phelps won two gold medals on Tuesday, avenging his 200
metres butterfly defeat from the
London Olympics and then anchoring the U.S. 4x200 freestyle team to
victory on a night of high drama and
emotion in the pool.
Katie Ledecky of the United
States won her second gold medal
of the meeting and Hungary’s Katinka Hosszu her third, extending their
dominance of women’s swimming
in feats that on any other day would
have grabbed top billing.
Instead it was Phelps, the most
successful Olympian of all time,
who stole the limelight, extending
his career medal tally to 25 by adding golds number 20 and 21.
In the 200 butterfly, he touched
the wall in one minute, 53.36 seconds to beat Japan’s Masato Sakai
by 0.04 seconds, with Hungary’s
Tamas Kenderesi taking the bronze.
Chad Le Clos of South Africa,
Phelps’ conqueror four years ago,
finished fourth.
Phelps, who had announced
his retirement after London but
launched a comeback in 2014, then
celebrated by climbing into the
stands to embrace his fiancee Nicole
and kiss his baby son Boomer.
Seventy-five minutes after racing, he was back in the water to
swim the final leg of the 4x200 freestyle after Conor Dwyer, Townley
Haas and Ryan Lochte had built a
lead of 1.76 seconds. The Americans
touched in 7:00.66, with Britain
second in 7:03.13 and Japan in third
after James Guy overhauled Takeshi
Michael Phelps’s Son Boomer at the
Summer Olympics 2016
Matsuda on the final leg.
For Phelps, the butterfly victory
was especially sweet after the sting
of the London defeat, where he misjudged his final lunge for the wall to
let Le Clos steal the gold medal.
“I’m just thankful, that’s for sure,
I wanted that one back,” he said.
“That event was kind of like my
bread and butter, and that was the
last time I’ll ever swim it... There
wasn’t a shot in hell I was losing it.
And if I did, every ounce that I had
was left in the pool.
“Just being able to see the number one next to my name again one
more time in the 200 fly - I couldn’t
have scripted it any better.”
In the women’s races, Ledecky,
19, pipped Sweden’s Sarah Sjostrom
and Australia’s Emma McKeon to
win the 200 freestyle, on top of her
victory in the 400 on Sunday.
She is overwhelming favourite to
add the 800 title later this week, an
event in which she is totally dominant, and achieve a treble at those
three distances that no woman has
managed since American Debbie
Meyer in Mexico City in 1968.l
AFP
PHELPS GOLD
MEDAL LIST
ATHENS 2004
100m butterfly
200m butterfly
200m individual medley
400m individual medley
4x200m freestyle relay
4x100m medley relay
BEIJING 2008
200m freestyle
100m butterfly
200m butterfly
200m individual medley
400m individual medley
4x100m freestyle relay
4x200m freestyle relay
4x100m medley relay
LONDON 2012
100m butterfly
200m individual medley
4x200m freestyle relay
4x100m individual medley
RIO 2016
200m butterfly
4x100m freestyle relay
4x200m freestyle relay
25
DT
Sport
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Shakib’s climb unstoppable
n Mazhar Uddin
Exactly ten years ago a confident
teenager started his journey in international cricket for a country
which had also just started to improve as an emerging force. After
much adventure which saw many
ups and some bad days, Shakib Al
Hasan has established himself as a
global brand by playing all over the
world.
Shakib has become the first
genuine superstar of Bangladesh
cricket by his ability and quality
to deliver both with bat and ball
across the globe. His fighting
approach has encouraged many of
his teammates as well as millions
who look up to him and want to
become a cricketing superstar in
future.
One of his biggest strength is
that he doesn’t bother about his
opponent or the condition. With
great authority, he has landed
plenty of accolades in ten years. He
has become the leading all-rounder
in limited overs cricket.
The latest feather in Shakib’s
cap came on tenth anniversary of
his international debut, which was
in August 2006 in Zimbabwe. After
the Jamaica Tallawahs clinched
this season’s Caribbean Premier
League, Shakib now has domestic
T20 titles in three countries now.
In the final against the Guyana
Amazon, his two wickets helped
in the big nine-wicket win as well
as taking him up to the top of the
spinners’ order as the highest
wicket-taker in T20s.
The left-arm spinner now has
242 wickets in 209 matches and
surpassed the West Indian Sunil
Narine who has 241 scalps in 191
games. Shakib is seventh in the
all-time T20 wicket-takers’ list
which Dwayne Bravo leads with
341 wickets.
Shakib
had
an
average
RIO OLYMPIC 2016
Siddikur’s dream bid begins today
n Tribune Report
Bangladesh’s first-ever Olympics
qualifier Siddikur Rahman and
swimmer Mahfizur Rahman Sagor
will begin their Rio campaign today
on day six.
Siddikur Rahman will tee-off in
the opening round at the Olympic
Golf Course at 4.30pm (Bangladesh
Standard Time) while Sagor will
participate in the heats of men’s
50m freestyle event at 10pm BST.
Since Bangladesh made their
Olympics debut 32 years ago, they
have remain the most populous
country in the world never to win
a medal in the mega event. If there
is the slightest hope for Bangladesh
in Rio to end the drought, Siddikur
is their only realistic chance.
The 31-year-old golfer will battle
among 60 participants. Although
the men’s individual golf event is
getting underway today but Siddi-
kur’s fate, if he can make the cut,
will be decided on August 14 after
the end of the fourth round.
Before leaving for Rio, the
two-time Asian Tour winner
termed his Olympic debut as his
best achievement of his life and
expressed his desire to make it
more memorable by utilising most
of the opportunity.
Sagor meanwhile is the only
member in Bangladesh contingent for Rio who has experience
at this level having participated in
the 2012 Olympics in London. The
country’s fastest swimmer clocked
24.68s to place 39th among 58
swimmers four years ago.
He spent a one-year scholarship
provided by FINA in Thailand and
returned home last month. Sagor
admitted that the course improved
his performance and he also made
his best timing there in 2016 Thai
Open clocking 23.93s. l
Mohammad Mithun
Mohammad Mithun said that the
Bangladesh players are not focused
on the uncertainty surrounding
England’s tour. They are more focused on their preparation, he said.
The England Cricket Board (ECB)
and the England limited overs captain have spoken about their concern regarding security in Dhaka
since the July 1 attack. A decision
on the scheduled tour, in which
the English side is to play two Test
Rahmatganj keep
winning in BPL
n Tribune Report
Rahmatganj Muslim Friends Society continued their brilliant form in
the Bangladesh Premier League after they beat Uttar Baridhara Club
2-0 at the water-logged Rafiquddin
Bhuiyan Stadium in Mymensingh
yesterday.
The Old Dhaka outfits climbed
jointly at the top of table. It might
seem like a fairytale run for the traditionally mediocre club but for their
coach Kamal Babu, who announced
to fight for their debut championship title, it is just the beginning.
RESULT
Uttar Baridhara
0-2
Rahmatganj
Zunapiyo 45+3, Dawda 90
TODAY’S FIXTURE
Sheikh Jamal v Feni Soccer 4.00pm
This picture was posted on Siddikur Rahman’s Facebook page yesterday where
the Bangladesh golfer poses with retired South African professional golfer Gary
Player, widely regarded as one of the greatest players in the history of golf
Bangladesh eying preparation
n Minhaz Uddin Khan
performance compared to his
caliber for Jamaica this season.
He scored 160 runs with the bat
with a single fifty and bagged
twelve wickets, having played in
13 games. But still his presence
and experience was vital behind
Jamaica’s second title.
And with this title win, Shakib
now has the glory for playing in
three dometic T20 championship
winning sides after having won
it for Kolkata Knight Riders in the
cash-rich Indian Premier League
and Dhaka Gladiators in the
Bangladesh Premier League. Just
for the record, Shakib is not too
far behind among journeyman T20
performers, having played in 15
teams worldwide so far.
With still a long way to go in his
career even Shakib might not know
where to finish as nothing looked
impossible for him so far. But there
is little doubt that he will finish as
the best Bangaldeshi cricketer. l
and three one-day internationals
against hosts Bangladesh, is likely
to come from the ECB after they inspect the security arrangements for
the tour later this month.
“It is not our job to think if they
(England) will come or not. Our main
job is to prepare well and see how
good we are being able to do that.
We have nothing to do if they do not
come,” said Mithun yesterday.
Mithun, who made his international debut in 2014, has played
only two ODIs and 12 Twenty20 in-
ternationals. The 26-year-old was
a regular member in the Asia Cup
Twenty20 and World Twenty20
this year.
“We are currently focusing on
our fitness then we take on our skill
development (from August 20). I
plan to start working on my basics.
It becomes difficult to work on basics during a season as you then
have to concentrate more on scoring runs. Now I have some time in
hand which I want to use after developing my skill,” he said.l
This victory put them at par with
Muktijoddha, Chittagong Abahani
and Abahani Limited, earning
eight points from four matches
while Uttar Baridhara remained
at second from bottom with only
three points.
Congolese striker Siyo Zunapiyo
gave Rahmatganj the breakthrough
from a penalty in the first half’s
added time. Gambian forward
Dawda Sisse was brought down by
Baridhara defender Alauddin Babu
in the middle of the box. Zunapiyo
sent Baridhara keeper Razib the
wrong way from the spot.
Sisse doubled the lead to
seal the victory in the 90th minute
after the Gambian forward fired
home into the far post with an
old-fashioned drive from 20 yards
that gave Razib no chance to stop
the ball.l
DT
26
Sport
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Serena’s five-gold
dream ends in Rio
MEDAL TALLY
n AFP, Rio de Janeiro
COUNTRY
10
8
9
27
CHINA
8
3
6
17
HUNGARY
4
1
1
6
AUSTRALIA
4
0
5
9
RUSSIAN FED
3
7
3
13
ITALY
3
4
2
9
REP KOREA
3
2
1
6
JAPAN
3
1
10
14
FRANCE
2
3
1
6
THAILAND
2
1
1
4
GREAT BRITAIN
1
3
2
6
GERMANY
1
2
0
3
SWEDEN
1
2
0
3
BRAZIL
1
1
0
2
NETHERLANDS
1
0
2
3
UNITED STATES
Updated yesterday (9pm)
DAY SIX
EVENTS TO WATCH
BANGLADESHI ATHLETES
Siddikur Rahman (Golf)
Men’s
individualRound
14:30 PM
Mahfizur Rahman Sagor (Swimming)
Men’s
50m freestyle Heats 10:02 PM
GOLD MEDAL EVENTS
ROWING
Men
coxless pair
6:52 PM
Women
double sculls
7:04 PM
Men
double sculls
7:24 PM
Men
coxless lightweight four 7:44 PM
SHOOTING
Women
50m rifle
9:00 PM
CANOE SLALOM
Men
Women
canoe double
11:15 PM
kayak single
12:00 AM
GYMNASTICS
Women
individual all-around 1:00 AM
JUDO
Women
78 kg
1:40 AM
ARCHERY
Women
individual
1:43 AM
JUDO
Men
100 kg
2:01 AM
CYCLING - TRACK
Men
team sprint
3:25 AM
FENCING
Women’s
team épée
3:30 AM
RUGBY SEVENS
Men
tournament
4:00 AM
TABLE TENNIS
Men
singles
6:30 AM
SWIMMING
Women
Men
Men
Women
200m breaststroke
7:17 AM
200m backstroke
7:26 AM
200m individual medley 8:01 AM
100m freestyle
8:18 AM
Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina returns the ball to USA’s Serena Williams during their
women’s third round singles tennis match at the Olympic Tennis Centre of the Rio
2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday
AFP
Serena Williams’ hopes of a fifth
Olympic gold medal were crushed
by Ukraine’s Elina Svitolina on
Tuesday as the battle for the women’s title in Rio was blown wide
open.
Top seed and defending champion Williams was clearly struggling with a right shoulder injury
as she was stunned 6-4, 6-3 by Svitolina, 13 years her junior.
“The better player won,” said
Williams, who served up eight
double faults, including five in one
game in the second set.
She also hit 37 unforced errors.
“It was a great opportunity. It
didn’t work out the way I wanted it
to, but at least I was able to make it
to Rio. That was one of my goals.”
Defeat for the 34-year-old
means that the Rio tournament has
lost both its number one players
before the quarter-finals after Novak Djokovic went out in the first
round.
Only three of the top 10 seeds
have made it to the last-eight of the
women’s draw.
The Rio Games -- and possibly her Olympic career -- are now
over for Serena after she and sister
Venus were deposed as doubles
champions in the first round.
Williams was joined at the exit
on Tuesday by third seed and
French Open champion Garbine
Muguruza who lost to Puerto Rico’s
Monica Puig.
However, there were no such
problems for defending men’s
champion Andy Murray and 2008
winner Rafael Nadal who coasted
into the third round in straight sets.
Svitolina, 21, will face two-time
Wimbledon champion Petra Kvitova for a place in the semi-finals.
Wimbledon champion Williams
was clearly hampered by the shoulder injury which forced her to skip
the Montreal event.
At one point, she screamed in
pain, “shoulder, shoulder”.
She even served up five double
faults in the seventh game of the
second set as she suffered her earliest ever loss at an Olympic singles
event. Muguruza’s post-French
Open slump continued when she
slipped to a worrying 6-1, 6-1 loss
to Puig, the world number 34.
Puig, 22, closed in on what
would be only Puerto Rico’s ninth
Olympic medal and will face Germany’s Laura Siegemund for a
semi-final spot.l
Mystery as Chen ties diving record
n AFP, Rio de Janeiro
China’s Chen Ruolin shrugged off
an inexplicably green Rio diving
pool to tie team-mate Wu Minxia’s
two-day-old record of five career
diving gold medals on Tuesday.
China’s
magnificent
divers
stayed unbeaten in the Olympics
as Chen and Liu Huixia won the
women’s 10m synchronised competition, taking China to three-for-
three in its bid for an unprecedented eight-event sweep.
But much of the attention at
the event was directed at the diving well’s bizarre transformation
from light-blue the day before to a
murky green, the latest embarrassing hiccup for the Rio Games.
Venue spokesman Simon Langford said water tests found “no risk
whatsoever to athletes’ health.”
“We are investigating to deter-
mine what the cause of the situation was, but we are happy to
report that the competition was
successfully concluded,” he said.
It ended happily for the often
under-appreciated Chen, 23, who
is now firmly among the sport’s
greats. On Sunday, the 30-year-old
veteran Wu became the first to the
five-gold milestone by taking the
women’s 3m synchronised springboard with Shi Tingmao, passing
legends like American Greg Louganis and former Chinese springboard
diva Guo Jingjing. Chen paid tribute
to the senior Wu as her “idol.”
“I know she won five gold
medals and that is very, very
incredible. But to be honest I
haven’t personally thought much
about that,” Chen said. “All of us
have tried very hard in our training
and we have won our medals
because of our dedication.” l
Armstrong wins third
straight time trial gold
n Reuters, Rio De Janeiro
Veteran American Kristin Armstrong completed a remarkable return to cycling by winning a third
consecutive gold medal in the time
trial on a rainy morning at the Rio
Games on Wednesday.
A day before her 43rd birthday
Armstrong, the last to tackle the
29.7km course, sped over the finish
line 5.55 seconds faster than Russian Olga Zabelinskaya. Road race
champion Anna van der Breggen of
the Netherlands was in third place.
Armstrong, who retired in 2009
to start a family but returned to
win gold in London four years ago
before retiring again, barely had
the energy to celebrate after crossing the line -- collapsing on to the
soaking tarmac.
Eventually she climbed to her
feet and hugged her son, holding
a banner that said “USA STRONG”.
She is the first person to win the
same road cycling event at three
Olympics. l
USA’s Kristin Armstrong starts the Women’s Individual Time Trial event at the Rio
2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro yesterday
AFP
27
DT
Sport
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Brazil and US
held, Canada win
n Reuters, Rio De Janeiro
QUICK BYTES
Ashwin shines again for
India in third test
An unbeaten century stand for the
sixth wicket by Ravichandran Ashwin
and Wriddhiman Saha put India in a
respectable position after the first
day of the third test against West
Indies in St Lucia on Tuesday. The
visitors were 234 for five at the close
of play with all-rounder Ashwin on
75 and wicketkeeper Saha on 46,
the pair having added 108 to leave
honours even at the Darren Sammy
Stadium in Gros Islet.
–REUTERS
Indian cricketer fined
$300 for lion selfies
Indian cricketer Ravindra Jadeja has
been fined $300 for clicking selfies
with endangered Asiatic lions in the
country’s west despite a ban on such
photos, a senior forest official said
on Wednesday. Officials had ordered
an investigation in June after photos
of Jadeja posing in front of a pride of
lions during a safari in Gir forest went
viral on social media.
–AFP
Raquel of Brazil in action with Janine van Wyk of South Africa during their Rio Olympics group E match on Tuesday
Ranieri signs new
Leicester contract
Leicester City manager Claudio
Ranieri has signed a new contract
that will keep him at the club
until 2020, the Premier League
champions said on Wednesday.
Appointed in July, 2015, the 64-yearold Italian helped the club defy
pre-season odds of 5000/1 to win
the league, the first top-flight title in
Leicester’s 132-year history.
–REUTERS
Vaas to identify SL fast
bowling talent
Sri Lanka appointed its
most successful pace bowler
Chaminda Vaas as a coaching
consultant Wednesday, tasking him
with identifying youngsters who
can ease the team’s reliance on spin.
Aravinda de Silva said Sri Lanka may
enjoy a fine record on their own spinfriendly pitches but must develop
teams to get results on a variety of
surfaces.
–AFP
DAY’S WATCH
FOOTBALL
TEN 1
12:45AM
Sky Bet EFL 2016/17
Bristol Rovers v Cardiff City
CRICKET
TEN 2
7:00PM
India Tour of West Indies
3rd Test, Day 3
REUTERS
The United States and Brazil advanced to the quarter-finals of the
Olympic women’s soccer tournament as group winners despite being held to disappointing draws in
their final pool matches on Tuesday.
Canada remain the only team
left with a 100 percent winning record after two goals from captain
Melissa Tancredi secured a 2-1 upset win over Germany 2-1 and top
spot in Group F.
Hosts Brazil rested seven starters, including their influential captain Marta, but despite dominating
possession were held to a goalless
draw by South Africa in Manaus.
The point for Brazil was enough
to ensure top spot in Group E and
set up a last eight clash on Friday
with Australia. Germany went
through in second place in Group
F, despite their defeat by Canada in
Brasilia, and will now play China in
the last eight after the Asians drew
0-0 with Sweden in Group E. The
United States will face the Swedes,
who finished third in Group E, in
knockout action on Friday. l
Brazil boss rallies round ‘world’s best’ Neymar
n AFP, Rio de Janeiro
Brazil coach Rogerio Micale rallied round under-fire captain Neymar on Tuesday after two goalless
draws left the Olympic hosts perilously close to another humiliating
exit on home soil. Micale’s men
need to beat Group A leaders Denmark in Salvador on Wednesday to
guarantee their place in the quarter-finals, after being booed off in
consecutive stalemates against
South Africa and Iraq.
Amazingly, Brazil’s fate could
even come down to the drawing of
lots with Iraq, who play South Africa, if both final group matches end
in a draw by the same scoreline.
Barcelona’s Neymar has attracted fierce criticism, with his lacklustre and petulant displays being
compared with Marta, the Brazilian
women’s five-time World Player of
the Year, who has dazzled in leading the hosts into the quarter-finals
with a game to spare. Twitter was
awash with the hashtage “Neymar
out, Marta in”, and a picture of a boy
wearing a Brazil shirt with Neymar’s
name scrubbed out and Marta written in pen underneath went viral.
However, Micale highlighted
the seven-year age gap between
the two for Marta’s greater maturity, and insisted Neymar will eventually depose Lionel Messi and
Cristiano Ronaldo to become the
world’s best player.
Biles powers USA to team gold
n AFP, Rio de Janeiro
Simone Biles got her bid for a record five gold medals at the Rio
Olympics off to a flying start on
Tuesday as the United States defended their women’s gymnastics
team title.
The five-woman US team -Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman,
Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez -- took the title ahead by
over eight points on Russia with
China winning bronze in the Rio
Olympic Arena.
The US women become the first
team to win back-to-back Olympic
golds since Romania in 2000 and
2004. It was their third gold after
winning a first in Atlanta 1996.
A team gold would also put Biles
on the road to the record haul of
five gold medals the 19-year-old
covets in Rio. The ten-time world
champion also topped the allaround, floor, beam and vault in
preliminaries.
The United States scored
184.897 after the four apparatus -vault, uneven bars, balance beam
and floor -- with Russia scoring
176.688 and 2008 champions China, 176.003.
Japan (174.371) finished off
the podium in fourth ahead of
Great Britain (174.362), Germany
(173.672), the Netherlands (172.447)
and hosts Brazil (172.087). l
Simone Biles (L), Gabrielle Douglas (top L), Laurie Hernandez (C), Madison Kocian
(top R), Alexandra Raisman of USA (Aly Raisman) (R) pose with their gold medals
on the podium after winning the women’s team final
REUTERS
Neymar’s refusal to address the
media after the Iraq debacle provoked renewed doubts over his
suitability to captain the national
team. The 24-year-old missed Brazil’s final two Games at last year’s
Copa America after being sent
off in just his second competitive
match as captain against Colombia.
But Micale said Brazil need to
reflect on the state of the national
game rather debating whether to
strip Neymar of the captaincy.l
Gunfire feared
in Olympic bus
attack
n AFP, Rio de Janeiro
ADDS detail from organisers, background, new controlled explosion
A bus carrying Rio Olympics
journalists came under attack
Tuesday and police were investigating whether bullets were fired
from the notorious City of God
favela.
Rio 2016 organisers said two
journalists suffered slight injuries
in the attack, which set off a new
Olympic jitters four days after a
bullet hit a Games media centre.
Journalists in the bus hurled
themselves to the floor after two
windows were blown out. The
driver put his foot down and got
the passengers to the Games’ main
press centre.l
DT
28
Sport
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
Sodhi stars as
Kiwis secure
Zimbabwe series
n AFP, Bulawayo
Real Madrid players and officials pose with the UEFA Super Cup trophy in Trondheim on Tuesday
REUTERS
Last-gasp Real break Sevilla hearts
n AFP, Trondheim
Real Madrid beat Sevilla 3-2 in the
European Supercup final in rainy
Trondheim on Tuesday thanks to
a brilliant individual last minute of
extra-time clincher from Dani Carvajal.
Sevilla had been on the verge of
victory leading 2-1 deep into added
time, before Sergio Ramos equalised in the 93rd minute with the
last kick of normal time, leaving
the losers to taste a double dose
of pain when Carvajal grabbed the
late, late winner.
Marco Asensio had given Madrid the lead with a brilliant strike
before Franco Vazquez equalised
shortly before half-time.
Ramos had loked set to be the
villain of the piece when he conceded a penalty that Yevhen Konoplyanka’s slickly converted in the
72nd-minute, which looked set to
win it for Europa League champions Sevilla.
The Andalucians could have
little to complain about over Carvajal’s winner, as he flew into the
box and clipped the ball past two
defenders and the ‘keeper with a
lovely flick from the outside of his
right boot.
“The goal came from trying and
trying again. Dani Carvajal’s strike
was spectacular, he deserves it
more than anyone,” Madrid’s Lucas
Vazquez said told UEFA after the
game.
“Sergio Ramos is the first to never give up and he is always there in
RESULT
Real Madrid
Asensio 21,
Ramos 90+3,
Carvajal 119
3-2
Sevilla
Vazquez 41,
Konoplyanka 72-P
important moments. It is brilliant to
have him. We have got a lot of depth
and a side to take on all comers.”
Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid were
not at full strength, with neither
Cristiano Ronaldo nor Gareth Bale,
nor Toni Kroos, involved and both
Luka Modric and Karim Benzema
coming off the bench in the second
half at the Lerkendal Stadion.
“We were trailing for all of the
second half, but Madrid never give
up and a goal in 90 minutes allowed us to become champions,”
Carvajal told UEFA after the game.
“Today we had a lot of players
missing but we have a great squad
of homegrown players.”
Having just sold Jese Rodriguez
to Paris Saint-Germain, Madrid
started with Alvaro Morata in
attack, back at the club from
Juventus. l
Ish Sodhi finished with seven wickets in the match as New Zealand
wrapped up a 254-run victory over
Zimbabwe in the second Test on
Wednesday to sweep the series 2-0.
Although Zimbabwe showed
some fight early on day five when
nightwatchman Donald Tiripano
and first-innings centurion Craig
Ervine stood firm for the better part
of 90 minutes, once they had fallen
to some contentious umpiring decisions the hosts folded quickly.
Sodhi’s leg-spin claimed three
of the last four wickets to go down,
while part-timer Martin Guptill finished with figures of 3 for 11 as Zimbabwe were bowled out for 132 in
their second innings at the Queen’s
Sports Club.
“We knew it was going to be especially tough to take 20 wickets on
this surface, so I think a lot of credit
needs to go to the bowlers for managing to do that,” reflected New
Zealand captain Kane Williamson,
a centurion in the tourists’ huge
first-innings 582 for four declared.
Zimbabwe were all out for 362
in reply before New Zealand declared their second innings on 166
for two.l
BRIEF SCORES
NEW ZEALAND 582/4d & 166/2d
ZIMBABWE 362 & 132 (68.4 ov)
Mawoyo 35, Guptill 3/11, Sodhi 3/19
New Zealand won by 254 runs
Five Premier League signings worth your time
n Rashad Banna
We take a look at five English Premier League 2016-17 signings that
are going to be talked about during
the next nine months.
Eric Bailly (Manchester United)
His
signing
might
have
been slightly
overshadowed by the
eye-catching
purchases of
Paul Pogba,
Zlatan Ibrahimovic and
Henrikh Mkhitaryan but nonetheless, the tall
Ivory Coast centreback will play no
lesser part for the Red Devils in the
forthcoming season.
Purchased from Spanish side
Villarreal for £30m two months
ago, Bailly has wasted very little
time in making a mark, having
been adjudged player of the match
in the recent Community Shield
victory over league champions
Leicester City.
A stingy defence is one of the
hallmarks of Jose Mourinho’s
teams and the 22-year old’s acquisition fits the bill perfectly, bearing
in mind that he enjoyed a brilliant
season with the Yellow Submarine
last time around.
Sadio Mane (Liverpool)
In his first
full
season
at Liverpool,
Jurgen Klopp
will have a
lot of expectations riding
on his shoulders.
And
Senegalese
international
Sadio Mane will be expected to fea-
ture heavily in the German’s plans.
A combative midfielder in
his own right, the 24-year old’s
habit of chipping in with the
odd goal persuaded the Anfield
hierarchy to shelve £34m for his
services. Alongside fellow new
signing
Georginio
Wijnaldum
from Newcastle United, Mane is
a key addition to the squad that is
expected to fight on a number of
fronts this season.
Arsenal’s third most expensive
transfer, Xhaka will add some
much needed spark and creativity
in midfield, besides acting as the
shield of the four-man defence.
The 23-year old experienced a
heartbreaking penalty shootout
defeat to Poland at Euro 2016 so he
will be desperate to erase the bitter
memories of his spotkick miss and
hit the ground running.
Granit Xhaka (Arsenal)
In the absence of Harry Kane, the
Premiership
top-scorer
last season,
Tottenham
often lacked
ideas in front
of goal. The
£17m recruit
of the talented striker from AZ Alkmaar looks set to put pay to all the
worries.
Janssen
was
the
highest
goalscorer in the Eredivisie last
season and is regarded in many
Ever since the
departure of
French midfielder
Patrick
Vieira,
Arsenal’s lack
of bite in the
centre of the
park has been
well
noted.
Keeping that
in mind, Swiss midfielder Xhaka’s
signing is a crucial piece of business by the Gunners.
Signed
from
Borussia
Monchengladbach
for
£30m,
Vincent Janssen (Tottenham)
quarters as the next big thing in
Dutch football. The 22-year old’s
hard work without the ball will
endear him to Mauricio Pochettino but first and foremost, he must
face stiff competition from Kane
for a starting berth.
John Stones (Manchester City)
City have already signed
the likes of
Ilkay Gundogan,
Nolito
and
Leroy
Sane
but
the
£47.5m
purchase of
Stones,
regarded
by
many as the future England captain, was the icing on the cake.
Vincent Kompany is the undisputed leader of the pack but the
Belgian captain often lacked an
able deputy at the centre of defence. Step forward Stones, whose
ball-playing skills and calming
presence have significantly impressed Pep Guardiola. l
CROSSWORD
ACROSS
1 Coarse file (4)
3 Planet (4)
7 Corded fabric (3)
8 Question closely (5)
11 Greek letter (4)
12 Weapon (5)
13 Unsuitable (5)
15 Stringed instrument (4)
18 Flower (4)
19 Flutter (5)
20 Impel (5)
21 Sibilate (4)
23 Teaching periods (5)
24 Top card (3)
25 Swarm (4)
26 Decorative plant (4)
DOWN
1 Mend (6)
2 Tallies (5)
4 Land measure (3)
5 Withdraw (6)
6 Mineral spring (3)
9 Two-footed animals (6)
10 Newt (3)
11 Conduct oneself (6)
14 Beginner (6)
16 Reluctant (6)
17 Jail (6)
19 Humour (3)
21 Headwear (3)
22 Bishop's territory (3)
29
DT
Downtime
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
CODE-CRACKER
How to solve: Each number in our CODECRACKER grid represents a different
letter of the alphabet. For example, today
1 represents S so fill S every time the
figure 1 appears.
You have two letters in the control grid to
start you off. Enter them in the appropriate
squares in the main grid, then use your
knowledge of words to work out which
letters go in the missing squares.
Some letters of the alphabet may not be
used.
As you get the letters, fill in the other
squares with the same number in the
main grid, and the control grid. Check
off the list of alphabetical letters as you
identify them.
ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ
CALVIN AND HOBBES
SUDOKU
How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the
numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must
contain all nine digits with no number repeating.
PEANUTS
YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS
CODE-CRACKER
CROSSWORD
DILBERT
SUDOKU
DT
30
Showtime
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
A loving gesture
n Showtime Desk
Leonard Cohen, the
genius behind
classic hits like
“Hallelujah,”
“I’m Your Man,”
“Suzanne”
and many
more, wrote a
heartbreaking
final letter to
his muse and
one-time lover,
Marianne Ihlen
shortly before her
death from leukemia on
July 29.
The songwriter met Marianne
on the Greek island of Hydra,
and the pair became closely
intertwined since then. Friends
and lovers, Marianne Ilhen
helped prompt some of Cohen’s
finest early work – notably “So
Long, Marianne” and “Bird On A
Wire.”
Ihlen’s friend Jan Christian
Mollestad reportedly contacted
Cohen after learning about
Marianne’s deteriorating
condition. Cohen responded
with a letter only hours later,
which was delivered to Marianne
in Norway the very next day,
during her last few days of
consciousness. The letter read:
“Well Marianne, it’s come to this
time when we are really so old
and our bodies are falling apart
and I think I will follow you very
soon. Know that I am so close
behind you that if you stretch
out your hand, I think you can
reach mine. And you know that
I’ve always loved you for your
beauty and for your wisdom, but
I don’t need to say anything more
about that because you know all
about that. But now, I just want
to wish you a very good journey.
Goodbye old friend. Endless love,
see you down the road.”
Mollestad told Canada’s CBC
radio that Ihlen had reached out
her hand at the line, “Stretch
out your hand.” “Only two days
later, she lost consciousness
and slipped into death,” he
continued. “And when she died, I
wrote a letter back to him saying
in her final moments I hummed
‘A Bird on the Wire’ because that
was the song she felt closest to.”
Mollestad went on to detail
the pair’s relationship and how
Cohen changed Marianne’s life.
A post on Cohen’s Facebook
page reads, “The death last
week of Marianne Ihlen, the
woman immortalised in ‘So
Long, Marianne’ has evoked an
overwhelming response from
those who knew Marianne
well, those who knew her only
as Leonard Cohen’s muse, and
even those who previously
didn’t know there was a ‘real
Marianne.’l
Dui je chilo ek chakor celebrates
silver jubilee
n Showtime Desk
After two successful comedies
Bichhu (1990) and Projapati
(2004), Natyakendra is all set
to give life to a new comedy on
stage. Dui je chilo ek chakor is an
adaptation of Italian playwright
Carlo Goldoni’s famous play, A
Servant of Two Masters.
Filled with all the elements
of laughter, love, confusions
and comedy, the play tells us
how a man keeps two jobs, and
everything that goes in between.
It is a romantic comedy with
hilarious, contemporary, and
brilliant comic punches which
is sure to make you laugh,
hysterically. With energetic
performances, several dances
and songs, the production offers
full value for one’s money.
For over 25 years, this
production has been staged in
several countries. This year will
the production’s celebration of its
silver jubilee year.
Theatre troupe Natyakendra’s
12th production, Dui je chilo
ek chakor will be staged at
the National Theatre Hall of
Shilpakala Academy today and
tomorrow at 7pm. The play has
been adapted and directed by
Tarique Anam Khan, with a list of
talented cast members including
the likes of Sharif Hossain Imon,
Lucy Tripti Gomes, Ariq Anam
Khan and Yusuf Hasan. l
Megan Fox
welcomes her third
baby
n
Showtime Desk
Megan Fox and Brian Austin
Green have welcomed their
third baby into the world.
American outlets such as
E! News and People have
reported that the actress gave
birth to a son. The baby boy
has been named, Journey
River Green.
The couple now have three
little boys together, with the
newborn joining his brothers
Noah, 3 and Bodhi, 2.
Before the pregnancy was
revealed, Megan and Brian
had already begun divorce
proceedings in August 2015
after five years of marriage.
However, rumours suggest
that the couple have fixed
their relationship. Megan
previously poked fun at
stories suggesting the child
may not be Brian’s, sharing
an Instagram of other famous
actors using the hashtag
“#notthefather,” l
Simon wins Locarno Open Doors grants
n Showtime Desk
The Locarno Film Festival’s Open
Doors co-production lab, which
is dedicated for promising work
from South Asian countries,
has picked winners out of eight
selected projects among which,
Bangladeshi film-maker Kamar
Ahmed Simon’s new project won
a production grant and the ARTE
International Open Doors Prize,
the announcement came on
the festival’s official website on
August 9.
Simon’s Day After Tomorrow,
won a production grant worth
30000 Swiss Francs and the ARTE
International Open Doors Prize
which is worth 6000 Euros. The
film is the second instalment
of a “water-trilogy” which
started with non-conventional
documentary, Are you listening!,
which won the Grand Prix at the
Cinema du Réel festival in Paris.
The director travelled more than
200 kilometres by waterways in
order to shoot it, while making
a metaphorical journey through
the mainly Muslim population
of Bangladesh, on the eve of an
election.
Other winners include
Bhutanese film-maker Tashi
Gyeltshen’sm, The Red Phallus
and Nepali film-maker Abinash
Bikram Shah’s Season of
Dragonflies.
The Red Phallus, Gyeltshen’s
debut feature is described to
be about the paradox that sees
Diana faces name shame
n Showtime Desk
Diana Penty, one of the hottest actresses of
Bollywood is aware of her unusual name from
the very beginning. She is currently promoting
her new flick, Happy Bhaag Jayegi. While at it,
the actress seems to have made news for yet
another incident that involves her name.
The actress has earlier said that she knows
that “Penty” is an unusual surname and has
heard every possible joke around it. But it was
hard to tolerate when the joke came from an
almost 40-year-old, who was trying to draw
humour from it. The guy was none other
than popular and controversial singer Mika.
The Cocktail actress angrily left the stage at a
song launching event of her up-coming film.
The Punjabi singer poked Diana at the event
commenting, “Diana ‘panty,’ Gabru Kaccha,”
which translates to “giant under garment.”
This did not go down well with the actress,
who left the stage right after. The audience
was also stunned by the incident but a few of
the members were seen to be giggling.
Diana kept a smiling face at the event
since she did not want to spoil the
evening but sources close to her
said she was absolutely furious
with Mika. Later on, she told
other sources, “I don’t find
these jokes funny. I don’t even
understand how people laugh
at such comments.”
After that incident, Mika
tried to reach out to Diana in
order to apologise to her but
she is in no mood to forgive
him. “She feels what Mika
said was absolutely below the
belt. It will take some time
for her calm down,” sources
added. l
people killing other people
while talking about attaining
enlightenment in the same
breath, won a production grant
worth 20000 Swiss Francs. It is
also part of a trilogy, the second
instalment, The Red Door was
screened in 2014 in Rotterdam.
Season of Dragonflies, also
Shah’s debut feature film based on
the film-maker’s personal history
aims to provide a glimpse into the
restlessness of Nepal, especially
the struggle of women, caught
between age-old traditions and
modern day aspirations while also
having to contend with poverty
and disasters, won the CNC Prize
which is worth 8000 Euros. The
directors’ previous works include
the short film, I Am Happy, which
was played at Busan.
Open Doors is an initiative
supported by the Swiss
Foreign Ministry’s Agency for
Development and Cooperation
(SDC), organised in close
collaboration with the Locarno
Festival’s Industry Office.
Earlier this year, Locarno
announced that as a part of their
“research remit” to explore
cinematographies that are
relatively or totally unknown, but
have great potential – they would
focus eight countries in South
Asia: Afghanistan, Bangladesh,
Bhutan, Maldives, Myanmar,
Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, for
the next three years. l
31
DT
Showtime
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
WHAT TO WATCH
Bruce Lee: The Legend
Star Movies Action, 1:10pm
The Official Golden Harvest
tribute to the Master of the
Martial Arts Film, Bruce Lee.
Cast: Bruce Lee, James B.
Nicholson, Linda Lee Cadwell,
Jackie Chan, Raymond Chow
The Hobbit: The Desolation
of Smaug
HBO, 8:30pm
The dwarves, along with
Bilbo Baggins and Gandalf
the Grey, continue their
quest to reclaim Erebor, their
homeland, from Smaug. Bilbo
Baggins is in possession of a
mysterious and magical ring.
Cast: Ian McKellen, Martin
Freeman, Richard Armitage,
Benedict Cumberbatch,
Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace
Dawn of the Planet of the
Apes
Star Movies, 4:27pm
A growing nation of
genetically evolved apes led
by Caesar is threatened by
a band of human survivors
of the devastating virus
unleashed a decade earlier.
Cast: Andy Serkis, Jason
Clarke, Gary Oldman, Keri
Russell, Toby Kebbell
Batman Forever
WB, 3:31pm
Batman must battle Two-Face
and The Riddler with help
from an amorous psychologist
and a young circus acrobat
who becomes his sidekick,
Robin.
Cast: Val Kilmer, Tommy Lee
Jones, Jim Carrey, Nicole
Kidman, Chris O’Donnell
Romeo Must Die
HBO Hits, 4:58pm
An avenging cop seeks
out his brother’s killer and
falls for the daughter of a
businessman who is involved
in a money-deal with his
father.
Cast: Jet Li, Aaliyah, Isaiah
Washington, Russell Wong,
DMX
DT
32
Back Page
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11, 2016
TRIBAL PEOPLE LAG BEHIND
IN SKILLS PAGE 12
TWO MORE GOLDS
FOR PHELPS PAGE 24
A LOVING
GESTURE PAGE 30
Dhaka Chaka for diplomatic zone
n Shohel Mamun
Twenty air-conditioned buses and
500 rickshaws has been introduced
yesterday in Dhaka’s diplomatic zone, a move taken to increase
security measures in the area that
witnessed Bangladesh’s worst terror attack on July 1.
Dhaka North City Corporation
(DNCC) Mayor Annisul Haque
said: “20 buses have been initially
launched to operate in the diplomatic zone and another 20 will join
the fleet within a short time.”
Earlier, it was announced that
the fleet will consist 30 buses.
The mayor made the statement
at the inauguration programme
of the special transport service
named “Dhaka Chaka” in front of
Gulshan Police Plaza yesterday.
Annisul said: “Surveillance
system in the diplomatic zone
has been changed and the special
transport service is a part of it. The
rickshaw-pullers have been trained
in security, hospitality and emergency measures.”
“Among the two routes of Dhaka
Chaka, one will commute from Tejgaon-Gulshan Link Road to Banani
via Shooting Club, Gulshan-1, Gulshan-2 and the other route is from
Banani to US Embassy.”
DNCC Mayor Annisul Haque and LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain release pigeons in front of Gulshan Shooting
Club yesterday to inaugurate a special transportation system for Dhaka’s diplomatic zone
MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU
“The bus fare has been fixed at
Tk15 for travelling to any destination within the assigned routes,”
the mayor added.
Earlier, it was announced that
both the routes will started from
in front of Shooting Club near Tejgaon-Gulshan Link Road.
Local Government and Rural
Development Minister Khandaker
Mosharraf Hossain inaugurated the
special transport service which also
includes 500 rickshaws to ply in
the streets of the diplomatic zone.
He said: “We had a plan to gradually reduce the number of rickshaws from Gulshan, Banani and
Baridhara, but now we have mod-
Signal three at
maritime ports
SHYAMAL KANTI’S HUMILIATION
High Court orders judicial probe
n Ashif Islam Shaon
The High Court yesterday rejected a
police investigation report into the
harassment of Narayanganj school
teacher Shyamal Kanti Bhakta.
The court said law enforcers had
failed to identify those involved in
the incident.
Justices Md Moinul Islam Chowdhury and Ashish Ranjan Das also
ordered a judicial investigation
into the matter.
The Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate will look into the
incident and submit the findings
by November 3. The court said it
would hold a hearing on the report
on November 6.
The order came after lawyers
informed the court that police did
not contact with Shyamal while investigating a General Diary filed in
this connection.
Piar Sattar Latif High School
teacher Shyamal was assaulted by a
mob on the school premises on May
13 on allegation that he had committed blasphemy against Islam.
Local Jatiya Party MP AKM Salim Osman apparently made Shyamal do squats holding his ears. A
video footage of the incident went
viral on the social media, triggering
massive outcry across Bangladesh.
Salim claimed what he did was
to save Shyamal from the mob.
However, in a report filed on
Thursday, police gave a clean chit
to Salim saying he was not involved
in the incident.
The High Court in its order said
the police report is incomplete.
The investigation officer has failed
to do his job. Besides, the Narayanganj court that recorded the report
before forwarding it to the High
Court did not apply judicial mind.
In the report police gave clean
chit to Salim Osman despite the
fact that there is a video available
online where the MP is seen ordering the teacher to go through a humiliating physical punishment.
The report says both Salim and
Shyamal were victims of the incident that “happened suddenly.”
Legal steps could not be taken
in the absence of allegations or witness accounts, it said, adding that
Shyamal gave a statement to police
saying he would not file complaints.
ified our policy and introduced a
systematic rickshaw service.”
Regarding the rickshaw service,
IGP AKM Shahidul Haque further
said: “The rickshaw service is one
kind of a trial, if it creates traffic
congestion, we will change our
plan in the future.”
President of Gulshan Society
ATM Shamsul Huda, also a former
chief election commissioner, stated
that a clinic would be established
for medical services for the rickshaw-pullers. They will also be provided pure drinking water in future.
FBCCI President Abdul Matlub
Ahmad said: “Passengers in the new
buses will enjoy several facilities including WiFi and television. Moreover, even if the engine of the bus is
turned off while sitting in traffic jam,
the air-conditioner will stay on.”
“In future, if the city corporation wants four-wheeled human
hauliers for short distances it will
also be introduced,” he added.
As per the new transport system
for the diplomatic zone, no bus
from the outside will be allowed
to ply in Baridhara, Gulshan 2, Banani and Kamal Ataturk Avenue.
Apart from the security concerns,
the government took the initiative
to bring discipline in the transport
system of the diplomatic zone. l
n Abu Bakar Siddique
Shyamal said his coworkers
spread lies against him while Salim
defended his actions saying he was
saving the teacher from the mob.
On May 17, the school’s managing committee sacked Shyamal
for allegedly physically assaulting
students and making disparaging
statements against Islam.
The Education Ministry dissolved the committee and reinstated Shyamal based on findings from
its probe.
On May 18, a High Court bench
issued a suo-moto ruling asking
why legal proceedings should not
be initiated against those involved
in the incident.
It also ordered Narayanganj district administration and police to
submit reports on legal measures
taken after the incident. The district administration submitted its
report on June 9. l
The Met Office yesterday issued
warnings to the country’s four
maritime ports – Cox’s Bazar, Chittagong, Mongla and Payra – as a
monsoon depression has formed in
the Bay of Bengal.
Bangladesh Meteorological Department asked authorities to hoist
cautionary signal three at maritime
ports due to the formation of a deep
convection over the North Bay.
The monsoon depression over
the Khulna region and adjoining
areas moved slightly northwards
and lies over Jessore and adjoining
areas, as of yesterday evening.
Low-lying areas of the coastal
districts are likely to be inundated by tidal surge of 3-4 feet higher
than the normal astronomical tide.
The Met Office also advised all
fishing boats and trawlers in the
North Bay to anchor close to the
coast until further notice. l
Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower,
8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], Website: www.dhakatribune.com