BANGLADESH

bdnews24.com social affairs editor Baby Maudud and nine other women have been awarded 'Ananya Bishesh Sammanana Padak-2012' in recognition of their contribution to respective fields.

Ananya, a fortnightly magazine, formally conferred the awards on them at a function at the TSC auditorium of Dhaka University (DU) on Monday.

DU vice-chancellor A A M S Arefin Siddique gave away the awards.

Baby Maudud, a career journalist and columnist, was born in Kolkata in 1948. She has been in the field of journalism since 1967.

Prior to joining bdnews24.com, she has worked with Bangla national dailies Sangbad and Ittefaq, news agencies BBC and Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and weekly magazine Bichitra.

The other award recipients are renowned women's rights activist Latifa Akhand (for contribution towards social development), Jowshan Ara Rahman (development and research), noted economist and founder member of the Centre for Women and Children Studies (CWCS) Dr Khaleda Salahuddin (economics and research), vice-president of Dhaka University Alumni Association (DUAA) Dr Selina Khalek (social welfare), eminent writer Rokeya Mannan (education and social work), Syeda Shamse Ara Rahman (education), journalist Setara Musa (media), president of Women's Federation for World Peace (WFWP)-Bangladesh Zeenat Ara Bhuiyan and Zeenat Ahmed (sports).

Arefin lauded the contributions made by the award winners in their respective areas of action.

Ananya editor Tasmima Hossain presided over the function.


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Detection of three new human infections with the deadly H5NI strain of bird flu in a week has set alarm bells ringing as scientists have found evidence of the virus in the live-bird market in crowded Dhaka.

The Institute of Epidemiology, Disease Control and Research (IEDCR) confirmed a human case on Feb 26 when a worker of a live-bird market in southern part of the capital was tested H5N1 positive at the IEDCR's surveillance site.

Its director Prof Mahmudur Rahman told that they had informed the government's Department of Livestock right away and suggested 'immediate' steps to disinfect wet markets.

bdnews24.com saw no cleaning drive but learned the livestock department fixed a technical committee meeting for Wednesday instead of beginning to disinfect the market.

In the meantime, the IEDCR that oversees human infections of bird flu disclosed on Monday that another two cases were confirmed on Sunday night in their lab.

"They are also live-bird market workers," Prof Rahman told and added that they expected the livestock department to move quickly for the sake of public health safety.

"The virus's presence in live-bird market means it is now even closer to people," he added.

A scientist with the IEDCR told that they had run into evidence suggesting presence of the H5N1 virus in the live-bird market's garbage, as well.

The virus has the potential to cause severe illness in human with a high fatality rate.

"We are lucky as the strain (clade 2.2) of H5N1 that circulates in Bangladesh is less virulent, but it can change into another class (2.1), which is highly infectious to human," the IEDCR director said.

According to World Health Organisation, across the globe H5N1 killed 349 out of its 592 victims, except the latest two detected in Bangladesh.

Livestock authorities could not be reached immediately.

Chief veterinary officer Mosaddek Hossain, who oversees poultry infections of bird flu, declined comment when approached him at around 6.30pm.

Prof Nitish C Debnath, FAO expert on avian influenza, told that the government should launch 'wet market cleaning' drive at this moment.

"All should be vigilant to prevent sick poultries from entering into the market," he warned.

With four strains of flu virus – H5N1, H1N1, H3N2 and H9N2 – circulating in Bangladesh, the Food and Agriculture Organisation in Aug last year warned of a possible major resurgence of bird flu.

It said a mutant strain of the H5N1 virus is spreading in Asia including Bangladesh.

The government has confirmed first case of human infection with H5N1 in 2008, and two cases were reported in 2011.

IEDCR advises people wash egg shells and suggests consuming well-cooked poultry products.

It also urged not to litter giblets and dead birds just anywhere and maintain personal hygiene – cough into the crook of elbow and wash hands with soap often.

The first human infection from H5N1 was detected in 1997 in Hong Kong.


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Foreign minister Dipu Moni hopes the verdict of the International Tribunal for Law of the Seas (ITLOS) on the maritime boundary disputes between Bangladesh and Myanmar would be favourable for the country.

"The way we have presented data and statistics, as well as precedents," she said, "we are hopeful."

The minister expressed her hope at a dinner with editors and senior journalists at the state guest house Padma on Monday – about a week before ITLOS is set to settle the dispute.

The two countries approached ITLOS to settle the maritime boundary dispute in 2009 and the verdict is expected on Mar 14.

Dipu Moni said there have been instances of award by arbitrators based on principles of "equitable" sharing. "So we are more hopeful that we will at least get more than what Myanmar or India is proposing based on equidistance."

The dispute over the maritime delimitation between the countries began when Bangladesh tried exploring gas reserves in the Bay of Bengal.

While Dhaka demands "equitable" method to settle the dispute, both India and Myanmar push for the "equidistance" principle.

Bangladesh's interests could be hampered if the delimitation takes place based on equidistance principle, as it might end up forgoing its claim over 17 out of 28 sea blocks.

Responding to a query, Dipu Moni also said that the dispute with India over a similar issue would be settled by 2014.

She said, "Apart from protecting its rights on the maritime boundary issue, Bangladesh is also active in exploring and collecting the sea resources."

The government would be paying more attention to collecting the resources after the rights over the boundary are established, she added.

The foreign minister, Dipu Moni, has robustly defended the government's India policy saying more has been achieved than ever before and that exports from Bangladesh are growing much faster as a result.

"India is a huge market," she told editors and senior journalists over dinner at the state guest house Padma Monday night, "let's take advantage of that."

Dipu Moni blamed India bashers who she said were "out to spread confusion in their bid to gain electoral benefit". She agreed with an editor who said the anti-India rhetoric did not yield results in 2008 parliamentary elections. "Gone are the days when misinformation and confusion worked," she said.

She sought to set aside concerns over "failure" to secure Teesta deal by highlighting "work on both sides of the border" to facilitate bilateral trade.

"Has anyone tried to find out how many land ports have been upgraded to deal with increased trade?" she retorted as she tried to shoot down queries by one editor about granting transit to intra-India shipment.

She was obviously referring to increased exports of readymade garments thanks to the latest deal allowing duty-free access of 61 products including 47 textile categories.
She did not give any statistics, no one asked for the figures either. There was more concern about transit, border killings and share as a lower riparian country from common rivers.

Trade gap – US$ 3.5 billion in 2010-11—showed some signs of narrowing in recent months, with garments sales picking up, according to trade officials in Dhaka.

Bangladesh's export figure was better in July-Dec 2011—Tk 18.35 billion— than Tk 13.62 billion in the same period previous year.

"Border shootings have come down," Dipu Moni said, "but it hasn't come down to zero."

"Any killing along the border is unacceptable, and we protest as soon as any incident of shooting occurs," she said amid a barrage of questions regarding border deaths and the government's "failure" to raise its voice.

"The protests are lodged at all levels," she insisted.

"It is true, despite assurances from the highest levels in India, incidents of shooting continue to happen."

As one senior journalist pointed to demonstrations in Dahagram and Angorpota, the two largest enclaves, she said the ratification by India of the landmark 1974 land agreement would put things to rest.

"Did anyone else put any pressure on India to ratify the Indira-Mujib Treaty after the assassination of the Father of the Nation?"

The minister also defended the role of advisers to the prime minister and said they complemented her ministry's work. Her comment was sought in response to fierce criticism in parliament from two key ruling party allies –Rashed Khan Menon on Sunday and H M Ershad on Monday.

In clear references to Gowher Rizvi and Moshiur Rahman, both MPs alleged that the advisers were acting more on the interest of India than Bangladesh.

The two advisers had visited India in preparation for Manmohan Singh's much-hyped trip in September last year and publicly defended India's position as negotiations for such issues as transit or Tipaimukh were on.