BANGLADESH

India's Border Security Force (BSF) has gunned down 151 Bangladeshi citizens during the incumbent government's tenure, Home Minister Shahara Khatun has told Parliament.

She was replying to a query of Laxmipur-1 MP Nazim Uddin Ahmed on Wednesday.

Shahara said the government had protested border killings at various programmes and flag meetings held between the Border Guard Bangladesh and BSF personnel.

The Home Minister informed the House that a top-level bilateral discussion had taken place with India on Bangladesh government's plea to stop border killings.

She said the Indian government had assured of taking steps to avert such killings.

In response to Chandpur-4 MP Harun-Ur Rashid's query, Shahara said 11 Bangladeshis had been killed and 27 others injured in BSF firing since Jan 1 this year alone.

Dhaka has been criticising and protesting killings of its citizens along the border with India for a long time. Various national and international human rights organisations have also slammed the Indian government for not taking adequate steps to avert the killings.

The Human Rights Watch on Jun 11 said India should investigate fresh allegations of human rights violations by its border forces along its porous border with Bangladesh and urged to prosecute the responsible.

The organisation also urged the Indian government to abide by pledges it had made to bring an end to border killings.

At least 94 people have been killed in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban and Sylhet districts due to landslides, house collapses, lightening, electrocution and drowning following heavy torrential rains over the past few days.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave the account in Parliament on Wednesday.

Of the deceased, 22 were killed in Chittagong, 37 in Cox's Bazar, 33 in Bandarban and 2 in Siyhet.

The Disaster Management and Relief Division of the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management said in a statement on Wednesday afternoon said each of the families of the deceased was provided Tk 20,000.

It said the rescue operation involving volunteers, fire personnel and troops was on-going.

The government has allocated 1,450 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 10 million to feed and help the distressed people, the statement said.

The local administrations in Chittagong, Cox's Bazar, Bandarban, Sylhet and Feni districts have so far distributed 172 metric tonnes of rice and Tk 700,000 among the distressed people in relief from the food storehouses.

Meanwhile, the National Disaster Response Coordination Centre formed by the Ministry of Food and Disaster Management is open from 6am to 12pm to monitor situation and act accordingly.

The telephone numbers of the centre are 7130454, 7162116 and 7164115.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange key index gained 71.95 points around an hour into trading on the week's last business day.

The DSE benchmark index reached 4623.16 points or 1.58 percent higher at 11:30am on Thursday.

Shares and mutual funds worth around Tk 843.77 million changed hands so far with prices of 181 issues advancing, 27 declining and 19 remaining at their opening prices.

The key index reached its peak so far at 4624.20 points around 11:15am.

Around half an hour into the day's trading, the benchmark index gained 38.59 points when it reached 4598.66 points or 1.04 percent higher at 11am.

Shares and mutual funds worth around Tk 423.15 million changed hands by then with prices of 158 issues advancing, 20 declining and 13 remaining at their opening prices

The DSE benchmark index ended Wednesday's trading 150.48 points higher, closing at 4551.21 points or 3.42 percent up. The day's turnover was around Tk 2.78 billion.

The key index had ended 134.05 points higher on Tuesday. It opened the week's trading 12.36 points lower.

The premiere bourse's benchmark index had shed 6.94 percent or 320.55 points last week.

Parliament on Wednesday passed finance bill with changes to tax on export and mobile-phone bills that the Prime Minister wanted among other things.

The Finance Minister, AMA Muhith, piloted the bill for the next fiscal, effective from July 1, and it was passed in voice vote.

As many as 213 MPs reviewed the budget for the next fiscal for over 48 hours.

The ceiling on taxable minimum income has been raised to Tk 0.2 million from Tk 0.18 million.

The minimum tax of Tk 3,000 was endorsed by the MPs, barring those from the boycotting opposition, while the Minister withdrew his proposal to impose tax at source on mobile phone bill.

Tax at source on export earning has been reduced to 0.8 percent from proposed 1.2 percent while those who have Tk 0.1 million bank savings do not need any tax identification number (TIN).

Even though the proposed tax hikes at source on exportables did not go through, apparel sector will still have to pay 0.10 percent more in tax at source while the other sectors will have a raise of 0.20 percent.

The garment sector is now paying 0.7 percent tax while 0.6 percent tax is deducted at source from the other export products.

Ten percent tax on profit on life insurance scheme and five percent regulatory duty on CR coil have been withdrawn while aluminium will continue to enjoy tax waiver.

Small businesses with Tk 7 million turnover will continue to enjoy the traditional VAT package system while those beyond the limit would be brought under new VAT collection system.

Small and cottage industries with less than Tk 4 million turnover will get income tax waiver while there would be no duty on importing computer monitor up to 22 inches.

Muhith said undisclosed money can be invested in several sectors in the economy as the government would emphasise more revenue collection.

The revenue target is about Tk 1.17 trillion while the non-tax revenue target is Tk 228.46 billion for the next fiscal.

Muhith admitted that the economy faced a stiff challenge in the first six of the outgoing fiscal but it turned around in the second half.

"We had to resort to excess bank borrowing as we failed to adjust fuel price in due time," he said.

Fluctuation in foreign trade and commodity prices in the international market twined with political stability are the major risks for the economy in the next fiscal, Muhith felt.

"The country is under huge risks as Bangladesh is a low income country with 45 million poor and 70 percent of the economy is exposed to external sector," he said.

Hoping to achieve 7.2 per cent growth in the next fiscal, he said the implementation capacity has increased manifold.

Bangladesh needed soft loan from foreign source and if the aid could be utilised, it would reduce pressure on the economy.

About capital market, Muhith said reforms would bring results by December.

Flights resumed at Shah Amanat International Airport in Chittagong on Thursday morning after a suspension of nearly 37 hours, officials said.

"Our operation resumed around 5am," Airport Manager Squadron Leader Rabiul Islam said.

He said the first flight from Dhaka landed at around 6am and three more flights landed and took off after that.

On Wednesday he said water had receded from the runway and taxiway and hoped flights operation would become normal from Thursday morning.

Flights were suspended around 4:30pm on Tuesday as the runway and taxiway were submerged in knee-deep water due to torrential rains.

Airport Manager Rabiul had said it took time for water to recede as the City Corporation's sewerage management was not good in the airport area.

Unidentified Bengali youths assaulted Justice A H Shamsuddin Chowdhury near his London home on Wednesday, the judge, now on a personal visit to UK, said.

The Supreme Court judge told bdnews24.com that two youths approached him near his home in Becontree, East London, and hit him in his head with a paper file at around 8pm Wednesday (1am Thursday BdST).

"They ran away when I cried for help," Chowdhury told bdnews24.com. "I called police and gave them the car registration number."

Chowdhury said, while he was on his way back home from a nearby gymnasium, a couple of Bengali youths came up to him and sought confirmation of his identity. He said several other youths were waiting in a car apparently to take snaps of the upcoming incident.

He said when he shouted for help, the youths hit him with a file and escaped.

Chowdhury went to the UK on Saturday on a personal visit.