BANGLADESH

Home minister Sahara Khatun has warned that BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia will have to face the music unless she withdraws support to alleged war criminals.

"You must stop supporting the war criminals, otherwise you will have to face trial," Sahara Khatun said, addressing Khaleda Zia, during a discussion organised by Muktijuddha Parishad at the Dhaka Reporters' Unity auditorium on Friday.

The government had formed the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), lawyers' panel and an investigation committee on March 25, 2010 to try the 1971 war criminals.

The tribunal is at present hearing charges against five top Jamaat-e-Islami leaders -- Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mojaheed, Delwar Hossain Sayeedee, Mohammad Kamruzzaman and Abdul Kader Molla -- and BNP leaders Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Abdul Alim.

On October 18, Khaleda had alleged that the government was out to annihilate the BNP-led four-party alliance and labelled the war crimes trials as a "farce."

She had also demanded immediate release of BNP and Jamaat leaders currently behind bars on charges of involvement in war crimes.

Retorting to these statements, Sahara said, "Khaleda Zia has become desperate to put an end to the war crimes trial."

The home minister also accused the BNP chief of alleging during her recent road marches that those arrested on charges of war crimes are not war criminals. "The BNP chief's stand regarding trial of the war criminals has become clear to the people," she said.

She also blamed Ziaur Rahman for rehabilitation of war criminals and bringing them into national politics after Bangabandhu's death in 1975.

"Using Zia as a puppet, the anti-liberation power ran the government," vice-chancellor of Bangladesh Agricultural University Prof Dr Rafiqul Islam alleged.

Freedom fighter Ismat Kadir Gama requested the home minister to arrest Golam Azam and punish him, irrespective of his age. "We want to see him in prison even if he dies there," Gama said.

Responding to Gama's request, Sahara Khatun said, "Everything will be done in due time; just wait for a while."

Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation begins talks next week on term contracts to import oil products to meet growing domestic demand in 2012, a senior company official has said.

A team headed by BPC Chairman Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique is heading to Kuwait and Singapore to hold talks with Kuwait Petroleum Corporation (KPC), Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC), Malaysia's Petronas, Egypt's Middle East Oil Refinery and Philippines National Oil Company (PNOC), the official said on Friday.

"In Kuwait they will discuss quantity and price details with KPC and with other companies in Singapore," he said.

Bangladesh's fuel oil imports are likely to more than double next year to around 1.65 million tonnes, while overseas purchases of diesel may rise about 25 percent to 3.74 million tonnes on growing domestic demand, a senior BPC official told Reuters this week.

Besides diesel and fuel oil, Bangladesh will import 385,000 tonnes of jet fuel, 100,000 tonnes of 95-octane gasoline and 90,000 tonnes of kerosene in 2012, the official said.

In 2011, BPC paid a premium of $3.14-$3.30 a barrel to Middle East spot quotes for diesel and $31.50-$32.00 a tonne to Singapore spot quotes for 180-centistoke (cst) fuel oil.

Bangladesh also buys fuel oil from Vietnam's Petrolimex, PetroChina and Maldives National Oil Company.

The state-owned company is likely to face higher prices for 2012 supplies, compared to 2011, as fuel prices have been on the rise, traders said.

Spot cargo premiums for fuel oil have been holding at strong levels of above $12.00 a tonne, while Asian refiners have been selling 2012 term cargoes for gasoil at firmer price levels.

Domestic demand for fuel oil has been swelling as a shortfall of natural gas supply forced the country to turn to costly oil-fired quick rental power plants. The chronic electricity shortage has limited economic growth and investments in Bangladesh and often stirs public fury.

However, the move to import has put more pressure on the country's balance of payments and massive subsidy bill.

The government heavily subsidizes BPC, the country's sole oil importer and distributor, which sells fuel oil to the local market at much lower rates than import prices.

The total subsidy for the year to June 2012 is forecast to jump to around Tk 460 billion ($6 billion) or 5 percent of gross domestic product, more than double than the original estimate of Tk 200 billion, and up from Tk 195 billion the previous year.

A road accident in the capital's Banani area has left a university student dead and two others injured.

The accident took place when a private car carrying three students of North South University (NSU) rammed a truck from behind at Chairmanbari area in Banani around 12.30am on Saturday, sub inspector of Gulshan police station Mohammad Gias Uddin told .

The deceased was identified as Rakibul Islam, 25, an MBA student at NSU and son of Bashir Ahmed who resided at 3/1 Baily Road.

"We were on our way to Uttara from Dhanmondi. our car rammed a truck from behind in Chairmanbari. The three of us were injured," Saiful Islam, who was driving the car, told the journalists.

Two of the seriously injured 'Rakibul' and 'Saiful' were taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and the other slightly injured 'Saikat' was admitted to a local hospital, said Gias.

Doctors at DMCH declared Rakibul dead around 2am, added the police official.
The truck driver could not be apprehended, police said.

A spokesperson for Khaleda Zia says that the Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh has responded to her letter on the Tipaimukh dam.

Maruf Kamal Khan, her press secretary, told  on Saturday afternoon that the letter had remained unopened.

"The letter was sent to the opposition chief from Dhaka's Indian High Commission on Saturday. Manmohan Singh replied to the letter on Nov 24, and it was handed over to us on Saturday," he added.

Khaleda has been on a road march to southern city Khulna since Saturday morning. The letter shall be discussed in the party forum after her return before its contents and the party's reaction is made public.

Expressing concern over the proposed Tipaimukh dam, the BNP chief's letter on Nov 22 urged the Indian government to conduct a joint survey before the work of the dam and hydroelectric power plant starts.

The letter also pointed out that building the dam would not only endanger livelihood of Indians dependent on the Barak River but also that of 30 million Bangladeshis, who are hugely dependent on the Meghna River.

India's northeastern state Manipur signed an agreement with state-owned NHPC Ltd and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd on Oct 22 to set up a 1,500MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric plant in Manipur.

In all, 138 companies and mutual funds cannot be traded on Dec 1 on account of record date for changing the face value of shares.

Shares of these companies and funds will be available for trading in the spot market starting Monday.

Dhaka Stock Exchange chief executive Jahurul Alam told  on Saturday that the companies and funds which would change their face value to Tk 10 would not be trading on Dec 1.

"Before a record date, they must stay in the spot market for three days," he added.

The Securities and Exchange Commission on Sep 15 ordered all companies and funds listed in the stock market to change their face value to Tk 10. From Dec 4, all companies can be traded at face value.

DSE public relations office says there are now a total of 271 companies and mutual funds listed on the bourse. Of these, shares of 113 companies have a face value of Tk 10. The rest, 124 companies and 14 mutual funds, will have to change their face value.

Most of the companies have announced changing their face value to Tk 10, but DSE does not have any record in this regard.

"We're going to hold a meeting on Monday, and then we'll be able to tell if any company is left out," DSE president Shakil Rizvi told .