BANGLADESH

The first war crimes tribunal of Bangladesh on Tuesday rejected a bail plea by Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdus Subhan.

The Jamaat leader was produced before the three-judge International Crimes Tribunal – 1, set up to try crimes against humanity during the 1971 Liberation War, in line with a previous order.

The ICT-1 on Sep 23 ordered to produce the Jamaat Vice President at the court.

The chief defence counsel of Jamaat, Abdur Razzaq, argued that the accused had been an elected representative in the provincial assembly when Bangladesh used to be East Pakistan. He later went on to become an MP in Bangladesh in 1991 and 2001.

The counsel's contention was that the prosecution had ill intentions behind implicating Subhan for war crimes. "He is the ninth Jamaat leader to have been arrested."

The defence counsel went a step ahead and said, "The tribunal is being used as a tool to suppress and oppress political opponents of the government."

Razzaq pointed out that the accused was not on the run, as had been suggested, but merely on his way home in Pabna from Dhaka when he was stopped at the toll plaza of the Jamuna Bridge.

The senior lawyer also countered the prosecution's claim that his client might disrupt national stability by instigating extremist elements and tamper with evidence and witness at home and abroad. He said such statements only showed prosecution's "mala fide intentions".

Prosecutor Hrishikesh Saha said that it was necessary to keep the accused in detention in order to ensure effective investigation against Subhan.

He said that the investigation agency had found mass graves around a number of spots in Pabna from where Subhan hails. However, the prosecutor was not able to clarify whether all those mass graves — he had mentioned at least 15 of them — were linked to Subhan's activities when the tribunal asked him.

The prosecutor said that the accused had been in the forefront actively collaborating with the Pakistani Army during the Liberation War, often identifying the pro-liberation forces.

Tribunal Chairman Justice Mohammad Nizamul Huq asked the prosecutor whether he admitted that the accused was of 84 years. "May be," said Saha.

Justice Huq also asked whether he was an influential person and the prosecutor said he was.

The court then took up Ghulam Azam's case resuming cross-examination of the 13th prosecution witness who had been deposed on Monday. The proceedings continued in camera as had been requested by the prosecution.

The second war crimes tribunal fixed Awami League's deputy leader in parliament, Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury's contempt hearing on Oct 18, after her lawyer Abdul Baset Majumdar, a former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, submitted a written reply as ordered by the tribunal.

The tribunal had given the order in response to a defence petition pleading the court to begin contempt proceedings against the Awami League leader for her comments in public.

The defence counsel said that his reply had illustrated the context and manner of Sajeda Chowdhury's remarks.

Telecoms regulator will reopen YouTube broadcast in Bangladesh once the 'anti-Islam film' is removed, its stand-in chief Giasuddin Ahmed said on Sunday.

The Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC) said access to YouTube has been blocked in Bangladesh since Sept 17 as Google took no action to remove the controversial film, named 'Innocence of Muslims', insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammad (SM) even after the BTRC sent a letter to that effect.

Acting Chairman Ahmed said that Facebook had removed derogatory cartoons and posters of Prophet Mohammad on request from them.

He also urged everyone to stay away from spreading anti-religious posters, message and pictures.

The amateurish video 'Innocence of Muslim', directed by Sam Basil, known to be an anti-Islam activist, was released on June 23, 2012.

Outrage and violence spread all over the Muslim world after the video was released on the internet. The US Embassies in Libya and Egypt were attacked. Four US officials including the Ambassador to Libya Christopher Stevenson were killed in a rocket attack.

Several Islamist organisations in Bangladesh also took to the street in protest against the film while setting the US flag on fire.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also expressed outrage over the release of the film on the internet.

How many doses of polio vaccine does a child need? 10, 20 or even more?

Bangladeshi children have been afflicted with the wild polio virus even after taking as many as 23 doses of Oral Polio Vaccine (OPV), a government document reveals.

The 18 cases were found in 2006 – the latest being available – when the government said the virus came in from India, where it was endemic then. But it did not divulge details of those cases.

It was reported that the government had also said that the new cases were found after 2000 since special immunisation campaign was not conducted in the earlier year.

The document, a copy of which is available with bdnews24.com, showed that an eight and a half years old boy had been detected with the virus even though he received 23 doses of vaccine.

Two others got the virus despite being administered 12 doses of vaccines and at least one received 11 doses. The remainder of the 18 children received 10 doses each.

Health Minister AFM Ruhal Haque told bdnews24.com that he had no idea as he was not in charge then. "I'll seek documents from EPI (Expanded Programme on Immunisation)," he said.

Child specialist National Professor M R Khan said a study was needed to find out the reason.

He, however, told bdnews24.com that they might get the virus because "either the vaccines were ineffective or the children were immune-compromised."

The EPI routinely immunises children in 6 weeks, 10 weeks, 14 weeks and in 9 months with 'trivalent' OPV, despite the fact that the strain-2 of the virus has been wiped off the world long before.

Moreover, National Immunisation Day is being observed since 1995 twice a year when all children below five years old get the vaccine.

EPI Programme Manager Dr Tajul Islam A. Bari said they had plans to investigate those cases. "But it did not happen." He could not say why, though.

Bari, however, said: "The live attenuated vaccine (OPV) that we use sometimes may not develop immunity among countries in developing children because of severe malnutrition."

Dr K Zaman, a Senior Scientist with the ICDDR, B, told bdnews24.com that the reason why so many were afflicted with the virus despite having many doses of vaccine needed to be investigated.

"OPV that is used in Bangladesh is a live attenuated viral vaccine and the vaccine virus can mutate and acquire neuro-virulence causing paralysis either due to vaccine-associated paralysis polio or due to circulating vaccine-derived polioviruses."

He said some developed countries use injectable form of polio vaccine.

The EPI programme manager, however, said they had to use the trivalent vaccines due to shortage of bivalent vaccines in the world.

The communal violence that ravaged a pre-dominantly Buddhist village in Cox's Bazar's Ramu Upazila was instigated by a religion-based political party, residents of the locality alleged.

They said the party played with local Rohingya refugees' rage against people of the Buddhist community after the recent sectarian violence between Muslims and Buddhists in northern Rakhine province in Myanmar.

Those who launched the attack chanted, "Naraye Takbir," the slogan Jamaat-e-Islami use in its political programmes.

According to locals, leaders of an Islamist party held a rally at 10pm on Saturday night alleging defamation of the Quran by posting a photograph on social networking website Facebook.

Those who addressed the rally claimed a Buddhist youth named Uttam Barua of Bouddha Parha posted the photograph on his Facebook account.

The rally touched off a mayhem that lasted for five hours starting around 11:30pm. Seven Buddhist Viharas or monasteries, around 30 houses and shops were torched, and more than a hundred other houses and shops were also attacked, vandalised and looted.

District administration had to impose section 144, which bans public gathering, for an indefinite period on Sunday morning to rein in the unrest, followed by the commissioning of an inquiry into the incident. The incident shocked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is currently visiting New York, who ordered bringing attackers into book.

Buddhists and other ethnic and religious minorities were living in fear in Ramu and areas close by even though huge contingents of Police, Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh and Army were deployed to contain the unrest.

Locals alleged the unrest turned catastrophic just because of 'negligence' by police and RAB officials in ensuring security to distressed people.

Home Minister Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, while visiting the area on Sunday, said the attacks were "planned."

"The attack was conducted in a coordinated manner. Temples and houses were set on fire using petrol and gun powder. It would have been impossible if the attacks were not planned," he said.

Resident Director of Sheema Rajban Vihara at Merongloa Parha in the Ramu, Progyananda Bhikkhu, shared his firsthand experience with bdnews24.com. He said at first a procession came and hurled brickbats at the houses in the area and vandalised boundary walls made of corrugated iron sheets.

"Around four to five hundred people chanting 'Naraye Takbir' entered our Parha (locality) as the night got darker. They set the temples on fire first," said Progyananda.

According to him, two donation boxes and a gold idol of Buddha were looted during the attack and at least 10 houses were set ablaze.

The Buddhist religious leader said it was the first time he encountered such violence and did not know how to respond.

"The violence spread due to a reluctant administration. Had police and RAB members taken the early initiative, the whole incident would have been averted," he said.

General Secretary of a temple in the Vihara, Tarun Barua reported seeing people whom he had never before seen in his locality.

"We have been living long alongside the Muslims. We did not even imagine that they could attack us. Such a big attack in reprisal of such a trivial incident was unbelievable," said Barua.

Residents of different areas including Mithachharhi and Shreekul had similar observations to make.

Barua believes the anger of the Rohingya refugees living in Cox's Bazaar was fanned. "Jamaat-e-Islami may have instigated the unrest," he suggested.

Cox's Bazaar Jhilongja Union Parishad Chairman Gias Uddin Ziku said he found Jamaat-e-Islami activists gathering around different villages of minority people and he himself made them to leave and reported it to the police.

Ziku, also Office Secretary of Cox's Bazar district committee of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, heard the news of the attack minutes later.

Ramu Upazila Parishad Chairman Sohel Sarowar Kajal thought the violence was carried out by hiring people from outside Ramu.

He also pointed the finger at the neglect of RAB and Police for the situation getting worse. "They reached the crime scene way later. Many damages could have been avoided if they had arrived as soon as violence broke out."

Cox's Bazaar district Superintendent of Police Selim Mohammed Jahangir declined comment on the matter.

"Everybody is interpreting the incident to their liking. Members of the law-enforcing agencies including the police were deployed for containing the situation in the affected areas," said Jahangir.

Home Minister Alamgir and Industry Minister Dilip Barua visited the affected area on Sunday morning, promising financial assistance from the government in the rebuilding process. Alamgir ordered investigation into the allegation of negligence on the part of the law-enforcing agencies.

Chittagong Divisional Commissioner Sirajul Hoque asked the five-strong probe body to report in ten days.

The incident left scores homeless out under open sky, more insecure than ever.

Four temples and 15 houses were burnt down in Shreekul Barua Parha.

"We don't understand why life has undergone this change. They attacked us with machetes and hammers. We don't even know who they are," said Nikash Barua, a resident.

He said he heard the slogan 'Naraye Takbir' during the attack.

Cox's Bazaar district Ameer of Jamaat-e-Islami Md Shahjahan brushed aside the allegations of instigating the unrest.

"Causing damages to life and livelihood, or attacking religious institutions should not be the language of protests. Islam does not permit it either. Jamaat-e-Islami despises these acts," said Shahjahan.

He, however, said instigators were those who want to turn the country into a 'militant' state.

The incident also left Muslims of the area shocked and grappling with the justification for the attack on Buddhists.

"I don't understand why it all happened? We all live together," said Chhalim Ullah, a rickshaw-puller, as he visited the ravaged area.

The Dhaka Stock Exchange ended Tuesday's trade clocking a Tk 9.8-billion turnover and the key index surging 2.55 percent.

The DSE General Index closed at 4706.43 points, posting a 117.09-point gain with prices of 217 issues advancing, 52 declining and 11 remaining unchanged on the week's third business day.

The benchmark index hit its peak around 11:50am when it reached 4741.61 points.

The premiere bourse ended Monday's trade registering a 44.93-point gain in its key index and a turnover of around Tk 7.83 billion.

The DSE had closed 88 points down on the week's opening day with a relatively lower turnover of Tk 7.82 billion.

The key index gained only 3 points through the previous week's trading, though the daily average turnover stayed at around Tk 10.71 billion.

A Dhaka Court on Tuesday allowed the Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) to freeze 533 bank accounts of 22 Destiny 2000 Limited officials in two money laundering cases.

Senior Special Judge's Court of Md Zahurul Hoque passed the order following two ACC appeals filed a day before.

On Monday, the ACC had filed a petition with the Acting Judge Mohammad Akhteruzzaman of the Special Judge's Court, who passed on the matter to the senior judge for hearing, seeking permission for freezing 252 bank accounts of the officials.

The anti-graft watchdog on Tuesday placed another application for freezing 281 other accounts of the officials, which was also allowed by the court.

The accused have bank accounts in 31 branches of various bank.

On July 31, ACC Deputy Director Mozahar Ali Sarder and Assistant Director Towfiqul Islam had filed two cases under the Money Laundering Prevention Act with the Kalabagan Police Station against 22 top officials of the firm accusing them of laundering about Tk 35 billion by swindling investors.

The anti-graft watchdog had filed the cases on detecting financial irregularities in the operations of the Destiny Multipurpose Cooperative Society Ltd (DMCSL) and the Destiny Tree Plantation Ltd project.

The 22 officials include Destiny Chairman Lt Gen (Retd) Harun-Ar-Rashid and Managing Director Mohammad Rafiqul Amin.