BANGLADESH

Illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Malaysia, who have given their finger prints, will have to collect their passports up to Jan 10 next year by submitting applications to the embassy there.

Expatriates welfare ministry public relations officer Shahidul Alam Majumder on Sunday told reporters about the deadline. The process of issuing new passports had begun on Oct 20.

Shahidul said the Malaysian government set the deadline in response to a message from the Bangladesh embassy labour counsellor in Malaysia Montu Kumar Biswas.

Bangladeshis working in Malaysia illegally were urged to legalise their stay.

Registration of the illegal Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia started Aug 1 with fingerprinting them under the 6P-Programme. This government programme would allow the illegal foreign workers to become legal. The process ended on Aug 31.

A total of 267,803 Bangladeshi workers got registered. Of them, 247,622 have no passport, according to the ministry.

Until Nov 5, some 65,000 workers got new passports.

On the other hand, 130,622 Bangladeshi workers did not apply at all.

Finance minister A M A Muhith is holding a meeting with the capital market stakeholders.

The meeting is expected to discuss ways to stabilise the stock market and also steps necessary to compensate retail investors.

"An announcement is likely to follow the meeting… If not, the decisions will definitely be announced on Monday," Muhith said earlier on Sunday.

The meeting, chaired by the finance minister, started around 7pm in the conference room of the Planning Commission at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Last Wednesday, prime minister Sheikh Hasina met more than 20 market stakeholders at her official residence Ganabhaban. The meeting followed massive fall in stock prices in the days following the nine-day Eid recess and a series of street protests by small investors.

Hasina promised that the government will do whatever is needed to prop up the market.

The finance minister also met with some of the stakeholders on Friday. Stock market regulator SEC chief M Khairul Hossain said measures were taken as per the decisions of the meeting with the prime minister were on track but declined to elaborate.

The trading on the stock market is witnessing a positive trend since Wednesday's meeting.

The previous week's trading ended in a flurry of exchanges with the turnover topping Tk 4.26 billion on Thursday with most issues marking a healthy rise.

The general index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange registered a 129.14-point or 2.49 percent gain at the close of trading on Sunday.

Finance secretary Mohammad Tarek, Bank and Financial Institutions Division secretary Shafiqur Rahman Patwari, Pubali Bank chairman Hafiz Uddin, Standard Bank chairman Kazi Akramuddin, Bangldesh Association of Banks' chairman Nazrul Islam Mazumder, Association of Bankers' Bangladesh chairman Mahmud Sattar, Insurance Association president Sheikh Kabir Hossain, Insurance Development Regulatory Commission chairman Shefayet Ullah, Investment Corporation of Bangladesh managing director Mohammad Fayekuzzaman and CDBBL managing director or chief executive officer are believed to be present in the meeting.

SEC chairman Khairul, its members Helal Uddin Nizami, Amzad Hossain, Arif Khan and A Salam Sikder, Dhaka Stock Exchange president Shakil Rizvi and Chittagong Stock Exchange chairman Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed and four directors of the country's two stock exchanges are also attending the meeting.

Bangladesh Bank's former governor Mohammad Farash Uddin, former SEC chairman Faruk Hossain and lawyer Anisul Haque have also joined the meeting.

Legal Aid (Amendment) Bill 2011, aimed at providing legal aid to helpless people, has been passed by parliament.

Law minister Shafique Ahmed tabled the bill in the House on Sunday.

The bill intends to reach legal aid to those who are helpless, financially weak and unable to secure justice due to their socio-economic condition.

Legal aid providing organisations and district committees will play a key role once the bill takes the shape of law.

Four sections of the Legal Aid Act 2000 have been amended through the bill.

The prosecution will finish its opening statement against Sayedee on Monday when the International Crimes Tribunal reconvenes.

Cross-examination of witnesses will, however, begin on Dec 7.

Chief prosecutor Ghulam Arieff Tipoo began the statement with the historic context that led up to the Liberation War in 1971.

Jamaat-e-Islami's executive council member Delwar Hossain Sayedee has been charged on 20 counts for war crimes that he allegedly committed during the War of Independence.

After about an hour, the 82-year-old chief prosecutor asked his colleague Syed Rezaur Rahman to continue with the opening statement. But Rezaur Rahman could not get through the 88-page document either, when the tribunal said it would hear the remainder on Monday.

The tribunal asked the prosecution to give its opening statement minutes before going into lunch recess after having heard two applications filed by the defence.

One of the applications sought explanation from the tribunal chief Nizamul Huq, why he had not removed, or recused, himself from the tribunal.

Barrister Abdur Razzaq argued for Sayedee on the first application of the day.

The other application sought adjournment of Sayedee's trial until. He has been indicted on 20 counts including genocide, murder, rape, arson and loot.

Lawyer Tajul Islam urged the tribunal to delay the trial to prepare its case and the list of witnesses.

Nizamul Huq, presiding over Sunday's proceedings, said in his order that the first application, asking for his explanation to stay on as head of the tribunal, would be disposed of on Wednesday.

In response to the second application seeking adjournment of the trial proceedings, he fixed Dec 7 for the defence to submit its list of witnesses.

Nizamul then directed the prosecution to begin its opening statement in the ongoing trial against Sayedee.

The defence had filed its application seeking removal of the tribunal chief, recusal in legalese, stating that his neutrality had been compromised due to his earlier involvement with a people's inquiry commission. As part of that team, he collected evidence against Sayedee and thus has already formed an opinion about the accused who would be tried under him, the defence had said.

Only three days back, Sayedee's lawyers stormed out of the court after the tribunal chief joined proceedings.

They also filed the two applications before walking out of the tribunal.

The tribunal fixed Nov 20 for disposing of that application, but when urged to continue with the scheduled hearing of a review petition of Sayedee's indictment, the defence refused to proceed and walked out demanding that the tribunal chief explain himself first.

The tribunal said the conduct of the defence lawyers had been "unwarranted" and "unbecoming". As for the review petition, the court said it was rejected since it was 'not pressed'.

The defence had told the press later that they would wait until the disposal of application was disposed of on Sunday.

On the other hand, the prosecution claimed that the defence had violated all ethics, code of conduct and customs that behove lawyers.

The prosecution raised a legal point and said the petition was not maintainable or in form. The prosecution further pointed out that the commission in question was not in any way part of the ongoing trial. Nor did it have any legal coverage.

The other two judges of the tribunal, ATM Fazle Kabir and AKM Zaheer Ahmed, held a hearing of that petition on Nov 13 in a crowded courtroom.

They ruled the following day that the laws did not provide for the tribunal judges to remove a co-judge. They also pointed out that the previous cases cited by the defence counsel Abdur Razzaq where judges were recused had the privilege of such laws. In conclusion, they left the matter of recusal to the 'good conscience of the judge' in question.

On Sunday, attorney general Mahbubey Alam sat with the prosecution team and addressed the court, while former law minister Moudud Ahmed, Supreme Court Bar Association president Khandker Mahbub Hossain addressed the court from defence, besides Abdur Razzaq and Tajul Islam.

Former speaker Jamiruddin Sircar was also present in the court among the defence lawyers.

Foreign minister Dipu Moni has sought formal apology from Pakistan for the genocide and atrocities committed by its military in 1971.

She also called for Pakistan's understanding and recognition of Bangladesh's position on resolving outstanding issues, including repatriation of stranded Pakistanis, division of assets and war reparations.

She said this when new high commissioner of Pakistan to Bangladesh Afrasiab Mehdi Hashmi paid a courtesy visit to the minister on Sunday at her office.

"Early resolution of the outstanding issues would enable the existing friendly relations between Bangladesh and Pakistan to make a great leap forward and create a wider space for cooperation," she said, according to a media release of the foreign ministry.

The minister assured the new Pakistani high commissioner of all possible cooperation in discharge of his duties in Bangladesh.

Dipu Moni appreciated the high commissioner's point that an enhanced level of people-to-people contact could go a long way towards promoting better understanding among the two peoples.

Both of them noted that there remains immense potential to take the existing cooperation in trade, economic, social, educational and cultural fields to newer heights.

The foreign minister recalled that she had held fruitful discussions with her Pakistani counterpart on a number of occasions recently and said that she would like to invite the foreign minister to Bangladesh.

The high commissioner said that Bangladesh and Pakistan are enjoying excellent cordial relations based on traditional bonds of friendship between the two peoples.

He informed that Pakistan has been trying to expand bilateral relations with Bangladesh in areas such as scholarship for students, sponsoring sports events, and arts and culture.

EU PROPOSAL

On the issue of waiver for Pakistani products into the EU markets, Dipu Moni said Bangladesh, frequently visited by even more devastating natural disasters, has full sympathy with the flood victims of Pakistan.

She, however, remarked that giving trade preference to a country solely on account of natural disaster would be unprecedented.

She said that a number of countries, including those from Latin America, opposed the initiative even before Bangladesh.

She added that Bangladesh's decision in this regard would be considered on the merits of the proposal and not on whether other countries lent support to the initiative.

The process of discussions was still continuing at the EU and the WTO, and Bangladesh would remain engaged in the process and take a decision based on how the process evolves, she stated.

JOINT ECONOMIC COMMISSION

Both sides emphasised the need for early convening of the joint economic commission (JEC) meeting.

Pakistan side has already sought to know the convenience of the authorities concerned of Bangladesh for holding the JEC meeting.

The foreign minister said that she had talked to the commerce minister in this regard and that the latter would visit Islamabad for holding the meet at the earliest.

A set of suitable dates will soon be communicated to Islamabad for the purpose through diplomatic channel.

Both sides also expressed deep satisfaction at the cooperation Bangladesh and Pakistan extend to each other in various international forums.

The Securities and Exchange Commission will announce a 'complete package' to stabilise the shaky market in a day or two to guard the interests of retail investors, says a member.

Helaluddin Nizami, however, declined to comment on the components of the package at the moment.

"Media will be briefed on the details," he said after a meeting of stakeholders with finance minister A M A Muhith on Sunday night.

According to him, the two-and-a-half-hour meeting was 'successful'. It started around 7pm at the Planning Commission in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

On compensation to the victims of continued fall in share prices, the SEC member said, "It takes time to identify the retail investors sustaining damage and to account the amount of that damage.

"A combined package will be announced taking into account the whole scenario to serve their interests best and stabilise the market."

Responding to a query, Helaluddin said the National Board of Revenue (NBR) will explain the technicalities relating to investment of undisclosed money into the capital market.

"There is no reason to get puzzled over the matter," he added.

He also said the central bank had agreed in principle to the proposals for initiating steps to stabilise the market.

"The Bangladesh Bank will consider the proposals sympathetically. The package will reflect their concern," Helaluddin said.

He said the finance minister instructed Bangldesh Association of Banks chairman Nazrul Islam Mazumder and Association of Bankers, Bangladesh chairman K Mahmud Sattar to take steps to increase institutional investments in the market.

Earlier in the day, Muhith said they were expecting to discuss ways to stabilise the stock market and also steps to compensate the retail investors.

Last Wednesday, prime minister Sheikh Hasina met over 20 stock market stakeholders at her official residence Ganabhaban. The meeting followed massive fall in stock prices in the days after the nine-day Eid recess and a series of street protests by small investors.

Hasina promised that the government will do whatever is needed to prop up the market.

The finance minister also met with some of the stakeholders on Friday. Stock market regulator SEC chief M Khairul Hossain said measures were taken as per the decisions of the meeting with the prime minister were on track but declined to elaborate.

The trading on the stock market has witnessed a positive trend since Wednesday's meeting.

The previous week's trading ended in a flurry of exchanges with the turnover topping Tk 4.26 billion on Thursday with most issues marking a healthy rise.

The general index of the Dhaka Stock Exchange registered a 129.14point or 2.49 percent gain at the close of trading on Sunday.

Bangladesh Bank governor Atiur Rahman, Finance Division secretary Mohammad Tarek, Bank and Financial Institutions Division secretary Shafiqur Rahman Patwari, Pubali Bank chairman Hafiz Ahmed Majumder, Standard Bank chairman Kazi Akramuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Insurance Association president Sheikh Kabir Hossain, Insurance Development Regulatory Commission chairman Shefayet Ullah, Investment Corporation of Bangladesh managing director Mohammad Fayekuzzaman, Federation of Bangladesh Chamber of Commerce and Industry president A K Azad, and CDBL managing director and chief executive officer M H Samad attended the meeting.

SEC chairman M Khairul Hossain, its members Helaluddin, Amzad Hossain, Arif Khan and A Salam Sikder, Dhaka Stock Exchange president Shakil Rizvi and Chittagong Stock Exchange chairman Fakharuddin Ali Ahmed, and four directors of the country's two stock exchanges also attended the meeting.

Bangladesh Bank's former governor Mohammad Farash Uddin, former SEC chairman Faruk Hossain and lawyer Anisul Haque were also present.

Maj Gen Rezanur Rahman Khan represented the Armed Forces Division.

Prime ministers advisors H T Imam and Mashiur Rahman also attended the meeting.