BANGLADESH

The government will launch a programme in January to rehabilitate Dhaka's beggars, 10 percent of whom are from Mymensingh and 5 percent earn over Tk 300 a day.

Social welfare minister Enamul Hoque Mostofa Shaheed on Tuesday disclosed the results of a survey conducted in September ahead of the programme.

Chief of Beggar Rehabilitation Cell Gazi Mohammad Julhas told  that beggars capable of working would be given rickshaws, rickshaw-trolleys, sewing machines and money to start small businesses.

The social welfare ministry surveyed 400 spots in the city, dividing it in 10 zones, and a total of 1,000 beggars were sampled.

According to Gazi, 7.6 percent of beggars on Dhaka's streets are from the capital itself, 7.5 percent are from Barguna, 5.6 percent from Jamalpur, 5.5 percent from Bhola, 4.7 percent from Kishoreganj, 4.6 percent from Faridpur, 3.9 percent from Sherpur, 2.4 percent from Munshiganj, and 41 percent are from other districts.

Gazi said 80.48 percent of Dhaka's beggars want to return to their home districts, and 92.42 percent are ready to leave panhandling if they get government aid.

According to the survey, 5 percent of the beggars earn over Tk 300 a day, 33.2 percent earn between Tk 51 and Tk 100, 22.6 percent Tk 101-150, 20 percent Tk 151-200, 6 percent Tk 201-300, and 12.5 percent earn Tk 1 to Tk 50 each day.

Gazi said 5.16 percent of the beggars get government help.

Of them, 1.75 percent get old age allowance, 2.63 percent disability allowance, 0.53 percent widow allowance, and 0.25 percent beggars get vernacular group feeding allowance.

National Professor Kabir Chowdhury has been buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectuals' Graveyard.

An academic and patriot to the core, the man who recently led the formulation of a new education policy for the government, never put down his pen, which was his ultimate weapon in the battle for reason and humanity.

Speaking to  in one of his last long interviews, he spoke of the necessity to uphold human values.

"I wish I had more time to write. I wish the days were a bit longer than 24 hours," said Kabir Chowdhury, whose essays and speeches have inspired activists throughout generations.

His burial took place at 6pm on Tuesday.

Chowdhury, a heart patient, died in his sleep around 6am when his pacemaker apparently failed, daughter Shaheen Kabir, a retired professor of Jahangirnagar University, told .

Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, rushed to his Naya Paltan residence to consol the family members. President Zillur Rahman sent flowers and said the loss to the nation was irreparable.

As the news of his death spread, academics, political leaders and cultural personalities gathered at his home to pay their last respects.

"One of the nation's greatest sons, this lifelong teacher has made unrivalled contributions to our education," the president said in a message.

"He was the guide for our education policy. His gifts to Bangla literature are extraordinary as well," he said.

"He has enriched the nation with his numerous works, and guided us towards humanity and justice.

"The nation will never forget his contribution. He will live in our hearts forever," educationist Zillur Rahman Siddiqui said.

Chowdhury's janaza was held at the Dhaka University central mosque, after which he was given a guard of honour. Flowers were laid on his body by nation's leaders as well as people from all walks of life.

LIFE

Chowdhury taught English literature at Dhaka University after a career in the government education service and emerged as a leading figure in the fight against communalism and religious fanaticism in the last decades.

The son of a government official, Chowdhury was born on Feb 9, 1923 at Brahmanbaria of the then Tipperah district of united Bengal. His family hails from Noahkhali's Chatkhile area.

With a master's in English literature – graduating in 1944 from the Dhaka University – Kabir Chowdhury was appointed education secretary in 1972 immediately after the Liberation War when his celebrated younger brother Munier Chowdhury was killed by the local collaborators of the Pakistani army.

He was member-secretary of the first National Education Commission under Kudrat-e-Khuda and later became the education, sports and cultural affairs secretary.

Chowdhury also played a major role as the director of Bangla Academy from early 1969 to mid-1972 in propagating secular values during the mass movements in the period. He was made a national professor in 1998.

He headed several organisations that worked for secular democracy, such as the "Committee for Resisting the Killers and Collaborators of 1971", better known as "Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee", "Citizens Social Rights Movement", and "Citizens United Front".

He worked closely with the late Jahanara Imam in trying to bring to book the killers of 1971 as war criminals. He helped set up a People's Court that found leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami and BNP guilty of war crimes and urged the government to try them in a properly constituted tribunal.

But, the then government, instead of doing that, charged Kabir Chowdhury and 23 other of his colleagues with sedition and instituted a formal case against them. The case was withdrawn later during the caretaker regime headed by retired chief justice Mohammad Habibur Rahman.

Kabir Chowdhury acted as chairman of the Bangladesh Afro-Asian Writers Union for many years. He was also a member of the presidium of the Bangladesh World Peace Council and the Bangladesh Afro-Asian Peoples Solidarity Organisation.

He headed the Bangladesh-Soviet Friendship Society for over a decade. He was the president of the Bangladesh Vidyasagar Society and chairman of the Advisory Council of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee.

The country will observe the Shaheed Buddhijibi Dibosh, or Martyred Intellectuals Day, on Wednesday.

The day is observed to commemorate the tragic killing of the illustrious sons of the soil by desperate Pakistani occupation forces and their collaborators just two days before the country's final victory achieved through a nine-month bloody war with Pakistan in 1971.

On Dec 14, 1971, sensing imminent defeat, the Pakistani army and their local collaborators – Razakar, Al-Badr and Al-Shams – abducted frontline Bengali intellectuals and professionals and killed them in a planned way to cripple a newborn nation intellectually.

Renowned academics, teachers, litterateurs, doctors, engineers, journalists and other eminent personalities were dragged out of their houses blindfolded and killed before the occupation forces dumped the bodies in Rayerbazar, Mirpur and other killing fields in Dhaka.

The martyred intellectuals included Prof Muneir Chowdhury, Dr Alim Chowdhury, Prof Muniruzzaman, Dr Fazle Rabbi, Sirajuddin Hossain, Shahidullah Kaiser, Prof G C Dev, J C Guha Thakurta, Prof Santosh Bhattacharya, Mofazzal Haider Chowdhury, and journalists Khandaker Abu Taleb, Nizamuddin Ahmed, SA Mannan (Ladu Bhai), A N M Golam Mustafa, Syed Nazmul Haq and Selina Parvin.

President M Zillur Rahman and prime minister Sheikh Hasina have issued messages marking the day.

The president, in his message, said the supreme sacrifice made by the intellectuals would ever remain fresh in the history of the nation.
Terming the intellectuals the 'greatest sons of the soil', the president said the nation suffered an irreparable loss in their brutal killings.

He called upon all to imbibe with the spirit of the Liberation War and work together for developing a knowledge-based nation.

In her message, prime minister Sheikh Hasina said the Martyred Intellectuals Day is one of the blackest chapters in the history of struggle of the nation.

"When the final victory was imminent under the leadership of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the greatest Bangalee of all times, the Pakistani occupation forces and their local collaborators -- Razakar, Al-Badar and Al-Shams -- brutally killed the intellectuals in a planned way to make Bangalee nation devoid of merit and leadership," she said.

The anti-liberation forces have launched attacks on teachers, writers, journalists and politicians, she said, adding that steps have been taken to bring the war criminals under trail.

The prime minister said the martyred intellectuals will remain alive in the nation's life through their works, ideology and patriotism. "The nation will never forget their dedication," she added.

The prime will pay homage to the martyred intellectuals placing wreaths at the Martyred Intellectuals Mausoleum at Mirpur at 6:35am on Wednesday.

The members of the martyr's families and war-wounded freedom fighters will place wreath led by state minister for liberation war affairs A B M Tazul Islam at 6:50am.

The mausoleum will be kept open to the people and political parties from 7am for paying respect to them.

Different political parties, social and cultural organisations have chalked out various programmes to observe the day in a befitting manner. The programmes include placing wreaths at the mausoleum and holding discussions and 'milad mahfil'.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has rebutted opposition claims that the economy is in a tailspin.

"I want to tell you that the economic situation has not become critical. We have managed to keep it running. We are better placed given the world economic recession," she said on Saturday.

Speaking at function at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre marking the 40th National Cooperative Day, she refuted claims that there is a liquidity crisis.

"Many say that there is no money. But we have received billions of taka from the renewal of mobile-phone operators' licences. A few months later we will be receiving another such boost," the prime minister said.

Hasina chided critics of government steps to develop agriculture. "Money shall flow to villages. Our economy is agro-based. If needed, all the money will go to villages.

"We will do whatever is needed to save the farmers who sweat to grow crops for us. We want them to develop."

Opposition BNP has been saying that the government's failures to manage the economy have put it in a crisis and prices of essential commodities have hit through the roof after it raised fuel price.

POWER SUBSIDY

Hasina said she had instructed the Power Division to cut supplies for two days to those who wrote newspaper articles questioning the need to generate power by subsidising the sector.

"They will write in the comfort of air-conditioned rooms using the power we generate. Let them feel what it feels like without power for two days."

She added that no previous governments have been able to add so much power to the national grid as her current administration has.

"We have addressed one at a time the problems that were there when our government took over. We have produced 5,600MW of power."

She urged the people to save more power and said, "People start screaming when power prices are hiked. But it costs to generate power and lay transmission lines."

"Slums get illegal power connections with which the residents do their daily chores. We sometimes overlook the matter as these drifting people have to cook and survive."

The prime minister pointed out that government officials are no longer required to in office wearing suits in the summer to cut down on use of electricity-guzzling air conditioners

"What you wear depends on how the weather is. No need to wear suits in summer."

COOPERATIVES FAIRS LAUNCHED

Hasina went on to enlarge on the guideline on farming unused lands through cooperatives. "The owner will get less, the cooperatives will get a share and the farmers, who grow the crop, will get the most."

She added that emphasis should be put on encouraging women entrepreneurs.

"The goods produced by the cooperatives will have to be collected and marketed properly," Hasina asserted and stressed on cooking-ready goods.

"There are 1.7 to 1.8 billion Bangladeshi expatriates living abroad. The food market will not shrink despite the world recession. Make sure no land remains unused."

Eighteen entrepreneurs and 20 organisations were given National Cooperative Award for the years 2009 and 2010 respectively at the function.

Rural development and cooperatives secretary Mihir Kanti Majumder presided over the programme where LGRD and cooperatives minister Syed Ashraful Islam, state minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanok, cooperatives department registrar Mushfeqa Ikfat and National Cooperatives Union president Sheikh Nadir Hossain Lipu also spoke.

Women entrepreneur Rahima Begum also who spoke at the function said she now owned seven transport vehicles without taking help from anyone.

The prime minister inaugurated online cooperative market exchange and spoke to the participants of Dhaka Metropolitan Rural Development and Cooperative Fair through video-conference.

She also declared cooperative fairs open around the country.

Law enforcement agencies will launch combing operation in areas under the Comilla City Corporation (CCC) from Thursday to recover illegal arms and arrest outlaws ahead of the maiden elections to the newly-formed city corporation scheduled for Jan 5.

The Election Commission (EC) has also decided to deploy 1,500 law enforcers in the areas going to polls from Jan 3 to Jan 7.

Returning officer of CCC election Abdul Baten gave the details to the media at the EC secretariat on Monday, after a meeting with top officials of law enforcement agencies.

Chief election commissioner A T M Shamsul Huda presided over the meeting. Among those present were election commissioners M Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen M Sakhawat Hussain (retd), EC secretary M Sadik and representatives of the home ministry, police, different detective branches, Ansar, Village Defence Police (VDP), Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Bangladesh Coastguards.

Baten said while 22 law enforcers will be normally deployed at each centre on the polling day, there will be 24 law enforcers on duty at each centre considered "risky". Besides, he said, five law enforcers will be posted outside the polling centre and another eight in each ward solely for patrolling.

The EC has declared as valid candidature of nine mayor aspirants and 288 ward councillor candidates after scrutiny of nomination papers. The councillor aspirants include 65 women.

The deadline for withdrawal of nomination papers is Dec 14, and election symbols will be allotted to the finalised candidates the following day.

Comilla City Corporation was formed by merging Comilla municipality and Comilla Sadar municipality (south) on July 10 this year, thereby meeting a longstanding demand of the locals. It has 27 wards.

Announcing the election schedule on Nov 22, chief election commissioner A T M Shamsul Huda had said that electronic voting machines would be used for the first time at all polling centres in the civic elections, dismissing protests from the BNP.

The cabinet has approved a new law to curtail human trafficking with capital punishment topping the punitive measures.

The endorsement came at a regular meeting on Monday, headed by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, her spokesperson Abul Kalam Azad told journalists.

"The cabinet has approved a draft law to prevent and curb human trafficking with the highest punishment including death sentences and Tk 0.5million fine. The proposed bill will be tabled in parliament and on approval, will become a law."

The cabinet also approved the draft New Year's speech of the president, to be delivered at the first session of parliament in the upcoming year, he added.

The prime minister's press secretary also said that the cabinet also approved in principle Prime Minister's Education Assistance Trust Act 2011, Ship Breaking and Ship Recycling Act 2011 and Bangladesh Citizenship Act.

It approved a list of 127 foreign dignitaries, including the then Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, who will be conferred state honour for their outstanding contribution to the 1971 Liberation War.

The council members approved the list when the liberation war affairs ministry placed it as per the proposal of the sub-committee led by the foreign minister.

State minister for liberation war affairs A B Tazul Islam said a list of 124 foreign dignitaries was placed in the meeting, which after some deletions and additions contained 127 names.

The junior minister said that the special state honour would be conferred in different categories and only Indira Ghandi would be conferred with "Swadhinata Sammanona" (freedom honour award), the highest State Honour.

The late Indian prime minister, Indira had extended all-out support to the freedom of Bangladesh by sending troops to fight against the Pakistani occupation forces, providing shelters, food and medicines to 10 million people who fled their home to India, and giving trainings, arms and ammunition to thousands of freedom fighters of Bangladesh to attain liberty.

He said that the two other state honours – Bangladesh Muktijuddho Sammanona and Muktijuddho Moitree Sammanona – would be given to celebrated statesmen, politicians, philosophers, artistes, litterateurs, intellectuals and noted citizens and organisations for their tremendous contribution to the Liberation War, to mark the 40th anniversary of independence next year.

"The state honours will be given away sometime between Jan 10 and March 26 next year. The date will be finalised as per the schedule suggested by the prime minister. The function will be held in the Parliament Plaza of parliament building," the state minister added.

The police have arrested four more suspects, including the man who had reportedly gunned down Narsingdi municipality mayor Lokman Hossain on Nov 1.

Nazmul Hasan Sharif, 26, was arrested from Dhaka on Sunday.

The others were subsequently arrested based on information provided by him. The police also recovered a revolver, bullets and some masks from Ghoradia in Narsingdi district.

Narsingdi district superintendent of police (SP) Khandaker Mohiduddin said Mazmul has admitted taking part in the murder.

The three others arrested for suspected involvement in the murder are Sarwar Hossain, 31; Awlad Hossain, 23; and Mir Delwar Hossain, 35.

With this, 12 persons have been arrested till date. Of them, only one is accused in the case.

SP Mohiduddin said Nazmul and Awlad were arrested from Nandipara, under Khilgaon police station's jurisdiction in the capital.

Acting on their statement, the police later arrested Sarwar from Chapulia village, under Joydevpur police station in Gazipur district, and Delwar from Ghoradia in Narsingdi.

From them, the police recovered a revolver, masks, 22 rounds of bullet and the clothes the killer was reportedly wearing that fateful evening.

Doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) had declared Lokman, 43, dead about three hours after he was shot by a masked gunman in front of the Awami League (AL) office at the district headquarters' Sadar road around 8pm on Nov 1.

Lokman, two-time gold medallist as the best mayor, was also the ruling party's town unit general secretary.

The murder case filed on Nov 3 by Lokman's brother Kamruzzaman accuses telecommunications minister Rajiuddin Ahmed Raju's brother Salahuddin Ahmed Bachchu and 13 others, mostly leaders and activists of the AL.

The prosecution has moved the war crimes tribunal to issue arrest warrant for Jamaat-e-Islami's guru and former chief Ghulam Azam for his role in the 1971 Liberation War against Pakistan.

The appeal was made on Monday after chief prosecutor Ghulam Arieff Tipoo submitted a 52-point charter of charges to the three-judge tribunal headed by Justice Nizamul Huq on Monday.

The tribunal accepted the charges and forwarded the submission to the court's registrar.

After formal submission of the charges to the registrar, the prosecution would now urge the tribunal to arrest Azam, the prosecution said.

On Nov 1, the prosecution informed the court that they had received an investigation report on 89-year old Azam and that they were working on it. They had also handed in a copy of the report for the tribunal's record.

The chief coordinator of the tribunal's investigation unit Abdul Hannan Khan said that they had recommended his arrest in the report.

"There are 40 witnesses in the 360-page report on Ghulam Azam and over 400 documents."

He also pointed out that since the alleged crimes were committed 40 years ago, the investigators had collected all kinds of documents available from those times, in addition to witness testimonies.

The prosecution brought formal charges against Azam with a recommendation to issue a warrant for his arrest. "There will be a hearing about the arrest warrant if the tribunal takes the charges into cognisance," prosecutor Syed Haider Ali told .

Tipoo told journalists that the submission of formal charges against the former Jamaat chief "reflected people's desire" to see the war criminals tried.

The prosecution has evidence of Azam's direct involvement with more than 100 crimes in 52 different incidents. "We have elaborately presented the investigation agency's report in the court," he said.

Prosecutor Rana Dasgupta alleged that Ghulam Azam had been on good terms with the Pakistani military government before and after the 1970's election.

A few days after the 70's election, Azam and leaders of different political parties, who were defeated in the election, met then Gen Tikka Khan – who was known as the Butcher of Bengal and the martial law administrator – and decided to form the 'Peace Committee', he said.

On the third day of 'Operation Searchlight', a night when hundreds of thousands innocent people were massacred, a peace committee of 140 members headed by Khwaja Khairuddin was formed. The following day, another six-member committee was formed to supervise their activities. "Ghulam Azam's name was second from the top in the committee," the prosecutor added.

On the fourth day after the 'Operation Searchlight', they expressed their oneness with Pakistan in a statement saying, "this operation was justified, otherwise, Pakistan would have been divided," he said.

Pakistani authority formed different associate committees like 'Rajakar', 'Al Badr', 'Al Shams', 'Pioneer Force', 'Mujaheed Bahini' etc with direct assistance of Azam. He recruited people for these committees and managed arms," Dasgupta added.

The investigation coordinator said as a key player, Azam had damaged the country in two ways: first by leading the infamous, 'Peace Committees' and secondly by collaborating with the Pakistan Army.

Investigator Matiur Rahman said there was compelling evidence against Azam illustrating his guilt.

"He led the Peace Committee and was also the chief of Jamaat-e-Islami in [1971]. He gave all the orders."

He also advocated in Pakistan's support in the Middle Eastern countries during the war, according to the report.

He stayed in London for seven years after 1971 and came back to Bangladesh during the rule of Ziaur Rahman in 1978. He led Jamaat as its Ameer until 2000.

Trials of war crimes against Jamaat chief Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammed Mojaheed, Mohammad Kamaruzzaman, Abdul Kader Molla and BNP leaders Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Abdul Alim are currently ongoing.

They face charges of crimes against humanity, murder, rape, vandalism, setting fire.

Charges were framed against Jamaat's central executive committee member Delwar Hossain Sayedee on Oct 3. Tribunal has already begun recording witnesses' testimonies.

"He was responsible for the atrocities caused by the Pakistan army and its associates from then on. Everything was done under his leadership. We got elements to frame charges against him from the investigation agency's report," he added.

"Ghulam Azam was involved in the killing of 38 people who were pulled out of prison on an Eid night during the liberation war in Branmanbaria's Kairtal area," the prosecutor said replying to a media query.

Prosecutor Zead Al-Malum had submitted an investigation report to the tribunal on Nov 1.

The government has rendered the economy toothless, the opposition leader has said.

"Every sector, including the garments industries, is in the grip of crisis," Khaleda Zia said, speaking at the closing ceremony of BATEXPO 2011 on Monday.

"Many local industries are being acquired by foreigners. This is an ill omen," she added.

The 22nd Bangladesh Apparel and Textile Exposition (BATEXPO 2011) was held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre from Dec 10 to 12.

The BNP chairperson spelt out an 11-point charter of demands for the RMG sector on the occasion.

The demands include reducing Chittagong port charges, reduction of banking charges and interest rates, resolving gas and power crisis, ensuring the flow of working capital for the sake of industries, increasing the export promotion fund, building captive power plants, building central ETPs for industries, arranging low-rent dormitories for workers, making diplomatic efforts for quota-free access to American markets and making foreign Bangladeshi missions more effective.

"I want the owners to know, you will receive all kinds of cooperation from our side," Khaleda said.

"The government claims it is industries-friendly, but its deeds do not reflect that," she alleged.

"The income tax in garments industry has been raised by 50 percent, and there is a 15 percent VAT on floors and spaces used for garments industries," she added.

She urged the government to reconsider its decisions.

She alleged that remittance and foreign aid had declined and the labour market had shrunk.

"The economy is on the brink of collapse. There are no new jobs, factories are shutting down and commercial banks are suffering from loan crisis. The government is running the country on loans," she alleged.

Khaleda also alleged massive corruption in the government purchases related to new power plants.

"Power and gas have landed this industry in crisis," she said.

Speaking at the inauguration of BATEXPO, prime minister Sheikh Hasina had said, "We have added more than 2,500 MW to the national grid. Twenty-nine power plants have been set up (after her government assumed office) and we will soon add another 3555 MW to the grid."

"BNP government did not add even a megawatt of power to the grid," she had said.

Khaleda Zia, speaking to the RMG business leaders, said, "You must remember, workers are the life-force of a production industry.

"You must take more steps to improve their condition."

Khaleda congratulated BGMEA for their successful implementation of the new pay scale and introducing service-booking for the workers.

She warned that the global economic crisis was worsening and alleged that the government was not doing anything towards guarding the country against its impacts.

She also outlined various steps taken for the development of the textile sector during her term as the prime minister.

Professor Kabir Chowdhury, the celebrated academic and writer, died peacefully in his sleep, his family announced Tuesday morning.

"He was a heart patient and apparently his pacemaker failed," daughter Shaheen Kabir, a retired professor of Jahangirnagar University, told .

"He died in his sleep," she said, "sometime early in the morning in his Naya Paltan home."

Chowdhury taught English literature at Dhaka University after a career in the government education service and emerged as a leading figure in the fight against communalism and religious fanaticism in the last decades.

Sheikh Hasina, the prime minister, has been leading the nation mourning a man who led the formulation of her government's education policy recently.

A Masters in English literature, graduating in 1944 from the Dhaka University, Kabir Chowdhury was appointed education secretary in 1972 immediately after the independence war when his celebrated younger brother Munier Chowdhury was killed by the collaborators of the Pakistani army.

Speaking to  in one of his last long interviews, he spoke of the necessity to upload human values. "I wish I had more time to write. I wish the days were a bit longer than 24 hours," said Kabir Chowdhury whose essays and speeches inspired activists.

The government counted as much as Tk 36.44 million in lost revenues as the Standard Chartered Bank did not properly deduct value added tax (VAT) at source for different services it received, an audit has found out.

The Comptroller and Auditor General's Office, after conducting a special audit at the Large Taxpayers Unit of the National Board of Revenue (NBR) for 2006-07 fiscal, unearthed the alleged irregularities and recommended that the money be recovered.

According to the CAG's special report, the multinational bank was supposed to pay Tk 43.71 million in VAT for enjoying different services during the fiscal but paid only Tk 7.27 million, thereby causing a loss of Tk 36.44 million.

It enjoyed services such as consultancy, advertisement, repair and maintenance, security, and entertainment during the fiscal.

Under VAT Act, 1991, clients receiving services are required to deduct VAT at source and submit the money to the exchequer, the report pointed out. "But in this case, VAT was not properly deducted at source and submitted to the exchequer," it observed.

Standard Chartered Bank is the oldest and largest foreign bank in Bangladesh. Having set up its first branch in Chittagong in 1948, it now has 26 branches, 57 ATMs and seven financial kiosks in Dhaka, Chittagong, Khulna, Sylhet, Bogra and Narayanganj.

The bank employs more than 1,300 people.

It is the first international bank to extend credit lines to Bangladesh and open the first external letter of credit (LC) here in 1972.

Stanchart made acquisitions of ANZ Grindlays Bank in 2000 and the commercial banking business of American Express Bank in Bangladesh in 2006, and currently provide both consumer banking and wholesale banking services.

Former advisor to the caretaker government Maj Gen M A Matin (retd) has said he was not involved in the repression of Dhaka University students and teachers in 2007.

Matin's comments came on Sunday -- three days after a parliamentary sub-committee recommended legal measures against "people at the helm" of the then caretaker government for the acts of cruelty against the students and teachers.

Matin said he had, in fact, taken steps to free the detained teachers and students when he was given charge of the home ministry.

Matin was an advisor for the communications, shipping, civil aviation and Liberation War affairs ministries till Jan 14 2008. He was given charge of the home, shipping and Liberation War affairs ministries on Jan 15 that year.

Rashed Khan Menon, head of the parliamentary sub-panel on the education ministry, told reporters on Thursday that the committee has finalised its report. "It will be submitted to the parliamentary committee on Dec 21," he had said.

Many media reports the following day said the sub-committee recommended punishment for army and civil officials, including Matin, for the 2007 incident at DU.

Menon clarified: "We haven't published the report yet… (We) didn't say anything officially. His (Matin's) speech is based on the news reports.

"I don't know from where he received the information (that he has been indicted)."

Menon said the report is waiting for a final nod from the parliamentary standing committee on the education ministry.

'NO CHANCE OF SELF-DEFENCE'

On Sunday, Matin sent a statement to media offices in Chittagong titled: 'My speech about the parliamentary sub-committee's final report published in the media'.

In it, he stated that the sub-committee did not give him the chance of self-defence or to speak for himself.

"Instead, it charged me for the incident at DU in August 2007 and recommended punishment," he said.

The charge was brought "intentionally" to harass him, Matin added.

'NOT SO SERIOUS'

Asked whether Matin was named in the report, Menon said, "The former advisor had been the chief of the Crime Prevention Taskforce. So he could be named as reference (but) it's not so serious."

On Thursday, Menon had said, "We did not catch the small fries but (went for) those responsible for the incident. We have recommended bringing them to justice."

Army personnel camped on DU campus assaulted students on Aug 20, 2007 following an altercation with some students on the university's playground during a football match.

The students also assaulted some senior army officers and went on a rampage in Dhaka and other cities, burning and damaging dozens of vehicles as they clashed with the police.

The army men subsequently launched a ruthless assault on the students that went on for the next several days.

After taking office in 2009, the grand alliance government formed the sub-committee to look into the incident that had left the country shaken. The panel has recorded statements from many army men, students and teachers since then.

The Anti Corruption Commission (ACC) officials will have to follow certain norms while investigating allegations of corruption to prevent harassment and dupery from now on.

Separate and specific notices will have to be served to take statements of people charged with corruption or witnesses, as 'some officials are issuing notices at their will', an internal ACC order said on Sunday.

The order said firm steps will be taken against those not following the rules.

The order follows several incidents of fake calls to witnesses or accused using the name of ACC. Police suspect that many ACC officials could be behind the incidents.

The order has been issued to specify as to who is an accused and who a witness, ACC commissioner Mohammad Shahbuddin Chuppu told .

"Notices will have to be served only after filling specific forms for the purpose now onwards," he added.

"People panic on hearing of ACC notice. It creates misunderstanding. The commission has taken the decision to prevent recurrence of such incidents," the ACC commissioner said.

An ACC official, requesting anonymity, said they were also directed orally not to communicate with people charged with corruption or witnesses.

"Phone can be used only after permission in special cases."

On Dec 7, ACC issued a statement alerting people against extortion by 'some' of its officials.

The commission advised filing of a general diary or complaint with police and informing ACC through 029352552 or 01730303201 numbers, in case of similar occurrences.

Communications minister Obaidul Quader has said work on Padma bridge project under the private public partnership will begin soon.

"Measures will be taken to commence the work under the PPP as early as possible as per the prime minister's announcement," he said during a visit to the Setu Bhaban on Sunday.

Quader demanded the World Bank provide evidence to back its allegations against Bangladesh because "the accusation is not against the government, it is a bad reputation for the country".

The communications minister said that three bridges -Meghna, Gomati and Kanchpur- have to be saved. Among the three, Meghna bridge is in the most critical state and so Overload Control Machine will be placed there from Dec 17.

The repairs of Gomati and Kanchpur bridges are underway, added the minister.

Quader asked the officials and employees of Setu Bhaban to work "together as a team with commitment and commonsense" and warned that he himself will refrain from committing irregularities and would not let anyone commit any.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia has claimed that the present government is working for the government of another country.

Her remarks came on Sunday in reference to the Tipaimukh dam issue in an interview broadcast on BBC Bangla Service.

Terming the incumbent government an 'India-friendly government', Khaleda said, "They [the government] say they are trying to resolve the issue diplomatically. But, in fact, they are handing Bangladesh's everything over to India secretly."

She said, "We've told them [India] many times, we've even written to them. We've also asked them to hold the issue and let the experts from both the countries look into the project. But they did not agree..."

"And our government is silent over the matter," she added.

India's state of Manipur on Oct 22 signed an agreement with state-owned NHPC Ltd and Satluj Jal Vidyut Nigam Ltd to construct the 1,500MW Tipaimukh hydroelectric power project in the northeastern state.

BBC on Nov 18 reported that Manipur had signed the contracts to build the controversial dam on Barak river, which flows into Bangladesh as Surma. Bangladeshi media reported widely on the issue that triggered a nationwide criticism of the project.

Responding to a subsequent letter sent by the Bangladesh government inquiring about the project, India assured that the project would not affect the country negatively.

The Indian government had been assuring Bangladesh that it would not take any steps that might jeopardise the 'friendly relationship' between the countries. It also told Bangladesh that they were ready to hold talks on the issue.

But on Dec 4, without consulting Bangladesh, Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh declared that his country would go ahead with the construction of the hydroelectricity project.

Many environmentalists fear that the dam would adversely impact, and possibly even drown areas in Sylhet. On the other hand, if the dam stops water, Meghna, Surma and Kushiara and other branches of these rivers in Bangladesh will dry up in lean season.

However, following his Dec 3 meeting with the Indian prime minister to discuss apprehensions among certain quarters here about the project, prime minister's adviser Gowher Rizvi on Dec 5 rubbished the idea that construction of Tipaimukh dam would harm Bangladesh.

He said, "Notions about the adverse impacts of Tipaimukh dam on Bangladesh are baseless."

'GOVT DID NOT COOPERATE'

The main opposition chief squarely blamed the ruling Awami League for all the incidents taking place before and after the state of emergency imposed from Jan 11, 2007 and later BNP boycotting parliament.

She claimed that her party stopped attending parliament after being pushed to the brink by the ruling party.

"I ran in the 2008 general election though I knew it would not be a fair one. I thought a democratic government is better than a non-democratic one. I have been saying that I will cooperate with the government. But the government has been uncooperative since the first day."

Citing an example, Khaleda said the government did not broadcast the oath-taking programme of the BNP MPs in defiance of the age-old tradition.

She claimed on Sunday that the government did not accept even one of the 3,000 notices submitted by her party.

WAR CRIMES TRIAL

Demanding 'complete transparency' in the war crimes trial, the BNP chief said, "We are not taking sides. We want it, too. But this trial should meet the international standards. Trials cannot be held with a debatable person presiding as the judge."

BNP has since long been calling 'partisan' the International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), which came into being for trying war crimes committed in 1971. The main opposition also called the attention of the United Nations secretary-general in this regard during his visit to Bangladesh last month.

The present government on Mar 25 last year formed the ICT, lawyers' panel and investigation agency to try the war criminals.

The prime minister has lashed out at politicians opposing the proposed Tipaimukh dam in India, not sparing even her political ally.

"One is doing a long march and the other a revolution," Sheikh Hasina said, referring to Jatiya Party chief H M Ershad and BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia.

"I must ask, why did he [Ershad] during his nine-year rule and she [Khaleda] during her two five-year terms did not say a word about Tipaimukh?"

"She remembers the nation's interests when she is in the opposition and forgets them when in power," she added.

The prime minister was briefing the media on Saturday evening at her official residence Ganabhaban on her achievements during the recent tour of Myanmar and Indonesia.

"We have warned India that they will not be allowed to do anything that will harm Bangladesh, and they have assured us…," Hasina said.

"They have told us they are making a hydroelectric power plant. Just as Kaptai does not impede the flow of water, they have assured us that there will be no obstruction to the flow in this project either," she added.

"But we are constantly watching the situation. We'll ask the Indian government for information continuously. If necessary, we'll send our people to surveys," the prime minister said.

Indian prime minister Manmohan Singh on Dec 4 announced that India would go ahead with the plan of setting up Tipaimukh hydroelectric project on Barak river along the Manipur-Mizoram border.

The Tipaimukh project has been a major political issue in Bangladesh. The opposition BNP has been raising it repeatedly to question the rationale of the efforts of the Awami League-led government in Dhaka to strengthen bilateral ties with New Delhi.

Many environmentalists fear the dam would adversely impact, and possibly even drown areas in Sylhet. On the other hand, if the dam stops water, Meghna, Surma and Kushiara and other branches of these rivers in Bangladesh will dry up in lean season, they argue.

The Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) has advised the tax authorities to furnish necessary documents to the court to expedite recovery of Tk 446 million government revenue from Unilever BD Ltd.

According to a report from the CAG office, the government lost Tk 446 million in revenue since the company did not pay its due supplementary and value added taxes (VAT).

The auditor, after analysing the company's financial statements for 2005-06 submitted to Large Taxpayers' Unit of the National Board of Revenue (NBR), found that Unilever paid VAT twice. It was found that the company paid VAT first as a manufacturer and subsequently as a trader, thus availing 15 per cent rebate.

Unilever owns 60.75 percent of the multinational company, with 39.25 per cent stake lying with government.

The audit office found that the company first sold its products manufactured in Chittagong to its Gazipur central warehouse and paid VAT. It again paid VAT against an account different from the manufacturer's, when distributors bought the goods from the central godown.

Unilever BD's Chittagong unit manufactures soap and personal care products.

"The company is a registered firm, and therefore has a single TIN account and one annual audit report," the report said. "Under the existing system, maximum retail price is fixed at the place of production, and all taxes are supposed to be paid at that level.

"They (Unilever BD) did not pay tax at the place of production, which deprived the government of its due supplementary duties…"

The CAG report says revenue thus lost in the form of supplementary duties and VAT works out to be Tk 446 million.

The company filed a writ petition in 2009 when NBR served a notice to recover the lost amount, the report said.

The auditor recommended that the company authorities supply all necessary documents to the court to get a proper verdict and dispose of the case to expedite the money recovery process.

The company manufactures fast-moving consumer goods, and over 90 per cent of Bangladeshi households use one or more of Unilever products.

Unilever's operations in Bangladesh provide employment to over 10,000 people directly and through its dedicated suppliers, distributors and service providers.

Ferry operations have resumed at Mawa-Kewrakandi crossing after a 10-hour halt due to heavy fog, which saw eight ferries anchored overnight in mid-river.

"Eight ferries were stranded in the middle of the Padma River and two near the docks from 11.45 pm on Friday. They resumed travelling after the fog is gone around 10am on Saturday," Shirajul Islam, manager of Bangladesh Inland Water Transportation Corporation's Mawa terminal, told .

The heavy fog also hampered river travel at the Dhaleshwari, Meghna and Ichamoti Rivers with more than a hundred vessels including 21 launches stranded in the waters.

The halt in ferry operations saw large traffic gridlocks on both sides of the crossing. Since 10 ferries have resumed operations, the gridlock should be cleared soon, Islam said.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has questioned the World Bank's action of suspending funds for the Padma bridge project and said the government will approach other countries for securing funds.

Calling the global lender's action unreasonable, she told journalists on Saturday, "We will approach other countries (for funding and construction work) and hold government-level talks with whichever country comes forward to fund the project. No matter which country funds the project, they will get their money back."

The prime minister was briefing the media at her official residence Ganabhaban on her achievements during the recent tour of Myanmar and Indonesia.

In October this year, the World Bank suspended its promised $1.2billion funding for the much-hyped Padma bridge project following allegations of corruption in river dredging, appointment of consultants and selection of pre-qualified contractors.

The prime minister said, "Work was given to a Canadian firm. After they [World Bank] raised allegations, the former minister asked Anti-Corrpution Commission to investigate.

"But when the Commission asked the World Bank for information, they failed to provide any. They said, ask the Canadian firm, and the firm asked why would they supply the information?"

"How could this be a basis for freezing the funds?" she threw a poser.

Refuting allegations of corruption in no uncertain terms, Hasina said, "How can corruption happen when the money was not even disbursed?"

"The World Bank will have to prove the corruption allegations," she said at the hour-long briefing that started at 5:10pm.

"The bridge will be constructed even if it takes another 10, 20 or 50 years," the prime minister asserted.

ALTERNATIVE FUNDING

She also dropped hints of weighing some other options to meet the cost of the biggest infrastructure project of the country.

"Most of the big projects of this magnitude are being executed under Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangement," she said.

"In fact, this government has given out most of the projects to the private sector," she added, to substantiate her contention.

NEW MINISTERS

On inclusion of new ministers and shuffle in portfolios, Hasina said, "Changing ministers is a routine work. They haven't been shuffled for corruption."

Pointing out that there is a new communications minister in the office, she added, "Appointment of the new minister will help the World Bank to carry out its investigation. Now, they (the World Bank) will have to prove where it found corruption and what is its worth."

Prime minister Hasina expanded her cabinet a third time on Nov 28 and appointed veteran Awami League leaders Obaidul Quader and Suranjit Sengupta as new ministers.

Suranjit was given the railway ministry carved out of the communications portfolio, which Quader got by replacing Syed Abul Hossain, who moved to the another new ministry for information and communication technology.

The shuffle was effected amid criticism of Abul Hossain over poor condition of roads and highways, and corruption allegations raised by the global lender.

Apart from this change, Jatiya Party presidium member G M Quader became the new commerce minister, while his civil aviation ministry went to Faruk Khan who was also criticised for advising countrymen to 'eat less' to offset rising commodity prices.

In addition to the from the new ministers, local government minister Syed Ashraful Islam, agriculture minister Matia Chowdhury, foreign minister Dipu Moni and information minister Abul Kalam Azad were also present at the media briefing.

The prime minister returned home on Friday afternoon from her five-day visit to Myanmar and Indonesia.

The government is trying to establish 'rule of law' by bringing the war criminals to trial, the law minister has said.

"The government has already started trying the perpetrators of crimes against humanity during the 1971 liberation war to free the nation from the 'stigma' it has been carrying for 40 years,'' Barrister Shafique Ahmed said addressing a function at TSC auditorium of the Dhaka University to mark the International Human Rights Day 2011 on Saturday.

"We are trying hard to ensure basics rights for all citizens to make the country an ideal democratic state where everyone is equal in the eyes of law," he added.

The programme, organised by the National Human Rights Commission, was based on theme "Working together to promote Human Rights: Giving young people a voice."

NHRC chairman Mizanur Rahman said," It has to be ensured that no one takes over the state power undemocratically."

He also urged young people to be aware of their own rights and respect others' rights.

"Those who violated human rights during the nine months of our liberation war must face trial," Mizanur added.

United Nations resident coordinator Neal Walker said, "Bangladesh is witnessing 'lack of good governance', early marriage and gender inequity. Strong commitment from the government is needed to solve these problems."

Swedish ambassador Anneli Lindahl Kenny and Appellate Division's justice M. Iman Ali were present, while NHRC chief presided over the programme.

The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has arrested four persons, suspected to be members of a credit card forgery gang, from different metropolitan cities across the country.

Among the arrested is a postal service employee.

The four were nabbed in separate operations conducted at different parts of Dhaka, Chittagong and Barisal cities on Friday night, according to a release issued by the DMP's media and community service.

The arrestees were identified as Kamal Ahmed (alias Khokon,alias Dada Bhai), 52, leader of the gang; Abdur Rob, 42; Mohammad Russell, 34; and Anwar Hossain, 32.

Abdur Rob is a postman with Gulshan post office in Dhaka, the police said.

The police found their involvement in forgery while investigating a complaint filed by Swedish citizen Brunhild Descamps, the country director of Hemtex, a foreign firm.

According to the complaint, Descamps was sent a Euro credit card from Sweden through postal service earlier this year, though he never received it. He complained that he checked in Sweden and was confirmed that the card was sent to Bangladesh, and that it was also used between May 26 and July 7.

The company official was also sent Euro cards twice, but it did not reach him on each occasion.

According to the DB police release, gang leader Kamal Ahmed has admitted that Abdur Rob helped him get the credit card, and that he has so far forged 1,500 credit cards.

Explaining his modus operandi, Rob told the police that before making a delivery, he scrutinised letters, parcels and documents with a needle to check whether there was any credit card inside. He sold the cards he thus found to the gang for anything between Tk 5,000 and Tk 10,000 per card.

Prof U A B Razia Akther Banu of the department of Political Science of Dhaka University (DU) has passed away. She was 63.

She died at the Cancer Research Institute of Singapore National Hospital on Thursday morning while undergoing treatment, said a DU media release.

Razia is the wife of Talukder Moniruzzaman, a retired professor of the same department of the university.

She leaves behind her husband, two sons and one daughter to mourn her death.

Razia joined the department as a lecturer in 1980 and was promoted to the position of professor in 1995.

Her namaz-ejanaza (funeral prayer) will be held at the DU Central Mosque after the 'juma' prayer on Friday and then she will be buried at her family graveyard at Tongi in Gazipur district.

The High Court has granted anticipatory bail for six weeks to Liberal Democratic Party president Oli Ahmed in two separate cases.

The bench of justices Syed Muhammad Dastagir Hossain and Gobinda Chandra Tagore passed the order on Wednesday in connection with the cases filed over his alleged involvement in a clash with Juba League in Chittagong city and not submitting his wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Barrister Moudud Ahmed argued for the LDP chief during the hearing while barrister Anwarul Islam Shahin assisted him. Deputy attorney general Mohammad Selim stood for the state.

A total of 17 out of 18 accused including Chittagong district's Chandnaish upazila chairman Abdul Jabbar Chowdhury and vice-chairman Abdur Rahim Badsha secured bail on Wednesday in a case filed over the attack on Oli Ahmed at Chittagong court premises on Nov 24.

Chandnaish upazila Awami League leader Aftab Ahmed Shimul filed the case with the Chandnaish Police Station.

The High Court also granted anticipatory bail for six weeks to a total of 18 accused in connection with a case filed by Awami League leader Wahiduzzaman over the same incident.

The LDP chief came under attack at Chittagong court premises on Nov 24 when he was leaving the court after obtaining bail in a case filed for making derogatory remarks against prime minister Sheikh Hasina and a female lawmaker.

Oli Ahmed secured the other six-week anticipatory bail in a case filed by ACC deputy director Mohammad Golam Mostafa on Nov 28 for not submitting his wealth statement to it.

In 1998, the ACC had served a notice on the LDP chief asking him to submit his wealth statement to it.

A Dhaka court has fixed Dec 15 to pass the verdict in the sensational case over murder of Humayun Kabir Sabbir, a director of a Bashundhara Group concern.

Judge Mohammad Motahar Hossain of the Fourth Speedy Trial Tribunal fixed the date at the end of the hearing, special public prosecutor of the tribunal S M Rafiqul Islam told .

There are 29 witnesses in the case.

Sabbir, a director of Bashundhara Telecommunications Network Ltd, was killed at a house owned by Bashundhara Group at Gulshan in the city on July 5, 2006.

There are five accused in the case. They are Bashundhara Group chairman Ahmed Akbar Sobhan's son Shafiyat Sobhan Sanvir, Group director Shamsuddin Ahmed, two guards Nure Alam and Humayun Kabir, and Sanvir's bodyguard Khairul Hassan Uzzal.

Sanvir, Nure Alam and Humayun Kabir are absconding since the case was filed.

Sabbir's brother-in-law A F M Asif had filed the case on July 7, 2006 while assistant superintendent of Detective Branch police Mohammad Arman submitted charge-sheet in the case on May 12, 2008.

Earlier, the case was sent to two sessions judge's courts, but the proceedings remained suspended due to a High Court stay order on the case.

Finally, the case was forwarded to the tribunal on March 7 last year and the trial resumed on Jan 16 with deposition of the complainant.

The court on Wednesday also rejected the bail petitions of Shamsuddin Ahmed and Khairul Hassan Uzzal and sent them to jail.

The five candidates nominated by the ruling Awami League for the new reserved seats for women in parliament are going to be elected unchallenged.

The Election Commission will make an official announcement to this effect on Thursday.

Returning officer Mihir Sarwar Morshed told  that none of the five withdrew their nomination until 2pm Wednesday – the deadline for withdrawal. As per laws, the five candidates nominated by Awami League have been elected without contest, he said.

"We've some formalities. The commission will formally announce them elected on Thursday," he added.

The candidates are 's social affairs editor A N Mahfuza Khatun Baby Maudud, AL's women's affairs secretary Fazilatunnesa Indira, Women AL acting general secretary Pinu Khan, its Chittagong unit chief Hasina Mannan, and deputy attorney general Fazilatunnesa Bappy.

The commission on Dec 1 declared the nomination papers of the five candidates valid after screening.

Parliament passed the Fifteenth Amendment to the constitution on June 30, increasing the number of reserved seats for women from the existing 45 to 50.

The Awami League got all five new seats with its majority, under the proportional representation (PR) system.

The ruling alliance has 256 seats in the ninth Parliament, while the opposition led by the BNP has 32 directly elected MPs from territorial constituencies.

Earlier, AL got 36 of 45 reserved seats for women, with BNP getting five and Jatiya Party four.

At a meeting held at Ganobhaban on Nov 26, the Awami League Parliamentary Board nominated the five as party representatives for the newly carved out women's reserved seats. With prime minister Sheikh Hasina the chair, the ALPB picked the five from a total 179 aspirants.

Hours after a Supreme Court directive, the Dhaka University has announced that fresh admission test for 'Ga' unit or business faculty in 2011-'12 academic sessions will be held on Dec 20.

The university syndicate took the decision on Wednesday evening, arts faculty dean Sadrul Amin told .

The admission test will be held from 3pm to 4pm, he informed.

The candidates who had appeared at the admission test on Oct 28 will be able to appear for the fresh test on their previous admit cards.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court overturned the High Court ruling on the admission test for 'Ga' unit and ordered the University of Dhaka to re-administer the exam.

A full bench of the top appellate court, led by the chief justice, in the ruling said the university will hold the test by Dec 21 for only those who had sat for the original exam on Oct 28.

The order came after hearing an appeal for an injunction on the High Court order to re-evaluate results of the first test.

The Appellate Division also ordered the premier university to keep the business faculty dean away from the re-examination.

Chamber judge Justice Syed Mahmud Hossain on Monday had forwarded the appeal of Dhaka University for temporary injunction to the full bench.

Results of 'Ga' unit admission test were published on Oct 31. The authorities re-evaluated the results after requests from examinees poured in, since a total of eight mistakes were found in the test paper. The number of successful candidates had trebled after re-evaluation of the scripts.

The university had initially decided to re-evaluate exam scripts but later said would conduct fresh test on Dec 9 upon complaints from the 'Ga' unit examinees.

Twelve candidates, who passed the test according to the first result, moved the High Court on Nov 22. The court ruled that the scripts should be re-evaluated instead of holding fresh examinations.

The High Court gave the ruling after it heard suggestions from Shahjalal University of Science and Technology professor Dr Muhammad Zafar Iqbal, and president of Dhaka University Teachers' Association Mohammad Anwar Hossain.