BANGLADESH

Two days after the US expressed concern over the recent events surrounding the microcredit lender, the foreign secretary has suggested that Grameen Bank issue is Bangladesh's internal matter.

He was responding to a question about the recent meeting between foreign minister Dipu Moni and US secretary of state Hillary Clinton where secretary Clinton expressed her concern over Grameen Bank issue.

Mohamed Mijarul Quayes said with a tinge of sarcasm on Saturday "I know all of you journalists love me and are concerned about my weight. But what I will do with my weight is entirely my concern."

In the meeting in Washington on Wednesday, Clinton had directly expressed the US concern over Grameen Bank to Dipu Moni.

In her official remark, she said, "We have expressed directly to the (Bangladesh) government our concern."

Clinton, however, hoped that the Grameen Bank will be able to continue to function productively on behalf of the Bangladeshi people.

A personal friend of Clinton family, Nobel laureate Mohammad Yunus had to resign as the bank's managing director, apparently under government pressure, following his sacking by the central bank.

Assistant secretary of state Robert O Blake at a press briefing earlier this year said the Bangladesh-US relationship would be hampered if the Grameen Bank row was not settled amicably.

TEESTA DEAL

The agreement on equitable sharing of the waters of the river Teesta will be signed 'soon' but the foreign secretary said but added that no timeframe was set.

"We hope to sign the deal soon," said Quayes at a media briefing at the ministry Saturday.

At a news conference on the visit of Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh on Sept 8, he said quoting prime minister Sheikh Hasina that the agreement would signed within three months.

"Negotiations and principles of Teesta river agreement have reached a certain stage and now we have to operationalise it," he clarified on Saturday.

When asked why the Indian side were asking for data and statistics, he said there would be two agreements – one interim and another long-term.

"It is happening in parallel."

MYNAMAR NATIONALS

The secretary said Myanmar has expressed its interest to take back all its nationals living in Bangladesh as refugee and undocumented.

""We had a consultation at a foreign secretary-level meeting and agreed that Myanmar nationals will be repatriated."

"The government has taken soft stance as Bangladesh wants to repatriate all the foreign nationals but not by force," Qauyes explained.

There are 28,000 Myanmar refugees living in Bangladesh camps and about 200,000 to 500,000 undocumented nationals also staying here, he said.

Prime minister Hasina will visit Myanmar soon and this issue will be discussed there.

The recently held election in Myanmar has created a window of opportunity to send back the illegal Myanmar migrants, Quayes said.

FOC WITH CHINA

Foreign office consultation (FOC) meeting at the secretary level will begin from Oct 17 and the secretary is leaving On Saturday to attend the meeting.

"We are going to discuss if there is any problem in implementing the decisions taken by both the governments," he said, "Neither any new decision will be taken nor any agreement will be signed in the meeting."

"It is more of a shepherding meeting."

KOSOVO ISSUE

The government is considering to recognise Kosovo but any decision is yet to be taken, according to the foreign secretary.

"This is an ongoing discussion."

RECOGNITION OF NTC

The government recognised National Transition Council as the interim government of Libya after the UN did so, the foreign secretary said.

"So far we know 5,000 Bangladeshis are still in Libya and all of them are safe."

The Dhaka Stock Exchange (DSE) closed last week on an upbeat note, even though it had started the week with a dip.

After 5 days (Oct 9 to Oct 13) of transaction, the DSE general index lost 159.44 points and closed at 5568.36 points on the last trading day of the week.

The country's premier bourse has lost 341.84 points on its general index in the last two weeks.

On Sunday, the general index lost 149 points. Again, on Monday it lost 15 and on Tuesday it lost 226 points.

Following continuous fall, retail investors protested in front of the DSE office in Motijheel, asking for the finance minister's resignation.

The market regulator, Securities and Exchanges Commission, held talks with various stakeholders on Wednesday following the demonstrations by investors.

On Wednesday, within 25 minutes of trading, DSE index lost 154 points and stood at 5139 points, which was same as two years back.

However, after an announcement from SEC, the market turned around. At the end of the day, the index gained more 66 points and on the last day of the week, it added another 209 points.

Market capitalisation of the DSE decreased by Tk 584.3 billion compared to the preceding week. But the total transaction of the market was 19.77 percent higher than the previous one.

Of the traded companies, shares of 223 decreased, 31 companies gained and 12 remained unchanged.

Lafarge Shurma, Beximco Limited, Grameenphone, Beximco Farma, Titas gas, National Bank, Summit Power, M I Cement, United Commercial Bank and Jamuna Mobil topped of the list of gainers.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said the foundation of sound mental health will have to be built in childhood to enhance confidence of the children.

She emphasised strengthening family bond to prevent psychic problems, which she said will ensure fearless environment and uninterrupted peace in the family as well as in society.

Hasina was speaking at the inauguration of the three-day 6th International Conference on Psychiatry and World Mental Health Day at Bangabandhu International Conference Center on Sunday.

The prime minister said creating congenial family atmosphere is necessary for the children so that they can share their health and mental problems with their parents.

Hasina added that her government has resolved bound to ensure overall healthcare facilities including mental healthcare for the people.

The government took the initiative to formulate Mental Health Act to ensure treatments for the psychological patients, she said.

The number of psychiatrists at the National Mental Institute, Pabna Mental Hospital, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University and other medical college hospitals has been increased, she added.

Hasina urged the media to be more active in the fight against superstitions about mental health and wrong treatments of mental health problems.

President of Bangladesh Association of Psychiatrists Mohammad Golam Rabbani presided over the function.

A total of 79 psychiatrists from abroad, including India, Myanmar, South Korea, Nepal, Japan, and Pakistan, are attending the conference.

Health minister A F M Ruhal Haque, health advisor to the prime minister Syed Modasser Ali and state minister for health Mujibur Rahman Fakir, among others, spoke at the function.

The Election Commission (EC) has sought four companies of army from the Armed Forces Division for deployment for the Narayanganj City Corporation polls.

The EC Secretariat sent a letter to the principal staff officer of the Armed Forces Division on Sunday, election commissioner Sakhawat Hossain told