BANGLADESH

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has reiterated her government's commitment to root out terrorism and terrorists at any cost.

Claiming that the previous BNP-Jamaat four-party alliance government had made Bangladesh a terror-infested country, Hasina on Tuesday said, "We have been able to highlight Bangladesh's image in the global arena."

She said the country has established itself as a model for curbing terrorism under this government.

Hasina made the statements while addressing a function to unveil the much-awaited container terminal management system (CTMS) and the radiation detection system of Chittagong port.

She said the government is sincere in developing Chittagong port since it handles 90 percent of the country's exports and imports. She said several steps were taken for the port's development, while many others are in the offing.

Hasina assured that the government is taking various measures to see to it that there are no snags for the port-users and ensure transparency in export and import. She said Chittagong port has been digitised through introduction of the CTMS and the radiation detection system.

EFFICIENT PORT

According to Hasina, the Mega Port Initiative Project being implemented would make Chittagong port a part of the global anti-terror mechanism by enabling it to check transportation of illegal goods and radioactive substances.

She took the opportunity to thank the US government for providing financial assistance to set up the radiation detector.

She also said work on introducing global maritime distress and safety system (GMDSS) has already begun for smooth movement of ships and saving life of sailors in Bangladesh's maritime boundaries. "We have also taken initiatives to procure modern passenger ferries to check capsize of ships on inland river routes," Hasina said.

Presided over by shipping minister Shahajan Khan, the inaugural function was also addressed by Chittagong port chairman Anwarul Islam. Among other dignitaries present were chairman of parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry Nur-e-Alam Chowdhury Liton, shipping secretary Abdul Mannan Hawlader and US ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena.

The government has taken initiatives to buy a survey vessel to find out the current fish reserves in the Bay of Bengal, fisheries and livestock minister Abdul Latif Biswas has said.

The government has undertaken a Tk 1 billion 'Marine Fisheries Capacity Building Project' to make appropriate plans for breeding and development of fish, control fishing, as also to introduce proper management. A marine fisheries survey vessel is being bought for Tk 500 million as part of this project, he told .

According to Biswas, Islami Development Bank (IDB) and the Malaysian government are jointly financing the project.

The southern coast of Bangladesh has a huge reserve of fish and the total area of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) in the Bay of Bengal is around 41,000 sq nautical miles, not much smaller than Bangladesh's land area, he said.

At present, about 170 trawlers and 50,000 machined and non-machined vessels are regularly involved in netting 475 different species of fish and 20 species of shrimps. But, he warned, sea fish reserves may run out due to over-fishing in near future, and their numbers would steadily decline soon.

Assistant director of marine fisheries department Mohammad Sharif said, "Fish reserve in the Bay of Bengal is not infinite; it is a renewable source. This property [fish] can be used for a long time if fished in line with directions that would follow the surveys."

Otherwise, he said, the stocks would continue to dip.

Officials of fisheries and livestock department and Marine Fisheries Capacity Building Project said they have given work order after consulting international tender to buy the survey vessel.

A fish survey is set to be conducted in the Bay of Bengal after almost 22 years once the ship arrives next year, officials said.

MARINE SURVEYS IN BANGLADESH

The first marine fisheries survey in the Bay was conducted after independence with Japan's assistance. Bangladesh got RV Onushondhani in 1982 and RV Maasranga in 1983 as grants. Surveys were conducted till 1990 with these two vessels and with assistance of the World Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO).

RV Maasranga sank in the Karnaphuli during the 1997 cyclone. Though it was recovered later, the vessel became useless and is at present stationed at the Bangladesh Fish Development Corporation's basin.

RV Onushondhani was also rendered useless by a technical glitch during a ground survey at the sea in 2001. From then, it is resting at the Karnaphuli dockyard.


VESSEL TRACKING MONITORING SYSTEM

Officials in the ministry said initiatives have been taken to buy Vessel Tracking Monitoring System (VTMS) to monitor trawlers in the Bay of Bengal.

Once VTMS is introduced, position of sea-bound fishing trawlers can be observed and controlled from the Chittagong Marine Fisheries Office. Moreover, it will be possible to restrict intrusion of foreign fishing vessels and illegal fishing in the Bay, officials said.

Marine fisheries contribute 3.74 percent of the country's total Gross Domestic Product (GDP). The sector also contributes 4.04 percent in the country's export income.

The government will set the maximum retail price of edible oil on Thursday after talks with traders.

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) president Abul Kalam Azad, following a meeting with commerce minister G M Quader at his Secretariat office on Tuesday, told reporters that chairman of Tariff Commission of Bangladesh (TCB) Mojibur Rahman would chair the meeting.

Earlier in the day, the commerce minister held a meeting with traders following the hike in edible oil prices across the country. The meeting ended without a decision.

The minister nor the commerce secretary talked to the media on the issue.

The government on July 20 fixed the maximum retail price of sugar at Tk 65 per kilogram, and loose palm and soybean oil at Tk 99 and Tk 109 per litre, respectively.

According to TCB, per litre loose soybean oil was sold at Tk 124 to 128 and per kilogram sugar at Tk 56 to 57 in the retail markets of the city on Tuesday.

The chief of the country's apex trade body, Azad said that the prices will be reset at Thursday's meeting after revising the import costs of the oil traders and their tax calculations.

He said since July, some one million metric tonnes of edible oil had been imported to date, while there was a market of 1.4 million metric tonnes edible oil in the country this year.

Pointing out that the sugar traders had since long been seeking certain benefits in the export of the commodity, the FBCCI president said, "There is a capacity of producing 3.5 metric tonnes sugar a year against a demand of only 1.4 million metric tonnes."

Before the export of sugar, he said the FBCCI would ensure an assurance from the traders to keep the internal markets stable.

"We'll recommend to the commerce ministry in this regard only when the traders assure us on the issue," he added.

The three maritime ports of the country -- Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Mongla -- have been advised to hoist cautionary signal number 2 as a deep depression over southeast Bay and adjoining areas has intensified into a cyclonic storm 'Thane'.

The cyclonic storm over southeast Bay and its adjoining areas moved slightly northwestwards and lay over the same area on Tuesday.

A Met office weather bulletin said at on Tuesday noon it was centred about 1,260 km south-southwest of Chittagong port, 1,180 km south-southwest of Cox's Bazar port, and 1,185 km south of Mongla port.

It is likely to intensify further and move in a northwesterly direction. Maximum sustained wind speed within 54 km of the storm centre is about 60 kmph (km per hour), rising to 70 kmph in gusts or squalls. Sea will remain rough, the Met office predicted.

All fishing boats and trawlers over the North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and proceed with caution until further notice. They are also advised not to venture into deep sea.

The dream of a fully automated cargo handling system at Chittagong port has turned into a reality, with prime minister Sheikh Hasina inaugurating the container terminal management system (CTMS) and radiation detection system at the port.

The system would enable online maintenance of all operational activities at the country's premier port. These include loading and unloading of containers from ships, shifting of container in the yard, stacking, tracking, delivery and gate control.

Introducing CTMS -- the modern, digitised system of container handling -- and the radiation detection system on Tuesday, Hasina said: "We (the Awami League-led government) have been able to highlight Bangladesh's image in the global arena."

Suggesting that the opposition, when in power, had aided militants and made Bangladesh a terror-infested state, she said, "We have established ourselves as a model for curbing terrorism in the region and globally.

"The Awami League government wants to root out terrorism at any cost."

The CTMS was experimentally introduced on Oct 10. Initially, it did not include containers of the Bangladesh Garments Manufacturers and Exporters' Association (BGMEA) for exporting, though the situation was eased for the RMG sector following requests from BGMEA leaders.

Chittagong Port Authority (CPA) secretary Syed Farhad Uddin told that under the new system, loaded containers would have to be handed over to the port authorities 24 hours in advance.

Exporters at present enjoy an extra 24 hours for handing over and loading containers, thanks to the privilege of cut-off time (time frame for loading goods). "After BGMEA's demand, its containers will have to be deposited 12 hours before a ship anchors," Farhad Uddin said.

He also said the system would help identify the position of any container with its online facility. "The container storage capacity of all jetties will be increased by 50 percent," he said.

Among those present at the inaugural function were shipping minister Shahajan Khan, chairman of the parliamentary standing committee on shipping ministry Nur-e-Alam Chowdhury Liton, shipping secretary Abdul Mannan Hawlader, US ambassador to Bangladesh Dan Mozena, and Chittagong port chairman Anwarul Islam.

BNP has agreed to join the presidential dialogue on a new Election Commission to demand revival of the caretaker government system, its spokesperson said on Tuesday.

"We are joining the president's talks as part of our protests [against the removal of the caretaker government system]," acting secretary-general of the party Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.

"We will take our issues up with the president, on (the demand that) the elections to be overseen by a caretaker government and reconstitution of the Election Commission..."

Asked about the proposals the other parties recommended in the talks with president Zillur Rahman, Fakhrul said, "We think that holding election under the caretaker government is a prerequisite of fair and impartial election. So, this is the major issue."

"There will be no success for steps like forming search committee to appoint election commissioners if the election is not held under a caretaker government. It won't create confidence among the people," he added.

On Dec 22, on the first day of the dialogue, Hussein Muhammad Ershad-led Jatiya Party proposed a search committee drawn from people from constitutional posts while Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JaSaD) suggested that a guideline be put in place to appoint new election commissioners.

On the second day, the president heard opinions of the Workers Party and Anwar Hossain Manju-led Jatiya Party (JP). The Workers Party proposed a law in line with the constitution and the JP said the existing provision on appointing election commissioners is fine but they have no objection to any new law.

BNP had been voicing its doubts about the president's dialogue since it began.

On Dec 22, Fakhrul had told the press: "We're not clear why the president is conducting the dialogue.

"What happens is that the prime minister sends a proposal to the president in line with the constitution [on the EC] and the president approves it," the spokesperson had said.

But the BNP-led opposition alliance decided to take part in the dialogue after a meeting with the allies of the four parties Monday evening.

The president will hold talks with Islami Oikya Jote on Jan 1, Bangladesh Jatiya Party on Jan 2, and BNP on Jan 11. The three allies have already received invitations.

Jamaat-e-Islami, another opposition ally, has not received any invitation yet, the party's assistant secretary general Nurul Islam Bulbul said.

ALLIES AND ROAD MARCH

Fakhrul said a decision to expand the four-party alliance has been taken but added which parties are joining the alliance will be announced 'in time'.

About BNP's road march programme, he said it is yet to be decided where rallies that chairperson Khaleda Zia will address, will be staged.

He alleged that the government is not cooperating.

"We applied for the Railway Ground and Polo Ground. But we haven't got permission. Now only the Laldighi Maidan is left," he said.