DT e-Paper, Saturday, 12 November, 2016

SECOND EDITION 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2016 | Kartik 28, 1423, Safar 11, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 195 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10 

Dream of a 

carjacker › 32 

Santal people’s fate remains unchanged › 2 

Dawood Merchant 

sent to India › 3 

‘What kind of justice 

is this?’ › 2 

New protocol demanded 

for climate displacement 

› 5 

Protest at Shahbagh against 

countrywide communal violence 

› 3

2 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12, 2016 

DT 

News 

‘What kind of justice is this?’ 

• Liakat Ali Badal, Rangpur 

“We were beaten and our houses were 

burnt to ashes after being looted. We 

were shot and wounded critically. And 

now they have handcuffed my ailing 

husband and tied a rope around his 

waist – what kind of justice is this?” 

Pani Murmu, the wife of a critically injured 

indigenous Santal undergoing treatment 

at Rangpur Medical College Hospital, 

posed the question while talking to 

the Dhaka Tribune yesterday afternoon. 

Her husband Charan Soren was 

shot by police during a clash between 

Santals and police on November 6 at 

Gobindaganj, Gaibandha. 

Demanding immediate arrest of 

those who attacked the Santals, Pani 

sought for the interference of Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

“There is no law in this country for 

us. The law is for the police,” she said 

in desperation. 

The bloody clash, where police were 

backed by a group of goons allegedly 

loyal to the local lawmaker, ultimately 

left three Santals killed at Madarpur and 

Joypur villages of Gobindaganj. 

During a spot visit to the hospital, 

this correspondent found severely 

wounded and handcuffed Charan Soren 

undergoing treatment at a surgical ward. 

Two policemen were guarding him. 

Charan, who was shot by rubber 

bullet, said: “A group of people aided 

Charan Soren 

by police evicted us from the land that 

belonged to our predecessors. They 

beat us and threw us out of our houses. 

They did not even allow us to take 

our belongings. They looted our valuables 

and set fire to our houses. 

“Police fired bullets at us indiscriminately 

when we tried to save our 

homes. I was shot at both my legs.” 

When he asked the police the reason 

for handcuffing, they said he had 

been accused in a violence case. 

As tears trickled down his cheeks 

Charan said he does not have the capability 

to bear the treatment cost. “The 

cost is being maintained by borrowed 

money and people’s donation.” 

Meanwhile, in orthopaedic Ward 

31, this correspondent found a handcuffed 

Bimal Kisku, severely wounded 

by police bullets. He was put to sleep 

with sedatives due to severe pain. 

Assistant Sub-Inspector Asad was 

tying a rope around his waist. Bimal 

also was shot at the legs. 

The doctor on duty said Bimal’s 

condition was not very well. 

Bimal’s wife Chichil said: “Instead of 

filing a case against those who looted and 

burnt our houses, the police filed cases 

against the helpless indigenous people.” 

She said: “What kind of humanity 

is this when a critically injured man is 

handcuffed and tied with a rope!” 

ASI Asad said: “The handcuff has 

been put to prevent him from fleeing.” • 

Santal people’s fate remains unchanged 

• Nure Alam Durjoy and Tazul 

Islam, Gaibandha 

Fates of the Santal victims of Madarpur 

village in Gobindaganj, 

Gaibandha are unchanged six days 

into violent attacks on their homes. 

Death toll from the incident 

reached three as another Santal 

man Romesh Shoren, 40, died on 

Thursday while under treatment. 

Family members said Romesh 

died while undergoing treatment 

secretly to avoid arrest; however, 

police say it was a regular death. 

Gobindaganj police OC Subroto 

Kumer Sarker told the Dhaka Tribune 

it was a regular death and had 

no connection with the conflict. 

The village, close to Sahebganj-Bagda 

farm in Gobindaganj, 

was looted and burned down on 

November 6. 

The affected families have taken 

shelter in neighbouring villages. 

Victims said yesterday that 

they have been in the same state 

without any security since the 

attack. 

Men, women and children cannot 

go out of their shelters due 

to fear of further assaults on the 

streets, they said. 

Rather the administration has 

asked them to leave their shelters, 

they alleged. 

“We are still in the same state. If 

you people from Dhaka do not help 

us, where will we go?” said Bhupen 

Mardy, one of the victims. 

Gobindaganj UNO Abdul Hannan 

said: “We visited Madarpur 

village yesterday and assured them 

that their children can go to schools 

and they can go out of the villages. 

“We also gave them our contact 

Police: New JMB runs arms smuggling syndicate 

• Mohammad Jamil Khan 

Using loopholes in border security, 

the terrorist group New Jama’atul 

Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) is 

now smuggling arms into Bangladesh 

from India, police have said. 

Members of the old JMB hiding 

across the border in West Bengal 

are the suppliers of these weapons. 

The two groups mainly use the 

Chapainawabganj and Joypurhat 

borders to bring in the arms, sometimes 

putting them inside mango 

baskets and sometimes inside 

shopping bags. The weapons originate 

in Malda and Bihar in India. 

Information from the interrogation 

of four New JMB members in 

custody and also some Indian arms 

smugglers had unveiled this network, 

a senior officer from police 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

Counter Terrorism and Transnational 

Crime (CTTTC) unit told the 

Dhaka Tribune. 

The four terrorists are Mizanur 

Rahman, Toufiqul Islam, Abu 

Taher and Selim Miah, the officer 

said. 

Ahmedul Islam, Assistant Commissioner 

(AC) of CTTC, admitted 

yesterday that the police had uncovered 

some information on this 

and were analysing them. 

The outgoing director general 

of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) 

Maj Gen Aziz Ahmed admitted that 

the force had limited capability to 

check smuggling of this nature. 

“We share a long border with 

India and we do not have sufficient 

capacity to check these activities,” 

he said. 

“We know that arms smugglers 

Losing everything, Santals of Gobindaganj, Gaibandha are now spending days under the sky. The photo was taken recently at 

Madarpur, Gobindaganj 

MEHEDI HASAN 

use sacks of rice or onion in big 

trucks to bring arms, but we have 

no vehicle scanners. It is quite impossible 

to check all these vehicles 

manually,” Maj Gen Ahmed said. 

BGB had placed demands to the 

Home Ministry for better equipment, 

the DG said. 

He pointed out that the lack of 

cooperation from law enforcement 

further aggravated the problem. 

“BGB members often check 

trucks manually based on intelligence 

reports and are sometimes 

successful in apprehending smugglers. 

The problem is, we do not got 

updates from the investigators once 

we turn the criminals in,” he said. 

Investigators say most of the 

arms used by New JMB came from 

India, even the modern AK-22 rifles. 

The modified AK -22 came 

from Bihar and entered Bangladesh 

through Chapainawbaganj. 

CTTC chief Monirul Islam says 

New JMB brought in the weapons 

through their own channels. 

“The militants did not take assistance 

from professional arms smugglers,” 

he told the Dhaka Tribune. 

“Although we have information 

that the AK-22s were modified in 

India, we are not sure where they 

were manufactured,” he said. 

According to investigators, New 

JMB leader Sagor of Joypurhat, 

Mizanur Rahman alias Boro Mizan 

of Gaibandha and Mizanur alias 

Chhoto Mizan worked as arms 

carriers, bringing the weapons 

through the border, while former 

JMB leader Sohel Mahfuz, who currently 

works for New JMB, looks 

after the syndicate’s activities in 

numbers so that they can inform 

us whenever they need security. 

But the problem is that the Santals 

do not want to talk to us. So it will 

take time to improve the situation 

here,” he said. 

But fear remains in the affected 

community. They say they cannot 

trust anyone anymore. 

“We are still suffering. There is 

nothing to trust anymore,” said Sri 

Ezekiel, another villager. 

A five member delegation of ruling 

Awami League, comprising of 

central working committee members, 

will visit the Santal living areas 

in Gobindaganj tomorrow. 

Human rights activists and leaders 

of indigenous community yesterday 

demanded judicial inquiry 

into the incident and compensation 

for the people affected during 

the clash. • 

West Bengal. The group’s leaders 

Nurul Islam Marjan and Rajib Gandhi 

handled the arms after they 

were delivered into Bangladesh by 

the carriers. 

ADC Sanowar Hossain of CTTC 

said: “We have not found any connection 

between New JMB and 

any arms smuggler. They collect 

them through their own sources 

and bring them into Bangladesh 

through the border.” 

According to sources, New JMB 

leader Shariful Islam, Mamunur 

Rashid and Junayed Khan have fled 

to India after the Gulshan attack 

and joined hands with Sohel Mahfuz 

there, trying to increase their 

capacity by collecting firearms. 

“We are now trying to assess 

New JMB’s arms capacity,” ADC Sanowar 

said. •

News 3 



Awami League 

getting strict 

with its own 

• Tribune Desk 

Awami League leadership has taken 

a tough stance on unruly behaviour 

of its leaders and activists as 

well as members of all its affiliates, 

in a bid to maintain the party’s image 

as well as its relationship with 

the public. 

The ruling party has recently 

has taken steps against a number of 

central leaders for their “disruptive 

and illegal activities”, and the party 

regulators have decided not to 

take responsibility for its members’ 

personal opinions and actions, party 

insiders told the Bangla Tribune. 

Awami League 

is committed to 

upholding discipline 

in the party. Anyone 

who harms that 

or undermines 

the government’s 

achievements will 

be punished 

The decision to have firmer control 

over party members came 

after they were accused of being 

involved – or found to be involved 

– in criminal activities that put the 

party in an embarrassing situation 

on several occasions. 

Sabbir Ahmed, general secretary 

of the Dhaka South unit of Chhatra 

League, the student affiliate, was 

expelled after he was seen toting a 

gun and shooting in broad daylight 

during a city eviction drive in Gulistan, 

Dhaka. A case was promptly 

filed against him as well. 

Meanwhile, three leaders of 

the local Awami League wing in 

Brahmanbaria’s Nasirnagar upazila 

were also expelled after they were 

found to have been involved in the 

vicious attack on the local Hindu 

community. 

Obaidul Quader, the newly elected 

general secretary, has said on 

several occasions that anyone compromising 

the party’s reputation 

will be dealt with accordingly. Senior 

leaders have said leaders and activist 

at all levels of the party would 

be informed of this new stance and 

would be instructed to maintain 

party reputation at all costs. 

Sources said Awami League President 

and Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina is unhappy about Nasirnagar 

attack and local MP Obaidul Moktadir 

Chowdhury’s part in it. 

During a meeting of the party’s 

central committee on Wednesday, 

she said the situation in Nasirnagar 

spiralled out of control because of a 

conflict between Obaidul and Fisheries 

Minister Sayedul Haque, which 

was unacceptable. 

“I made him district president of 

the party. I put him in the central 

committee? Why is he behaving 

like this, then? I will take him out 

of the committee?” she told other 

leaders, according to the insiders. 

Sources said the upper echelon 

of the party is focused on maintaining 

the party’s image ahead of 

the next general elections, which is 

why the leaders are adamant about 

establishing discipline within the 

party and its affiliates. 

Awami League Presidium Member 

Kazi Zafarullah said: “Awami 

League is committed to upholding 

discipline in the party. Anyone who 

causes harm to that, or undermines 

the achievements of the government, 

will be punished accordingly.” 

Awami League Joint General 

Secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif 

reiterated Zafarullah’s stance. 

“Awami League is the people’s 

party. It will never support those who 

are in the wrong – no matter which 

party they belong to. No one who is 

guilty will be spared,” he said. • 

BNP: Nasirnagar attacks are a conspiracy 

Students from different educational institutions stage demonstration at Shahbagh, Dhaka yesterday, protesting communal 

attacks and demanding removal of Minister of Fisheries and Livestock MP Sayedul Hoque 

RAJIB DHAR 

Dawood Merchant sent to India 

• Tribune Online Report 

Notorious gangster Abdul Rauf 

Merchant, commonly known as 

Dawood Merchant, was deported 

to India last week, following his 

release from Dhaka Central Jail on 

November 6, reports The Hindu. 

Merchant was flown to Mumbai 

on Thursday morning and produced 

in the Bombay High Court. 

Merchant, a former aide of top 

Mumbai-based criminal cartel boss 

Dawood Ibrahim, was convicted 

for the 1997 murder of singer and 

founder of record label T-Series 

Gulshan Kumar in 2002 and sentenced 

to life imprisonment. 

He jumped parole in 2009 and 

reportedly moved into hiding in 

Bangladesh. He was arrested in 

Brahmanbaria in November 2009 

for trespassing and possessing a 

fake Bangladeshi passport and was 

sent to Kashimpur jail in Gazipur. 

In November 2014, he was sent 

to Dhaka Central Jail after he was 

arrested – only four days after being 

released on bail – under Section 54 

of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 

which gives police the right to 

arrest anyone under suspicion. 

Since 2013, the Indian government 

has been pressing Bangladesh 

administration to fast-track 

his extradition. The talks gained 

pace in last couple of months since 

Merchant was up for release in the 

first week of November. 

Quoting top Indian police officials, 

The Hindu reports that Merchant 

was taken to Meghalaya by 

the Bangladeshi authorities and 

handed over to the Border Security 

Force, following his release from 

prison. A source in Bangladesh 

police high command, seeking anonymity, 

confirmed the matter to 

the Dhaka Tribune. 

A team of Mumbai Crime Branch 

officers went to Meghalaya on 

Wednesday to take his custody, 

The Hindu reported quoting Crime 

Branch officials. 

The Hindu says the whole extradition 

operation was conducted 

in close coordination by both the 

neighbouring governments with 

help from Interpol. 

However, an official statement 

says the BSF detained Merchant 

while he was trying to enter the 

country illegally. 

On November 11 last year, Anup 

Chetia, leader of the Indian separatist 

group United Liberation Front 

of Assam (Ulfa), was handed over 

to the Indian authorities. India in 

return, extradited Nur Hossain, the 

prime suspect in Narayanganj seven-murder 

case. 

Since then, rumours spread that 

Merchant might be handed over 

to India in exchange for notorious 

Bangladeshi criminals arrested in 

India and currently under Indian 

law enforcers’ custody. 

The process could not take place at 

the time as Merchant was accused in 

two cases. Later, he was released by 

the courts and he finally walked out 

of prison on Sunday. However, the jail 

authorities and the Ministry of Home 

Affairs said that he was released as he 

had fulfilled his sentence. • 

• Manik Miazee 

BNP standing committee member 

Nazrul Islam Khan said Nasirnagar 

attacks are part of a conspiracy 

hatched by the ruling party as they 

benefit from countrywide unrest. 

Yesterday at a human chain 

programme in front of the 

National Press Club, Nazrul stated 

the attacks are plotted to harass 

opposition party leaders and 

activists. 

“The pre-independence era saw 

these types of incidents. Analysing 

history, when the opposition party 

tries to protest against the government, 

the government responds by 

attacking minorities,” he added. 

Nazrul once again raised the 

demand for a judicial committee 

to carry out a neutral investigation 

into the Nasirnagar incidents. 

The human chain was held under 

the banner of Samprodayik 

Sampriti Forum, an organisation 

which protects the rights of the minority 

societies. 

“The ruling party planned the 

attacks on minority groups in Nasirnagar 

for political benefits. All 

religious groups should unite to 

prevent these incidents,” said BNP 

Senior Joint Secretary General Ruhul 

Kabir Rizvi at the programme. 

Participants at the human chain 

demanded resignation of Fisheries 

Minister Sayedul Haque for his 

comments about Hindus. •

4 



News 

Army contingent 

leaves for UN 

peacekeeping 

mission in Congo 


A 230-member contingent of Bangladesh 

Army left Dhaka yesterday 

to join the United Nations peacekeeping 

mission in Congo. 

The first flight of seven UN chartered 

flights left Shahjalal International 

Airport in the morning. The 

team of army personnel is part of 

replacement for 1,181 members in 

Congo, an ISPR press release said. 

Bangladeshi forces have been 

contributing directly to different 

UN peacekeeping operations in 

several countries “United Nations 

Multidimensional Integrated Stabilisation 

Mission in Congo (MINUS- 

CO)” from 2003. 

Bangladesh Army was involved 

with several welfare works as well as 

to ensure national security of Congo. 

The Government of Congo and 

UN have praised Bangladesh Army 

several times for their works. • 

Hasna Hena 

Children of Liberation War martyrs protesting communal attacks outside Dhaka 

Judge Court 

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Projonmo 71 protests countrywide 

communal attacks 


Projonmo 71, an organisation run 

by children of martyrs, formed a 

human chain in Dhaka Judge Court 

area yesterday and denounced the 

recent communal attacks in several 

district in the country. 

During the one-hour human 

chain from 11am to 12pm, speakers 

denounced the recent communal 

attacks on Hindus and Santals in 

Brahmanbaria, Habiganj and Gaibandha 

saying that people here have 

been living peacefully for thousands 

of years, said a press release. 

But now few people are trying to 

tarnish our communal harmony for 

their own interest, said the speakers. 

Later, representatives of ‘Projonmo 

'71’ visited Shankhari Bazaar 

Kali Mondir. Ashif Munier, son of 

martyr Prof Munier Chowdhury, 

Touhid Rezanur, son of Serajuddin 

Hossain and children of others 

freedom fighters and martyrs were 

present at the human chain. • 

Qadir's death 

anniversarry today 


Today is the 17th death anniversary 

of Hasna Hena Qadir, one of the 

founders of Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal 

Nirmul Committee. 

A milad mahfil will be held and 

food will be distributed among the 

poor in Dhaka in honour of Hasna 

Hena, said a press release. 

Hasna Hena was the wife of Lt 

Col M Abdul Qadir, who was martyred 

during the Liberation War, and 

mother of journalist Nadeem Qadir, 

press minister at the Bangladesh 

High Commission in London. •

Faith leaders for 

cutting fossil fuels 

• AFP 

Faith group leaders, supported by 

Nobel Peace Prize laureates Desmond 

Tutu and the Dalai Lama, 

called Thursday on sovereign 

wealth and pension funds to pull 

out from fossil fuel investments. 

They made their plea in an interfaith 

statement, released in 

Marrakesh on the sidelines of UN 

talks tasked with implementing a 

landmark climate treaty. 

Signatories also included 

Marcelo Sanchez Sorondo, Chancellor 

of the Pontifical Academy of 

Sciences; Olav Fykse Tveit, head of 

the World Council of Churches; and 

more than 200 other faith leaders. 

National and private investment 

funds have placed trillions of dollars in 

fossil fuel energy and related sectors. 

The Paris Agreement, seeks 

to beat back the threat of global 

warming, caused mainly by the 

burning of coal, oil and gas. 

The 196-nation pact calls for the 

rapid decarbonisation of the world 

economy -- essentially a switch 

from carbon-intensive to clean energy, 

especially solar and wind. 

The appeal was led by a pledge 

from the Islamic Society of North 

America, an umbrella group, to divest 

from fossil fuels and encourage sister 

organisations to do the same. • 

News 5 


CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE 

COP22 


New protocol demanded 

for climate displacement 

• Abu Siddique 

titled “Climate Displacement : Protecting 

and Promoting Rights of the in reference to the Doha decision. 

Implementation Mechanism (WIM) 

Rights groups yesterday urged global 

leaders to come to a consensus 

about the protection and promotion 

of the human rights of those 

Climate Migrants” held at COP22 in 

Marrakech. 

Sharing his experience of working 

with climate change migrants, 

Nina M Birkeland of Norwegian 

Refugee Council (NRC) said that the 

responsibility of climate displacement 

should not only be placed 

displaced by climate change across Climate Action Network South with the WIM, it should be an important 

the world. 

They also demanded a new protocol 

for the displaced like that of 

1951 UN Refugee convention that 

ensures justice for the most vulnerable 

as a result of global warming. 

“I must say that United Nations 

Framework Convention of Climate 

Change (UNFCCC) does not consider 

the issue seriously, and thereby 

it needs a new protocol,” said Azeb 

Girmi of LDC Watch from Ethiopia. 

The call came from a seminar 

Asia, Director, Sanjay Vashist said 

the number of displaced people 

and their migration in South Asia 

has been increasing which also has 

a higher impact on women. 

“It also has been creating tensions 

among communities and an 

imbalance of competition for scarce 

resources,”he added. 

Harjeet Singh of ActionAid International 

said that states especially 

most the vulnerable countries must 

push to include this issue in Warsaw 

issue in the UNFCCC pro- 

cess too. 

She urged for policy coherence on 

the issues with SDGs, Sendai Frame 

Work, UN Global compact on refugee 

and migration and WHS (World 

Humanitarian Summit) process. 

Bangladesh’s Environment secretary 

Dr Kamal Uddin Ahmed said, 

although Bangladesh is trying it’s 

best to protect the those displaced 

by climate change, the problem is 

so huge especially for 39 million living 

in coastal areas that its require 

global support for the protection of 

their human rights. 

The programme was jointly organized 

by several rights organisations 

including Action Aid (AA) International, 

Asia People Movement 

of Debt and Development (APM- 

DD), Climate Action Network South 

Asia (CAN South Asia) and Coastal 

Association for Social Transformation 

Trust (COAST). • 

Uncertainty looms over Paris Agreement 

• M Zakir Hossain Khan 

No matter whether the delegate 

represents government or a civil 

society organisation (CSO), at the 

end of the first week of Conference 

of Parties (COP22) most of the participants 

seemed gloomy over the 

presidential election results of the 

USA, the largest contributor to the 

global greenhouse gas emission 

that has already signed the Paris 

Agreement. Needless to mention 

that President-elect Donald 

Trump’s rigid stance over climate 

change is behind this worry. 

Global concerns have touched 

the UN Secretary General Ban 

Ki Moon also who considering 

an upcoming uncertainty said: 

“The United Nations will count 

on the new Administration (USA) 

to strengthen the bonds of international 

cooperation as we strive 

together to uphold shared ideals, 

combat climate change, advance 

human rights, promote mutual 

understanding and implement the 

Sustainable Development Goals 

(SDGs) to achieve lives of peace, 

prosperity and dignity for all.” 

However, morning shows the day! 

Climate skeptic Donald Trump has 

already selected Myron Ebell, one of 

the best-known climate skeptics to 

lead the US EPA transition team. 

It has been reportedly apprehended 

that ‘his participation in 

the EPA transition signals that the 

Trump team is looking to drastically 

reshape the climate policies the 

agency has pursued under the Obama 

administration.’ 

A burnt cow dreads the fire: – concerns 

grabbed the world intensely 

as US previously had set a bad 

example; even after signing the 

Kyoto Protocol by a predecessor 

after the new government came 

into US power they left the treaty. 

Consequently, concerns are growing 

whether the global goal to go 

for drastic reduction of the carbon 

emission to keep the temperature 

rise at least within 2 degree Celsius 

turns into rhetoric! 

With such a bleak scenario, developing 

country Parties as well as 

global crusaders against climate 

change have already doubted if 

the US commitment to mobilise of 

$3bn to the GCF would be fulfilled. 

The fund is supposed to be the major 

source of public finance for the 

adaptation process of developing 

countries. The country has released 

only $0.5bn of the committed $3bn. 

In Paris Agreement, the developed 

countries committed to meet 

the $100bn per annum target by 

2020 and to extend it until 2025 in 

Concerns grabbed the world intensely as US 

previously had set a bad example; even after 

signing the Kyoto Protocol by a predecessor 

after the new government came into US power 

they left the treaty 

The photo shows the right group members talk on the climate displacement issue 

in a side event at Mrarakech in COP22 

COURTESY 

the context of meaningful mitigation 

actions and transparency on 

implementation; it was also agreed 

that prior to 2025, the COP will set a 

new collective quantified goal from 

a floor of $100bn per year, taking 

into account the needs and priorities 

of developing countries. 

In line with the Paris Agreement, 

just few days ahead of 

COP22, 21 developed countries 

finally released the long-waited 

“Roadmap to $100bn”. Though this 

is only a step forward by the developed 

countries towards meeting 

the $100bn target, it is noteworthy 

that they have also reaffirmed 

their commitment to reach the 

long term finance goal, recognising 

adaptation as a priority for developing 

countries. However, even 

‘the doubling of present adaptation 

finance would be only 20% of the 

total $100bn in 2020”. 

Now question has arisen how 

the 50:50 balance in finance for 

adaptation and mitigation could be 

ensured. 

Moreover, the Roadmap couldn’t 

clearly clarify how far the adaptation 

finance will be adequately 

scaled-up; which portion of claimed 

climate finance will actually be 

grants, or grant equivalent, as due 

to not having the capacity for direct 

access from the GCF, some MDBs 

are imposing loan to vulnerable developed 

countries like Bangladesh 

in the name of concessional loan. 

Not only that, ‘some of the developed 

countries currently provide 

only around 10% of their committed 

climate specific finance for 

adaptation and have made insufficient 

or even no commitments on 

how they will change by 2020’. 

In the fourth day of COP22 negotiation, 

Philippines, for the G-77/ 

China also stressed on clarity on 

how to scale up climate finance 

and, with AILAC, on considering 

how to advance adaptation finance. 

Mentionable, the above Roadmap 

of the developed country Parties 

including US doesn’t include direction 

on whether the future finance 

against the claim for loss and damages 

would be over and above this 

$100bn. • 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

DRY WEATHER 

LIKELY 

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 12 

Dhaka 28 19 Chittagong 28 22 Rajshahi 33 19 Rangpur 31 18 Khulna 30 19 Barisal 31 19 Sylhet 32 17 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 5:13PM 

SUN RISES 6:12AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

31.6ºC 

16.8ºC 

Sylhet 

Tetulia 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Cox’s Bazar 30 21 

Fajr: 5:35am | Zohr: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:00pm | Magrib: 5:25pm 

Esha: 7:30pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 



News 

Sugar mill limps with old machinery 

• Kudorte Khoda Sobuj, 

Kushtia 

Though sugarcane production has 

increased this year, productivity of 

Kushtia Sugar Mill is on the decline 

due to its above 50 years old dilapidated 

machineries. 

Since 1965-66 fiscal, the mill 

has been continuing its production 

with the same machineries, most 

of which remain out of order one 

after another, hampering sugar 

production severely over the past 

several years. 

Even during the peak season of 

sugarcane harvesting, the mills remain 

closed very often. 

Though the mill could produce 

two thousand metric tons sugur 

during the peak season in 2015-16 

fiscal, it has set the target at 4,900 

metric tons this year, according to 

the mill sources. 

While talking to our correspondent, 

local farmers said due to some 

initiatives of Bangladesh Sugar 

and Food Industries Corporation 

(BSFIC) they became interested in 

sugarcane cultivation and that was 

why sugarcane production had increased 

this year. 

But they had to face troubles to 

get the payment after selling sugarcanes, 

the farmers added. 

However, the mill will start sugur 

production for this fiscal on December 

8. 

Nurul Islam Suruj, an employee 

of the mill, said the workers and 

staff of the mill had to suffer, as the 

mill could not continue its production 

most of the time, even during 

the peak season. 

Md Faruk Hossain, president of 

the mill’s workers and employees’ 

union, said the mill has been running 

its operation with the machineries 

it started its journey. 

“Most of the machineries have 

become dilapidated and go out of 

order very often, causing losses of 

the mill over the past several years. 

The machines of the mills need 

balancing, modernisation, rehabilitation 

and expansion, BMRE as 

termed in the industry to turn it 

into a profitable organisation,” Faruk 

said. 

Mijanur Rahman, managing director 

of the mill, said, “Implementation 

of BMRE in the mill is under 

process. Once it is implemented, 

the mill can become a profitable 

organistaion.” 

Besides, the farmers were provided 

with fertilizer, seed and pesticides 

and other facilities, which 

had boosted the sugarcane production 

this year, added Mijanur. • 

Tributes paid at Maynamati 

War Cemetery 

• Mohiuddin Molla, Comilla 

Representatives and High Commissioners 

of eight Commonwealth 

countries paid their rich tributes to 

slain soldiers of Second World War 

by placing wreaths at their graves 

at Maynamati War Cemetery, 

Comilla yesterday. 

High Commissioner and representatives 

of Canada, Australia, European 

Union, Japan, Spain and Malaysia 

led by UK High Commissioner 

remembered the late soldiers. 

Major General Md Rashed Amin, 

commanding officer of 33 infantry 

placed wreath on behalf of Bangladesh. 

After laying the wreath, they 

stood in solemn silence for some 

time as a mark of respect to the 

memory of the slain soldiers, died 

in Second World War. 

Some 738 soldiers were buried 

at Maynamati War Cemetery during 

Second World War from 1941 to 1945. 

Commonwealth Grave Commission 

takes care of the cemetery. • 

Representatives 

and High 

Commissioners 

of eight 

Commonwealth 

countries 

paid their rich 

tributes to 

slain soldiers of 

Second World 

War by placing 

wreaths at 

their graves 

at Maynamati 

War Cemetery, 

Comilla 

yesterday 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

Today is the disastrous 

November 12 

• Ranajit Chandra Kuri, 

Noakhali 

Today is the terrible November 

12. On the day in 1970, 

a tropical cyclone hit the 

southern parts of the country. 

Recalling the day, different 

socio-cultural organisations 

arranged milad and doa mahfi 

l . 

Around 100,000 people 

and thousand of houses, cattle 

and animals have been 

washed away by tide on this 

day. Most of the bodies were 

buried without shrouds and 

the entire area turned into a 

lifeless land. 

The storm was formed in 

the Bay of Bengal. 

On the night of the cyclone, 

wind blew over 115 

kilometres. 

The tide rose 12 to 15 feet 

above. Deadly waves swept 

across the densely populated 

areas of coastal belt. 

Haji Fazlul Hoque 71, an 

inhabitant of Char Clerk 

union parishad in Noakhali, 

said: “My six sons were 

washed away by tide in front 

of my eyes. Holding a tree, I 

managed to survive. No one 

was there to bury them expect 

me.” 

Ruhul Matin 73, an inhabitant 

of Charbata union 

parishad, said: “The day was 

the 10th of Ramadan. Twelve 

family members, including 

my son, uncle, aunt, sister 

and nephew, were washed 

away by tide. 

Tanjaber Nesa, 79, a survivor 

from the disastrous flood 

and a resident of Purba Charbata 

union, said on the day, 

12 members of her family and 

14 members of her brother’s 

family died. 

Abdur Rob, president of 

Subarnachar Red Crescent 

Society, said as a result of 

climate change, natural disasters 

could happened any 

time and many lives might be 

lost. There were 120 cyclone 

shelters for about 400,000 

people which was not sufficient. 

He said the government 

should establish a regional 

metrological office in the 

southern region so that the 

people of the coastal areas 

could be conscious and take 

measures following weather 

forecast. •

News 7 



Fazilatunnesa Eye Hospital a 

public, not private, property 

Accountant allegedly gabbles up Tk3.5 millions from hospital fund 

• Manoj Kumar Saha, 

Gopalganj 

To ease the suffering of local eye patients’ 

the government has established 

an eye hospital in Gopalganj 

in the name of Sheikh Fazilatunnesa 

Mujib, wife of Bangabandhu 

Sheikh Munjbur Rahman. But Accountant 

of the Hospital Md Humayun 

Kabir of Sheikh Fazilatunnesa 

Eye Hospital and Training Institute 

is running the institute as his own 

property. 

Several officials of the institute 

wishing anonymity said Humayun 

Kabir was appointed as an accountant 

of the institute, but he also 

worked as administrative officer 

and storekeeper. 

Hospital sources alleged that 

Humayun Kabir embezzled nearly 

Tk35 lakh showing fake receipts 

and vouchers in the name of buying 

papers and vehicles’ parts. 

An official of the hospital without 

disclosing his name, said: 

“Humayun Kabir is using assistant 

director’s air-conditioned room as 

his office. He also gripped four cabins 

on the 5th floor of the hospital 

and used to live there with family 

his members. Apart from these, 

Humayun is also using a cabin as 

his kitchen.” 

A nurse of the hospital alleged 

that Humayun Kabir took Tk2,500 

each from 104 nurses of the hospital 

assuring that he would take 

steps to fix their salary, but he did 

2 new trains for 

Dhaka-Kolkata 

• Mehedi Hasan, Chuadanga 

A pair new passenger trains were 

introduced on Dhaka-Kolkata route 

yesterday. 

India Railways Minister Suresh 

Prabhu inaugurated one train from 

Delhi via video conference around 

7:10am at the Chitpur Railway Station, 

Kolkata yesterday. The other one will 

be inaugurated by Railways Minister 

Mazibul Hoque today around 8am at 

Cantonment Railway Station, Dhaka. 

The 449-seat train made its first 

journey with 211 passengers and 

reached at Darshana Railway Station 

around 11:35am. 

Mithun Das, a passenger, said: 

“The new train is comfortable and I 

am satisfied with its service.” Mir Liakot 

Ali, superintendent of Darshana 

International Railway Station, said: 

“Train service between Bangladesh 

and India is getting popularity.” • 

Accountant of Md Humayun Kabir of Sheikh Fozilatunnesa Eye Hospital and Training Institute has set his family at a cabin in 

the hospital. The photo was taken yesterday 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

not take any single step over the 

issue. He also rented 4th, 5th and 

6th floor’s rooms to several persons 

and employees of the hospital. 

Abul Kalam, hailed from Faridpur 

district, said: “I was compelled 

to buy a black eyeglass from hospital 

authorities at Tk100, but it is 

only Tk30 in the outside. Hospital 

authorities forced me to buy this 

from them.” 

When contacted, Humayun Kabir 

denied all the allegations. 

He said: “We have power to 

spend the contingency money of 

public works and we have bought 

papers and vehicles’ parts with the 

money.” 

He also said: “My family members 

came here for checkup and are 

using cabins as patients.” 

AK Fazlul Haque, treasurer of 

Gopalganj Public Works Department, 

said: “Sheikh Fazilatunnesa 

Eye Hospital and Training 

Institute authorities have already 

taken Tk3.5 millions for different 

purposes. 

However, Bimol Chandra Gayen, 

newly appointed director 

of the hospital, said: “I do not 

know anything about money or 

vouchers.” • 

Police send letter to Facebook 

seeking help to identify culprits 

• FM Mizanur Rahaman, 

Chittagong 

Chittagong Range Police has sent 

an official letter to Facebook 

through the Police Headquarters 

to help identify the culprits behind 

the post that created large scale 

communal violence in Nasirnagar, 

Brahmanbaria on October 30. 

The investigation has learned 

that the same defamatory photos 

were also being circulated in different 

districts including Comilla 

and Chandpur with a deliberate 

intention of inciting communal violence. 

Police has confirmed that attacks 

on the Hindu community 

was deliberate and planned to destroy 

the communal harmony in 

the country. 

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) 

of Chittagong Range, Md Shafiqul 

Islam told the Dhaka Tribune “The 

defamatory photos were uploaded 

from an account with the name 

Washim.Bd on Facebook ID. The 

photos were circulated from that 

account and we’ve written a letter 

to the Facebook through the Police 

Headquarters to help find the 

identify of that account holder and 

where it is operating from.” 

DIG Shafiqul said: “The same 

photos were found in the cell 

phones of different persons in 

Comilla and Chandpur in a bid to 

destroy communal harmony while 

police took immediate action in 

this regard and brought the situation 

under control with the help of 

local people.” 

“Police has also learned of some 

names during their investigation 

which are now being verifying,” the 

DIG said. 

The high police official said 

criminals planned and carried out 

the attacked to give the government 

a bad name. 

“The Superintendent of Police 

(SP) of Brahmanbaria has been 

asked to find the details of the ID 

while we are monitoring similar 

kinds of Facebook accounts,”said 

DIG Shafiqul. 

After the brutal attack on the 

minority community, it was later 

found, that Rasraj’s Facebook account 

was used by someone else, 

originally posted from an account 

of named Washim.Bd. • 

Ruet closed 

following 

BCL clash 

• Abdullah Al Dulal, Rajshahi 

The Rajshahi University of Engineering 

and Technology (Ruet) 

authorities have suspended all 

academic activities for one week 

after two groups of the Bangladesh 

Chhatra League clashed over a 

missing laptop. 

Students have been asked to vacate 

residential halls by 3pm on Friday, 

Public Relations Office Deputy 

Director Golam Mortuza told the 

Dhaka Tribune. 

He said the decision to temporarily 

shut the university came 

from an academic council meeting 

on Friday morning. Classes will 

resume on November 19, Mortuza 

added. 

Two factions of the ruling Awami 

League’s student front fought 

pitched battles on Tuesday and 

Wednesday nights over a missing 

laptop on the campus. At least one 

person was injured. 

The injured student identified 

as Masum Akhand was admitted to 

Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. 

Some agitated students’ assaulted 

Siddhartha Roy, a student of 

chemistry department, on Tuesday 

night over the laptop steal. The 

incident further intensified the rivalry 

between the factions on campus 

on Thursday night. • 

‘AL men should 

not be their 

own rivals’ 

• Modiuddin Molla, Comilla 

Road Communication and Bridges 

Minister Obaidul Quader and 

also General Secretary of Awami 

League yesterday said leaders and 

activists of the party should take 

steps coutioniously so that they 

would not be their own rivals. 

The minister also urged leaders 

and activists of the party to work in 

a friendly manner to resist outsiders’ 

intervention in the party. 

The newly-appointed general 

secretary also asked party men to 

obey party’s rules and regulation 

stricly. He said leaders and activists, 

who would not follow party’s 

desciplines, would be expelled 

from the party. 

The minister made the statement 

while a addressing rally in 

Padua Bazar area, Comilla on his 

way to Chittagong from Dhaka in 

the morning. 

During his travel to Chittagong, 

the minister addressed rallies at 

Daudkandi and Alekhachar. While 

speaking at the rallies, the minister 

thanked Prime Minister Sheikh 

Hasina for making him General 

Secretary of the ruling party. •


8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

Six dead as Afghan Taliban 

strike German consulate 

An attack on the German consulate 

in the northern Afghan city of 

Mazar-e-Sharif on late Thursday, 

killed at-least six civilians and 

wounded hundreds of others but 

all the Germans at the compound 

have been rescued, the police 

chief of the local province said. At 

least 128 others were wounded, he 

added. AFP 

INDIA 

13 dead in Indian garment 

factory fire 

13 workers died in a fire at a suspected 

illegal garment factory on 

the outskirts of the Indian capital 

early Friday as they slept in the 

workshop. The blaze started in the 

early hours of the morning on the 

ground floor of the narrow residential 

building, which was being used 

to make fake leather jackets, on the 

eastern edge of New Delhi. AFP 

CHINA 

Xi vows zero tolerance for 

separatist movements 

China will never allow any part of 

its territory to break off, President 

Xi Jinping said on Friday, within 

a week of reining in Hong Kong 

independence moves and ignoring 

Taiwan’s urging to heed democratic 

aspirations in the Asian financial 

hub. “We will never allow any 

person, any group, any political 

party, at any time, in any way, to 

split from China any part of its 

territory,” said Xi. REUTERS 

ASIA PACIFIC 

S Korea govt urges calm 

ahead of anti-Park rally 

The South Korean government 

called for calm ahead of a mass 

rally against President Park 

Geun-Hye, expected to be one of 

the largest seen in Seoul since the 

pro-democracy protests of the 

1980s. Police said they were planning 

for a crowd of around 170,000 

for Saturday’s demonstration to 

demand Park step down over a 

corruption scandal that has left her 

fighting for her political life. AFP 

MIDDLE EAST 

Egypt protest calls largely 

unheeded 

Egyptian police quashed a few 

small protests across the country 

on Friday and arrested dozens of 

protesters as calls for an uprising 

against the rising prices largely 

went unheeded. There had been 

calls on social media, backed by 

the banned Muslim Brotherhood 

opposition group, for protests on 

Friday against rising prices and 

President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. AFP 

Civil rights: A major concern on second 

day of anti-Trump protests 

• Reuters, Washington/New 

York 

Demonstrators took to the streets 

across the US for a second day to 

protest against Donald Trump’s 

presidential election victory, voicing 

fears that the real estate mogul’s 

triumph would deal a blow 

to civil rights. 

On the East Coast, protests 

took place in DC, Baltimore, Philadelphia 

and New York, while on 

the West Coast demonstrators rallied 

in Los Angeles, San Francisco 

and Oakland in California, and 

Portland, Oregon. 

The protests were for the most 

part peaceful and orderly, although 

there were scattered acts 

of civil disobedience and damage 

to property. 

Protesters threw objects at 

police in Portland and damaged 

cars in a dealership lot, the Portland 

Police Department said on 

Twitter. Some protesters sprayed 

graffiti on cars and buildings and 

smashed store front windows, 

media in Portland said. 

Portland police arrested a 

handful of protesters and used 

pepper spray and rubber bullets in 

an attempt to disperse the crowd, 

the department said on Twitter. 

Dozens in Minneapolis marched 

onto Interstate 94, blocking traffic 

in both directions for at least an 

hour as police stood by. A smaller 

band of demonstrators briefly halted 

traffic on a busy Los Angeles freeway 

before police cleared them off. 

Baltimore police reported about 

600 people marched through the 

downtown Inner Harbor area, with 

some blocking roadways by sitting 

in the street. Two people were arrested, 

police said. 

In Denver, a crowd that media 

estimated to number about 3,000 

gathered on the grounds of the Colorado 

state capitol and marched 

through downtown in one of the 

largest of Thursday’s events. Hundreds 

demonstrated through Dallas. 

Thursday’s gatherings were 

generally smaller in scale and less 

intense than Wednesday’s, and 

teenagers and young adults again 

dominated the racially mixed 

crowds. 

In the nation’s capital, about 

100 protesters marched from 

the White House, where Trump 

had his first transition meeting 

with President Barack Obama on 

Thursday, to the Trump International 

Hotel several blocks away. 

At least 200 people rallied there 

after dark, many of them chanting 

“No hate! No fear! Immigrants are 

welcome here!” and carrying signs 

with such slogans as “Impeach 

Trump” and “Not my president.” • 

Trump and Obama set campaign rancour aside 

with White House meeting 

• Reuters, Washington 

A Donald Trump pinata is burned by people protesting the election of Republican Donald Trump as the president of the 

United States in downtown Los Angeles, California US on November 9 

REUTERS 

US President Barack Obama and 

President-elect Donald Trump 

met on Thursday for the first time, 

setting aside the deep rancour that 

dominated the long campaign season 

to discuss the transition to the 

Republican’s inauguration on January 

20. 

Their 90-minute meeting in the 

White House Oval Office, with no 

aides present, took place just two 

days after Trump’s stunning election 

victory over Hillary Clinton, 

Obama’s former secretary of state. 

Obama, who vigorously campaigned 

for his fellow Democrat 

to succeed him, had repeatedly 

called Trump unfit for the president’s 

office, while the businessman 

had often dubbed Obama’s 

eight-year tenure a disaster. 

But in separate post-election 

remarks on Wednesday, both men 

appeared to seek to help the country 

heal from a bitterly divisive 

campaign, and that tone continued 

into the White House meeting. 

Seated next to Obama after 

their talks, Trump told reporters: 

“We really discussed a lot of situations, 

some wonderful, some 

difficulties.” He said Obama explained, 

“some of the really great 

things that have been achieved,” 

but did not elaborate. 

“It was a great honour being 

with you and I look forward to 

being with you many, many more 

times in the future,” Trump said, 

with a tone of deference. 

“A fantastic day in DC Met with 

President Obama for first time. 

Really good meeting, great chemistry,” 

Trump said on Twitter late 

on Thursday. 

Obama said he had offered assistance 

to Trump over the next 

couple of months, and urged the 

country to unite to face its challenges. 

US President Barack Obama meets with President-elect Donald Trump in the 

Oval Office of the White House in Washington on November 10 

REUTERS 

“We now are going to want to 

do everything we can to help you 

succeed because if you succeed, 

then the country succeeds,” Obama 

said, adding he and Trump 

discussed a range of domestic and 

foreign policy issues and details 

related to the transition period. 

“The meeting might have 

been at least a little less awkward 

than some might have expected,” 

White House spokesman Josh Earnest 

told reporters. 

The two men’s relaxed, cordial 

demeanour in front of the cameras 

was in stark contrast to the 

months of harsh rhetoric during 

the campaign. •

World 

Iraq troops battle IS in Mosul, UN 

says dozens executed 

• AFP, Mosul 

Britain’s Brexiteers eye opportunity in Trump win 

• AFP, London 

Donald Trump’s improbable election 

has buoyed eurosceptics in 

Britain, who hope London’s “special 

relationship” with the world’s 

top economy will result in lucrative 

post-Brexit trade. 

US President Barack Obama 

warned that Britain would be at 

the “back of the queue” for trade 

deals if it left the bloc but Trump 

was pro-Brexit and will likely look 

more favourably on its trans-Atlantic 

partner, say Brexiteers. 

The president-elect’s attitude to 

Britain leaving the bloc was “more 

positive than the hostile approach” 

of Obama, noted prominent Conservative 

lawmaker and ardent eurosceptic 

Jacob Rees-Mogg. 

Trump, whose mother was 

born in Britain, hailed the vote to 

leave the EU as “a fantastic thing” 

Recently displaced people rush a food distribution point in Khazer refugee camp, Iraq on November 11 

and pledged that Britain would 

“certainly not be at the back of the 

queue” under his presidency. 

Fellow Conservative Bernard 

Jenkin told the City AM financial 

newspaper- “President Trump 

might not be to our taste but we 

must calculate our national interest. 

“He will not put logs on the 

track in front of Brexit in the same 

way Clinton might have,” said the 

influential eurosceptic. 

Britain in best position 

Seeking to capitalise on a Trump 

presidency, Prime Minister Theresa 

May wasted no time in emphasising 

strong trans-Atlantic ties as 

she bids to forge new trade links 

outside the EU. 

In her congratulatory message to 

Trump on Wednesday, she carefully 

avoided sensitive subjects - unlike 

German Chancellor Angela Merkel 

Elite Iraqi troops battled the Islamic 

State group in the streets of 

Mosul on Friday, as the UN reported 

IS jihadists had executed dozens 

of people inside the city for 

alleged “treason”. With IS also on 

the defensive in neighbouring Syria, 

US-backed forces pressed an 

advance on jihadist bastion Raqa 

after a sandstorm eased. 

The high winds in the desert 

which separates the Syrian Kurdish-Arab 

militia alliance from the 

jihadists’ stronghold in the Euphrates 

Valley had slowed their 

advance on Thursday as visibility 

levels plummeted. 

Iraqi forces too had regrouped 

after meeting stronger than expected 

resistance from IS fighters on the 

east bank of the Tigris River which 

runs through Mosul after thrusting 

into the built-up area last week. 

Commanders of Iraq’s elite Counter-Terrorism 

Service (CTS) said that 

troops were advancing on two eastern 

neighbourhoods of the city. 

In a house near the front line, 

Staff Lieutenant Colonel Muntadhar 

Salem clutched a radio in 

one hand and a tablet in the other 

with a map showing several rows 

of buildings recaptured by CTS. 

As the troops waited for orders 

to push forward, incoming mortar 

rounds shook the pink curtains on 

the windows of the house. 

Inside Mosul itself, IS fighters 

reportedly shot dead more than 

60 people this week and hung 

some of their bodies from poles 

after claiming they had collaborated 

with Iraqi troops, the UN human 

rights office said Friday. 

“On Tuesday, IS reportedly 

shot and killed 40 civilians in 

Mosul city after accusing them of 

‘treason and collaboration’” with 

the ISF, rights office spokeswoman 

Ravina Shamdasani said in a 

statement released in Geneva. 

And on Wednesday, IS slaughtered 

another 20 people at the Ghabat 

Military Base in northern Mosul 

after accusing them of “leaking 

information,” the UN statement 

said. The battle to retake Mosul is 

now in its fourth week, and while 

troops have entered the builtup 

area, there are weeks, if not 

months, of fighting still to go. 

“Our forces have begun the attack 

on Arbajiyah. The clashes are 

ongoing,” Salem said, referring to 

an area in the east of the city. 

‘Within firing range’ 

The latest fighting came “after a 

few days of quiet,” he said. 

Another CTS officer, Lieutenant 

Colonel Ali Hussein Fadhel, 

said that the first row of buildings 

in Arbajiyah had been seized. 

“We are within firing range of 

Karkukli but the full attack has not 

yet started,” he said, referring to 

another eastern neighbourhood. 

Iraqi forces launched the operation 

to retake Mosul on October 

17, with federal and Kurdish regional 

forces closing in on the city 

and French President Francois 

Hollande - to highlight the strong 

“trade, security and defence” ties 

between London and Washington. 

And writing in the Spectator 

magazine, political commentator 

Douglas Murray said that in terms 

of trade, Britain was “in the best 

possible position” with Trump in 

the White House. 

“Everything Trump has ever 

said suggests that he is exceptionally 

well-disposed towards the country 

where his mother was born. In 

recent times such an attitude could 

not be taken for granted,” he wrote. 

That could bode well for the 

so-called “special relationship” between 

Britain and the United States. 

May 10th on call list 

And there are early signs that 

Trump may not prioritise the US’s 

traditional “special relationship.” 

REUTERS 

from three sides. 

Pro-government Shiite paramilitaries 

later began an advance 

on the town of Tal Afar, which 

commands the city’s western approaches, 

with the goal of cutting 

the jihadists off from territory they 

control in neighbouring Syria. 

The advance up the Tigris Valley 

from the south has been slowest. 

The troops on that front had the 

farthest to cover, with a string of 

jihadist-held towns in their path. 

On Thursday, the battle neared 

the remains of ancient Nimrud, 

some 30km south of Mosul, raising 

fears for the famed heritage 

site already ravaged by jihadist 

bombs and sledgehammers. • 

The president-elect spoke to nine 

other leaders, including from Ireland, 

Egypt and Australia, before 

telephoning May, much to the annoyance 

of British media. 

Tom Raines, from the Chatham 

House international affairs thinktank, 

said that with his radical 

policies, Trump could end up hobbling 

the Brexit negotiations. 

“I do not regard Trump as a 

useful ally for Britain as it leaves 

the EU. If she had been elected, 

Hillary Clinton would likely have 

been a strong advocate for a Brexit 

settlement,” he told AFP. 

Though Britain’s vote to leave 

the EU contained a desire to play 

an enhanced global role, that 

largely depends upon cooperation 

with the United States. 

“In president Trump, the UK now 

finds itself stuck between a Trump 

rock and a Brexit hard place.” • 

9 



USA 

Snowden urges action not 

fear of Trump 

Former National Security Agency 

contractor Edward Snowden has 

urged people to work together to 

protect themselves from intrusive 

government surveillance as Donald 

Trump prepares to move into the 

White House. “If we want to have 

a better world, we cannot hope for 

an Obama and we should not fear 

a Donald Trump. Rather we should 

build it ourselves,” Snowden said 

late Thursday, in a live video chat 

from Russia. AFP 

THE AMERICAS 

Venezuela crisis talks 

resume amid Trump 

tension 

Venezuela’s political rivals are to sit 

down at the negotiating table Friday 

to resume fraught talks on the 

country’s volatile crisis. Socialist 

President Nicolas Maduro and his 

opponents declared a truce 10 days 

ago to ease tension in a country 

struck by food shortages. Their political 

struggle had provoked mass 

street protests and stern warnings 

from the government. AFP 

UK 

Scottish leader slams 

Trump’s abhorrent views 

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon 

on Thursday urged US president-elect 

Donald Trump to abandon 

his “deeply abhorrent” campaign 

rhetoric and work to strengthen 

ties with his mother’s homeland. 

Sturgeon told the regional Scottish 

Parliament on Thursday that she 

was not prepared to stay silent in the 

face of “attitudes of racism, sexism, 

misogyny or intolerance”. AFP 

EUROPE 

Migrants in Serbia march 

towards Croatian border 

Some 150 migrants, trapped in 

Serbia, set out on Friday to walk 

about 125km to the Croatian border, 

demanding free and secure passage 

towards Europe. Police are following 

the group along the highway connecting 

Belgrade and the border. Last 

month another group tried a similar 

protest march towards the Hungarian 

border, but eventually decided to 

return to Belgrade. REUTERS 

AFRICA 

Congo mayor suggests 

political motive in 

massacres 

An influential mayor in eastern Congo 

has suggested political leaders in 

the country may have been involved 

in a string of recent massacres in the 

unstable region. Between 700 and 

1,300 people have been killed, mostly 

hacked to death, in attacks in the 

troubled area around the town of 

Beni, in North Kivu province, since 

October 2014. AFP

10 



World 

ANALYSIS 

Nuclear weapons: How foreign hotspots 

could test Trump’s finger on the trigger 

• Tribune International Desk 

On Donald Trump’s first day in office 

he will be handed the “nuclear 

biscuit” – a small card with the 

codes he would need to talk to the 

Pentagon war room to verify his 

identity in the event of a national 

security crisis. 

Some presidents have chosen to 

keep the “biscuit” on them, though 

that is not foolproof. Jimmy Carter 

left his in his clothes when he sent 

them to the dry-cleaners. Bill Clinton 

had it in his wallet with his credit 

cards, but then lost the wallet. 

Others have chosen to give the 

card to an aide to keep in a briefcase, 

known as the “nuclear football”, 

together with a manual containing 

US war plans for different 

contingencies and one on “continuity 

of government”, where to go 

to ensure executive authority survives 

a first nuclear strike. 

The “biscuit” and “football” are 

the embodiment of the awesome, 

civilisation-ending power that will 

be put in Trump’s hands on 20 January. 

They only become relevant 

in very rare moments of extreme 

crisis, but a US president’s ability 

to manage crises around the world 

will help determine whether they 

become extreme. 

There is one such situation already 

in the in-tray Trump will 

find on his desk, on the Korean 

peninsula, where the North Korean 

regime is rapidly developing a 

long-range nuclear missile. Another 

could blow up at any time with 

Russia, whose warplanes are flying 

increasingly close to Nato planes 

and ships in a high-stakes game of 

chicken. And Trump could trigger a 

third crisis, with Iran, if he follows 

through with his threat to tear up 

last year’s agreement curbing its 

nuclear programme in return for 

sanctions relief. 

The temperament question 

During the campaign, 10 former US 

nuclear launch officers, who once 

manned missile silos and held the 

keys necessary to execute a launch 

order, signed a letter saying Trump 

should not have his “finger on the 

button” because of his temperament. 

One of those former officers, 

Bruce Blair, said that if US early 

warning radar showed the country 

was under attack by nuclear 

missiles, there would be time for a 

president to receive a briefing that 

could be as short as 30 seconds and 

the commander-in-chief would 

then have between three and 12 

minutes to make up his mind. He 

The world has five official “nuclear weapons states” – the United States, 

Russia, China, Britain and France, signatories of the Non-Proliferation 

Treaty. India, Pakistan and North Korea have also conducted nuclear 

tests, while Israel is widely believed to have the bomb 

NUCLEAR WEAPONS STATES 

Number of warheads 

UNITED STATES* 

500 

RUSSIA** 

Sources: Federation of American Scientists, Nuclear Threat Initiative 

would have to take into account 

that the early warning system had 

been wrong before and could be 

vulnerable to ever more sophisticated 

hacking. 

North Korea 

Kim Jong-un has accelerated testing 

of nuclear weapons and missiles, 

and most analysts believe he 

will reach the capability of making 

a miniaturised warhead that could 

be put on an intercontinental ballistic 

missile capable of reaching 

the US west coast within Trump’s 

first term as president. 

Daryl Kimball, the executive 

director of the Arms Control Association, 

said that Pyongyang could 

2,200 

2,500 

Strategic, operationally deployed 

Tactical battlefield, operationally deployed (200 in Europe) 

CHINA 

400 

Reserve (active and inactive) 

Strategic, 250; tactical, 150 

seize the opportunity of presidential 

transition to test Trump’s mettle. 

“I am worried about the people 

Trump is going to put in charge on 

that file,” Kimball said. “He is facing 

a very empty bench. Many of 

the Republican foreign policy establishment 

are ‘never-Trumpers’, 

and the North Korea problem is not 

going to wait.” 

Trump has offered to talk to 

Kim, offering the possibility of 

breaking through the diplomatic 

impasse that has cut off almost all 

engagement with the regime. But a 

unilateral move could unnerve US 

allies in the region, already anxious 

about Trump’s remarks during the 

campaign suggesting they do not 

4,138 

FRANCE 300 Four submarines, 60 bombers, 

plus carrier-based aircraft 

UK 200 Four submarines, each armed 

with up to 16 Trident missiles 

OTHER DECLARED NUCLEAR NATIONS Trident C-4 

INDIA 

PAKISTAN 

N KOREA 

UNDECLARED 

ISRAEL 

100 

30-50 

8 est. 

100-200 

* Excludes 4,200 retired 

warheads of which 350 

are dismantled each year 

** Excludes 8,150 reserve 

or awaiting dismantlement 

SS-N-18 missile 

5,200 

© GRAPHIC NEWS 

contribute enough to deserve the 

shelter of the US nuclear umbrella. 

Iran 

Trump has threatened to tear up 

the nuclear deal six major powers 

signed with Iran last year, in which 

Iran scaled down its nuclear programme 

in return for relief from international 

sanctions. He and other 

Republicans have argued that the 

US would get more concessions if 

they reapplied sanctions. 

“That would be a catastrophic 

decision,” Acton said. “The other 

parties to this deal would still 

consider themselves bound by it, 

whether or not the US did. If we 

withdrew, the Iranians would demand 

redress, and the other parties 

would be sympathetic. If you 

want to put pressure on Iran you 

need multilateral sanctions. Behaving 

unilaterally is very unlikely 

to work.” 

Even before taking office, 

Trump would be under heavy pressure 

from the other parties to the 

deal – the UK, France, Germany, 

Russia and China – who have started 

investing and trading with Iran, 

not to deliver on his threat. 

Doing so could isolate the US 

and potentially trigger a nuclear 

arms race in the Gulf. 

Russia 

Trump has claimed he could improve 

relations with Russia, and 

in particular with Vladimir Putin 

personally, that would defuse the 

high tensions over Ukraine and 

Syria. Such deals could well be at 

the expense of the people of those 

countries, but could conceivably 

lessen the chances of a complete 

end to arms control and the return 

to an expensive and dangerous nuclear 

arms race. Hans Kristensen, a 

nuclear expert at the Federation of 

American Scientists (FAS), points 

out that the deepest cuts in nuclear 

arsenals have been achieved by Republican 

administrations. 

“Republicans love nuclear 

weapons reductions, as long as 

they’re not proposed by a Democratic 

president,” Kristensen wrote 

on an FAS blog. 

“That is the lesson from decades 

of US nuclear weapons and arms 

control management. If that trend 

continues, then we can expect the 

new Donald Trump administration 

to reduce the US nuclear weapons 

arsenal more than the Obama administration 

did.” 

The current arms treaty limiting 

the strategic arsenals of both countries, 

New Start, expires in 2021. 

A decision will have to be made 

whether to replace it or let arms 

control wither. Both Putin and 

Trump could save tens of billions of 

dollars by cutting arsenals. As part 

of any deal, however, Putin would 

ask for the scrapping of the US missile 

defence system currently being 

erected in eastern Europe. Any 

concessions on the US trillion-dollar 

nuclear weapon modernisation 

programme, which Trump endorses 

in his transition website, would 

bring him in direct conflict with the 

Republican establishment. 

“I could imagine Trump personally 

being more flexible,” Acton 

said. “But it would set up a huge 

fight with Congress. Congress loves 

missile defence.” •

World 

11 



India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi, left and his Japanese counterpart 

Shinzo Abe applaud during a banquet hosted by Abe at Abe’s official 

residence in Tokyo on Friday 

AFP 

Japan, India sign 

controversial 

civil nuclear deal 

• AFP, Tokyo 

Japan and India signed a controversial 

civil nuclear deal on 

Friday that will allow Japanese 

companies to export atomic 

technology to the Asian giant 

as the two countries deepen 

economic and security ties. 

The pact signed by Japanese 

Prime Minister Shinzo 

Abe and his Indian counterpart 

Narendra Modi is Japan’s 

first with a nation that has 

not signed the Treaty on the 

Non-Proliferation of Nuclear 

Weapons (NPT). 

‘The agreement is 

a legal framework 

to ensure India 

acts responsibly 

for the peaceful 

use of nuclear 

energy’ 

The treaty bans nations other 

than the five permanent 

members of the UN Security 

Council from developing and 

possessing nuclear weapons. 

Japan, the victim of US 

atomic bombings in the final 

days of World War II, had long 

shunned civil nuclear cooperation 

with energy-starved India 

over the NPT issue. 

But it has softened its 

stance as it competes for lucrative 

deals and steps up strategic 

cooperation with New 

Delhi in the face of China’s 

expanding economic and military 

presence in the region. 

“The agreement is a legal 

framework to ensure India acts 

responsibly for the peaceful 

use of nuclear energy,” Abe told 

reporters with Modi at his side. 

A Japanese official told reporters 

that the two nations 

have agreed Japan can cease 

cooperation if India resumes 

nuclear testing. 

“Today’s signing of the 

agreement for cooperation in 

peaceful use of nuclear energy 

marks a historic step in our engagement 

to build a clean energy 

partnership,” Modi said. 

Besides the US and Japan, 

India also has similar deals 

with France and Australia. 

The Asian allies have 

stepped up cooperation in recent 

years, signing agreements 

last December on the transfer 

of defence equipment and 

technology and on exchanging 

classified military information. 

The nuclear deal comes 

against the backdrop of growing 

unease over China’s expanding 

role in the region. 

India has a longstanding 

territorial dispute with China, 

and troops from the two countries 

engaged in a major standoff 

at the border in 2014. 

Tokyo has its own spat with 

Beijing over islands in the East 

China Sea, and is increasingly 

vocal about its rival’s ambitions 

to control almost the 

whole of the South China Sea. 

Modi visited Japan in August 

2014 on his first bilateral 

trip outside South Asia, 

months after coming to power. 

Subsequently Abe paid a 

two-day visit to India last December. 

The Indian leader will wind 

up his trip in the city of Kobe 

on Saturday as he and Abe visit 

a plant that manufactures high 

speed bullet trains. • 


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Dhaka Tribune

12 



Heritage 

The trader’s city 

For centuries, Rangpur was a vital international trading centre 

• Tim Steel 

Perhaps due its proximity to 

Bitagarh, the sixth century 

centre of international 

trade on the banks of the 

Teesta, and even the probably 

seventh century mosque, “The 

Lost Mosque,” close to nearby 

Lalmonirhat, give the first clue to 

Rangpur Division as a lodestone of 

ancient trade. 

Bitagarh, a centre of Buddhism, 

has been identified with trade 

from the Ganges region and 

beyond, and the ancient kingdoms 

and empires of the Himalayan 

region, as well as China itself. 

Such evidence of Buddhist 

engagement in such trade, of 

course, begins to explain the 

wealth responsible for the vast 

investment in Buddhist heritage, 

especially great Vihara, to be 

found in and around the lands of 

today’s Bangladesh, constructed 

of basalt, granite, and marble, and 

none of it locally sourced. 

The “Lost Mosque,” with 

its dating tablet of 69 years, 

apparently relating to the 

Prophet’s (pbuh) migration, would 

certainly support the belief that 

the Prophet’s uncle built the first 

mosque in ancient China, during 

the Prophet’s lifetime, whilst 

trading there. 

He is believed to have made a 

number of trading journeys to 

China, at least one of which was 

a journey undertaken on the 

“Southern Silk Road,” up the 

Brahmaputra and Lohit rivers. 

Lying, as it does, close to the 

junction of the Brahmaputra 

and Teesta rivers, this mosque 

could well have been the last 

point of departure for the Muslim 

merchants of those early times. 

And Rangpur city itself 

provides from the 17th century, 

at latest, documentary evidence 

of its importance to the great 

and ancient kingdoms of the 

Himalayas as a vital trading centre. 

Cooch Bihar is believed to 

have been, also from very early 

times, another crossroads of 

trade, possibly related to the 

Bitagarh centre, but the warfare 

that followed the Sultanate, and 

subsequent Mughal, invasions of 

the sub-continent, and attempts 

to secure access to the wealth 

generated by trade, appear to have 

disturbed the importance of Cooch 

Bihar. No doubt the opening of 

sea routes for trade also reduced 

Chinese interests. 

Ralph Fitch, the late 16th 

century English visitor who spent 

some considerable time exploring 

trading activities in the northeast 

of the sub-continent, and other 

parts of southeast Asia, certainly 

Rangpur city itself provides from the 17th century, at latest, 

documentary evidence of its importance to the great and ancient 

kingdoms of the Himalayas as a vital trading centre 

mentions such trading links, at 

some length. He is even credited, 

by some, with visiting not only 

Sikkim and Bhutan, but even 

Tibet. 

His report back to London 

on his return in 1592 certainly 

played a significant role in the 

establishment of the East India 

Company in 1600; the main 

purpose of his exploration, it 

is believed by some, was at the 

behest of Sir Francis Walsingham, 

Queen Elizabeth’s famous 

secretary of state. 

It may, in fact, have been 

exploration of the saltpetre, the 

essential ingredient of gunpowder, 

which was to rapidly become the 

main cargo of the Company within 

the next century. 

It is the records of the Company 

that confirm that, probably 

even before the granting of tax 

gathering rights in Bihar, Bengal, 

and Orissa to them by the Mughal 

Emperor following the Battle of 

Buxar in 1765, a major market 

was held regularly in Rangpur, for 

Bhutanese merchants. 

Quite how long Bhutan has 

been trading with Bengal and 

Assam, we have no means of 

knowing, but the sixth century 

city of Bitagarh would appear to 

suggest that it would have been 

the better part of a millennium, 

at least, before British records, 

especially, identify trades in, 

amongst other commodities, lac, 

horses, wool products, gold dust 

and silver, amber and musk, in 

return for cotton cloth, British 

broadcloth, tools, tobacco, spices, 

and probably, gunpowder. 

The Bhutanese are also known 

to have acted as middle men for 

merchandise of Tibetan and even 

Chinese origin, including silk; 

Ralph Fitch, in his report, also

Heritage 

13 



noted such trades, with agate and 

pepper in addition. 

Relationships, in the 17th 

century, between Cooch Bihar 

and Bhutan, were very close, and 

assistance by the latter to the 

former was given when Emperor 

Aurangzeb ordered the launching 

of expeditions on these fringes of 

Bengal … to which he is known to 

have referred as “the paradise of 

nations, for its wealth and trade” 

... to raise money for his conflicts 

in Southern India with Hindu 

adherents. 

Following the granting to the 

British of Diwani Rights for Bengal, 

as well as Bihar and Orissa, after 

their victory over Mughal forces at 

Buxar, in 1764, the British slowly 

extended their areas of control. 

That their financial control was 

high on the agenda we may deduce 

from, in 1789, their closing the mint 

in Cooch Bihar, that has made silver 

coinage for Bhutanese as well as for 

local use. 

Clearly, the wealth generated 

locally ensured an excellent living 

for local landholders, ie zaminders. 

The city has, within and around it, 

many other splendid examples of 

the design of mansions and palaces. 

It was amongst those zaminders 

that were the founders, too, of 

Carmichael College, opened in 1916 

by the governor of Bengal; such as 

Gopal Lal Roy Bahadur, and Babu 

Monidra Chanra Roy were amongst 

the many sponsors of the famous 

college. 

And, no doubt, the famous 

Begum Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain, 

born locally, was also familiar with 

its foundation. 

The remains of at least five 

other mansions and palaces, in 

addition to Tajhat, are still to be 

found in this one, relatively small, 

community. Nothing could say 

more for the wealth and status 

of the community that had to 

wait until so recently, for its 

recognition as a major military and 

Today’s Rangpur reflects that wealth. The 

city that was, in the early years of the 20th 

century, to see, not merely the birth of one of 

Britain’s most famous social reformers, William 

Beveridge, but also the foundation of the 

famous Carmichael College 

During the 18th century, Rangpur 

was already well recognised as the 

destination for what was known 

as “the Grand Annual Caravan” of 

Bhutanese merchants, with the 

annual market that was to become 

so vital to the economy of the 

Kingdom of Bhutan. 

Indeed, not simply the Kingdom, 

but, in fact, the king and his 

friends, in particular. 

It is inevitable that the Bengalibased 

traders who made their way 

to that annual fair, including those 

doing so on behalf of the East India 

Company and the royal authorised 

Bhutanese,brought considerable 

wealth to this city with such a clear 

and unique history as a trading 

centre. 

Today’s Rangpur reflects that 

wealth. The city that was, in the 

early years of the 20th century, to 

see, not merely the birth of one 

of Britain’s most famous social 

reformers, William Beveridge, but 

also the foundation of the famous 

Carmichael College. 

It remains the site of many 

zamindari mansions and palaces, 

the most conspicuous of which, 

Tajahat Palace, was also built early 

in the 20th century, to replace that 

which was destroyed in the 1897 

Great India earthquake, killing the 

incumbent zaminder. 

administrative centre. 

Equally, a proliferation of places 

of worship, Muslim, Hindu, and 

Christian amongst them, abound 

in the immediate vicinity and 

towns around; not to mention, still, 

great administrative architectural 

examples from the 19th century, 

not only in Rangpur itself, but also 

in nearby Saidpur, once the centre 

of rail traffic for most of the lands 

that are now Bangladesh. 

Today, Google searches for 

Rangpur produce a clear majority of 

entries about the Rangpur orange 

-- a slightly bitter mandarin orange 

-- grown alongside a famous crop 

of limes. 

This number of entries, however, 

relate, especially, to “Rangpur 

Gin,” distilled and bottled by the 

internationally famous Tanqueray 

distillery, produced with some 

flavouring from that unique orange. 

It may well be doubtful if many 

gin drinkers around the world, 

today, recognise the name of 

Rangpur on the label. 

But there is little doubt that 

for centuries in the past, this was 

a widely known, international, 

trading centre; then, as now, very 

much a trader’s city. • 

Tim Steel is a communications, marketing 

and tourism consultant.

14 



Climate Change 

What a Trump presidency means for COP22 

designing the rules of the Paris 

Agreement to ensure a country 

could not effectively withdraw 

from the treaty for three years. 

As such, if Trump officially 

withdrew from the Paris 

Agreement next year in 2017, 

the US would still be party to the 

treaty until 2020. 

Of course, the US could always 

cease to attend and participate in 

UN climate meetings, but would 

remain a member for three years. 

How will a Trump presidency affect climate negotiations? 

Whether or not the US decides to be part of the problem or part of the 

solution, around the world people are taking active steps to address 

climate change 

• Saleemul Huq 

I 

think it is fair to say that the 

delegates at the Marrakech 

had no Plan B ready for the 

possibility of Mr Trump 

winning the US presidential 

elections. 

The results of the final vote 

stunned almost everyone 

attending the 22nd Conference of 

Parties (COP22) of the UN climate 

talks in Marrakech. 

After decades of hard work on 

ensuring climate action, it felt to 

many that their efforts would be 

in vain. 

I will share my own preliminary 

views on what the results of the US 

election means for COP22, the UN 

climate body, and climate change 

more generally. 

COP22 

The meeting in Marrakech ends on 

November 18 and is mainly meant 

to discuss the implementation of 

the Paris Agreement, which was 

adopted last year in December in 

Paris. 

As President-elect, Trump will 

not be sworn in until January 2017. 

Until then, President Obama will 

remain in the White House and 

the negotiating position of the 

US will not be affected during the 

Marrakech talks. 

Another element to consider is 

that unlike COP21 last year, COP22 

is not a major decision-making 

REUTERS 

meeting. Rather, it is a meeting 

where the decisions adopted in 

the Paris Agreement are to be 

implemented. 

Hence, it is unlikely that 

President-elect Trump will bother 

with interfering in the on-going 

discussions in Marrakech. 

Paris Agreement 

Mr Trump has been quoted as 

saying that if he was elected, 

he would tear up the Paris 

Agreement. 

Fortunately, this is not 

something that he can do as the 

agreement has already gone into 

force as of last Friday, November 4. 

This means the US is committed 

to upholding the treaty like every 

other country that has ratified. 

In fact, one of the reasons 

Obama pushed for the treaty to be 

ratified in less than a year, making 

it one of the fastest international 

agreements to go into force, was 

to ensure the Paris Agreement 

became operational whoever the 

next president of the United States 

was. 

The US negotiation team was 

also instrumental last year in 

Tackling climate change 

The most important part of the 

question, and the one for which 

there is no clear answer yet, is 

what the US will do in practice 

regarding actions to tackle climate 

change. 

Mr Trump has said that he will 

scrap President Obama’s clean 

power plan, which is central to the 

country’s action plan to reduce 

CO2 emissions by 26-28% by 2025 

from 2005 levels. 

He also just picked a leading 

climate sceptic to lead the US 

Environmental Protection Agency 

-- Myron Ebell -- who previously 

argued that President Obama’s 

ratificaiton of the Paris Agreement 

was unconsistitutional. 

But in some ways, China 

matters much more than the US 

right now. Where China goes, 

the world goes and China is 

definitely decelerating fossil fuel 

investments. 

Additionally a lot of climate 

action is occuring at the local 

or city level, including through 

the private sector, which will 

be crucial in the race to reduce 

emissions. 

Whether or not the US decides 

to be part of the problem or part of 

the solution -- around the world 

people are taking active steps to 

address climate change. 

We should be hopeful that this 

continues regardless of who is in 

the White House. The important 

thing is we keep on acting and 

implementing. • 

Dr Saleemul Huq is the director of the 

International Centre on Climate Change 

and Development at the Independent 

University, Bangladesh. 

This page has been developed in 

collaboration with the International 

Centre for Climate Change and Development 

(ICCCAD) at Independent 

University, Bangladesh (IUB) and 

its partners, Bangladesh Centre for 

Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International 

Institute for Environment 

and Development (IIED). This page 

represents the views and experiences 

of the authors and does not necessarily 

reflect the views of Dhaka Tribune 

or ICCCAD or its partners.

Kids 

15 



colour it 1 

colour it 2

16 



Kids 

Booby traps everywhere 

Part 10 of The Magic Christmas Ring 

• Nusaiba Zyen 

I 

headed to the first trap. 

There were blocks made 

out of ice. I had to jump 

on the correct ones to 

pass. The icy wall had the 

instructions of how to do it. If 

I had got it correct, I’d hear a 

pleasant sound. If I had got one 

wrong, I’d hear a harsh sound, 

and be in big trouble. I took a 

big breath and jumped on the 

blocks quickly and randomly. 

The blocks made nice sounds. 

That had meant I had got all 

of them right. Then I had to 

jump on the last one. On the icy 

wall, a sign appeared in a flash 

that said, ‘JUMP ON THE LAST 

ONE.’ I held my breath and 

jumped on a block I had not 

jumped on before. A loud noise 

sounded out. It had sounded 

like a police-siren. 

I got very frightened. A few 

seconds later, I had noticed the 

icy blocks under my feet had 

begun to crack and collapse. 

I did not know what to do. I 

screamed and jumped as high 

and as far as I could. I threw 

the sack to the other end and 

thankfully, I felt myself on the 

icy ground, with the sack next 

to me. I hoped that the presents 

did not break or anything. I 

thanked God and prayed that I 

success in everything I do and 

that all of this is over soon, and 

that everything gets normal 

again. 

I proceeded to the next 

booby-trap. I saw nothing. I 

looked at the ceiling and I saw 

humongous icicles, thirty of 

them. A message appeared on 

the wall again. It said that I had 

to get past all of them. I thought 

that I was dreaming, but no. It 

was reality. I walked forward 

and charged my legs. I started 

to run, boost, and then sprint 

with all of my strength. Icicles 

kept collapsing to the ground as 

I ran forward. I had passed ten 

icicles in five minutes. I ran and 

ran and ran. And after another 

five minutes, I had passed 

ten more icicles. I was totally 

worn out. There were ten more 

icicles left. I sprinted with 

all of my energy as possible. 

It took another five minutes 

again, until I had succeeded. I 

couldn’t believe it! And it was 

so strange for me to take fifteen 

minutes to get past thirty 

icicles, even though they were 

humongous! It was not the trap 

I had expected, really. That was 

my fastest running experience 

which I had never imagined 

before. I never wanted to run 

again for the rest of my life, 

which was silly of me. 

I thought that I needed a 

little nap. So I sat down on a 

pit of snow, ate a sandwich and 

then took a nap. •

Kids 

17 



toy 

book 

review 

Out with an 

aim! 

Shark Tooth Tale is a charming story 

of a young boy who sets out on a 

quest to buy the fossilised shark tooth 

of his dreams. But what is a shark 

fanatic to do, when his mom and dad 

won’t buy it for him? He rolls up his 

sleeves, and goes out to find ways to 

earn his own money to buy it himself! 

Abby Klein’s story very nicely 

reflects the importance of working for 

what you want, and how often times, 

the effort you put in makes your goal 

(or in this case, a fossilised Megalodon 

tooth) even more enjoyable! Ready 

Freddy stories are short and amusing 

reads. The stories are set within a 

family of four, with a sister Freddy 

does not get along with. But despite 

their fights, there’s always a part in 

the story where they work together. 

The illustrations that go along with 

the stories add to the entertainment.• 

diy 

Sock puppets 

Be it little kids or slightly older kids, they cannot resist 

puppets! But as much as you love playing with them, how 

about having as much fun making them? You got it, with a 

few easy steps, you can become an expert in making your 

very own puppet to play with and to show off! What’s more, 

if you make enough creative ones to give each one a distinctly 

different look and character, you can even hold your own 

puppet show! 

What You Need: 

• A long sock 

• Superglue 

• Buttons/googly eyes 

• Felt fabric 

• Thick thread 

• Scissors 

Get Started: 

Take a long white or any other 

coloured sock. The sock should 

be long enough for it to come 

up to at least your elbow. Now, 

glue two googly eyes to the bottom of the sock where your toe 

should be. Use superglue to stick the eyes as craft glue may 

not be strong enough. Make sure you have an adult nearby to 

help you out. Let it dry. Next, when the glue is dry, stick your 

hand in where the bottom of your foot would be and shape 

your hand like an open mouth. Now cut out a piece of felt in 

the shape of a tongue and stick it on the bottom part of your 

‘open mouth’. You can also cut out different shapes out of 

felt for the nose, and stick or sew on some thread to make 

whiskers. You have a cute puppet all ready to showing off! 

Tip: 

You can visit the nearest stationery store for other craft items 

like glitter fabric pens, buttons, sequins and neon markers to 

make your pet puppet. • 

Spinning Wheels 

Which little boy or girl doesn’t love watching 

the wheels on a car go round and round? 

And isn’t it exciting if you can make them 

spin? That’s why remote control cars make 

the coolest gifts ever! These cars come in all 

shapes, sizes, colours and makes. There are 

both electronic and battery powered remote 

control cars. Some of these cars look just 

like the real thing, while others have wings 

and flashy lights and are simply out of this 

world. Remote control cars are available in 

most toy stores. Check out the Baby Shop 

on Rd 113 in Gulshan, or the UAE market 

in Kemal Ataturk Road, or Boi Bichitra at 

the Rupayan Golden Age mall on Gulshan 

Avenue, and pick out your favourite!• 

trivia 

Star- 

Struck! 

The Star-Nosed mole’s nose is shaped like a star! It hails from 

different places such as North America, North Atlantic Ocean 

and also from cold regions such as the southern hemisphere. 

Fun Facts 

• The Star-Nosed mole is scientifically known as Condylura 

Cristata. 

• The star on its snout is known as an “eimers organ” and it 

has more than 25,000 sensory receptors. 

• The pink fleshy tentacles are called “rays.” 

Their tails function as a fat storage for breeding season in 

spring. •

18 

SATURDAY,NOVEMBER 12, 2016 


Kids 

Gods of Rome 

Neptune 

God of the sea 

The seas cover 71% of the world, and 

Neptune was the its god. That should prove 

how strong he actually was! His sign was the 

trident he always carried. 

Mars 

God of war 

After king Jupiter, Mars was the strongest of 

them all. He was feared by the other gods for 

his anger and habit of starting wars just for 

fun. Scary! 

Jupiter 

God of thunder and lightning, 

King of gods 

Jupiter was the king of them all, the most 

powerful and strongest of all the Roman 

gods. He had thunderbolts in his hands, 

which he would throw from the skies! 

Vesta 

Goddess of health 

This goddess was very important to the 

Romans, for they always kept a fire burning 

in her temples as “the hearth of Rome.” 

Venus 

Goddess of beauty 

All that was beautiful and magical to look at, 

Venus was the one doing the work. She was 

very pretty herself too! 

Diana 

Goddess of the moon 

This Diana was not Wonder Woman, but she 

was a wonder of a woman. To get close to 

her, you had to go to a Cypress trees, which 

was holy to her. 

Mercury 

Messenger of the gods 

Think of The Flash when you try to imagine 

Mercury, for he had wings on his helmet and 

it was his symbol. He wore sandals though, 

which the Flash didn't think was cool. He 

was the fastest of them all and delivered 

messages for the other gods. 

Saturn 

King of the titans 

Titans are huge beings who used to live on 

earth and eat people, and he was their king. 

The day Saturday was actually named after 

him! 

Bellona 

Goddess of war 

With a helmet, spear and torch, Bellona was 

the wife of Mars. A very fitting love story 

don't you think? 

Cupid 

God of love 

This god you might know, and see him 

everywhere on Valentine's Day. The god 

of love, also known as Amor, fired golden 

arrows to make two people fall in love and 

lead arrows to break them up. He used to fly 

with his wings and always hid himself when 

he shot his arrows. •

Interview 

19 



‘I don’t mind a bad film, but I 

mind a dishonest one’ 

Indranil Roychowdhury on attending the Dhaka Literary Festival 

• Shuprova Tasneem 

Indranil Roychowdhury is 

best known for his feature 

film Phoring, which garnered 

acclaim at film festivals 

around the world and was 

awarded four Filmfare awards 

(East) and the Rituporno Ghosh 

Memorial Award for best First 

Feature. Director/producer 

Roychowdhury, who will be 

attending the Dhaka Literary 

Festival as one of the panelists, 

speaks to Dhaka Tribune about his 

creative process and the future of 

film-making. 

Tell us about your process - is 

it harder to get started or to 

keep going? 

It is very easy to make a film 

nowadays, but making your own 

film on your own terms without 

compromising is difficult, all 

over the world. There is a huge 

amount of selling, marketing 

and branding that goes with the 

actual core creative work. With 

my commercial work, I listen 

to people and make what they 

want. When it comes to films 

though, I don’t mind a bad film 

but I strongly mind a dishonest 

film that I don’t believe in and 

that includes ideological and 

procedural compromise. To me, 

the depths and sincerity I’ve put 

into my work is more important 

than the volume of it. Of course 

the commercial stuff I do is my 

bread and butter and is necessary 

for me to survive, but in terms 

of film I strongly believe in this, 

and until my films make a lot of 

money, I know I’ll be fighting this 

out. 

What makes a film great for 

you? 

You. This isn’t just for films, it’s 

true about anything. Your voice 

has to come through in whatever 

you’re doing. That’s the only 

purpose of art - discovering your 

own unique voice and making 

that discernible. There are no 

set grammatical rules for that - it 

can be a borrowed narrative, but 

are you making it yours? Are you 

owning it and representing it in 

a way that is completely yours? 

as you grow and understand 

your craft, you need to develop 

your own grammar while 

negotiating existing rules and 

making that shift from tradition to 

individuality. 

What inspired you to get into 

filmmaking? 

Movies fascinated me from a very 

early stage in life. I always liked 

stories, including those that are 

told well by word of mouth, and 

I like the way people tell stories. 

And as I grew up I realised they 

have great value - of course they 

are entertaining, but stories also 

tell us a lot about who we are and 

can heal us. In the long run, stories 

are all that are left – if you look 

back, you’ll see it’s the mythology 

that stays, more so than the 

history. Stories have a very strong 

role in shaping the world, and that 

comes with the good and the bad. 

Name one thing you love 

about modern cinema, and 

one thing you hate. 

It will be painful and 

long. You may be 

favoured by luck, 

and you can learn the 

craft like in school 

to a certain extent. 

But what you can’t 

learn is how to see 

yourself as a person 

and an artist 

Storytelling has proliferated 

now to a level that it has become 

second nature, and storytelling as 

a profession has taken a backseat - 

even riots are organised based on 

stories. But the moment you say 

that, you have a job of rescuing 

something that is capable of far 

greater things and bring it back to 

the purpose it was meant to serve. 

The nature of technology has also 

made things more accessible, 

and quite often styles can be 

copied and made to look like great 

cinema. Just like advertising, even 

filmmaking can fool you. 

But in the same breath, all 

of this is also a beautiful thing, 

because the process of filmmaking 

has been democratised. It’s a bit 

like Pandora’s box! I dislike that 

filmmaking is the easiest thing 

and anyone can do it, but I also 

love that, because it is becoming 

simpler and we can realise great 

amounts of potential that was 

previously hidden before. I think 

we are moving towards supreme 

simplicity of filmmaking, where 

it will be just like sitting down to 

write a poem or a story. 

What advice would you give to 

young filmmakers? 

It will be painful and long. You 

may be favoured by luck, and you 

can learn the craft like in school 

to a certain extent. But what you 

can’t learn is how to see yourself 

as a person and an artist. How do 

you relate to the world? You have 

to be patient, and you have to wait 

with dignity, work with dignity 

and when required, leave with 

dignity, and deal with the huge 

financial, social and personal costs 

that only you will feel. That part is 

not taught in film school, but you 

have to figure it out yourself. You’ll 

fall and get injured, and what you 

do with your injuries is what your 

life will be like. 

What are your expectations 

about the Dhaka Lit Fest? 

I’m really excited about DLF. 

I’ve been working to establish 

a common ground between the 

Bengals, not just for cinema, but 

for art, literature, poetry etc. We 

now have the internet to aid us in 

this process, and I think is the only 

way that artists can communicate 

directly with the audience. 

Establishing this commonality 

will be great for our language and 

culture, and I think is the only way 

forward particularly for Bengali 

cinema. If we can figure this out, 

it will unleash potentials that are 

beyond our imagination. At the 

DLF, I want to share these ideas 

and find the common ground to 

create this model. Collaboration 

between the Bengals is one of the 

core elements of the kind of future 

I am thinking of. •


20 

Editorial 


INSIDE 

Preparing for 

the TPP? 

With Bangladesh’s potential for export 

of value-added products to TPP 

members, it is not inconceivable that 

many of these developed countries 

may just find fellow members Vietnam, 

Peru, and Malaysia more attractive 

PAGE 21 

The sanitation saga 

Our problem is not just the lack of 

toilets; rather, we have a lack of 

management of running the toilets, 

and we surely lack the common sense 

to use the toilets 

PAGE 22 

MEHEDI HASAN 

Rediscovering 

America 

Unfortunately, the choice that America 

made was not for Hillary Clinton, 

but for Donald Trump. Knowledge, 

political experience, and competency 

gave away to resentment, fear, and the 

feeling of dispossession 

PAGE 23 

Be heard 

Write to Dhaka Tribune 

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, 

Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 

Send us your Op-Ed articles: 

opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com 

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DhakaTribune. 

The views expressed in Opinion 

articles are those of the authors 

alone. They do not purport to 

be the official view of Dhaka 

Tribune or its publisher. 

Santal rights are human rights 

The evictions of Gaibandha’s Santal people from their land shows an alarming 

trend of growing hostility toward ethnic and religious minorities in the 

country. 

While Bangladesh still recovers from the waves of attacks on the Hindu 

community, the Santals of Gaibandha have been dealt a blow from which they may 

not recover. 

Why are we failing so miserably to protect our marginalised and vulnerable 

communities? 

After driving some 1,200 families out of their land, police are now confining the 

Santals to three villages of Sapmara union, where they live in appalling conditions, a 

clear violation of human rights. 

It is not acceptable for the government to expect these Santal people to live 

without proper employment, and without access to food and medicine. 

It is the solemn duty of the authorities to take human rights into account when 

dealing with them. 

The technicalities behind the ownership of the land are not the most pressing 

concern -- the Santal people of the area have been lied to and betrayed by the local 

authorities. Both the UP chairman and the local lawmaker are guilty of doling out 

false promises to the Santal people, making assurances that their land and homes 

would not be taken away from them. 

The most urgent need of the hour is to come up with a proper solution for Santals 

-- to help them get back on their feet, and to compensate for the displacement, 

hardship, and trauma they have endured. 

Santals have the same basic human rights as the rest of the country’s citizens. 

It is totally unacceptable to steamroll over minority groups simply because they 

lack the power to fight back effectively. 

We must stand with Santals in their hour of need, and work towards giving them 

back their lives. 

The most urgent need of 

the hour is to come up 

with a proper solution 

for Santals

Opinion 21 

Preparing for the 

Trans-Pacific Partnership? 

The stakes are high for Bangladesh 



TPP may affect Bangladeshi exports negatively 

BIGSTOCK 

• Esam Sohail 

One of the most pressing 

items before the United 

States Congress in its 

upcoming lame-duck 

session, or at the onset of its new 

session in January will be the 

ratification of the Trans-Pacific 

Partnership (TPP) which was 

signed in February this year by 

12 countries in the Pacific Ocean 

Basin. 

Simple numbers tell a story 

of the gigantic potential of TPP: 

Those 12 countries hold almost 

900 million consumers and 

account for almost 40% of the 

world’s GDP. 

The treaty will go into effect 

once all countries ratify, or two 

years after countries combining up 

to 85% of the pact members’ gross 

national product have ratified -- 

whichever is sooner. 

In reality, this means that 

countries where dialogue and 

debate have to take place because 

of independent executives and 

multi-party legislatures will be 

delaying the birth of the TPP 

trade area longer than nations 

like Brunei or Vietnam which, 

like Bangladesh, have monolithic 

governance structures with party, 

executive, and legislative entities 

fused as one. 

For Bangladesh, the stakes 

couldn’t be higher. As the TPP 

protocols seek to harmonise 

(and eventually remove) tariff 

structures, regulatory frameworks, 

With Bangladesh’s potential for export of value-added products to TPP 

members, it is not inconceivable that many of these developed countries 

may just find fellow members Vietnam, Peru, and Malaysia more 

attractive for the import of the same products 

intellectual property laws, 

environmental and human rights 

across its members, it is inevitable 

that eventually there will be a 

preference towards trading within 

the bloc rather than outside. 

With a significant portion of 

Bangladesh’s textile trade being 

marketed to North American 

buyers and the potential for export 

of further value-added products in 

pharmaceuticals and information 

technology to TPP members 

US, Canada, Australia, and New 

Zealand, it is not inconceivable 

that many of these developed 

countries may just find fellow 

members Vietnam, Peru, and 

Malaysia more attractive for the 

import of the same products. 

This will depend, of course, 

on the speed with which tariffs 

and regulations are harmonised 

across the bloc, and also upon the 

cost differential between the same 

product/service that is exported 

from Bangladesh and from a TPP 

pact competitor. 

As more products and services 

yet unknown are developed, 

especially in non-traditional 

sectors, those outside the TPP 

might find entry into their future 

markets a harder task as well given 

that the TPP members will have 

had a head start. 

Combined with the concerns 

with American Generalised 

System of Preferences (GSP) rules, 

which right now continue not to 

cover Bangladesh, the impact on 

Bangladesh’s current and potential 

export sectors could be significant, 

and in a bad way, as a result of 

TPP coming into effect in the next 

couple of years. 

The more optimistic of the 

policy-makers and civil society 

types have suggested that 

alternative blocs like BIMSTEC 

or APEC or something else with a 

catchy name and catchier alphabet 

soup moniker could be an antidote 

for TPP blues. That is being more 

hopeful than common sense 

would warrant. 

The overarching fact is that 

when it comes to high-return 

consumer markets for Bangladeshi 

products and services today and 

in the near future, replacing the 

United States, Canada, or Australia 

with, say, India, China, or Russia 

is simply not an option given the 

need, purchasing power, and 

indigenous capacity of the latter 

set of countries. 

So, the Trans-Pacific 

Partnership (TPP) will likely go 

into effect sometime towards the 

end of 2017. What is Bangladesh 

doing to prepare for it in realistic 

terms? One option would have 

been to explore seriously the 

possibility of joining it. 

The problem with that 

approach is that the pact is part of 

the Anglosphere’s broader strategy 

of containing the influence of 

China and, to a lesser degree, 

India, and the current Bangladesh 

government’s visible dependence 

on those two Asian countries 

makes it an unlikely candidate 

for TPP expansion, were that 

expansion even a possibility. 

A second mitigating option 

would be to create swiftly the 

environment that could bring 

Bangladesh back under the aegis 

of GSP. This is easier said than 

done as the arrested efforts of the 

last couple of years have shown. 

So far, the incumbent government 

seems to have made half-hearted 

efforts, if that, to address specific 

concerns of Washington about 

labour and environmental rights 

specifically, and democratic 

governance broadly. 

The third response could very 

well be getting a larger market 

share in a giant consumer market 

like the European Union. The issue 

with that would be that already 

90% of EU’s Bangladesh imports 

are textiles, leaving little room to 

grow in this sector -- especially 

with the new agreements with 

North African countries putting 

them into play as exporters too. 

Herein, there has been some 

growth in the export of services 

from Bangladesh, with the sector’s 

trade deficit in EU’s favour 

reduced by about a third between 

the 2012 and 2015 fiscal years. In 

other words, there is a possibility 

of growth in some non-traditional 

export sectors for European 

consumption. The caution would 

be the volatility of EU itself, in 

the aftermath of Brexit which has 

triggered similar thoughts in other 

countries. 

The important thing is to be 

prepared as TPP comes to reality 

sometime next year. So far, it 

has been hard to detect concrete 

action plans that reassure that 

such preparation is in the offing. • 

Esam Sohail is an educational research 

analyst and college lecturer of social 

sciences. He writes from Kansas, USA.

22 



Opinion 

The sanitation saga 

The number of restrooms isn’t the only issue, it is also their management 

LARGER 

THAN 

LIFE 

• Ekram Kabir 

I 

had the misfortune to take 

a burn patient to the Dhaka 

Medical College Burn Unit 

recently. I, as an attendant of 

the patient, had to spend about 

two weeks in the vicinity and had 

the opportunity to observe the 

goings-on at DMCH. 

Among many irregularities and 

inconsistencies, I counted that 

on an average about a thousand 

visitors go to the burn unit every 

day. About 200 people spend the 

night there with about a little 

more than a hundred patients at 

the intensive care unit and high 

dependency unit. 

There are about a thousand 

people who are doing various 

kinds of business in the area. To 

my utter surprise, I haven’t seen 

any toilet facilities for the visitors 

either inside the hospital, or in 

the area outside for the people 

who are gathering there for their 

livelihood. 

One day, standing outside, I 

saw a salesman from a pharmacy 

come into the hospital boundaries 

for relieving himself in the field 

behind the burn unit. I asked him: 

“What do you usually do when 

you need to go to the toilet?” He 

replied: “When the gates of the 

mosque is open, we go to the 

mosque; but usually this field is 

our only choice.” 

If you go to the main building 

of DMCH, you’d discover many 

unexpected pictures as far as 

toilet facilities are concerned. One 

may say: “Come on, this is DMCH! 

You can’t expect proper facilities 

there!” 

Agreed. But what about the 

other hospitals? The private 

medical colleges? What facilities 

do they have in this regard? I was 

asking this question to one of 

the directors of a privately-run 

medical college and she said: “It’s 

impossible to keep the toilets in 

order as the visitors who use them 

make them very dirty. Our cleaners 

have to work round the clock to 

keep them usable.” She opined 

that aside from providing proper 

toilet facilities in the hospitals, 

there should be behavioural 

changes among the users. 

There aren’t enough public restrooms 

She is right in her observation. 

While we build more public toilets 

across the country, our attitude 

and behaviour while using toilets 

are also something to think about. 

Remember the recent council 

meeting of Awami League in 

Ramna Racecourse? About 50,000 

people had gathered in the park. 

But does anyone know how many 

makeshift toilets were built there 

on the occasion of the meeting? 

Very few. 

Having an insufficient number 

of toilets, including public 

toilets, is no doubt a serious 

cause for concern. If we look at 

the two major cities, Dhaka and 

Chittagong, we see that the new 

mayors have been trying their 

best. 

However, the two city 

corporations in Dhaka have 

only 69 public toilets, which is 

insufficient. Now they’re providing 

toilet facilities to the city dwellers 

through 53 mobile toilets in 

34 places. Dhaka South City 

Corporation mayor has recently 

said that they would install 100 

more modern public toilets in the 

area by 2017. That’s a piece of good 

news. Although Chittagong city’s 

population is reportedly about 

600,000, there are only 38 public 

toilets available for its residents. 

Our problem is not just the lack of toilets; rather, we have a lack of 

management of running the toilets, and we surely lack the common 

sense to use the toilets 

We have a clear idea about the 

public toilets across the country. 

We do not have proper facilities 

in the markets, educational 

institutions, etc -- I haven’t seen 

any facility in Gausia Market. I also 

haven’t seen any facility in the 

super shops that people flock to 

these days. 

If we go to people’s residents 

in the urban areas, it’s clear that 

people on average are negligent 

and nonchalant when it comes to 

toilets for their own use. On the 

other hand, there are countries 

that put equal emphasis on 

their lavatories as well as their 

bedrooms. 

For us, it’s a cultural issue. 

Culturally, we tend to buy big 

vehicles before building proper 

streets and proper parking spaces. 

Likewise, we also build big 

establishments without making 

proper toilet facilities. 

Our problem is not just the 

lack of toilets; rather, we have a 

lack of management of running 

the toilets, and we surely lack the 

common sense to use the toilets. 

Almost all Bangladeshis think that 

he or she would be the last person 

to use any toilet. Therefore, there’s 

a tendency to use them in not the 

most hygienic of ways. 

I remember my days in Dhaka 

University in the mid 80s and 

early 90s when we couldn’t enter 

our toilets in the Arts Faculty. 

That was many years ago; but the 

situation hasn’t changed even after 

so long. 

Haven’t we become more 

conscious and aware about using 

our toilets? I’d like to believe that 

we have. • 

Ekram Kabir is a fiction writer. 

BIGSTOCK

Rediscovering America 

The rise of Donald Trump and the birth of the Alt-Right 

Opinion 23 



Can America uphold the values it was built on? 

BIGSTOCK 

seeker who looked at politics as 

another business venture been 

able to manipulate the populace 

to supporting his candidacy, 

outmanoeuvre his opponents 

and literally hijack a traditional 

political party so successfully. 

He was a crowd gatherer 

because of his antics and theatrical 

bombasts against perceived 

enemies of the country that 

would include racial stereotypes, 

minorities, and immigrants. 

He appealed to the base 

instincts of people by creating a 

fear of an impending economic 

doom caused by rising 

unemployment, free trade, rapid 

change in demographics, and 

by “invasion” of the country by 

illegal immigrants from across the 

border. 

The paradox of the surreal 

presidential campaign of 

Donald Trump is that the more 

inflammatory his speeches 

became, the more cheers he 

received. His populist rhetoric 

appealed to a large section of the 

white majority who had been 

feeling constrained by political 

knowledge-free candidate with no 

political experience in stock but 

business experience that he hoped 

to parlay into presidency. 

He capitalised on the fear 

and anxiety of a people who felt 

threatened by fast diversifying 

populace and a globalised 

economy, and manipulated these 

fears into anger to take action 

against the status quo. 

The other was an intelligent and 

politically mature leader who had 

decades of political experience at 

national and international level. A 

candidate who would bring years 

of knowledge and political skill 

working as a senator, secretary of 

state, and as First Lady. 

Unfortunately, the choice that 

America made was not for Hillary 

Clinton, but for Donald Trump. 

Knowledge, political experience, 

and competency gave away to 

resentment, fear, and the feeling 

of dispossession in the white 

dominated Republican Party that 

rose up in revolt against eight 

years of Obama. 

It was also a choice that seemed 

to say that it was not yet ready for 

• Ziauddin Choudhury 

The unthinkable has 

happened. 

On November 9, 

the US elected and 

presented to the world not only 

a new president but also a new 

America. An America that was 

midwifed at birth by a band of 

gifted constitutionalists and 

statesmen of the calibre of George 

Washington, Benjamin Franklin, 

and Thomas Jefferson, just gifted 

to the country in the third century 

of its birth a president who had 

not been exactly a follower of 

these great people in his campaign 

speeches. 

Even hours before the elections, 

all polls had pointed to a Hillary 

Clinton victory and a sounding 

defeat of the business tycoon 

turned politician Donald Trump. 

But all polls were shredded to 

bits when Donald Trump got the 

electoral votes necessary to claim 

the presidency. Was his victory 

a revenge of the silent white 

majority of the country, or was it 

rejection by America of a female as 

president? 

The next few days and months, 

analysts and pundits will parse the 

election results in a hundred ways 

and offer different explanations for 

this seismic shift from prognosis of 

elections to actual results. 

Popularity of Donald Trump 

versus negativity about Hillary 

Clinton, minority and female votes 

for and against the candidates, 

battle ground states, all of these 

will come into discussion. But 

the most important element of 

this election, the resurgence of 

the white middle class, may get 

underplayed in this analysis. 

Donald Trump’s stunning 

victory was as unpredictable as 

was his winning the Republican 

primaries earlier this year where 

he trounced 17 contestants. No 

polls had him within their radar 

let alone forecasted his ability to 

snatch the nomination since his 

bombastic and boisterous entry 

into the race 18 months before. 

He had been always known as 

a playboy millionaire who made 

his fortune building hotels and 

casinos, marrying models and 

actresses, hosting TV shows, and 

occasionally publishing ghostwritten 

books. 

In the political world he was 

relatively unknown except when 

he launched his famous birther 

conspiracy against President 

Obama (claiming Obama was 

foreign born) for reasons not fully 

grasped. 

When this self-described 

multi-millionaire made his foray 

into the presidential campaign, 

many took this as another Trump 

publicity stunt. But he got fair a 

amount of print space and air time 

in the media because of his unique 

status, a maverick who had never 

held public office. 

Soon the media attention 

Unfortunately, the choice that America made was not for Hillary Clinton, 

but for Donald Trump. Knowledge, political experience, and competency 

gave away to resentment, fear, and the feeling of dispossession 

became more focused on Trump 

because of his utterances which 

disregarded conventional practice 

for political correctness and 

respect for mainstream politics. He 

attacked mainstream politics and 

politicians as dishonest, corrupt, 

and removed from ordinary 

people. 

He attacked the current 

government and its policies, 

blaming Obama for what he 

described as the cause for the 

economic ills of the country. He 

blamed the government for the 

flight of jobs overseas, terrorism, 

illegal immigration, and started 

to attract throngs of people to his 

rallies with these accusations. 

His labelling of Mexico as the 

exporter of drugs, smugglers, 

murderers, and rapists drew loud 

cheers in his rallies, as did his calls 

for a ban on Muslim travel later 

after terrorist attacks in Europe, 

and in the US. 

Never before in the history 

of presidential elections in the 

US has a more brazen publicity 

correctness to express their alarm 

at changing demographics of the 

country. 

Trump brought into surface 

their fears, and found scape goats 

for their woes. They found in him 

a spokesman who could relate to 

their concerns and perhaps fix 

them. He promised them a future 

of greater economic prosperity, 

national security, and internal 

stability. He broke ranks with 

his own party with his reckless 

the comments and earned their 

criticism. 

But his followings grew with 

support ranging from a wide 

spectrum of the Republican base, 

from moderates to Alt-Rights, 

from the jobless working class to 

the disenchanted middle class. 

Trump presented them a new 

Republican face. He became the 

party. 

But the November elections 

were not simply between two 

parties; this was also an election 

between two different choices of 

leadership for the US. One was a 

a female president. 

For now, the election has 

brought to closure an intense 

fight between the two parties, 

and their candidates that brought 

into surface various elements who 

were not seen or heard before. 

They all do not carry or believe 

in the values on which this 

country was founded. Equality, 

liberty, and freedom for all. Nor 

do they believe or welcome a 

diversified America. 

As the country goes through the 

motions of a new cycle, it will be a 

challenge to the new president and 

his party to see that not only the 

wounds inflicted in this election 

are healed, the core values of the 

nation are respected and upheld. 

This is a nation of equals, no single 

group or section has priority over 

another. Individuals matter in 

making a country stronger. • 

Ziauddin Choudhury has worked in the 

higher civil service of Bangladesh early 

in his career, and later for the World 

Bank in the USA.


24 

Sport 


TOP STORIES 

43/1 to 41/4, Dhaka’s 

mini-collapse 

Batting first, Dhaka were cruising 

against Rajshahi, scoring 43/1 in 

6 overs. Then, Dhaka suddenly 

suffered a mini-collapse. From a 

good position of 43/1, they were 

struggling on 43/4. Three quick 

wickets in four balls! PAGE 25 

Pujara, Vijay lead 

India’s strong reply 

Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali 

Vijay hit centuries as India 

mounted a steady counter-attack 

on the third day of a high-scoring 

first Test against England on 

Friday. Top-ranked India finished 

the day on a strong 319-4. PAGE 26 

Ibra sure of winning 

EPL with United 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is sure he will 

win the Premier League with 

Manchester United and says his 

performances will improve once 

he picks up the rhythm of the 

English game. The 35-year-old has 

scored six league goals. PAGE 27 

Rampant Brazil 

crush Argentina 

Brazil thrashed eternal arch-rivals 

Argentina to tighten their grip 

on South America’s 2018 World 

Cup qualification campaign on 

Thursday as Uruguay maintained 

their push towards the finals with 

a hard-fought defeat of a confident 

Ecuador. PAGE 28 

Barisal Bulls skipper Mushfiqur Rahim sweeps during their BPL 4 clash against Comilla Victorians at Sher-e-Bangla 

National Stadium yesterday 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

Barisal post first ever 

win over Comilla 

• Ali Shahriyar Bappa 

Defending champions Comilla 

Victorians lost their second match 

in row when they went down to a 

six-wicket defeat against Barisal 

Bulls in the Bangladesh Premier 

League at Sher-e-Bangla National 

Cricket Stadium in Mirpur 

yesterday. 

Barisal made a slow start chasing 

their target of 130. Comilla 

opening bowling pair Pakistani 

duo Imad Wasim and Sohail Tanvir 

checked the run rate successfully, 

giving away only 18 runs in 

the first four overs. 

Imad struck the first blow as 

opening batsman Dilshan Munaweera 

got out in the fifth over for 

15. Dawid Malan then came to the 

crease and immediately scored 

back-to-back boundaries. 

But then Comilla kept a lid on 

Barisal as they made 48/1 by the 

halfway stage. 

The other opener Shamsur 

Rahman was struggling and eventually 

got out after scoring 16 

from 26 balls off the bowling of 

Nabil Samad. 

Barisal were slightly under 

pressure when Malan was dismissed 

in the 13th over. But Sri 

Lankan all-rounder Thisara Perrera 

and skipper Mushfiqur Rahim 

formed a quickfire 49-run partnership 

for the fourth wicket to 

take their side closer to victory. 

Mushfiq played some delightful 

shots during his 23-ball 33, 

featuring two fours and as many 

sixes. Barisal finally chased down 

the target with nine balls to spare. 

Perera remained not out on a 20- 

ball 34, studded with three fours 

and a six. 

Earlier, Comilla skipper 

Mashrafe bin Mortaza won the 

toss and elected to bat first. 

Barisal started their innings 

with left arm spinner Taijul Islam. 

Comilla made a poor start as 

opener Imrul Kayes (nought) was 

bowled by Taijul in just the second 

ball of the innings. 

Pakistan batsman Khalid 

Latif, who replaced Ashar Zaidi, 

smashed a couple of boundaries 

but was soon caught behind in 

the fourth over, bowled by Abu 

Haider Rony. 

Left hander Nazmul Hossain 

Shanto was promoted up the batting 

order but could manage 16 

runs before being caught short of 

the crease. From there, Comilla 

lost regular wickets and were teetering 

on 73 for 6 in 13.4 overs. 

Then, Pakistan all-rounder 

Sohail Tanvir and West Indies 

batsman Marlon Samuels added 

a valuable 38 runs for the seventh 

wicket. Samuels got out in the 

19th over after scoring 48. Tanvir 

finished with a sixer off the last 

ball of the innings to help Comilla 

post a challenging 129. 

Tanvir hit three sixes during 

his unbeaten 30 off just 19 deliveries.• 

SCORECARD 

COMILLA VICTORIANS R B 

Imrul b Taijul 0 2 

Latif c Mushfiq b Haider 12 14 

Shanto run out (Shamsur) 16 14 

Samuels c Al Amin b Emrit 48 48 

Liton c & b Al Amin 4 6 

Imad run out (Shamsur) 1 5 

Nahidul c Haider b Perera 4 8 

Tanvir not out 30 19 

Mashrafe b Haider 2 3 

Sharif not out 1 1 

Extras (lb 6, w 5) 11 

Total (8 wickets; 20 overs) 129 

Fall Of Wickets 

1-0 (Imrul), 2-25 (Latif), 3-49 (Shanto), 

4-57 (Liton), 5-66 (Imad), 6-73 (Nahidul), 

7-111 (Samuels), 8-122 (Mashrafe) 

Bowling 

Taijul 4-0-25-1, Al Amin 4-0-24-1, Haider 

4-0-34-2, Emrit 4-0-20-1, Perera 4-0-20-1 

BARISAL BULLS R B 

Munaweera c Samuels b Imad 15 19 

Shamsur c Imad b Nabil 16 26 

Malan c Mashrafe b Sharif 26 23 

Mushfiq c Liton b Tanvir 33 23 

Perera not out 34 20 

Shahriar not out 1 1 

Extras (lb 2, w 2, nb 1) 5 

Total (4 wickets; 18.3 overs) 130 


1-19 (Munaweera), 2-48 (Shamsur), 3-69 

(Malan), 4-118 (Mushfiq) 

Bowling 

Imad 4-0-38-1, Tanvir 4-0-17-1, Mashrafe 

4-0-21-0, Nabil 3-0-12-1, Nahidul 1-0-10-0, 

Sharif 2.3-0-30-1 

The Bulls won by six wickets 

MoM: Thisara Perera (BB) 

WHAT THEY SAID 

Comilla Victorians skipper 

Mashrafe bin Mortaza 

We should have scored 150 on this 

wicket. Unfortunately, in both the 

games we scored about 130. So we have 

to score more in the upcoming games. 

Only two matches have gone, we still 

have plenty of games left to come back 

in the tournament. We are yet to find 

our right combination. We have Rashid 

Khan in our squad. We can’t find any 

space for him now. If local players find 

their form and rhythm then we can play 

him in the forthcoming matches. But 

our local players are not performing 

and foreign players need time to adapt. 

So we have to concentrate on batting 

and thus Rashid is not playing at the 

moment. 

Barisal Bulls captain Mushfiqur 

Rahim 

Wicket was not so easy to bat on in the 

first six overs. They bowled really well 

at that moment as well. We needed 

a partnership and we made it. That’s 

why we won easily. Obviously it would 

have been better for me if I could have 

finished the match but we were thinking 

about the run-rate. We thought if we 

could end the game two overs early 

then it could help us in terms of runrate. 

I am not worried that I got out in 

the last moment. But I am happy that we 

planned to win one or two overs early 

and we finally did it. •

Sport 25 



Rajshahi bring 

Dhaka back 

down to earth 

• Tribune Report 

Rajshahi Kings registered their 

maiden win in the fourth edition 

of the Bangladesh Premier League 

Twenty20 beating the star-studded 

Dhaka Dynamites comfortably 

by six wickets at Sher-e-Bangla 

National Stadium in Mirpur 

yesterday. 

England’s Samit Patel topscored 

with an unbeaten 25-ball 

44, featuring half a dozen fours and 

a six while Sabbir Rahman added a 

39-ball 31 as Rajshahi reached their 

target with 11 balls to spare. 

Earlier, Dhaka posted 138/5 

in 20 overs after being asked to bat 

first by Rajshahi skipper Darren 

Sammy. 

Dhaka were in a spot of bother 

after youngster Mehedi Hasan 

Miraz clean bowled Sri Lankan 

great Kumar Sangakkara (two) in 

the second over. 

English left-arm spinner Patel 

then initiated a double blow by removing 

Mahela Jayawardene (11) 

and Mehedi Maruf (25) in quick 

succession. 

However, Mosaddek Hossain (59 

not out) and English all-rounder 

Ravi Bopara (20) added 54 runs for 

the fifth wicket to take their side to 

a fighting total. • 

Dhaka Dynamites’ Kumar Sangakkara is cleaned up by Rajshahi Kings’ Mehedi Hasan Miraz (not in picture) during their BPL 4 

clash in Mirpur yesterday 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

SCORECARD 

DHAKA DYNAMITES R B 

Maruf lbw b Patel 25 22 

Sangakkara b Miraz 2 6 

Jayawardene c Farhad b Patel 11 14 

Shakib st Nurul b Miraz 0 1 

Bopara c Patel b Abul 20 22 

Mosaddek not out 59 46 

Bravo not out 13 10 

Extras (b 1, lb 2, w 4, nb 1) 8 

Total (5 wickets; 20 overs) 138 


1-13 (Sangakkara), 2-43 (Jayawardene), 

3-43 (Maruf), 4-43 (Shakib), 5-97 (Bopara) 

Bowling 

Farhad 3-0-15-0, Miraz 4-0-22-2, Patel 

4-1-20-2, Sami 4-0-37-0, Abul 4-0-30-1, 

Sammy 1-0-11-0 

RAJSHAHI KINGS R B 

Mominul run out (Mosaddek) 9 10 

Rony st Sangakkara b Shakib 14 9 

Sabbir c Sangakkara b Shahid 31 39 

Umar c Shakib b Jayed 27 26 

Patel not out 44 25 

Sammy not out 0 0 

Extras (b 4, w 10) 14 



1-27 (Mominul), 2-27 (Rony), 3-65 (Umar), 

4-138 (Sabbir) 

Bowling 

Shahid 3.1-0-28-1, Nasir 3-0-24-0, Shakib 

4-0-18-1, Bravo 3-0-17-0, Bopara 3-0-34- 

0, Jayed 2-0-14-1 

The Kings won by six wickets 

MoM: Samit Patel (RK) 

Junior Tennis finale today 


India, Korea and China continued 

their domination in 

the Walton 30th Bangladesh 

International Tennis Federation 

Junior Championship 

2016 as the tournament prepares 

for its finale today. 

Rishabh Sharda of India 

and Chan Woo Park of Korea 

reached the final of the boys’ 

singles defeating Mritunjay 

Badola and Sacchitt Sharrma 

respectively in the semi-finals 

yesterday while Tanisha 

Kashyap of India and Jingyi 

Bangladesh finish 13th 

Asian U-14 Chess 


Bangladesh finished 13th in 

the Asian Nations Cup Under-14 

Team Chess Championship 

2016 after losing their 

last game against Singapore in 

Jaixian, China yesterday. 

Bangladesh U-14 team, 

comprising Nayem Haque, 

Amit Bikram Roy, Noshin 

Wang of China made it to the 

grand finale in the girls’ singles 

beating Muskan Gupta 

and Xiaowei Hu respectively. 

Korean pair Daehan Kim and 

Jonghun Lee defeated Indian 

duo Rohit Krishna Aynampudi 

and Nikit Reddy in the last four 

of the boys’ doubles to set up a 

final clash with Gunjan Jadhav 

and Sharrma of India. 

Chinese pair Yujiao Che 

and Jing Yang reached the final 

of the girls’ doubles after 

beating Serah Menezes and 

Malvika Shukla in the last 

four on the same day. • 

Anhum, Sadnan Hossain Dihan 

and Daniel Murad earned 

six points from nine rounds. 

They lost in their ninth and 

final round game by 1.5-2.5 

points. 

Iran became champions 

with 17 points while China 

finished runners-up. A total 

of 16 teams from 11 countries 

participated in the event.• 

Barisal Bulls v Comilla 

Victorians 

Comilla’s comedy of 

errors 

Comilla lost their opening 

game of the Bangladesh 

Premier League 

Twenty20 2016-17 season 

against Chittagong Vikings 

so they were looking 

to make a return to 

winning ways against Barisal. 

But Comilla hardly 

helped their cause with 

two run outs, eventually 

ending their innings on 

a moderate 129/8. First, 

it was youngster Nazmul 

Hossain Shanto who was 

caught short of the crease 

for 16 after fine work by 

Shamsur Rahman. Then, 

Imad Wasim followed 

suit, and this time too it 

was Shamsur who did all 

the good work. Barisal 

went on to win the game 

by six wickets, consigning 

defending champions 

Comilla to the bottom 

half of the table following 

their second loss in a row. 

PLAYS OF THE DAY 

Mushfiq connects 

sweetly with slog-sweep 

Barisal skipper Mushfiqur 

Rahim played a brilliant 

innings of 33 from 

23 balls. Barisal were under 

a little bit of pressure 

when Mushfiq came to 

the crease. Their asking 

rate was mounting but 

the right-hander played 

some aggressive shots, 

thus ensuring Barisal’s 

first win in the fourth 

edition. Mushfiq formed 

a 49-run partnership 

with Thisara Perera for 

the fourth wicket. Mushfiq 

surprisingly wore 

wicket-keeping pads 

while batting and probably 

that’s one of the reasons 

why he was able to 

take cheeky singles and 

twos. But perhaps the 

highlight of Mushfiq’s 

innings was the trademark 

slog-sweep. Mushfiq 

struck two huge sixes 

with his favourite shot 

over cow corner. Nahidul 

Islam and Imad were on 

the receiving end. 

Dhaka Dynamites v 

Rajshahi Kings 

43/1 to 41/4, Dhaka’s 

mini-collapse 

Batting first, Dhaka were 

cruising against Rajshahi, 

scoring 43 for 1 in six 

overs. Then, Dhaka suddenly 

suffered a mini-collapse. 

From a handsome 

position of 43 for 1, they 

were struggling on 43 for 

4. Three quick wickets 

in four balls duly rocked 

Dhaka’s top-order. 

First, Mahela Jayawardene 

got out trying 

to clear the fence against 

Samit Patel only to be 

caught at long on by Farhad 

Reza. In the very 

next ball, opening batsman 

Mehedi Maruf was 

trapped in front by Patel. 

Maruf made 25 from 22 

ballls. 

In the next over, Dhaka 

skipper Shakib al 

Hasan was stumped for 

a golden duck. Shakib 

charged down the wicket 

to Mehedi Hasan Miraz 

but missed as Nurul 

Hasan Sohan did the rest. 

But Dhaka eventually recovered, 

thanks to a 54- 

run partnership for the 

fifth wicket between Ravi 

Bopara and Mosaddek 

Hossain. 

–ALI SHAHRIYAR BAPPA 

Ctg Abahani, Sk 

Russel fire blank 


Rising powerhouse Chittagong 

Abahani slipped up again in the 

title race as they played out a goalless 

draw against Sheikh Russel 

Krira Chakra in the Bangladesh 

Premier League at Rafiq Uddin 

Bhuiyan Stadium yesterday. 

The port city outfit, who will 

return home for the upcoming fixtures, 

remained second despite the 

stalemate with 28 points from 14 

matches. They are only a point behind 

leaders Abahani Limited, who 

have played a game less. Abahani 

will play their 14th round game 

against Team BJMC tomorrow and 

a win will enable them to open up a 

four-point lead. 

Sheikh Russel, on the other 

hand, had their worst first phase 

in the league but are seemingly on 

their way back to form after beating 

Rahmatganj in their last match. 

They are now 10th with 12 points. 

Chittagong Abahani dominated the 

opening half where Haitian striker 

Leonel Saint Preux saw his effort 

cleared off the line by Ahmed 

Saeed Hasan. Sheikh Russel had a 

better half after resumption but a 

lack of finishing touch upfront left 

the scoresheet goalless. •


26 


Sport 

India’s Murali Vijay plays a shot against England during their first Test at Saurashtra Cricket Association Stadium, Rajkot, India yesterday 

Pujara, Vijay lead India’s strong batting reply 

• AFP, Rajkot 

Heavens above! Rain may thwart Aussie fightback 

• AFP, Hobart 

Skipper Steve Smith said yesterday 

he may play with just four bowlers 

as rain threatens Australia’s chances 

of rebounding from their mauling 

against South Africa in the second 

Test from today. 

Heavy downpours are forecast 

through to Monday’s third day in 

Hobart, which doesn’t bode well 

for Australia as they bid to recover 

from their 177-run thrashing in 

Perth - their fourth straight Test 

defeat. 

Smith’s underfire side are anxious 

not to make selection mistakes 

Cheteshwar Pujara and Murali Vijay 

hit centuries as India mounted 

a steady counter-attack on the 

third day of a high-scoring first Test 

against England yesterday. 

Top-ranked India finished the 

day on a strong 319-4 at the Saurashtra 

Cricket Association ground 

in Rajkot, supported by the duo’s 

performance. 

Pujara made 124 off 206 balls 

before being dismissed by first-innings 

centurion Ben Stokes, but 

owes his ninth Test century and 

third against England to the Decision 

Review System. 

The right-handed batsman was 

ruled lbw on 86 but the TV umpire - 

which long-time sceptics India are 

using for the first time in a home 

series - overturned the decision 

after the ball-tracker showed Zafar 

Ansari’s delivery going over the top 

of the stumps. 

Vijay hit 126 during a marathon 

eight-hour innings and shared 209 

runs for the second wicket with 

Pujara. 

Indian skipper Virat Kohli was 

batting on 26 at stumps while 

nightwatchman Amit Mishra was 

dismissed for a duck off the last 

ahead of the pivotal Hobart game, 

the second of three Tests, and the 

27-year-old captain has several options 

in mind. 

He confirmed that number five 

batsman Adam Voges was fit to play 

after hamstring trouble and indicated 

Australia may line up with 

six recognised batsmen, throwing 

into doubt the places of all-rounder 

Mitchell Marsh and spinner Lyon. 

Asked about going in with just 

four bowlers, as rain delays should 

mean they will get plenty of rest, 

Smith said: “Not sure, that’s up to 

the selectors and they’ll decide [today].” 

ball of the day. 

The hosts trailed by 218 runs 

with six wickets in hand in reply 

to England’s 537, their third biggest 

total on Indian soil thanks to 

centuries from Joe Root, Moeen Ali 

and Stokes. 

After being stuck on 99 for 10 

balls, Pujara reached the three-figure 

mark with a nervous single as 

his father and wife applauded from 

the stands. 

Vijay raced to his seventh Test 

century with two boundaries off 

Stuart Broad, who is playing his 

100th Test, and celebrated it by 

leaping into the air. 

Australia were forced into two 

changes from the Perth Test line-up 

with opener Shaun Marsh breaking 

a finger and paceman Peter Siddle 

suffering a back strain. Joe Burns is 

expected to open the innings with 

David Warner, while Joe Mennie is 

likely to make his Test debut. Tasmanian 

paceman Jackson Bird has 

been added to the squad. 

Smith’s captaincy has come 

under heavy criticism during 

Australia’s losing run, with Test 

legend Shane Warne claiming 

that off-spinner Lyon was under-bowled 

in Perth. But Smith defended 

his leadership.• 

REUTERS 

Pujara, 28, flourished in the 

post-lunch session, twice carting 

leg-spinner Adil Rashid for fours in 

the same over. 

Vijay was lucky to earn a life on 

66 when debutant Haseeb Hameed 

failed to hold onto his catch off 

Broad (1-54) in the covers. 

It was England’s turn to huff and 

puff in temperatures touching 35 

degrees Celsius (95 degree Fahrenheit), 

and on a surface that had 

little to offer to the bowlers. 

The morning session saw India 

lose opener Gautam Gambhir (29) 

to Broad, who struck off his first 

ball of the day.• 

65.09 

Average partnership 

between M Vijay 

and Cheteshwar Pujara - the best among 

13 India pairs with 2000 or more runs. 

They completed 2000 runs together 

during their 209-run stand in Rajkot, 

becoming the only such pair for India 

since 2010. 

81.45 

Vijay’s average in 

first Tests of a series 

since June 2014. He has scored 896 

runs in 11 innings in first Tests including 

one-match series. His average keeps 

decreasing in the subsequent matches 

of a series - 52 in the second, 25 in the 

third and 18.83 in the fourth. He has 

made nine 50-plus scores in 11 innings in 

the first (or only) match match of a Test 

series in that time period. 

3 

Centuries for Pujara in Tests against 

England - his most against any 

opposition. Before his 124 in this match, 

he made 206 not out and 135 in his first 

two Tests against England in the 2012-13 

home series. He averages 93.66 against 

England at home but only 22.20 in 

England. 

1 

Number of bigger second-wicket 

partnerships for India against 

England than Vijay and Pujara’s here. 

Rahul Dravid and Gautam Gambhir 

shared 314 runs in Mohali in 2008- 

09. This is only the third 200-plus 

partnership for India versus England in 

the last 20 years and first since Dravid- 

Gambhir. 

1ST TEST, DAY 3 

ENGLAND FIRST INNINGS 

537 (Stokes 128, Root 124, Moeen 117) 

INDIA FIRST INNINGS R B 

Vijay c Hameed b Rashid 126 301 

Gambhir lbw b Broad 29 72 

Pujara c Cook b Stokes 124 206 

Kohli not out 26 70 

Mishra c Hameed b Ansari 0 2 

Extras (b 12, lb 1, w 1) 14 



1-68 (Gambhir), 2-277 (Pujara), 3-318 

(Vijay), 4-319 (Mishra) 

Bowling 

Broad 20-7-54-1, Woakes 23-5-39-0, 

Moeen 22-6-70-0, Ansari 17.3-1-57-1, 

Rashid 16-1-47-1, Stokes 10-1-39-1 

India trail by 218 runs 

Morne Morkel of South Africa checks his bowling run up during a nets session at 

Blundstone Arena yesterday 

INTERNET

Sport 27 



Zlatan confident of winning 

EPL with Man Utd 

• Reuters 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic is sure he 

will win the Premier League 

with Manchester United and 

says his performances will 

improve once he picks up the 

rhythm of the English game. 

The 35-year-old has scored 

six league goals since the start 

of the season, including two 

against Swansea City at the 

weekend that ended a twomonth 

league drought. 

“If I could win the Premier 

League, the next day I would 

stop playing football... almost. 

Hopefully I can win it, and I 

will win it,” he told. 

“We have been a little bit 

unlucky in certain games, but 

we believe. When you believe 

it will come.” 

Ibrahimovic said the fact 

that United have failed to 

mount a title challenge in three 

seasons of decline after the 

retirement of Alex Ferguson 

means they must work even 

harder to restore their place at 

the top of English football. 

“From just below to the 

top, I think there is a big difference. 

After a couple of years if 

you haven’t been on the top of 

the table you notice it, you feel 

it. That’s what we are working 

for,” he said. 

“I’ve missed pretty good 

chances, which I don’t (usually) 

see myself doing, but it’s a 

different game here. I know I 

can do more, I know the team 

can do more. I want to do 

more. I will do more.” 

Ibrahimovic has won titles 

in four different countries and 

played at Ajax Amsterdam, Juventus, 

Inter Milan, Barcelona 

and AC Milan. The Swede has 

won a trophy in each season 

since 2001. • 

DAY’S WATCH 

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STAR SPORTS 1, SONY 

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10:00 PM 

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FOOTBALL 

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TEN 1 

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28 


Sport 

RESULTS 

Colombia 0-0 Chile 

Uruguay 2-1 Ecuador 

Coates 12, Caicedo 44 

Rolan 45 

Paraguay 1-4 Peru 

Riveros 9 Ramos 48, 

Flores 71, Cueva 78, 

Benitez 84-og 

Brazil 3-0 Argentina 

Coutinho 25, Neymar 45, 

Paulinho 59 

Venezuela 5-0 Bolivia 

Koufatti 3, Otero 75, 

Martinez 11, 67, 70 

POINTS TABLE 

P W D L GD Pts 

Brazil 11 7 3 1 17 24 

Uruguay 11 7 2 2 15 23 

Colombia 11 5 3 3 3 18 

Ecuador 11 5 2 4 3 17 

Chile 11 5 2 4 2 17 

Argentina 11 4 4 3 -1 16 

Paraguay 11 4 3 4 -5 15 

Peru 11 4 2 5 0 14 

Venezuela 11 1 2 8 -12 5 

Bolivia 11 1 1 9 -22 4 

Brazil’s Neymar celebrates his goal against Argentina during their World Cup 2018 Qualifier at Mineirao Stadium, Belo Horizonte, Brazil on Thursday 

Brazil crush Argentina in World Cup qualifiers 

• AFP, Montevideo 

Brazil thrashed arch-rivals Argentina 

to tighten their grip on South 

America’s 2018 World Cup qualification 

campaign on Thursday as 

Uruguay maintained their push towards 

the finals with a hard-fought 

defeat of Ecuador. 

Barcelona superstar Neymar 

outshone club-mate Lionel Messi 

with his 50th international goal for 

Brazil in Belo Horizonte as the fivetime 

World Cup winners romped to 

a 3-0 win in the Estadio Mineirao. 

It was a sweet return to the venue 

for Brazil, who were humiliated 7-1 at 

the same ground by Germany in the 

semi-finals of the 2014 World Cup. 

Neymar’s landmark strike was 

sandwiched by a spectacular effort 

from Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho 

and a second-half finish from China-based 

midfielder Paulinho. 

The win was a remarkable fifth 

consecutive qualifying victory under 

the reign of new coach Tite, 

who took over following the sacking 

of Dunga in June following Brazil’s 

Copa America Centenario debacle, 

when they failed to advance 

from the group stage. Brazil now 

have 24 points from 11 games, one 

clear of second-placed Uruguay 

who have 23 points. 

The Brazilians are six points 

clear of third-placed Colombia and 

seven points clear of Ecuador and 

Chile, who are level on 17 points after 

11 games. 

Argentina meanwhile are languishing 

outside the qualifying 

places in sixth with 16 points. 

The two-time world champions 

- who have taken just two points 

from their past four qualifiers - 

now face a crucial game at home to 

Colombia next Tuesday which they 

must win to avoid falling further 

off the pace. 

Uruguay meanwhile stayed 

firmly on Brazil’s shoulder with a 

2-1 defeat of Ecuador at Montevideo’s 

Estadio Centenario. 

Argentina struggling for 2018 WC place 

• AFP, Montevideo 

Neymar scored his 50th international 

goal as Brazil thrashed Argentina 

3-0 to tighten their grip on 

South America’s 2018 World Cup 

qualification campaign and leave 

their arch-rivals struggling to reach 

the finals. 

Barcelona superstar Neymar 

outshone club-mate Lionel Messi 

in Belo Horizonte - the venue 

where Brazil were humiliated 7-1 

by Germany in the 2014 World Cup 

semi-finals. 

Argentina are outside of the 

qualifying places. But Messi insisted 

that the two time World Cup 

winners could still get through to 

the Russia finals. 

Neymar’s landmark strike was 

sandwiched by a spectacular effort 

from Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho 

and a second-half finish from China-based 

midfielder Paulinho. 

Brazil have now won five 

straight qualifying games under 

new coach Tite, who took over after 

Dunga was sacked in June because 

of Brazil’s failure to get out 

of the Copa America Centenario 

group stage. 

Brazil now have 24 points 

from 11 games, one clear of second-placed 

Uruguay who have 23 

points. 

The Brazilians are six points 

clear of third-placed Colombia and 

seven points clear of Ecuador and 

Chile, who are level on 17 points after 

11 games. 

Argentina languishing outside 

the qualifying places in sixth with 

16 points. The two-time world 

champions - who have taken just 

two points from their past four 

qualifiers - now face a crucial game 

at home to Colombia next Tuesday 

which they must win to avoid falling 

further off the pace. 

“We’re down but we’re still 

alive,” Argentina captain Messi 

said. “We have to forget the situation 

we’re in and start thinking 

about Colombia. If we get a result 

against Colombia it will make 

things look a lot different.” 

Argentina manager Edgardo 

Bauza admitted he had not expected 

to lose so heavily. 

The Uruguayans took the lead on 

12 minutes when former Liverpool 

defender Sebastian Coates bundled 

in a corner from close range for his 

first international goal. 

Espanyol striker Felipe Caicedo 

then rounded off a sweeping Ecuador 

counter-attack to equalise just 

before half-time. But Uruguay responded 

immediately, Diego Rolan 

stabbing home a low finish on the 

stroke of half-time to restore the 

home side’s lead. 

Elsewhere Thursday, Copa 

America Centenario champions 

Chile had captain and goalkeeper 

Claudio Bravo to thank for a hardearned 

point in a 0-0 draw against 

“It’s a hard defeat. I did not 

think we would lose 3-0, I thought 

it would be an even game,” Bauza 

said. “But when they got their second 

it was all over.” 

Colombia’s Argentinian coach 

Jose Pekerman bemoaned a lack of 

precision in front of goal but was 

buoyed by the return of talismanic 

striker Radamel Falcao, who was 

introduced as a half-time substitute. 

“We tried everything and we 

had chances but we lacked precision,” 

Pekerman said. 

“But the most important fact of 

the game was the return of Falcao.” 

In other games, Paraguay suffered 

a 4-1 mauling against Peru in 

Asuncion to derail their qualification 

campaign.• 

REUTERS 

Colombia in Barranquilla. 

The Chileans, missing injured 

Arsenal star Alexis Sanchez, needed 

two superb saves from Bravo to keep 

Colombia at bay in a gritty game 

played in sweltering conditions. 

In other games, Paraguay suffered 

a 4-1 mauling against Peru in 

Asuncion to derail their qualification 

campaign. 

Paraguay, who are two points 

outside the qualifying positions, 

face Bolivia away in their next 

game. Venezuela meanwhile scored 

their first win of the qualifiers with 

a 5-0 thrashing at home to Bolivia, 

with Josef Martinez scoring a hattrick. 

•

Downtime 

29 



CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1 Facts given (4) 

5 Spinning toys (4) 

10 Moist (4) 

11 Opening (3) 

12 Silly (5) 

13 Period of time (3) 

14 At no time (5) 

16 Tendencies (6) 

18 Landed property (6) 

21 Garden tool (5) 

23 Neckwear (3) 

24 Emperor of Ethiopia 

(5) 

26 Drink (3) 

27 Land measure (4) 

28 Raw hide (4) 

29 Slippery catches (4) 

DOWN 

2 Old saying (5) 

3 Tawny brown (3) 

4 Corrected (7) 

6 S-shaped moulding 

(4) 

7 Bird (6) 

8 Mineral spring (3) 

9 Cadence (4) 

15 Perfume (7) 

17 Spring back (6) 

19 Divine messenger (5) 

20 Direction (4) 

22 Strip (4) 

23 Faucet (3) 

25 Before (poet) (3) 

CODE-CRACKER 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 17 represents N so fill N 

every time the figure 17 appears. 

You have two letters in the control 

grid to start you off. Enter them in the 

appropriate squares in the main grid, then 

use your knowledge of words to work out 

which letters go in the missing squares. 

Some letters of the alphabet may not be 

used. 

As you get the letters, fill in the other 

squares with the same number in the 

main grid, and the control grid. Check 

off the list of alphabetical letters as you 

identify them. 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

CALVIN AND HOBBES 

SUDOKU 

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the 

numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must 

contain all nine digits with no number repeating. 

PEANUTS 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS 

CODE-CRACKER 

CROSSWORD 

DILBERT 

SUDOKU

30 



Showtime 

One of the best of 2016 

This was an hour and 40 minutes of pure brilliance 

• Mahmood Hossain 

Hell or High Water will possibly 

land in the top 10, if not the 

top five, best films of 2016. One 

thing can’t really be disputed is 

the amazing performances by 

both Chris Pine and Ben Foster. 

With the addition of the ever-soreliable 

grit of Jeff Bridges, it’s like 

watching a modern day Western, 

where outlaws roamed the towns 

of west Texas, robbing banks. 

However, this isn’t a heist film. 

It’s about two brothers running 

away from a turbulent past with 

no hope for the future. Toby 

(Pine) and Tanner (Foster) Howard 

are brothers who are almost polar 

opposites, but find themselves 

taking part in a dangerous stage of 

their lives for a common purpose. 

Toby, even though frightening 

when provoked, is the level 

headed one. Tanner, on the other 

hand, is a former convict with 

reckless behaviour. 

Toby goes along with the string 

of bank robberies in order to keep 

his ex-wife and sons financially 

stable for the future, while saving 

the family ranch. His older brother 

Tanner teams up with him for 

the exact same reason. There’s 

a deadline to meet before the 

bank takes it all, so naturally, 

the Howard boys resort to the 

desperate scheme. 

The script is nothing grand nor 

is it complicated. The story itself 

is about the characters and human 

drama. Being tracked down 

by Marcus Hamilton (Bridges), 

the tension and unspoken love 

between the brothers can hit 

home. There isn’t too much to 

divulge on their past either. The 

entire film feels like an “Old West” 

thriller, pacing itself mighty 

fine, eventually leading to a very 

satisfying climax. 

The direction by David 

Mackenzie should also be 

applauded, successfully capturing 

the essence of old, high-tension 

Westerns. From the dialogue to 

the editing, what you see in the 

final cut is worth every second. 

And dare we say, this is possibly 

Chris Pine’s best performance 

in his career. In addition, it’s 

important to note that Ben Foster 

is criminally underrated. Time 

after time, Foster has shown the 

intensity of each character he has 

ever played. It would be a shame 

if he wasn’t considered for at least 

a nomination for best supporting 

actor. 

Overall, we have yet another 

amazing work on film that wasn’t 

a huge hit in the box office. But 

that’s the whole point of these 

releases. They aren’t here to rack 

on millions on top of millions at 

the box office. They are here to tell 

a damn good story with equally 

engaging characters. • 

Don’t blink 

One of the most beautiful films you will ever see 

• Mahmood Hossain 

“If you must blink, do it now.” The 

first words narrated by the main 

character Kubo (Art Parkinson) 

is a cautious instruction of how 

one should watch this film. This 

isn’t Disney, Pixar or Dreamworks. 

Kubo and the Two Strings is the 

ideal example of how beautiful an 

animated film can be, without the 

backing of a major studio. Laika, 

the production house, has given 

moviegoers and fantasy/adventure 

seekers an incredible treat. From 

the aesthetics to the actual story, 

this film is a representation of 

how magical the imagination 

can be. Every minute detail, 

from imperfectly lined teeth to 

the orange shade of the sunset, 

will make you forget that you 

are actually watching a 3D stopmotion 

fantasy, action-adventure 

film. 

With the budget of $60 million, 

it’s really a shame the film could 

only gather a little over $67 

million in the US box office. But 

the early reviews (from the time 

of its release back in August) 

were spot on about the dazzling 

display of a Japanese set story and 

background. This nearly perfect 

film will leave you in awe, as well 

as pull on your heartstrings. While 

we all might be swept away by the 

gorgeous animated details, we are 

subtly lured into the myth found 

in the story. And with the backing 

of Hollywood stars like Matthew 

McConaughey (Beetle) and 

Charlize Theron (Monkey) lending 

their voices to the characters, this 

is a failsafe hit directed by Travis 

Knight. 

Apart from the all-American 

accents in the voices, which might 

throw you off a little, you will 

finally appreciate the painstaking 

work that each animator produced 

for the film. With a quick peek 

into the scale of this film at the 

end-credits, you will surely find a 

new found respect for the creative 

individuals who bring life into 

each animated character and 

element. A highly recommended 

film with a “Fresh” rating on 

Rotten Tomatoes of 97%, Kubo and 

the Two Strings is worth watching 

multiple times. •

Showtime 

31 



Dhaka Folk Fest day one 

• Rayan Quddus 

This weekend, the streets and 

flyover in front of the oval-shaped 

Bangladesh Army Stadium was 

frozen, if not flooded with traffic. 

On a regular day, citizens would 

have been outraged. But this was 

an exception. It was the first day 

of the Dhaka International Folk 

Fest. In the middle of the chaos, an 

essence of the mystic bauls arose 

from the festival. The footpath 

adjacent to the venue had a line 

stretching a few miles at least. 

People entered the gates through a 

heavy security screening. 

As the clock hit 7:30pm, people 

were roaming about the secured 

arena after entering through the 

west side gates. The stage was at 

the north side, and there were 

hundreds of seats for the audience 

in the middle of the field. And 

it had a curtain roof, sheltering 

the crowd. This area was as big 

as 40 badminton courts. The 

whole atmosphere embodied the 

very definition of a festival. On 

the east side, there was a food 

court that had over a dozen stalls. 

Items ranging from biriyani to 

burgers were sold. The 36 nineseated 

tables were never empty 

throughout the night. People of 

all ages, were present. The elderly 

mostly had the front row views 

of the stage, while middle-aged 

parents roamed the area with their 

kids. And on the stadium seats, 

young adults scattered around in 

groups, having a great hangout. 

After the opening ceremony 

and speeches from Annisul Huq, 

the Mayor of Dhaka North City 

Corporation, and Abul Maal Abdul 

Muhith the Minister of Finance, 

the music began. People were 

roaming, chatting, eating and 

listening simultaneously. After 

getting warmed up by old-school 

folk melodies by Abdul Rahman 

Baul and Fakir Tuntun Shah, the 

audience started to lend their 

ears more. At 9:05pm, Simon 

Thacker and Raju Das Baul, took 

the place by storm. The people 

really enjoyed the fusion between 

Eastern and Western instruments. 

Almost everyone, including 

security forces, turned their heads 

to see the showdown between 

the guitar and the dotara. Later, 

Pakistani artist Javed Bashir put 

on a solid performance, which 

lasted well past11. He was followed 

by the day’s headliner, the Folk 

Queen, Momtaz Begum. Her voice, 

along with some catchy beats 

pumped up her fans. She sang way 

past midnight. The event ended 

with electrified visitors returning 

home, filled with the enjoyment of 

the occasion. 

The organisers have declined 

to disclose the number of visitors 

throughout the day, for security 

measures. But according to 

rumblings amongst the press, it 

was approximately 15,000. The 

security forces did a very good 

job. The arena staff kept the 

washrooms and the fields clean. 

Dozens of garbage cans were 

spread throughout the entire 

event. Catch the last of day of 

this well organis ed festival today, 

if you have the registered pass. 

Don’t miss out. Sun Events and 

Maasranga Television has jointly 

arranged this event for the second 

year in a row, and they have done a 

great job. • 

Another loss in 2016 

• Showtime Desk 

Canadian singer, songwriter 

and poet, Leonard Cohen’s 

death was confirmed at the age 

of 82, last Thursday. The news 

was announced on his official 

Facebook page, but no details 

about the cause of death were 

given. From the Prime Minister 

of Canada to actors, musicians, 

and fans, who were inspired by 

the legendary singer-songwriter, 

mourning the loss have taken 

to social media to share their 

memories to bid farewell. 

Justin Trudeau @JustinTrudeau 

No other artist’s music felt or 

sounded like Leonard Cohen’s. 

Yet his work resonated across 

generations. Canada and the world 

will miss him. 

Jennifer Hudson @IAMJHUD 

RIP Leonard Cohen. Thank you for 

you dedication to music, & writing 

one of my favorite songs to sing 

“Hallelujah”. 

Justin Timberlake @jtimberlake 

#RIPLeonardCohen 

A spirit and soul beyond compare. 

Russell Crowe @russellcrowe 

Dear Leonard Cohen, thanks for 

the quiet nights, the reflection, the 

perspective, the wry smiles and 

the truth #towerofsong 

Ruby Rose @RubyRose 

So we lost Prince. Bowie. Leonard 

Cohen and elected Trump... I’m 

just saying it’s been a pretty big let 

down 2016... 

lily allen @lilyallen 

As of the week could get any 

worse. Thank you Leonard Cohen, 

for all the things. Rest In Peace 

mia farrow @MiaFarrow 

“I am ready to die. I hope it’s not 

too uncomfortable. That’s about it 

for me.-Leonard Cohen •

32 



WHAT A TRUMP PRESIDENCY 

MEANS FOR COP22 PAGE 14 

Back Page 

BARISAL POST FIRST EVER 

WIN OVER COMILLA PAGE 24 

DHAKA FOLK FEST 

DAY ONE PAGE 31 

Dream of a carjacker 

• Mohammad Jamil Khan 

How much does a carjacker earn? How 

much wealth can one make from car 

lifting? 

Meet Billal Hossain – a “professional” 

carjacker who dreams of ultimately 

making Tk200 crore. 

His victims include a couple of high 

profile people. 

Detectives said a couple of years 

back, Billal was arrested after stealing 

car parts from Awami League leader 

Engineer Mosharraf Hossain’s house. 

After he was caught, he even 

proposed buying the Awami League 

leader a car as compensation. 

During the BNP government, 

Billal stole car parts from the factory 

of Dandy Dyeing, which is owned by 

BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique 

Rahman. 

Billal’s aspiring dream was disclosed 

when he was first arrested by 

the police’s Detective Branch (DB) in 

2010. 

He told this correspondent also of 

his dream on the corridor of the Chief 

Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in 

Dhaka recently as he was being taken 

for a hearing. 

Billal has been arrested twice since 

2010. 

But his most recent arrest on October 

31 this year from Jatrabari seems 

to have muddled his dream a little. 

Billal lamented the presence of 

increased security measures – ubiquitous 

CCTVs and police interference – 

as an obstacle to fulfilling his dream. 

But he is not one to give up so 

easily, it seems. He now wants to accumulate 

at least Tk100 crore. After that 

he will leave his “profession,” he said. 

DB sources told the Dhaka Tribune 

that Billal has been facing 26 cases 

since 2010 but he always comes out 

on bail. 

A high official of DB police, requesting 

anonymity, said Billal has a panel 

of lawyers who put up a strong fight 

in court. 

During Billal’s recent hearing on a 

five-day remand prayer, a panel of 10 

lawyers stood to defend him and ultimately 

the court approved a remand 

for just one day. 

The official told the Dhaka Tribune 

that Billal showed the detectives all 

modern carjacking techniques during a 

recent interrogation. 

In desperation of achieving his 

goal, Billal has also engaged in burglary 

– as a part-time job – at households 

with a motive of stealing car parts 

and machinery. The official said Billal 

always admits to his crimes in front of 

the police. 

DB Assistant Superintendent 

Rafiqul Alam said Billal now has a 

strong team of at least 37 members – 

12 for robbery and the rest for lifting 

cars. Billal’s gang members are all very 

skilled and “can unlock any car within a 

few seconds.” 

According to DB police sources, 

Billal owns properties worth Tk30 

crore in the form of, among others, a 

luxurious building in Demra and two 

villas in Ashulia and Tangail. 

He also owns a few buses that 

operate on different long routes. He 

has gifted luxurious cars to his wife 

and three daughters. 

Assistant Superintendent Rafiqul 

Alam said when he was arrested in 

2010 Billal promised to leave carjacking. 

But he got arrested again in 2012 

for stealing cars. 

Rajib Al Masud, additional deputy 

commissioner of DB, said: “We are 

now conducting drives to arrest the 

members of Billal’s gang.” 

Billal is currently in jail. • 

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 

8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

DT e-Paper, Saturday, 12 November, 2016

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