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Leading
News
EC sends invitation to BNP to join
dialogue jointly today
UNB, Dhaka
The Election Commission Wednesday dispatched invitation
letter to BNP secretary general Khandakar Delwar Hossain
to participate in electoral dialogue with the EC today
(Thursday) together with the party's other faction.
"The letter requests us to take part in the dialogue
tomorrow noon… It hopes that we'll join the dialogue
jointly with the Saifur-Hafiz-led faction of the party,"
former MP principal Sohrab Uddin told UNB in the
afternoon.
Sohrab received the letter at Khandakar Delwar's NAM flat
residence at 3pm, a day after the caretaker government
held a groundbreaking meeting with the dissident faction
of BNP in preparation for dialogue with the political
parties.
Khandakar Delwar was addressed in the letter without
mention of his party designation, Sohrab said.
'BNP, Khandakar Delwar Hossain,' reads the salutation of
the letter, said the ex-BNP lawmaker.
Meanwhile, after receiving the EC letter, BNP Secretary
General Khandoker Delwar Hossain has decided to sit with
his supporters to take the decision whether his faction
will participate in talks with the EC.
However, it could not be confirmed whether the EC sent
another letter to the Saifur-Hafiz faction of BNP inviting
to the dialogue, which appears conditional to united
participation of the party that fell apart on the issue of
internal reform amid a wind of change in the interim
period.
The planned dialogue of the EC with BNP had been hanging
in limbo following a writ petition filed by detained BNP
chairperson and ex-PM Khaleda Zia against earlier EC
invitation to the rival faction (Saifur-Hafiz) of her
party. The High Court, on April 10, discharged the
much-debated writ petition and thereby cleared the way for
the meet.
Immediate after the HC verdict, Chief Election
Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda said the EC would now
informally ask both the factions of BNP to take part in
the electoral dialogue jointly, putting behind all their
difference of opinion.
The CEC, again on April 15, broadly appealed to the two
squabbling factions of BNP to jointly join electoral
dialogue soon as the EC has little time in hand.
"We've to do something if they don't unite. We can't wait
long as the time is limited. We'll take a decision within
one or two days as already five days have gone by after
the court verdict," he said on Tuesday.
The BNP leadership controversy surfaced when on November 5
last year the EC, ignoring Khaleda-appointed BNP secretary
general Khandker Delwar Hossain, sent letter to Maj (Retd)
Hafizuddin Ahmed of the reformist faction of the party to
participate in the dialogue.
As the immediate-past ruling party fell in trouble in the
interim period following the EC decision, detained BNP
chairperson Khaleda Zia filed the writ petition with the
HC challenging validity of the Commission's letter
inviting the reformist faction.
On November 18 last year, four days before the proposed
dialogue, the HC, responding to Khaleda's writ, had stayed
operation of the EC letter to Major Hafiz, throwing the
EC-sponsored per-poll dialogue into dilemmas. The HC had
also issued a rule upon the EC in this regard.
Since the BNP leadership depended on the decision of the
High Court ruling, the EC could not complete its dialogue
programme with the political parties on electoral reforms.
No fair poll is possible without
Hasina : Zillur
Staff Correspondent
Acting Awami League
President Zillur Rahman on Wednesday said that no fair and
credible election is possible in Bangladesh with party
President and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in bars.
"If the Caretaker Government wants to hold a free, fair
and credible election; desires to maintain a peaceful
environment across the country, the Government must free
our detained party chief - who has been implicated in
different false and motivated cases," he observed
cautioning, "People are much fed up in the prevailing
situation. Besides, party leaders and workers are
continuing to presurise us for announcing agitation
programme. The overall situation of the country is
worsening day by day and we are losing our control over
them centering Hasina's arrest as well as treatment."
Zillur was addressing a press conference after the
Bangladesh Jubo Mohila (Women) League (BJML) submitted a
list of about two lakh signatures - as part of their
ongoing "Mass Signature Champaign" to press home the
release of Sheikh Hasina - to the acting AL president at
his Gulshan residence yesterday morning.
"We don't want to choose any rough path to realise our
demands as AL always believes democratic and constructive
movement," he recalled AL's previous history of different
movement adding that "The whole country is awaiting for
the green signal of the central leaders."
Demanding immediate release of ailing former Premier,
Zillur urged the army-backed interim Government to
consider the demands of AL through freeing the detained AL
president as early as possible.
The senior most AL Presidium said, "Hasina, who has been
detained at makeshift jail in Parliament Complex since
July 16 last year, is more powerful than she was at large.
No evil forces like Ayub Khan could stay in the state
power keeping the late father of nation, Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in jail and no ill-motive of the
vested quarters will be materialised keeping Hasina
confined.
He further accused the Government of filing false cases
against Sheikh Hasina and resorting to repression on the
AL leaders and activists across the country.
"If the authorities fail to understand the sentiments of
mass people and AL leaders and activists, they will have
to face a dire consequence in the near future," he
threatened urging the partymen remain united and have
patience.
Asked about "When will AL start 'Mass Hunger Strike unto
Death'?" the acting AL President said, "After completing
on going 'Hunger Strike' programme of the AL's front
organizations, AL will announce the date to observe Hunger
Strike."
Replying to a query, he said, "AL hopes that they would be
able to sit in the official dialogue with the Caretaker
Government along with Sheikh Hasina."
About the outcome of the informal dialogue with the
representatives of the incumbent Government, Zillur Rahman
said, "AL team placed their demands before the advisers to
the Caretaker Government during the unofficial dialogue at
State Guest House Meghna on April 13; they listened to us
and assured our leaders to consider AL's proposals."
Zillur Rahman demanded of the Government to free Hasina
immediately and ensure her proper treatment abroad as per
the recommendation of her personal physicians and
announcing polls schedule as early as possible.
Among others, Amir Hossain Amu, Tofael Ahmed, Motia
Chowdhury, Abdul Mannan, AJML president Nazma Rahman and
Sabina Akhter Tuhin were present at the press conference.
Train-bus
collision kills 18
Staff Correspondent
At least 18 persons died and 30 others received serious
injuries when a Dhaka-bound Ekata Express from Dinajpur
rammed into a passenger bus on the Elenga Rajbari level
crossing at Kalihati under Tangail district in the early
hours of Wednesday.
"The signalman named Babul is responsible for the tragic
accident. Seeing no barrier, as the drivers of the
passenger bus from Rampur of Kalihati police station, was
running his vehicle to cross the level crossing at about
3.05 am, the Ekata Express from Dinajpur crashed into the
vehicles and ran over it leaving 16 persons dead on the
spot and two succumbed to their injuries later," an
official of Government Railway police said.
Talking to The Bangladesh Today an official of Kalihati
police station said around 70 passengers most of the cloth
traders boarding the passenger bus were going for business
purpose. "Most of the ill-fated people were cloth traders.
It was a dreadful scenario. The bodies were handed over to
their relatives. The injured persons were admitted to
Tangail General Hospital and local clinics. Of the inured,
the conditions of five were stated to be critical and they
were referred to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital," the
official added.
The death toll may rise as the conditions of many
passengers, who have received serious wounds are
critical," the police official who visited the spot, told
this correspondent over telephone yesterday afternoon.
Soon after the catastrophe, police and local people rushed
to the spot and started rescue operation and later
recovered the bodies. A large number of grief-stricken
relatives of the passengers have rushed to the spot,
trying to identify the bodies of their near and dear ones.
Superintendent of Police of Tangail confirmed the death of
18 people. People, who met the tragic end of their lives,
have been identified as Saiful Islam,45, of village Momin
Nagar, Farooq Hossain,26, Ahad Hossain, 35, Ahmed Ali, 42,
Dudu Miah,35, of Rampur village, Solaiman,35, Serajul
Islam,35, Safi,32, Dulal Hossain,38, Faruk Hossain ,33,
Monir Hossain,35, Sujat Ali,50, Alal Uddin ,32, of village
Mali Para, Golam Hossain ,20, driver of the bus Abdus
Samad,45, Al-Amin,20, Korban Ali,25,of village Chatutia
and Fazlul Haque,45. All of them hailed from Kalihati
upazila of the district.
Power
crisis taking severe tolls of lives, business, agriculture
Staff Correspondent
Continuous severe power crisis which is now gripping the
country has made the city life miserable as well as the
country due to inadequate generation by the Power
Development Board (PDB).
However, blaming the print and electronic media report on
power crisis, the government is claiming that there is no
shortfall of electricity supply.
"The capital and many other parts of the country have been
gripped by a serious power crisis due to drastic fall in
production and supply of electricity due to short supply
of gas and increase in demand in the summer," a source in
the PDB said adding although the PDB has many active power
plants across the country but these can not produce
adequate power due to short supply of gas.
Besides, separate nor'westers that swept different areas
of country during the last two nights also caused power
disruption, sources in PDB told this correspondent on
Wednesday.
The PDB has the capacity to generate 3500 MW to 3900 MW
electricity against the demand of 5000 MW to 5050 MW. The
PDB has 24 power plants, 85 per cent of them are gas run
plants. Talking to The Bangladesh Today an official of PDB
said PDB yesterday generated some 3913 mw of electricity
against the demand for 4500 MW of electricity.
According sources power generation at power stations is
hampered due to low pressure of gas. Due to inadequate
supply of gas by Petrobangla, power plants are failing to
generate power according to their installed capacity,
sources said.
But Petrobangla ruled out the PDB's allegation that
drastic fall in gas production is causing disruption in
power generation.
"The gas supply is normal. As there is no shortfall in gas
production, the PDB is being supplied adequate gas in its
different power plants properly," Petrobangla source said.
Not only business activities of these areas are paralysed,
but also the normal activities of thousands of people are
being disrupted due to the same reason.
Sufferings of the people, especially children and the
aged, have mounted due to rise in temperature and frequent
loadshedding.
On the other hand, taking the chance of load shedding
muggers, robbers and criminals have become active.
"Snatchings and robberies in the residential areas and on
city streets usually occur during the period of load
shedding," an official of Dhaka Metropolitan Police said.
On the other hand, erratic power disruption intensified
the current water crisis in the capital. The water crisis
caused by power failure and drought continues to haunt the
city people, apparently with no visible respite in future.
"If the WASA's water pumps do not ensure smooth supply of
power, how the organisation will pump out water from the
underground water level. Following frequent power outage,
WASA is failing to pump out around 15 crore liters of
water. The Dhaka WASA supplies about 160 crore litres of
water every day against the demand for 220 crore litres in
the capital and Narayanganj during the summer. But now
WASA is supplying 140 crore liters of water," talking to
The Bangladesh Today an official of WASA said.
Rice
price down
Staff Correspondent
The prices of different variety of coarse rice has started
coming down by Tk 1-2 per kg at different retail markets
in the capital yesterday while in the wholesale markets
the prices are falling for the last two weeks.
Traders said that the price would fall in the coming days
as the arrival of much anticipated Boro rice would help
the price to decline and the sufferings of the people
would be relieved.
Meanwhile, in the retail markets the price is coming down
slowly while in the whole sale market the price has gone
down significantly and the price of fine rice also came
down slightly in both retail and wholesale market.
Yesterday, coarse rice like Lata was selling between Tk 32
and Tk 33 per kg, Pari Tk 32 and Tk 33 per kg, fine
quality Najirshail Tk 39 and Tk 43, miniket at Tk 38 and
Tk 43 per kg. Besides, a kg of coarse rice like Swarna,
Parija and BR 28 was selling for Tk 33 to Tk 37 on
Wednesday while in the last week the price was between Tk
34 to Tk 38 per kg.
Visiting different kitchen markets in the capital
yesterday, the price of coarse rice came down by Tk 100
per maund and that of fine rice also went down by Tk 60-Tk
70 per maund.
Some consumers alleged that though the price came down
sharply in the wholesale market, the retailers are still
selling rice at their previous high rates.
They said the government should start monitoring the rice
price to curb the price of the staple food.
Meantime, the government recently fixed a target of
procuring 12-15 lakhs ton of Boro rice in this harvesting
season to ensure food safety for the next year. The
procuring of rice has been fixed at Tk 28 per kg while per
kg Boro paddy at Tk 18.
Retailers and sellers opined that it would "take some more
days to reach the food grain to the capital. So we have to
sell the rice at previous high rate and we expecting the
price of rice will come down soon." They said.
Many
garment workers suffer from
malnutrition for lack of adequate food
UNB, Dhaka
Garment workers, especially their children, have been
suffering from malnutrition for lack of adequate food as
the price rose beyond the purchasing capacity.
The garment workers' leaders informed this at a press
conference, organized by 30 garment worker organizations,
at Krishak Sramik Samajbadi Dal office in the city on
Wednesday.
"Health conditions of garment workers are getting poorer
every day due to poor intake of scarce nutrition as price
of essentials has gone up beyond the reach of ill-paid
workers," said Meer Abul Kalam Azad, general secretary of
Swadhin Bangla Workers Federation.
He said the government had formed the last wage board for
garment workers in May 2006 that fixed the minimum wage at
Tk 1662.50 for the lowest of the seven grades.
Back Page
Food Crisis
UN report warns of social upheaval
AFP, Paris
A UN body warned on Tuesday
of a looming catastrophe unless farming is radically
reformed, as the United States pledged 200 million dollars
to help poor nations combat a growing global food crisis.
The International Assessment of Agricultural Science and
Technology for Development echoed fears of social and
political upheaval voiced by world leaders in the face of
rising food prices.
"Modern agriculture will have to change radically to
better serve the poor and hungry if the world is to cope
with a growing population and climate change while
avoiding social breakdown and environmental collapse," the
UN-sponsored group of 400 experts said in a report.
The experts concluded that "continuing with current trends
in production and distribution would exhaust our resources
and put our children's future in jeopardy."
Basic foodstuff prices have all risen sharply in recent
months, sparking violent protests in many countries,
including Egypt, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Mauritania,
Ethiopia, Madagascar, the Philippines and Indonesia.
Prices in staple foods such as rice, maize and wheat are
expected to continue to rise, said the report. The
director of the study group, Bob Watson, said calling for
changes to agricultural practices was an "old message"
that "has not always had resonance in some parts of the
world." "If those with power are now willing to hear it,
then we may hope for more equitable policies that do take
the interests of the poor into account," said Watson.
The report came as The Philippines declared war on rice
hoarders and thousands of Bangladeshi textile workers went
on strike to demand action over rising food prices.
"Anyone caught stealing rice from the people must be
thrown into jail," Philippine President Gloria Arroyo said
after a cabinet meeting in Manila.
The White House on Monday authorized the release of 200
million dollars in emergency food aid to address the
impact of rising commodity prices on US programmes White
House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the money would be used
"to meet unanticipated food aid needs in Africa and
elsewhere".
Earlier, UN chief Ban Ki-moon warned that the food crisis
could trigger political upheavals and security risks. "The
rapidly escalating crisis of food availability around the
world has reached emergency proportions," he told a
meeting of key UN financial, economic and trade
institutions in New York.
The announcement of the extra US aid came one day after
the head of the World Bank warned in Washington that 100
million more people could be pushed into abject poverty
because of the steep rises in food prices.
Since March 2007, prices for soya beans have soared 87
percent and for wheat 130 percent at a time when global
grain stores are at their lowest levels on record.
The trend has been partly attributed to increased demand
in China and India as well as the alternative use of maize
and soya beans for biofuels. The UN Children's Fund
(UNICEF) said increased prices were forcing children out
of classrooms and into jobs to help pay for family food.
The impact of higher food prices is particularly marked in
poor countries where 75 percent of a family's revenues go
on food, compared to rich countries where just 15 percent
of a household's income is spent on meals, UNICEF said.
A drop in school attendance is already being observed in
Nepal, said World Food Programme spokeswoman Christiane
Berthiaume. In many countries, the only warm meal children
get in a day is the meal served in school canteens. In
Cambodia, the WFP has been forced to suspend food
distribution to school canteens as local suppliers ended
their contracts so they can sell elsewhere at a higher
price.
BB
assures to further reduce interest rates
UNB, Dhaka
Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Salehuddin Ahmed Wednesday
assured a leading trade body of continuing the central
bank's efforts to reduce interest rates on bank loans.
"BB hopes that in near future there will be a positive
trend in reduction of interest rate, charges and fees," he
told a meeting with Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and
Industry (MCCI) at the chamber's conference room.
He gave the assurance when chamber President Latifur
Rahman said the reduction of highest lending rate by 1
percent is somewhat misleading and said it should be
applicable for different categories of outstanding loans.
The trade body expected a requisite move by the central
bank in this regard at the earliest.
"In order to boost up investment in the country, BB is
continuing its moral suasion to reduce the lending rate,
service charges and commission fees of commercial banks,"
said the Governor, adding that the bank owners and
executives have already proposed to reduce the rates.
As per the proposal, the private commercial banks are to
reduce the interest rate by 1 percent from this month
while Bangladesh Association of Banks (BAB) has assured
that the borrowers would see a substantial rate cut by
June this year. Responding to a concern over increased
government borrowing from the banking system, Dr
Salehuddin said there is a tendency in the government to
spend more while the central bank was trying to convince
the government to control the borrowings.
Talking about the future outlook of the country's economy,
he said in both counts of domestic and external shocks the
environment for Bangladesh would be quite challenging.
"All of us-government, regulatory agencies, banks,
financial institutions and private stakeholders-must work
together to make Bangladesh a middle-income economy by the
next one decade," he said.
In his welcome address, MCCI president Latifur Rahman said
inflation, most notably the food price inflation, would
remain one of the formidable challenges facing Bangladesh
and appreciated the central bank's decision to abandon
restrictive monetary policy.
He regretted that the interest rate spread of bank loans
is not as low as it should have been in view of the highly
competitive banking industry.
He urged the central bank to lead the banking sector in
creating appropriate market mechanisms for the development
of a more robust and predictable inter-bank market,
particularly for term money.
The MCCI president also regretted that the exchange
control policies restrict investments overseas, preventing
exporters from expanding their value addition capacities
and markets.
He urged for an urgent review of the exchange control
guidelines, taking into account the growth in the
country's foreign exchange reserves in the recent months
and the resultant scope to gradually relax the existing
restrictions.
ICC,B president Mahbubur Rahman and leaders from the
banking and non-bank financial institutions were present
at the meeting.
BD will press for Global Food Security Compact at UNCTAD:
Foreign Adviser
PID, Dhaka
Foreign Adviser Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury said
Bangladesh would press for a Global Food Security Compact
whereby UN should initiate informational cooperation to
expand food availability at the forthcoming UNCTAD XII
Conference in Accra, Ghana, next week.
The Foreign Adviser was sharing some views on the upcoming
UNCTAD XII with the media at his office this morning.
He observed that recent world-wide shortages in grain
supply is significant enough for the United Nations to
focus on as a priority. New Green Revolutions should be
inspired through more research and development on food,
production and distribution of high-yielding seed
varieties, and expanding acreage in agriculture, and
should constitute elements of this 'thrust-programme'.
Bangladesh will press for this, along with a package of
other ideas, as Chairman of the Group of Least Developed
Countries in order to mainstream them in the global
economy at UNCTAD XII.
The UNCTAD Conference, an event that takes place every
four years, will be held in Accra, Ghana, starting 20
April. Earlier on 19 April there will be a Ministerial
Conference of Least Developed Countries to finalise the
LDC position in that Conference. The LDC Ministerial
Conference will be chaired by Dr. Ifiekhar Chowdhury.
Dr. Iftekhar Chowdhury said the theme of this Conference
would be: "Addressing the opportunities and challenges of
globalisation for development."
He said since Bangladesh was elected Chair of the LDC's
last September during the United Nations General Assembly
Session in New York, "We have been preparing to lead the
Group at UNCTAD. Our Missions in Geneva and New York, the
relevant Government Ministries and the Think Tanks have
been working hard at it. I hope a good programme will
emerge out of Accra".
AL to observe Mujibnagar Day
UNB, Dhaka
Awami League has taken up an elaborate programme to
observe the historic 'Mujibnagar Day' on Thursday.
The day's programme will begin with hoisting the national
and party flags at Bangabandhu Bhaban and central party
office at about 6am.
The party men will place wreaths at the portrait of father
of the nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Bangabandhu Bhaban
at about 8:00 am.
Wreaths will also be placed at the mazars of Syed Nazrul
Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed and Captain Mansur Ali at Banani
graveyard while AHM Quamruzzaman in Rajshahi.
Leaders and activists of Awami League, led by its Acting
President Zillur Rahman, will attend the day's programmes.
To mark the day, Awami League has also taken some special
programmes at Mujibnagar that include hoisting national
and party flags and meeting on significance of the day on
the Sheikh Hasina Mancha.
Acting General Secretary Sayed Ashraful Islam, in a
release, has requested all the leaders, workers and
supporters of Awami League and its party wings and the
countrymen of all classes and professionals to observe the
day with befitting manners.
Crime
Five held
in
city; 1 revolver recovered
UNB, Dhaka
Police, in separate drives, arrested five alleged muggers
and recovered a revolver, five bullets and 17 mobile phone
sets from the city's Sutrapur area on Tuesday-Wednesday.
A team of Sutrapur Thana police raided Dhupkhola field in
Gandaria at about 4:00 am Tuesday and arrested three
youths--Deen Islam, 25, Aupu, 25, and Bhutto, 24.
Police also recovered a revolver loaded with five bullets
from their possession.
Earlier on Tuesday night, another team of Sutarapur Thana
arrested Sohagh, 20, and Rubel, 21 from Hotel Deenar at
Nawabpur Road at about 7:00 pm and recovered 17 cell phone
sets.
Police said the arrested youths are the members of an
organized gang and the recovered mobile phones were
snatched from different parts of the city on Pahela
Baishakh (April 14).
Youth gets
life for
violating girl
UNB, Netrakona
A young man was today awarded life term for deflowering a
teenage girl with promise of marriage in a remote village
of Kalmakanda upazila six years ago.
The district and session's judge handed down the
punishment to Sajal Kumar Shil, now 28, of north Lengura
village. He was also fined Tk 5,000, in default to suffer
one year in jail.
The prosecution said Anita Rani Shil, daughter of
Dhirendra Chandra Shill, with all signs of developing
beauty at the age of 15 had attracted neighbour Sajal.
They used to exchange fond traits whenever happened to
meet.
In the afternoon of January 3, 2002 Sajal quietly took
Anita to Kali Mandir in the village. Taking to a secluded
place he fondled and deflowered her with pledge of
marriage.
Soon the cunning fellow backed out. She filed the case
accusing him of rape. After lengthy trial the court today
sentenced him to imprisonment for life.
APS of former minister sent
to jail
UNB, Chittagong
Nurul Azim Hero, APS of former minister Abdullah Al Noman,
was sent to jail hajot when he surrendered to the court
today in connection with relief misappropriation case.
Raiding his home at Patiya in January last year joint
forces had seized five bundles of CI sheet, which were
meant for relief to the poor. Police filed the case. But
Azim went into hiding.
Azim today surrendered to the court of Chittagong judicial
magistrate and sought for bail. Rejecting the bail
petition the magistrate sent him to jail hajot.
OC closed
UNB, Pirojpur
The officer in-charge (OC) of Bhandaria police station was
closed to Pirojpur Police lines on various charges on
Wednesday.
Police Superintendent Kamrul Hasan took the disciplinary
action against OC Abdur Razzak after receiving different
complaints against him.
While contacted, Kamrul Hasan said Abdur Razzak will be
suspended if the allegations brought against him are
proved.
Girl killed in
cylinder blast
UNB, Khulna
A young girl, who sustained serious burn injuries
following an explosion in a gas cylinder in the city
Tuesday night, died at Khulna Medical College Hospital
Wednesday morning.
The deceased was identified as Dulali, 22, daughter of
Firoz Contractor of Bashupara area.
Police said the gas cylinder exploded with a huge bang
when Dulali was cooking about 11pm, leaving her critically
injured.
She was rushed to the Khulna Medical College Hospital were
she died at about 7:30 am on Wednesday.
Two get 20-yr
jail for human trafficking
UNB, Chapainawabganj
Two people, including an Indian national, were Tuesday
sentenced to 20 years rigorous imprisonment each in a
human trafficking case.
Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Judge
Rishikesh Shah also fined the convicts - Mahrina Begum,
55, of Thakurgaon district and Abdul Hakim, hailed from
Manikchar village in Kartihar district of India, --Tk
50,000 each, in default, to suffer 6 months more RI.
Four other accused in the case were acquitted as the
allegations brought against them could not be proved.
According to the prosecution, BDR men held Merina Begum
while she with the help of human trafficker Abdul Hakim
was trafficking her stepdaughter Parvin Begum to India
through the frontier on September 9, 2003.
Rider killed, motorcycle hijacked
UNB, Jhenidah
Terrorists hijacked a motorcycle after killing its owner
at Kalikadanga in Kaliganj upazila early Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Mamun, 22, son of Moktar
Hossain of Sonalidanga village in Kaliganj upazila.
Police said two people hired the motorcycle of Mamun for
going to a fair at Mallikapur Battala from Barabazar on
Tuesday afternoon.
On the way, they hacked Mamun, 22, indiscriminately
leaving him critically injured and fled the scene along
with his motorcycle and mobile phone set.
He was admitted to the Sadar Hospital in Jessore at about
9.30 pm where he died later.
4 drug peddlers arrested,
phensidyl seized
UNB, Gaibandha
Rapid Action Battalion members arrested four drug peddlers
along with 104 bottles of Indian phensidyl syrup at
Madanerpara in Fulchhari upazila on Tuesday.
Acting on a tip-off, a team of RAB-5 conducted a drive in
the area and arrested Rozifa Begum, Tafrin Begum, Jarina
Begum and Fatema Begum along with the phensidyl. A case
was filed against them.
73 persons arrested
BSS, Rajshahi
Police, in different anticrime drives, picked up 73
persons on various charges from different areas in the
city and nine upazilas of the district in last 24 hours
till yesterday evening.
Of them 33 were picked up from different areas in the
metropolis while 40 others from nine upazilas of the
district.
Police also seized 48 bottles of contraband phensidyl and
eight liters of country-made liquor during two separate
raids at different places in the district.
Traffic police lodged 56 cases under the motor vehicles
ordinance and seized four motorbikes, one microbus and one
truck for either without registration or valid document
during drives against the non- registered motor vehicles
and other document related malpractice in different parts
of the city during the time.
Editorial
Media’s Role in Upholding Democracy
A
seminar was organized by the Bangladesh Press Institute on 16
April 2008 to discuss the role of the media in establishing
and upholding democracy in Bangladesh. The seminar was
attended by eminent personalities of our media with the
Adviser for Education Dr.Hossain Zillur Rahman as the chief
guest. The speaker at the discussion brought out some very
interesting and important points about the role of the media
in general and about the media's impact in upholding democracy
in particular. The keynote speaker Dr.Asif Nazrul held the
opinion that the media per se does not have the responsibility
of establishing or upholding democracy; that is a
responsibility for other political and state institutions to
fulfill. Dr. Asif's point of view is very true of course but
in Bangladesh, political and state institutions have been
largely unable or even unwilling in either establishing or
upholding democracy and the media had more or less been forced
by circumstances and public expectations to be a key exponent
of democratic values. This enhanced role of the media
catapulted it into a "power player" in the scheme of things in
Bangladesh; many of the media's negative aspects, pointed out
by Dr. Asif, stems from this "power player" character of the
media.
More importantly, the media ever since the Language Movement
but more particularly during the non-cooperation movement in
1969-70 and during the Liberation War in 1971, played a vital
and even decisive role in not only projecting but also
mobilizing mass public opinions behind our struggle for
independence and liberation from Pakistan. This was an
unprecedented responsibility that the media took upon itself
way beyond the traditional role that the media is expected to
play. The media thus broke every rule in the book in order to
uphold and support our Nation-statehood and therefore, in an
independent but developing Bangladesh, the public expected of
the media a continuation of this pro-active, opinion-building
and largely political role of the media.
As the nation and the state developed, evolved and changed, so
did the media going into field, aspects and areas which
hitherto the media could scarcely comprehend. Today, the media
is actively involved in social, political and economic
activities to an extent where its roles are difficult to
either define or circumscribe by any specific codes of conduct
or laws and therefore we see that many of the laws and
constitutional provisions which aim to define
responsibilities, duties and privileges of the media are non-implementable.
The media is now a major institution of the state with stakes
in every field of state and national life and it has thus to
be dealt with as an "institution" and not merely as an
interest group or professional lobby. That is a reality which
must be accepted, however unpalatable it might be and only
then will it be possible to bring about responsibility,
responsiveness, answerability, accountability and finally
integrity of the "media".
Mujibnagar Day
Today,
17 April is the historic Mujibnagar Day. On this day in 1971
the elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh at a
landmark gathering at Baidyanathtola in Meherpur formally
endorsed the declaration of independence made by Bangabandhu
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 07 March 1971 and the provisional
government formed to lead the war of liberation took oath of
office. The proclamation of Independence, prepared on 10 April
1971 and declared at Mujibnagar on 17 April 1971 said, " We
the elected representatives of the people of Bangladesh, as
honour bound by the mandate given to us by the people
Bangladesh, whose will is supreme, duly constituted ourselves
into a constituent Assembly , and having held mutual
consultations, and in order to ensure for the people of
Bangladesh equality, human dignity and social justice, declare
and constitute Bangladesh to be a sovereign People's Republic
and thereby confirm the declaration of independence already
made by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. We further resolve
that this proclamation of Independence shall be deemed to have
come into effect from 26th day of March 1971." (The
Proclamation of Independence: Appendix 1: The Constitution of
the People's Republic of Bangladesh).
It was through this ceremony that the nation's formal journey
on the road to liberation had begun and the struggle for
independence attained legitimacy and acceptability from the
freedom loving people across the world. Further, it was this
formal proclamation of independence by the people's elected
representatives that ultimately formed the basis of all laws
including the constitution of the country.
April 17 is one of the most important days in the history of
our freedom struggle and War of Liberation. This is a day to
be observed with renewed pledge to safeguard the hard-earned
independence and sovereignty and pay tributes to those who
fought and died for freedom and also to remember those who
organised and led the liberation war. It is also an occasion
to take fresh vow to uphold the spirit of liberation war and
reiterate the demand for the trial of the war criminals.
Analysis
The army should not be
interpreted as a support
to steer justice forcefully
Putting an end to all speculations and much to
our relief, the Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed has
made it clear that "Army has no political ambition."
M Abdul Kabir
Former
Chief Justice and ex-chief adviser to the caretaker government
Justice Muhammad Habibur Rahman is essentially right when he
has it to say that a military-backed government would not
benefit the country as well as the army in the long run.
However, if the honorable Chief Justice upholds the view
assuming that the army now deployed off the barrack is
dictating the government besides its job of maintaining the
state of emergency, then he may be downbeat in his outlook
towards the army.
One explanation for this claim is that decisions of how to run
the country are taken in the cabinets, where we have not
witnessed any military presence so far. Besides, there have
been some changes in the advisory body of this caretaker
government, and there is no evidence that the army had a "say"
in those changes. What in fact may prompt us to assume an army
dictation is that the army has been overexposed, which the
state of emergency alone would not have required if the
country had not been beset by the two successive floods and
the devastating Sidr.
Many also fear that the army may stage a coup. However, it
could have taken place several times last year, especially in
the aftermath of the DU turmoil. The only real possibility of
such a takeover hangs on any misadventure that will happen if
the planned election is deferred. In this regard politicians
have much to do, by negotiating with the government, to let
the poll take place. If they fail, the election may be
frustrated. To date, the army, an external force having the
power to disturb it, has shown no signs of an intention of
aborting the election.
Putting an end to all speculations and much to our relief, the
Chief of Army Staff General Moeen U Ahmed has made it clear
that "Army has no political ambition." Perhaps aware of the
image the army has built these days and also attentive to the
lesson of history, he has also added "We will neither follow
Pakistan or other neighbors, nor our predecessors." It is a
fact that we the Bangladeshi can unite against any force that
stifles our choice. The present government and its reformative
maneuvers are a clear manifestation of this fact. Be it his
appreciation of this truth or his own conscience guiding him,
the General has conclusively said "Let me assure you that we
are not having power."
Nevertheless, he speaks politics when he says "we have one
desire -let honest and competent people take over." Clearly,
his wish reflects the wish of people, and as a patriotic
citizen he has the right to demand a caring administration.
Yet, the danger is that his unequivocal stance may be
interpreted by some as a support to prevent the alleged
politicians from coming to power. Rather than letting fairness
prevail, actions may be taken out of abhorrence towards them.
Obviously, this would not be reflective of people's wish
because they want to see justice prevail. Besides, the
government has been given the people's mandate on the
condition that it will establish the rule of law.
In fact, it would be shortsighted if it is thought that
holding back the charged politicians will pave the way for
honest and competent people to takeover. Who will come to
power is people's decision after all. What the government
should do is create a platform where the corrupt and
incompetent are automatically driven out and ensure the avenue
where justice prevails.
Since people as well as the army want a positive change which,
however, may deem impossible if the path to power for the "old
folks" is not sealed anyhow, it does not yet mean that the
change should be brought about forcefully. This could trigger
a more precarious one than the 1/11 episode. Let alone this
dangerous prospect, nobody is entitled to direct the course of
justice out of its own way.
(M Abdul Kabir, B.Sc.ETE;
North South University.
Email: kabir_nsu051@yahoo.com.
Mobile: 01715078819)
Coming round the mountain
The restoration of democratic
rights and the removal of the monarchy remained the final
political target of the armed struggle.
Amaresh Mishra
He
was once criticised by his party for his fondness for momos.
Along with the regular Gregorian calendar that we all follow,
he also uses the Hindu Shaka calendar. He is a Maoist who has
beaten all Marxist-Leninists to emerge as the leader of the
world's first elected far-Left party.
The irony of the impending Maoist electoral victory in the
Nepalese constituent assembly led by this man, Pushpa Kamal
Dahal aka Prachanda, never ceases to amaze. This was a force
that every communist and democratic formation of the
subcontinent had written off as a 'bunch of anarchists'. The
Communist Party of Nepal (Maoist) - the CPN(M) - was, in fact,
painted as yet another terrorist outfit.
But Nepal had not yet given its verdict. The pro-democracy
movement in 1990 had ushered in the concept of a multi-party
democracy in this landlocked, feudal country where bourgeois
impulses were weak and where monarchy flourished. But as years
went by, the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal
(Unified Marxist-Leninist) - CPN(UM-L) - the two mainstream
parties in the country, were unable to address the people's
concerns. The power of the king was curtailed, but a move to
impose constitutional monarchy was shot down as the Royal
Nepalese Army (RNA) became ambitious and the king too became a
willing tool in the hands of the United States, which was keen
on building Nepal as a buffer between India and China. The
RNA-backed monarchy started clawing back to power in a bid to
regain privileges lost during the pro-democracy movement. The
pro-democracy mainstream parties, with no armed cadre to
respond to the violence unleashed on the Nepalese people by
the Palace-RNA combine, felt helpless.
It was at this point in 1996 that the Maoists stepped in.
Realising that pro-democracy parties had been taken for a ride
and were becoming irrelevant in the new situation of
counter-revolutionary offensives, they retired to the
villages, jungles and hills to mobilise the Nepalese
peasantry. At first, the Maoists did not have weapons either.
During the 1990 pro-democracy movement, they were part of the
general 'Left impulse', which had laid emphasis more on mass
movement than on armed struggle.
Adopting classic Maoist tactics of capturing arms from the
enemy, Nepal's Maoists captured the Dang barrack of the RNA.
Now they had enough arms to last for four years. In February
2005, when the bloody palace coup installed King Gyanendra on
Nepal's throne with covert American and overt RNA backing,
democratic rights and the parliamentary process were
suppressed. The people of Kathmandu and those of Nepal's
villages were overwhelmingly against the official version that
Prince Dipendra committed the massacre. As pro-democracy
parties vacillated, the Maoists came up with the firm
political slogan of abolishing the monarchy, restoring
democratic rights and setting up a national people's republic.
This stance struck a chord as it was widely believed that
Gyanendra was a usurper. The monarchy had lost the reverence
and support of the people like never before.
The Maoist strategy worked. In the post-February 2005
situation, Maoists were the only power taking the RNA and
Gyanendra head on. Yet, this was clearly not enough. Despite
leading a backward, feudal-bourgeois State, the Nepalese
ruling clique was part of the new post-9/11 global
environment. The Nepalese ruling clique, fighting against the
Maoists that the US perceived to be a 'terrorist group', had
the support of Washington in terms of arms, material and
'advice'. The sounds of fights in the hilly villages of Nepal
between the Maoist People's Liberation Army (PLA) and RNA
forces echoed in India and even in Washington.
But Nepalese Maoists were fighting a different kind of
'people's war'. Following the new far Left path of Prachanda,
the CPN(M) and the PLA stopped being confined to isolated
areas and the grassroots. Their anti-feudalism had a
village-level character as well as a national-mainstream
character. The restoration of democratic rights and the
removal of the monarchy remained the final political target of
the armed struggle. The CPN(M) was also being perceived as a
'patriotic force' by a growing number of Nepal's people.
Source:www.hindustantimes.com
And now, the pro-PPP divide
The party that would divide is the party that unites. It is
not only a topsy-turvy, but also a changed world.
Asha'ar Rehman
WE
are living in a world of linguistic confusion. Sher Afgan,
according to one current definition, falls to the tiger rather
than felling it. He is brought down by advocates of violence
and not necessarily by the lawyers, including the leaders out
on Lahore's Fane Road and the learned men who are led to offer
explanations on their behalf at press conferences.
Given this new dawn of vocabulary usage, would it be wrong to
say that in the political dictionary of the country,
reconciliation stands for one party befriending all other
parties? The party that would divide is the party that unites.
It is not only a topsy-turvy, but also a changed world.
The Pakistan People's Party runs through the scheme called
Pakistan, right from Khyber to Karachi, as they say. A bridge
that perhaps connects just too many winding roads, and one
that is easy to dismiss as an invention of expediency. One
fact cannot be ignored though: a national consensus government
was what every political party from those which were likely to
win to those which eventually won was pushing for in the
run-up to the Feb 18 polls. It appeared impossible before the
election and seems incredible today. It does exist with all
its manifold problems.
On Friday, the PML-N refused to be drawn into the
parliamentary committee 'labyrinth' the PPP has been trying to
create 'to debate the restoration of the judges'.
PML-N leader and federal minister Khwaja Asif said that such a
grouping of parliamentarians was not required since an
inter-coalition party committee on the subject already existed
and could take decisions with authority.
The same day, the nationalists observed a strike in
Balochistan to protest the imprisonment of Nawab Akhtar Mengal
- when the PPP's chief minister in Balochistan Nawab Aslam
Raisani's call for redefining terrorism was still ringing in
the air.
On Wednesday, the lawyers' movement the PML-N has been
championing literally rose from the ashes in Karachi, just
hours after suffering a huge blow in Lahore courtesy the Sher
Afgan episode.
Other equally important issues of the time, such as the case
of the missing persons, pit the collective wisdom of the
politicians against the establishment's shield which such acts
enjoy.
In Lahore, the verdict is a foregone conclusion. Not a day
passes without some important Sharif lieutenant vowing to
restore the judges to the pre-Nov 3 position. The ritual was
repeated at its loudest when the newly-elected Punjab Assembly
was finally allowed to meet on April 9. Each and every member
of the PML-N who found an opportunity to address the people
through the media reiterated the party line on the judiciary.
The message is clear, there can be no compromise on the issue,
even if there can be no consensus without compromise.
For reasons of illustration let us take up an instance of the
extremely irreconcilable positions of today. Much has been set
ablaze since then and too many salvos fired, but at one stage
it appeared that the PML-N was not all that averse to
developing some kind of a relationship with the Muttahida
Qaumi Movement.
Pre-poll, when Mian Nawaz Sharif and Shabaz Sharif spoke in
favour of a national-consensus government, they wouldn't have
meant a set-up minus the MQM, a large force in the country's
politics. Post-poll, according to Nawaz Sharif, his party had
some 'reservations' about allying itself with the MQM.
Reservations … a mild expression in a season where
reconciliation emerged as such a strong word and even someone
as central to the lawyers' movement as Aitzaz Ahsan was heard
telling Pakistanis that May 12, 2007, was best forgotten.
Barrister Ahsan was an exception and earned the wrath of all
and sundry for his statement. The problem with the national
consensus business is that the aggrieved parties are not ready
to make up with the ones who had caused them the latest hurt.
The PPP is ready to embrace anyone but Arbab Rahim and the PML-N
leaders have no problem in accepting anyone from within the
official Q-League except for their political tormentors of the
last eight years, the Chaudhries of Gujrat, and the general
who had dislodged them from power.
The general may accept anyone but the judge and the lawyers
who he warns against spreading anarchy - a day after they lost
so many of their colleagues to the fires set up by the easily
unidentified people in Karachi.
Come to think of it, salvation for the politicians -
especially the PPP since everyone else can conveniently blame
it on Zardari - may lie in confronting the president, sooner
rather than later. The symbolic value of his departure may
camouflage lack of success on solving the issues, just as the
restoration of an individual some-where may hide other flaws
in the system.
Source:www.dawn.com
Viewpoints
Bangladesh branding
Through Bangladesh branding, tourism will find
a position it deserves. Its eternal reputation as a land of
rivers, birds, flowers, fruits and greeneries can not be
missed.
Mohammad Shahidul Islam
What
a country has to offer to backpackers is its overall image, or
brand.
Bangladesh will, one day, be chosen by the people across the
world for jobs, tourism, sports and its products. 'In
Bangladesh', and 'from Bangladesh' would be popular all
around.
A modern, secure, and efficient Bangladesh is what we want.
Bangladesh can emerge an attractive tourist destination. Its
own features will provide a context that encourages tourists
to discover first-hand something interesting.
Heading to a vacation destination, a tourist would prefer a
place that looks like paradise in the brochures or on the net.
But on arrival he or she would least expect in a long line at
passport control at an airport that is not clean. Not so good
a taxi service would act as a disincentive, too. Tourists are
unlikely to return to that country.
Tourism branding and promotion have to take into consideration
the context for tourism, the state of the country itself.
Tourism can be developed by branding and promotion.
All the countries of the world are trying to have similar or
comparable infrastructure and quality of life. National
objectives to promote trade, investment and tourism, are best
achieved through differentiation. A country needs to take a
critical look at them and ask: "Why should companies invest
there or tourists visit it, rather than go to other countries
for investment and tourism?" This critical analysis would help
a country recognize what needs to be done to make it more
attractive. Does it have the services in place that the
businesses and tourists need?
This analysis is the starting point for the process of
branding a country. A brand must be credible and dependable. A
good brand will project a nation's strengths without ignoring
its weaknesses. A nation's brand is not static, it evolves
with the country. Many things needing improvement in a country
does not mean it has to delay branding, which would improve
with the country itself. The purpose of branding is to
position a country in the best way possible in the global
system, with its strengths and weaknesses.
Branding has a deeper purpose than to simply coming up with a
cute logo and tag line. It positions a nation so that it can
achieve the maximum success globally by garnering
international recognition and clout that help business
relations and development of a healthy tourism industry. This
brings benefit to its people.
In the world of business, corporate branding rather than
product or service branding is relevant. General Electric, for
example, makes everything from jet engines and locomotives to
refrigerators and irons. It also provides financial services.
Each of these products and services has its own brand, which
is promoted separately. But they are supported by the
corporate brand, the GE logo.
Successful corporations manage their brands carefully because
their products and services can either benefit from a good
corporate brand or be damaged by its misuse. These
corporations invest heavily to promote their corporate brands
because it is an efficient way to promote all their products
and services.
Branding employs proven methods and techniques, including
research. Branding a country is more complex. 'Nation
branding' is a specialized field because of the complex
elements that make up a nation. The diverse objectives of a
government need to be understood deeply and fully for the
branding to be successful.
Branding process should be undertaken before money is spent on
image-formation and messaging. However, most countries do it
the other way round: they allocate budgets for advertising,
web sites, public relations (PR) etc., without having a brand
to communicate.
Every nation is a brand. It has an image in the minds of
people living elsewhere, at least to people who are aware of
its existence. Some countries are known for good things, some
for bad, and some are unknown. This last group is probably the
most fortunate, because little-known countries have the
greatest opportunity to establish a brand from scratch. But
most countries have had their brands made for them. Their
history, or current events, as described by historians and
mass media have shaped their image, good or bad. Cuba is
identified with Fidel Castro. Meet a Cuban, and we will know
it has wonderful people and many good points.
But even a 'nice' image, such as Switzerland being known as a
land of cuckoo clocks and chocolates, can be a problem for a
country. For one, cuckoo clocks and chocolates have little to
do with the success of an economy that boasts half of Europe's
top ten companies, in everything from financial services to
pharmaceuticals and food processing. And the Swiss certainly
want to be known for their real value and real contribution to
the world.
No one in the world will create a good brand for Bangladesh.
Why should they? The media is interested in 'bad news' such as
poverty, floods, cyclones and the like. Who is there to make
an attractive image for Bangladesh?
Bangladesh must take are of its own brand. This means that it
must invest in its brand. It must manage and promote its
brand. This is a task that must be taken by the government.
The government has to take initiative to identify the full
agenda of the country and mobilize the power and resources to
lead the nation to make a brand. It needs to project exclusive
items for which the world will clamor.
For this, the government needs to involve the key
stakeholders. Participation in the branding process would
encourage the stakeholders to promote the brand. The
government, with a positive initiative, can get the willing
support of other stakeholders. Every citizen and organization
in a country would like to share a positive image of the
country.
A successful brand will represent the diverse positive
elements that make a nation. A good brand will take into
account the inherent complexities and, at the same time, it
will differentiate the nation from the others, putting it in
the best light possible, without exaggeration or distortion.
A tourism brands can be successfully extended to serve a
nation as a whole. A case in point is Spain's famous tag line
by Joan Miro: 'Everything under the Sun'. Although essentially
a brand adopted to promote tourism, it also serves to make
Spain seem a modern, warm and inviting country, for businesses
as well as tourists.
Bangladesh branding process can be initiated through tourism
branding. It is difficult for a nation to see itself clearly.
Therefore, it is desirable for Bangladesh to seek a branding
partner to conduct the research and analysis, to develop a
creative brief and to propose images and messages. Every
nation owns its own brand, and must make all the critical
decisions regarding its formation and management, but in the
complex world we live in today, the advice of experts is
essential for success. The brand must be adopted internally
first and then throughout the nation before it can be
effectively promoted internationally.
Through Bangladesh branding, tourism will find a position it
deserves. Its eternal reputation as a land of rivers, birds,
flowers, fruits and greeneries can not be missed. Sundarban
and Cox's Bazaar can promote beautiful Bangladesh.
(Mohammad Shahidul Islam is a Freelance Travel Writer and
Faculty Member of National Hotel and Tourism Training
Institute. Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Email: mohd-s-islam@myway.com)
No
checkpoints in heaven
I still remember my father's face ... as he last wished me
farewell.
Ramzy Baroud
I Still
Remember My Father's Face ... As He Last Wished Me Farewell. I
still vividly remember my father's face - wrinkled,
apprehensive, warm - as he last wished me farewell 14 years
ago. He stood outside the rusty door of my family's home in a
Gaza refugee camp wearing old yellow pajamas and a seemingly
ancient robe. As I hauled my one small suitcase into a taxi
that would take me to an Israeli airport an hour away, my
father stood still. I wished he would go back inside; it was
cold and the soldiers could pop up at any moment. As my car
moved on, my father eventually faded into the distance, along
with the graveyard, the water tower and the camp. It never
occurred to me that I would never see him again.
I think of my father now as he was that day. His tears and his
frantic last words: "Do you have your money? Your passport? A
jacket? Call me the moment you get there. Are you sure you
have your passport? Just check, one last time."
My father was a man who always defied the notion that one can
only be the outcome of his circumstance. Expelled from his
village at the age of 10, running barefoot behind his parents,
he was instantly transferred from the son of a landowning
farmer to a penniless refugee in a blue tent provided by the
United Nations in Gaza. Thus, his life of hunger, pain,
homelessness, freedom-fighting, love, marriage and loss
commenced.
The fact that he was the one chosen to quit school to help his
father provide for his now tent-dwelling family was a huge
source of stress for him. In a strange, unfamiliar land, his
new role was going into neighboring villages and refugee camps
to sell gum, aspirin and other small items. His legs were a
testament to the many dog bites he obtained during these daily
journeys. Later scars were from the shrapnel he acquired
through war.
As a young man and soldier in the Palestinian unit of the
Egyptian army, he spent years of his life marching through the
Sinai desert. When the Israeli army took over Gaza following
the Arab defeat in 1967, the Israeli commander met with those
who served as police officers under Egyptian rule and offered
them the chance to continue their services under Israeli rule.
Proudly and willingly, my young father chose abject poverty
over working under the occupier's flag. And for that,
predictably, he paid a heavy price. His two-year-old son died
soon after.
My oldest brother is buried in the same graveyard that
bordered my father's house in the camp. My father, who
couldn't cope with the thought that his only son died because
he couldn't afford to buy medicine or food, would be found
asleep near the tiny grave all night, or placing coins and
candy in and around it.
My father's reputation as an intellectual, his obsession with
Russian literature, and his endless support of fellow refugees
brought him untold trouble with the Israeli authorities, who
retaliated by denying him the right to leave Gaza.
His severe asthma, which he developed as a teenager was
compounded by lack of adequate medical facilities. Yet,
despite daily coughing streaks and constantly gasping for
breath, he relentlessly negotiated his way through life for
the sake of his family. On one hand, he refused to work as a
cheap laborer in Israel. "Life itself is not worth a shred of
one's dignity," he insisted. On the other, with all borders
sealed except that with Israel, he still needed a way to bring
in an income. He would buy cheap clothes, shoes, used TVs, and
other miscellaneous goods, and find a way to transport and
sell them in the camp. He invested everything he made to
ensure that his sons and daughter could receive a good
education, an arduous mission in a place like Gaza.
But when the Palestinian uprising of 1987 exploded, and our
camp became a battleground between stone-throwers and the
Israeli army, mere survival became dad's new obsession. Our
house was the closest to the Red Square, arbitrarily named for
the blood spilled there, and also bordered the 'Martyrs'
Graveyard'. How can a father adequately protect his family in
such surroundings? Israeli soldiers stormed our house hundreds
of times; it was always him who somehow held them back,
begging for his children's safety, as we huddled in a dark
room awaiting our fate. "You will understand when you have
your own children," he told my older brothers as they
protested his allowing the soldiers to slap his face. Our
'freedom-fighting' dad struggled to explain how love for his
children could surpass his own pride. He grew in my eyes that
day.
It's been 14 years since I last saw my father. As none of his
children had access to isolated Gaza, he was left alone to
fend for himself. We tried to help as much as we could, but
what use is money without access to medicine? In our last talk
he said he feared he would die before seeing my children, but
I promised that I would find a way. I failed.
Since the siege on Gaza, my father's life became impossible.
His ailments were not 'serious' enough for hospitals crowded
with limbless youth. During the most recent Israeli onslaught,
most hospital spaces were converted to surgery wards, and
there was no place for an old man like my dad. All attempts to
transfer him to the better equipped West Bank hospitals failed
as Israeli authorities repeatedly denied him the required
permit.
"I am sick, son, I am sick," my father cried when I spoke to
him two days before his death. He died alone on March 18,
waiting to be reunited with my brothers in the West Bank. He
died a refugee, but a proud man nonetheless.
My father's struggle began 60 years ago, and it ended a few
days ago. Thousands of people descended to his funeral from
throughout Gaza, oppressed people that shared his plight,
hopes and struggles, accompanying him to the graveyard where
he was laid to rest. Even a resilient fighter deserves a
moment of peace.
Ramzy Baroud (www.ramzybaroud.net) is an author and editor of
PalestineChronicle.com. His latest book is, "The Second
Palestinian Intifada: A Chronicle of a People's Struggle"
(Pluto Press, London).
Source:
www.middleeasttimes.com
Comment
Dampening down water hopes
There
is broad agreement that a severe water shortage, due to the
unusually dry winter season, is bound to afflict the country
this summer.
The searing question is what will be done to solve, or at
least alleviate, this imminent crisis.
Life is already difficult, with the inflationary spiral
haunting the citizenry; to add to it a water crisis will make
life for most Jordanians simply unbearable.
Not much could have been done to avoid the drought this year.
The problem is associated with global warming and climate
change, for which humanity at large is guilty.
But something can be done to assuage the forecast water
crisis, and this means that all the citizens in the country
have to help the national effort towards this goal.
Rationing the use of water and preventing waste are the
simplest, easiest to observe, practices.
That will affect the way we wash our cars, water our gardens,
fill our swimming pools or take our daily showers. We all can
use minimum water, and we all know how.
Charging more for excessive use of this precious commodity is
no solution. Civic responsibility has to be ingrained in the
young and old, rich and poor; awareness of its importance
cannot be stressed enough.
Jordanians do have less per capita water allocation than many
countries of the world; after all, the Kingdom has few water
sources. Still more needs to be done until our strategic
sources of water are more secure.
This means the plan to transfer Disi water to Amman and its
environs needs to get off the ground. It also means the
much-talked-about project linking the Red Sea with the Dead
Sea should be given higher priority. The bureaucracy
preventing the start of these megaprojects should be
eliminated.
The country cannot afford to procrastinate any longer on the
implantation of these two macrowater projects. Now is the time
to start the implementation stage. Any further delay, for
whatever reason, will only aggravate the already alarming
water crisis.
Source:
www.jordantimes.com
International
Nepal’s Maoists
tell king to bow out ‘gracefully’
AFP, Kathmandu
Nepal's Maoists, on track for victory in landmark
elections, on Wednesday called on the country's embattled
king to step down "gracefully" or else face a humiliating
eviction from his palace.
The call came as the former rebels maintained a strong
lead in the count from last Thursday's vote on the
impoverished country's political future.
The Maoists so far look set to dominate a 601-seat
assembly that will rewrite Nepal's constitution, and have
said their first act will be to sack King Gyanendra and
abolish his 240-year-old monarchy.
"The best thing for the king would be to bow out
gracefully to pave the way for a democratic republic,"
Baburam Bhattarai, the Maoists' second-in-command, told
AFP.
The process of getting rid of the monarchy, he said, was
now unstoppable.
"In the first meeting of the Constituent Assembly we will
declare the country a republic, then we will notify the
king to leave the palace," Bhattarai said in an interview.
"As an ordinary citizen he will have to abide by the law."
Gyanendra ascended the throne in 2001 when his brother and
predecessor, King Birendra, was shot dead along with eight
other family members by a drunk and lovelorn crown prince,
who in turn killed himself.
In 2005 he seized absolute power to fight the Maoists, but
instead fuelled a wave of republican sentiment that led to
a historic 2006 peace deal and last week's polls.
With the vote count ongoing, election officials said that
of a total of 217 seats already allocated, the Maoists
have won 116. Their nearest rival, the centrist Nepali
Congress, has won just 32 seats.
Officials said counting for the 335 seats to be awarded by
proportional representation was under way, with the
results-based on roughly 40 percent of returns-so far
showing the Maoists in the lead with a 31 percent share of
the tallied votes.
"The Maoists have the highest percentage of votes so far,
but we cannot know the number of seats they will be
allocated until we have counted all the votes," election
official Dilliram Bastola told AFP.
Counting in the proportional representation section of the
vote will be finished by Tuesday or Wednesday next week,
he said. The Maoists' showing at the ballot box confounded
analysts and diplomats who predicted that the former
rebels would do well to finish in third place.
"We have fought with the people for democratic change, and
we know the masses," Bhattarai said. "We are more aware
than the other parties about the problems Nepal faces."
Bhattarai however said that his party would continue to
work with Nepal's mainstream parties in a new coalition
government.
"We are confident we can work with other parties. There is
no alternative as this was not a general election-it was
an election to make a new constitution," he said.
Indian police flood capital ahead of Olympic torch relay
AFP, New Delhi
Thousands of
Indian police prepared to seal off the heart of New Delhi
on Wednesday as Tibetan activists ramped up protests ahead
of what will be a short, heavily guarded leg of the
Olympic torch relay.
The flame is set to arrive from neighbouring Pakistan late
Wednesday for one of the most sensitive stretches of its
global voyage, with India home to more than 100,000
Tibetan refugees, many of them organised and media savvy.
Police on Wednesday manned yellow barricades leading to
India Gate, the monument to slain Indian soldiers and the
end point of the truncated torch run, which has been
shortened from nine kilometres (six miles) to three
kilometres.
Green corrugated fencing also obscured the sandstone arch
and its surrounding gardens, where Tibetans ran a mock
torch relay on Tuesday under the noses of police who were
holding a security planning meeting there.
The beleaguered torch run ran into fresh trouble on
Wednesday, with the city saying it would not send
schoolchildren-among the few members of the public invited
to witness the run-to attend the ceremony, NDTV news
channel said.
No explanation was given for the decision, which leaves
the relay virtually closed off from public view except for
the estimated 15,000 policemen who will line the road
leading from the presidential palace to India Gate. Some
20 Chinese guards will also accompany the flame, irking
Indians still smarting from memories of a brief border war
between the two nations four decades ago.
Traffic will be cut off to the centre Thursday and metro
stations will also be shut down to prevent Tibetan
protesters from disrupting the run, the Hindustan Times
daily reported.
Tibetan groups were meanwhile ratcheting up protests.
India is home to the Dalai Lama, the Tibetan spiritual
leader who fled to the country after a failed 1959
uprising against Chinese rule in his homeland, as well as
to several pro-independence Tibetan groups.
About 50 protesters ran past the Chinese embassy Wednesday
morning brandishing Tibetan flags before they were hauled
away by Indian police, an AFP correspondent witnessed.
Sri Lanka steps up air strikes, ground battles: Military
AFP, Colombo
Sri Lanka stepped up air attacks against Tamil Tiger
rebels Wednesday, deploying jets and helicopter gunships
as 12 guerrillas were killed in ground battles, defence
officials said.
Fighter jets bombed a suspected Tamil Tiger base in the
northern town of Oddusudan overnight while Mi-24
helicopter gunships were deployed to attack rebel bunkers
further north in the Jaffna peninsula, officials said.
They said pilots confirmed hitting the targets. There was
no immediate word from the rebel Liberation Tigers of
Tamil Eelam (LTTE) who have been resisting a major
military thrust on the de facto mini state they run in the
north.
The defence ministry said at least 12 rebels were killed
in separate ground attacks since Tuesday.
Ministry figures show that at least 2,869 rebels have been
killed by government troops since the start of the year,
while 172 soldiers have lost their lives in the same
period.
Verification of casualty claims is impossible as Colombo
bars journalists and aid workers from travelling to
embattled areas.
Tens of thousands of people have died since 1972 when the
Tamil Tigers launched an armed struggle to carve out an
independent homeland in the island's north and east for
Tamils.
SKorea upgrades bird flu alert, troops on standby
AFP, Seoul
South Korea on Wednesday
issued a nationwide bird flu alert, deployed troops and
put firefighters on standby to try to contain the spread
of the disease, officials said.
The agriculture ministry said in a statement the "orange"
vigilance level was extended to the whole country after
previously covering only the badly hit southwest.
The ministry said it had confirmed 20 outbreaks involving
the H5 virus, of which at least six were the deadly H5N1
subtype, since the first case was reported in Gimje, 260
kilometres (162 miles) south of Seoul, in early April.
It is investigating 14 more suspected cases, including one
on a farm in Pyeongtaek, 70 kilometres south of Seoul.
Officials have slaughtered 2.2 million chickens and ducks
in and around infected farms. These are mainly in the
South and North Jeolla provinces, a hub of the p |