BANGLADESH

Former students of Jahangirnagar University on Tuesday demonstrated and held a rally in the city's Shahbagh area protesting attacks by 'VC-backed Bangladesh Chhatra League activists' on teachers and cultural activists.

Some university teachers and activists of Jahangirnagar Sangskritik Jote came under attack on Apr 28, as they had been agitating to demand resignation of vice-chancellor Prof Sharif Enamul Kabir.

At the rally, the protesters came up with a four-point charter of demands, including punishment to the attackers and removal of the VC.

Other demands include judicial probe into the killing of JU student Zubair and holding polls to all the central student unions of the university, including JU Central Student Union.

"Not only the students and cultural activists, but teachers have also been attacked for demanding the VC's resignation in protest against his illegal activities," said Shashanka Baran Roy, a former JU student, who joined the demonstration.

"An autocratic vice-chancellor is sitting at the top of a power structure that is standing with support from some opportunist teacher and student organisations," he added.

Several other organisations including the Bangladesh Chhatra Federation and the Bangladesh Chhatra Union also joined the demonstration. Teachers also expressed their solidarity with the demonstrators.

Dhaka University Prof MM Akash urged the education minister and the prime minister "to intervene and save innocent students from what is happening currently at JU and the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology."

Pointing to the allegations of irregularities brought against the vice-chancellors of JU and BUET, he urged the minister to take action without further delay.

Meanwhile, the students demonstrating under the banners of the Jahangirnagar Sanskritik Jote and the Sontrasher Biruddhe Jahangirnagar on the campus began a fast-unto-death on Tuesday noon protesting the recent attacks and demanding the VC's removal.

Killing of Zubair, an English Department student of the university, fuelled the movement against the VC, already accused of appointing reportedly ineligible people as university teachers and felling trees on the campus for the sake of money.

Four days after being released on bail, miscreants threw acid on a witness of an acid attack case.

The victim, Selina Akter, 17, a resident of Matipur area in the district town, had testified against the attackers in the case filed for throwing acid on her younger sister, Farhana Akter, 15.

Noakhali district police superintendent Harunur Rashid Hajari said miscreants threw acid on Selina, a higher secondary student, after breaking into her house in the early hours of Tuesday.

Selina was admitted to the Noakhali Medical College Hospital immediately after the attack. Later, she was taken to the Acid Survivors' Foundation Hospital at Banani in the capital as her condition deteriorated.

The victim's mother, Mazeda Khatun, told bdnews24.com that her younger daughter Farhana had came under acid attack the same way on June 15 in 2010.

Farhana's family filed a case accusing Shahjahan Sunam, Yasin Arafat Sajib, Sharif Bihari, Giasuddin Raju, Mahmud and Parvez of the attack.

Selina had testified against them before a district court recently, and all the accused had obtained bail four days back, Mazeda added.

"They attacked my other daughter immediately after they were released," alleged Mazeda in presence of district police chief Hajari, who visited the victim at the Noakhali hospital.

Mazeda, a widow having six daughters, has been living on the help provided by her brothers since her husband had died last year.

"There is no justice in this country. My younger daughter did not get justice and now the elder one has become a victim of the same crime. What is the use of our survival? I along with all my daughters will commit suicide by taking poison," Mazeda continued to wail.

Doctor Mahabub Rahman of the hospital said Selina's face, neck and back had got burned with acid.

Hajari said Mazeda filed a case against the six youths at the Sudharam Police Station over the Tuesday attack and one of them had already been arrested.

"All the accused had been arrested earlier [in Farhana attack case]. Charge-sheet was pressed implicating all the six. But they have committed the same crime just after coming out of jail on bail," said Hajari.

According to Farhana, the youths used to harass her on way to and from school.

She alleged that the accused had been intimidating her family with dire consequences if the case filed against them was not withdrawn immediately.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said acquiring better skills and knowledge of technology application were necessary for workers to fight global challenges amid economic upheaval.

While global economic giants are passing hard times, Hasina said a concerted effort was needed for Bangladesh to stay afloat as many countries are adopting fiercer approaches to remain competitive in global market.

She said Bangladesh has a chance given the workers acquiring better skills despite tough challenges thrown by existing and emerging competitors.

"The country's manufacturing sector is facing a stiff competition because of global economic crisis. I call upon you to enhance skill and increase capability of application of technologies," she told a May Day discussion at the Osmani Memorial Auditorium.

The labour and employment ministry organised the discussion to commemorate the day.

The prime minister said united efforts by workers, employers and government could build Bangladesh as a developed and modern country.

Hasina also urged all to uphold the country's interest.
She said workers, employers and the nation would survive, if industries and factories sustain.

Saying her government has fulfilled demands of the workers, Hasina also urged them to pay more attention towards keeping the country's export market on course.

"We have fulfilled all of your demands. The working force would flourish if the industries sustain," she said.

Detailing her administration's various steps, she said the government formed the National Wage and Productivity Commission after assuming office this time.

She said the government decided to raise the salary and allowances by about 70 percent and a law will be enacted in this regard.

Hasina said her government has enhanced retirement age of the workers to 60 from 57 and announced minimum wages in different sectors including Tk 3,000 in the garment sector.

The prime minister said her 1996-2001 government had leased out a number of mills and factories to the workers on a partnership basis, and many of those mills and factories are now running well.

"This time, we resumed production at People's Jute Mills and Qaumi Jute Mills bringing smiles on the faces of the workers," she said.
Hasina said the government has formulated a contemporary policy for the industrial sector.

She said the government has also rolled out a policy to remove child workers and provide them with educational and vocational training after freeing them from sweatshops.

Hasina said her government wants that the lives of the workers be solvent and developed.

She said her administration had solved problems the workers faced and called on them to keep in mind what role the state was playing for them.

Addressing the industry owners, she said they needed to become a part of their workers' 'well and woes' to ensure a proper industrial state with high level of production.

Hasina recalled the sacrifice of the workers in Chicago and said Bangladesh has held its head high in the world, getting respects worldwide.

She said Bangladesh has become a model of development in the world and asked the workers to maintain this trend.

Hasina recalled various steps taken by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman to ensure the rights of the workers.

She said the Father of the Nation had declared May Day a public holiday after independence.

"He had ensured the rights of the working people in the articles 14 and 19 in the constitution. He formed the wage commission and revived abandoned factories, banks and insurance by keeping them under public sector."

The prime minister said the government is working to increase exports by building factories.

She said her government's aim is to strengthen rural economy as production would increase in line with the rural people's buying capacity.

The prime minister said the objective of her party's politics is to improve quality of life of the working people.
Hasina also inaugurated the online trade union registration and factory registration and a May Day fair at the venue.

Nearly seven months after beheading eight Bangladeshis over murder charges, Saudi Arabia executed two more on Tuesday for killing and theft, the local media said.

The duo, Najoum Mohammad Amin Abdul-Sharif and Abdul-Majid Abu Bakr Hamza, were accused of killing another Bangladeshi national Mohammed Shaheen Mohammad Kabir and stealing his money and mobile phones, Saudi Press Agency (SPA) reported quoting a Ministry of Interior statement.

The statement said the Bangladeshis were executed in the city of Jazan.

"The General Court issued the sentence against them. It was approved by the Cassation Court and the Supreme Court. A royal order was issued to implement the sentence," it read.

The statement underlined the keenness of the government of Saudi Arabia on 'achievement of security and justice and implementation of rules of Sharia against anyone who attacks innocent people and sheds their blood'.

The ministry also warned of punishment against anyone who tried to commit crimes.

On Oct 7 last year, death sentences to eight Bangladeshis, found guilty of robbing a warehouse and murdering the security guard, were carried out at Saudi Arabia's Riyadh.

The beheading had attracted condemnation from Bangladesh and elsewhere.