DT e-Paper, Friday, Decdember 2, 2016

SECOND EDITION 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016 | Agrahayan 18, 1423, Rabiul Awwal 1, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 215 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages plus 28-page Weekend supplement | Price: Tk10 

New evidence shows deep IS role 

in Gulshan restaurant attack › 2 

Hasina: This land is not 

for militancy › 3 

How to lead in intolerant times 

Lutfey Siddiqi on what lies beyond 

tolerance › 23 

Man vs machine › 18 

Barisal end 

six-match 

losing streak 

› 24 

Tax return submission record high › 12 

Khaleda 

pleads not 

guilty in 

graft case 

› 5

2 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2, 2016 

DT 

News 

New evidence shows deep IS role 

in Gulshan restaurant attack 

• Reuters 

Before Tamim Ahmed Chowdhury 

orchestrated Bangladesh’s worst 

militant attack, he sought and won 

approval for it from Islamic State. 

A Canadian of Bangladeshi origin, 

he was told by his contact in 

the militant group, Abu Terek Mohammad 

Tajuddin Kausar, to target 

foreigners, according to a senior police 

official who has seen communications 

between the two men. 

Chowdhury, located in Bangladesh 

at the time, proposed an attack 

on a Dhaka eatery frequented 

by expatriates. 

On July 1, a group of gunmen 

stormed the Holey Artisan café in 

the city’s Gulshan neighbourhood, 

murdering 22 people, most of them 

foreigners, in an overnight siege 

that shocked the country. 

The back-and-forth between 

Chowdhury, 30, and Kausar, 35, 

which includes drafts of articles later 

published in Islamic State magazines, 

has not been previously 

reported. 

Together with attempts by people 

linked to Islamic State to recruit 

and fund militancy in the country, 

the documents show the extremist 

organisation has built deeper connections 

with Bangladeshi militants 

than was previously known. 

The police official declined to be 

named due to the sensitivity of the 

information. Reuters could not independently 

verify the contents of 

the communications. 

As Islamic State comes under 

pressure in its home base of Syria 

and Iraq, its activities in outposts 

such as Bangladesh could intensify, 

experts have said. 

The extent of Islamic State’s influence 

in Bangladesh will be key 

to the country’s garment sector 

that employs millions of people 

and earns $28bn a year in exports. 

Any sign the global jihadi network 

is making inroads could force 

Western brands to look elsewhere 

for cheap clothes. 

In the year before the cafe atrocity, 

a string of grisly individual 

murders, including of bloggers and 

foreigners, had already raised the 

alarm for overseas investors. 

In its Rumiyah magazine published 

after the café massacre, 

Islamic State claimed two dozen 

attacks in the country since September 

2015. The claim could not 

be independently verified. 

Local militants or Islamic State? 

After the siege, police raided suspected 

jihadi hideouts and said 

they killed dozens of militants and 

arrested hundreds more. 

Holey Artisan Bakery 

Still, the government of Prime 

Minister Sheikh Hasina has said 

Islamic State does not exist in the 

impoverished South Asian nation 

of 160 million people, and instead 

blames the rise in political violence 

on the Islamist opposition. 

Opposition leaders deny any link 

and say it can be traced to the bitter 

rivalry, which has long poisoned 

politics in the country, between 

Hasina’s ruling Awami League and 

its main rival, the Bangladesh Nationalist 

Party (BNP), as well as Jamaat-e-Islami. 

“These are all home-grown 

people,” said Interior Minister Asaduzzaman 

Khan, adding that the 

siege militants belonged to a new 

faction of Jamaat-ul-Mujahideen 

Bangladesh (JMB), a banned group 

he said had ties to the opposition 

Jamaat-e-Islami party. 

An aide to Hasina said that, 

while local militant groups had 

links with Islamic State, the extent 

of support was limited. 

“They are not an organised 

group here. People with Islamic 

State links are here. But that is not 

to say Islamic State is here.” 

Funding and recruiting 

Bangladesh police first came to 

know about Chowdhury around 

fall of last year, but they did not 

know his whereabouts, the police 

official said. 

In December, Dhaka police 

seized about 3.9m taka ($50,000) 

destined for a close associate of 

Chowdhury’s. 

The money, which the police official 

said was sent via the informal 

The government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

has said Islamic State does not exist in the 

impoverished South Asian nation of 160 million 

people, and instead blames the rise in political 

violence on the Islamist opposition 

hawala cash transfer network, came 

from a UK-based company. The 

company’s founder, Siful Sujan, 

was killed a few days later in Syria. 

At the time, investigators could 

not establish the money had been 

sent on Islamic State’s instructions, 

the police official said. 

Chowdhury’s group, meanwhile, 

was recruiting. 

Tanvir Kaderi and his wife, Abedatul 

Fatema, had a comfortable 

middle-class life in Dhaka, with 

two children and steady jobs. 

“We were a very happy family,” 

Kaderi’s son Mohammed Tahrim 

Kaderi Abir wrote in a confession 

presented before a magistrate. 

Abir, an eighth grade student, 

wrote that his parents’ behaviour 

started to change after they went 

on the Haj pilgrimage in 2014. 

After that, Kaderi told a preacher 

he had dreamed he was standing 

REUTERS 

with a weapon in his hand in the 

middle of a desert. 

Kaderi also started spending 

time with acquaintances from the 

local mosque, who introduced the 

family to others, including associates 

of Chowdhury. 

They in turn preached to the family 

about faith and jihad and showed 

them videos of the war in Syria. One 

gave them a copy of Dabiq magazine, 

an Islamic State publication, 

according to the confession. 

The preparations for the café 

attack began at least as early as 

June, around the beginning of the 

Muslim holy month of Ramadan, 

according to Abir’s confession. Kaderi 

rented an apartment in Basundhara 

area of Dhaka, near the cafe. 

A few days later the five militants 

who conducted the attack 

showed up at the house. Kaderi’s 

family moved to Dhaka’s old city 

the night of the raid. 

Magazine interviews 

Chowdhury was killed on August 

27. That and the other raids gave 

police access to his correspondence 

with Kausar. 

In one, Chowdhury was asked 

by Kausar to answer questions for 

an interview, which was eventually 

published in Dabiq in April under the 

nom de guerre Abu Ibrahim al-Hanif. 

Al-Hanif was identified in the 

magazine as head of Islamic State 

in Bangladesh. 

In another, Chowdhury sent the 

draft of an article about the café attack, 

which was published after his 

death in Rumiyah magazine, the 

police official said. 

Kausar’s mother said he moved 

to Australia in 2006 and she had 

not heard from him since before 

the attack. Tahera Begum, who 

lives in a town 135 miles from Dhaka, 

said she did not know whether 

he had links with Islamic State. 

Before his death, Chowdhury 

made Kaderi the new point of contact 

with Kausar, the police official 

said. 

At around 7:30 pm on September 

10, police knocked on the door 

of Kaderi’s apartment, where his 

wife, one of his sons and some associates 

were hiding. 

In the ensuing chaos, police 

were attacked with grenades and 

knives, while some women in the 

apartment threw chili powder at 

them. Kaderi ran into a room. 

As they tried to apprehend him, 

he swung a scythe at police, who 

were using his son as a shield. 

Kaderi told his son, “If you get 

hit, you will either be martyred or 

Allah will reward you.” 

By the time the raid was over, 

Kaderi had slit his own throat. The 

last known link to Islamic State in 

Bangladesh was dead, although 

the police official said they did not 

know if anyone else was in contact 

with the militant group. 

Political strife 

Opposition leaders accuse the government 

of using militancy as an 

excuse to stifle dissent. 

“A democracy deficit is definitely 

encouraging the extremists,” 

said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, 

BNP’s secretary general who spent 

months in jail and now faces prosecution 

in dozens of cases. 

The Jamaat leadership has gone 

into hiding after several of its top 

leaders were executed during the 

past two years for war crimes committed 

during the country’s 1971 

war of independence from Pakistan. 

In an email, Maqbul Ahmad, 

the head of the party, denied any 

connections with JMB or other militants. 

“The government is consistently 

denying the actual presence 

of terrorism in Bangladesh,” Ahmad 

wrote. “Rather they are using 

it as an effective instrument of repression 

of Islamists.” 

Soon after the café attack, the 

government placed a bounty of 

Tk2m ($25,000) on Chowdhury’s 

head. A series of raids on militant 

hideouts followed. By October 3 police 

said they had killed 42 militants 

and arrested at least 221 people, according 

to an internal police report. 

Militant groups, including a 

faction ideologically linked to al 

Qaeda, have gone quiet and police 

say the overall security situation is 

under control, although the threat 

is not over. •

News 3 



Hasina: This land is not for militancy 

• UNB 

Reiterating her government’s “zero 

tolerance policy” against terrorism 

and militancy, Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina yesterday said no 

one will be allowed to use Bangladesh’s 

soil for terrorist acts against 

any country. 

"We won’t tolerate any sort of 

terrorism and militancy and won't 

allow our land to be used for carrying 

out terrorist acts against any 

country," she told visiting Indian 

Defence Minister Manohar Gopalkrishna 

Prabhu Parrikar who 

met Hasina at her official residence 

Ganabhaban here in the afternoon. 

After the meeting, PM’s Press 

Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed 

reporters. 

Sheikh Hasina recalled with 

gratitude the contributions of Indian 

armed forces to Bangladesh's 

Liberation War in 1971. 

The prime minister said she 

would honour those valiant Indian 

armed forces personnel who embraced 

martyrdom in the Liberation 

War during her upcoming visit 

to India. 

In reply, the Indian defence 

minister said: "It was our moral 

responsibility to extend help to 

Bangladesh during the Liberation 

War as a friendly country and we 

provided that assistance.” 

Sheikh Hasina thanked the Indian 

Coast Guards for rescuing Bangladeshi 

fishermen and handing 

Home boss: Rohingyas to return to Myanmar 

• Kamrul Hasan 

As the United Nations have claimed 

that some 10,000 Rohingya Muslims 

entered Bangladesh recently, 

Home Minster Asaduzzaman Khan 

Kamal yesterday said that his government 

did not have information 

on the exact number, but insisted 

that they must go back to Myanmar. 

“Since the end of the Liberation 

War, some 250,000 Pakistanis have 

remained stranded in Bangladesh 

while we have already given shelter 

to some 500,000 Rohingyas. We 

do not know how many Rohingyas 

have managed to enter the country 

recently,” the minister said at a programme 

in Dhaka. 

Mentioning about the foreign 

minister’s recent briefing on Bangladesh’s 

stance, Kamal said: “We 

are communicating with the international 

community and urging 

them to take strong position 

against oppression on the Rohingya 

people.” 

Since the Myanmar military 

started the fresh spell of crackdown 

in Rohingya-dominated Rakhine 

state in October, Bangladesh 

tightened security at the border to 

Visiting Indian Defence Minister Manohar Gopalkrishna Prabhu Parrikar calls on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official 

residence Ganabhaban yesterday 

FOCUS BANGLA 

over them to Bangladesh authorities 

recently. 

The Indian defence minister offered 

training for Bangladesh Coast 

Guard personnel for increasing 

their capability further. 

Parrikar highly appreciated 

Bangladesh's tremendous socioeconomic 

development, particularly 

in women empowerment, under 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 

stop influx – ignoring massive outrage 

by rights activists, political 

parties and Islamists to allow them. 

UN refugee agency UNHCR late 

last month asked Bangladesh to 

open its border for the Rohingyas, 

saying over 30,000 have been displaced 

from their homes. 

Since then, BGB and Coast 

Guard have pushed back several 

boats carrying Rohingyas on the 

Naff River after giving them humanitarian 

assistance. Despite that 

several hundred Rohingyas have 

entered Bangladesh with the help 

of human traffickers in Teknaf and 

taken shelter at different makeshift 

camps, according to local sources. 

But the UNHCR on Wednesday 

said based on reports by various 

humanitarian agencies that there 

could be 10,000 new arrivals in recent 

weeks. Vivian Tan, a spokeswoman 

for the UN refugee agency 

in Bangkok said: “The situation is 

fast changing and the actual number 

could be much higher.” 

In 2012, more than 100 people 

were killed in violence in Rakhine 

and some 125,000 Rohingyas took 

refuge in camps for internally displaced 

persons while some entered 

Bangladesh to save their life. 

able leadership. 

"Bangladesh has made impressive 

development in various sectors, 

especially women empowerment, 

which India could not do," 

he noted. 

Parrikar later handed over a replica 

of a helicopter that India used 

during Bangladesh's War of Liberation 

and photographs of paratroopers 

who took part in the war. 

The home minister yesterday 

said that they would sit with the 

Myanmar authorities to facilitate 

deportation of the Rohingyas in 

Bangladesh. 

In September, Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina told Myanmar 

State Councillor Aung San Suu Kyi 

that the Rohingya issue should be 

solved by the two next-door neighbours 

after Suu Kyi sought her help. 

The Myanmar leader, who was 

awarded with Nobel Peace Prize, 

said an international commission, 

led by former UN chief Kofi Annan, 

was looking into the crisis. 

In August 2014, Myanmar 

agreed to take back the Rohingyas 

stranded in Bangladesh after the 

eighth foreign secretary-level talks 

in Dhaka. Even though the process 

of repatriating 2,415 Rohingyas 

from the two camps was supposed 

to begin within two months, it did 

not happen. 

It was for the first time Myanmar 

agreed to take back Rohingyas 

from Bangladesh after 2005. 

Earthquake a major concern 

Issuing a note of warning on the 

possible loss of lives if a strong 

earthquake strikes Bangladesh, the 

PM's International Affairs Adviser 

Dr Gowher Rizvi, Principal 

Staff Officer of the Armed Forces 

Division Lt Gen Mahfuzur Rahman, 

PM's Military Secretary Major General 

Mia Mohammad Joynul Abedin, 

PMO Secretary Surayia Begum 

and Indian High Commissioner to 

Bangladesh Harsha Vardhan Shringla 

were, among others, present at 

the meeting. • 

home minister said that the government 

was working to strengthen 

its capabilities to mitigate loss 

from disasters. 

“It took 21 days to complete rescue 

and salvage operation at the 

Rana Plaza site. What may happen 

if an earthquake strikes?” Kamal 

also said that the government had 

planned to buy equipment worth 

Tk450 crore and set up fire service 

camps at every upazila in phases. 

Disaster Management and Relief 

Secretary Shah Kalam said that the 

last deadly earthquake had taken 

place on June 12, 1897 in Sylhet – 

originated from the Dawki Fault. 

Another tremor from the same 

fault was felt at Shreemangal, 

Moulvibazar in 1928. 

“It means some 119 years have 

passed and a major earthquake 

can take place anytime – devastating 

for Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet,” 

Kalam said, stressing that the 

country needs more volunteers to 

work during disasters. 

“The government with the support 

of Save the Children and SEEP is 

providing three-day training to people 

to create a team of 62,000 volunteers. 

Some 32,000 have already been 

trained,” the secretary claimed. • 

Manohar wraps 

up visit 

• UNB 

Indian Defence Minister Manohar 

Parrikar yesterday wrapped up his 

two-day visit proposing a number 

of new initiatives to enhance the 

capacity and capabilities of the 

Bangladesh Armed Forces. 

A range of initiatives for enhancing 

training engagements, conduct 

of joint exercises and ‘Blue Economy’ 

initiatives were discussed during 

the visit. 

He was accompanied by the Vice 

Chiefs of the Army and Air Force, 

Deputy Chief of Navy, Director 

General of Coast Guard and senior 

Defence Ministry officials. • 

Vajiralongkorn 

proclaimed 

king of Thailand 

• Reuters 

Crown Prince Maha Vajiralongkorn, 

64, became Thailand's new king 

on Thursday after he accepted 

an invitation from parliament to 

succeed his father, King Bhumibol 

Adulyadej, who died in October. 

King Bhumibol, 88, was widely 

loved and regarded as a pillar of 

stability during decades of political 

turbulence and rapid development 

in the Southeast Asian nation. 

Prince Vajiralongkorn, who will 

be known as King Maha Vajiralongkorn 

Bodindradebayavarangkun, 

according to a statement released 

by the government's public relations 

department, met Pornpetch 

Wichitcholchai, president of the 

National Legislative Assembly, at 

Bangkok's Dusit Palace. 

"I would like to accept the 

invitation for the benefit of the 

Thai people," the new king said in a 

televised statement. 

The new king will also be known 

as Rama X, or the 10th king of Thailand's 

Chakri Dynasty. 

Vajiralongkorn, 64, who inherits 

one of the world's richest monarchies 

as well as a politically troubled 

nation, will ascend the throne 50 

days after King Bhumibol Adulyadej's 

death. As dusk fell in Bangkok, 

the prince arrived at the Grand 

Palace where his father's body lies 

in state for religious rites to mark 

the 50th day since his death. 

Coronation for Thailand's new 

king will take place after late king bhumibol 

adulyadej's cremation. •

4 



News 

Land rights in CHT still remain a far cry 

• Nure Alam Durjoy 

Even after decades of long wait, a 

clear road-map to implement CHT 

Accord is still being discussed. 

In an anniversary meeting, 

while discussing the realities of 

land rights in CHT, developing a 

clear road-map for land dispute 

resolution act was particularly 

stressed upon yesterday. 

The speakers further stressed 

the need for strong political will of 

the government which is imperative 

to end the problems that has 

developed from not fully implementing 

CHT Peace Accord 1997. 

Bangladesh Indigenous peoples 

Forum and Kapaeeng Foundation 

jointly organized the meeting to 

discuss the realities of land rights 

situation in CHT on the 19 th anniversary 

of the CHT Accord yesterday 

at Daily Star Building in Dhaka. 

Former chairman of National 

Human Rights Commission Dr 

Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh 

Indigenous Peoples Forum President 

Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma 

and its General Secretary Sanjeeb 

Drong, Dhaka University Professor 

Mesbah Kamal, Chakma Circle 

Chief at CHT Barrister Raja Devashish 

Roy, Executive Director at 

Manusher Jonno Foundation Shaheen 

Anam, formar Information 

Commissioner Dr Sadeka Halim 

spoke at the discussion. 

Kepaeeng Foundation Executive 

Director Pallab Chakma presented 

the key note paper at the beginning 

of the discussion. 

The government has recently 

approved “The Chittagong Hill 

Tracts Land Dispute Resolution 

Commission (Amendment) Act, 

2016” aiming to resolve the land 

disputes in the hills speedily and 

to this Professor Mizanur Rahman 

commented that lack of strong will 

to implement CHT peace accord 

has been creating a deep scar over 

the past years. 

He also said “I am confident that 

the state will not have to spend 

much time implementing other 

parts of the accord if the land dispute 

act is properly implemented”. 

Sanjeeb Drong, Secretary of 

Bangladesh Indigenous Peoples 

Forum, said indigenous peoples in 

Chittagong Hill tracts have been 

waiting for 19 years but the main 

points of the accord are not yet implemented. 

Shamsul Huda, Executive Director 

at Association for Land Reform 

and Development, said a great deal 

of bravery was required to amend 

CHT land dispute resolution act 

2016 and same bravery is needed to 

implement it now. 

“Only amendment is not 

enough, there should be a clear 

road map for implementing the 

act”, he added. 

Jyotirindra Bodhipriya Larma, 

the chief of Parbatya Chattagram 

Jana Samhati Samiti (PCJSS) presided 

over the discussion and in 

his concluding statement said “it is 

clear to me that the reasons behind 

the unwillingness of the government 

to implement the accord is 

its undemocratic, ego-centric and 

fundamentalist mindset.” 

In a similar event organised by 

the United Peoples Democratic 

Front (UPDF) on the occasion of 

the 19 th annivery of CHT Accord 

'97, its central committee Chairman 

Sachib Chakma said the peace 

accord is yet to bring peace to CHT 

and people are still living in fear 

as arbitrary arrest, torture, rape, 

land-grabbing and extortion have 

become everyday matter for those 

living there. 

Incidentally, the CHT Accord 

was signed on December 2, 1997. 

The peace accord between Shanti 

Bahini and then Awami League 

government ended decades of 

bloody armed struggle in the volatile 

hill tracts region. • 

$31m deal inked 

with UNDP for CHT 

development 

• Tribune Desk 

The government yesterday 

signed an agreement with the 

United Nations Development 

Programme (UNDP) for a new 

development project focusing 

on sustainable and inclusive 

development of the Chittagong 

Hill Tracts. 

The project was inked on 

the eve of 19th anniversary 

of the Chittagong Hill Tracts 

(CHT) Peace Accord signed in 

1997, reports BSS. 

"Bangladesh reaffirmed its 

commitment to fully implement 

the Chittagong Hill Tracts 

Peace Accord," UNDP said in a 

release today. 

The new project – Strengthening 

Inclusive Development 

in the Chittagong Hill Tracts 

– will be implemented within 

the next five years. 

This is a continuation of a 

very successful project entitled 

Promotion of Development 

and Confidence Building in the 

CHT implemented with significant 

results since 2003 in the 

three hill districts Rangamati, 

Khagrachari and Bandarban. 

"This new phase of development 

in the CHT addresses 

new and also the remaining 

development challenges in the 

region. Its main focus will be 

inclusiveness of all communities 

in the area, and it will have 

a stronger impact on ecosystems, 

social development and 

development of institutions," 

said UNDP Bangladesh Country 

Director Sudipto Mukerjee. 

As in the past, the Ministry 

of Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs 

will be the executing agency of 

the project when it will also 

take the overall ownership and 

responsibility. The project will 

be implemented within the 

framework of Chittagong Hill 

Tracts Development Facility 

(CHTDF) programme. 

The new project 

– Strengthening 

Inclusive 

Development 

in CHT – will be 

implemented 

within next five 

years 

The CHTDF has been present 

in CHT since 2003 as the first 

large scale development intervention 

in this remote and 

hard-to-reach area. 

"With this project we will 

address development and confidence 

building goals from the 

Peace Accord which is still to be 

fully achieved," said Md Abdul 

Matin, deputy chief, Ministry of 

Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs. 

The planned amount for the 

new project is $31.60 million of 

which about $14.6 million is being 

funded by Denmark, South 

Asian Association for Regional 

Cooperation Development 

Fund, USAID and UNDP. 

The government will arrange 

$5 million from its own source 

when the remaining $12 million 

will be sourced from some other 

development partners. •

VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN 

Mindset needs to 

be changed 

• SM Najmus Sakib 

Masculine mindset is needed 

to change besides awareness 

building within family and 

society to defence violence 

against women, said participants 

at a roundtable discussion 

yesterday. 

Women are facing discriminations 

in job, education and 

all other fields and to overcome 

this males have more 

responsibilities, Dr Nasreen 

Ahmad, pro-vice chancellor 

of University of Dhaka, said at 

the discussion titled “Rise up 

for women.” 

Organised by Radio Shadhin 

92.4FM at the Nabab 

Nawab Ali Chowdhury Senate 

Bhaban of Dhaka University, 

the roundtable was part of a 

daylong initiative that included 

poetry recitation, children’s 

art competition and concert 

promoting women. The organisers 

also held a seminar 

jointly with the UNDP. 

Dr Nasreen Ahmad observed 

that more academic studies 

were needed to know and unearth 

the social and state discriminations 

against women. 

Khurshid Alam, assistant 

country director for climate 

change and environment resilient 

cluster of UNDP Bangladesh, 

said scopes for young 

girls to prove themselves were 

not yet enough. Family, society 

and the state have responsibilities 

to open safe movement 

for women. 

“Use of veil among women 

has grown since the 1990s and 

this is an obstacle for women’s 

free movement. This is 

causing them to lag behind,” 

said Sara Zaker of Asiatic360. 

“Society is using religious sentiment 

to impose these things 

on women saying these will 

ensure their safety.” 

She said violence against 

women has rather increased 

than before. 

Students of different universities 

observed there is no 

certain act or rule to take legal 

action against stalking and 

other formats of harassing 

women at workplace, education 

institutions and public 

transports. 

Deputy Police Commissioner 

Farida Yasmen said it 

is very tough job for law enforcement 

to remove violence 

against women from society. 

Family and society have to 

change their way of thinking 

by treating boys and girls 

equally, she added. 

“Most of the cases of sexual 

harassment lodged with police 

stations show that these crimes 

are done by those known to 

the victims. So, the change in 

mindset needs to start from 

within the family,” she said. 

The process of justice itself 

is unjust, said activist Muktasree 

Chakma Sathi. She said 

violence against women in hill 

tracts has deteriorated mostly 

perpetrated by the Bangalis 

and the powerful. 

Badhon, a female student 

of Ahasanullah University of 

Science and Technology, alleged 

that there were no safe 

playgrounds for the female 

children. 

Participants of the discussion 

demanded safe cities for 

female children and women. 

Among others, Seema Johur, 

vice-president of Mohila 

Ainjibi Somiti, Aziza Ahmed, 

CEO of Prothom-Alo Trust, 

and Udisa Islam, journalist of 

Bangla Tribune, addressed the 

event. • 

News 5 


Khaleda pleads not guilty in graft case 

• Md Sanaul Islam Tipu 

BNP Chairperson and former prime 

minister Khaleda Zia yesterday rejected 

the charges brought against her in 

Zia Charitable Trust graft case claiming 

that she was innocent. 

She made the claim appearing before 

the Dhaka’s Third Special Judge’s 

Court to defend herself against the 

charge of abusing power as a prime 

minister in managing funds for the 

Trust, named after her late husband 

Ziaur Rahman – the BNP founder. 

Judge Md Abu Ahmed Jamadar read 

out the charges against Khaleda and 

the testimonies of the 32 prosecution 

witnesses. The court then asked her 

to place her version about the charges 

and the depositions. 

In response, Khaleda told the court 

that she would present a written statement 

and produce defence witnesses. 

From the statement, she said that 

the spirit of the War of Independence 

was deviated and the people’s civic 

rights stated in the constitution infringed. 

Khaleda claimed that more than 

75,000 leaders and activists of her party 

were languishing in jail on different 

terms and 25,000 false cases were filed 

MEHEDI HASAN 


against 400,000 leaders and activists 

across the country. 

“The entire country has now made 

a giant jail,” she said. 

At one stage of her statement, 

Khaleda stopped her speech for the 

day and sought time to the court mentioning 

that she would place the remaining 

portion of her speech on the 

next scheduled date. 

Accepting her time petition, the 

court fixed December 8 for next hearing 

in the case. 

The three-time former premier 

arrived at the makeshift courtroom 

at the capital’s Bakshibazar around 

11:30am amid tight security. 

Earlier in the day, the lawyer 

of Khaleda’s son and BNP Senior 

Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman cross 

examined the investigation officer of 

the Zia Orphanage Trust case. • 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

Dhaka 29 18 Chittagong 29 20 Rajshahi 30 18 Rangpur 28 16 Khulna 30 17 Barisal 29 18 Sylhet 29 15 

Cox’s Bazar 30 21 

DRY WEATHER 

FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 5:11PM 

SUN RISES 6:26AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

32.2ºC 

14.8ºC 

Teknaf 

Sreemangal 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Fajr: 5:50am | Jumma: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:00pm | Magrib: 5:22pm 

Esha: 7:30pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 



News 

BOGRA DISTRICT COUNCIL POLLS 

Allegation of nepotism in 

selecting AL candidates 

• Md Nazmul Huda Nasim, 

Bogra 

Instead of dedicated leaders and 

activists, housewives and relatives 

of top-notch leaders of Bogra Awami 

League (AL) have been selected 

for the upcoming district council 

elections, alleged many leaders 

and activists of the district Awami 

League. 

Seeking anonymity, they alleged 

that housewives were selected 

instead of dedicated female 

activists for most of the researved 

seats, while wife of the local 

lawmaker for Bogra 1 constituency 

was nominated for reserved seat 

no 1. 

Besides, brother-in-law of the 

local lawmaker was selected for 

ward no 9, just to appease the lawmaker, 

the activists said. 

The district unit AL on Wednesday 

announced the names of the 

candidates for the upcoming elections. 

For general seats, the following 

candidates have been selected by 

the district Awami League 

For ward no 1, Publicity Secretary 

of the district Awami League Sultan 

Mahmud Khan 

For ward no 2, General Secretary 

of sadar upazila Awami League 

Mahfuzul Islam Raj 

For ward no 3, Bogra AL Organizing 

Secretary AKM Asadur Rahaman 

Dulu 

For ward no 4, Sherpur upazila 

AL General Secretary Ahsan Habib 

Ambia 

For ward no 5, Bogra AL vice 

president Amanullah Aman 

For ward no 6, Nandigram 

upazila AL President Zahidur Rahman 

For ward no 7, former general 

secratery of Sariakandi upazila AL 

Rezaul Karim Montu 

For ward no 8, Organizing Secretary 

of Sariakandi upazila AL Ansar 

Ali 

For ward no 9, former youth 

and sports secretary of the district 

AL Minhaduzzaman Liton, who is 

brother-in-law of the lawmaker for 

Bogra-1 constituency, 

For ward no 10, Shibganj upazila 

AL President Azizul Haque 

For ward no 11, Shibganj upazila 

AL leader Shahidul Islam 

For ward no 12, Gabtali upazila 

AL President AH Azam Khan 

For ward no 13, Labour Affairs 

Secretary of the district Awami 

League 

SM Ruhul Momin 

For ward no 14, Joint Secretary 

of Dupchachia upazila AL Abu Syed 

Fakir 

For ward no 15, Vice-President 

of Adamdighi upazila AL Abu Reza 

Khan 

For 5 reserved seats, the candidates 

are 

For seat no 1, Mahfuza Khanam, 

wife of sadar upazila AL president 

and also a union parishad chairman 

Abu Sufian, 

For seat no 2—Azmi Ara Parvin, 

AL lawyers’ association leader, 

For seat no 3—Sahadara Mannan, 

wife of the local lawmaker, 

For seat no 4—AL leader Saleha 

Hossain 

For seat no 5—Manzu Ara Begum, 

wife of general secretary of 

Adamdighi upazila AL, 

However, Mashrafi Hero, 

deputy-office secretary of 

Bogra Awami League, refuting 

the allegations told the Dhaka 

Tribune that dedicated members 

of the party were selected for the 

elections. • 

Teachers and students of different schools and colleges form a human chain in 

Gaibandha yesterday, protesting death of two persons, including a college teacher 

in Mymensingh 

Teachers, students protest 

death of two in police action 

• Asraf Uddin Sijel, 

Mymensingh 

Teachers, students and employees 

of different schools and colleges 

yesterday observed mourn yesterday, 

protesting death of two persons, 

including a college teacher. 

They observed the programme 

under the banner Sammilito Shikhok 

Somaj, Mymensingh district unit. 

As a part of protest, teachers and 

students of all euducational institution 

wore black badges. The agitators 

also said they would arrange 

a protest rally 

Two persons, including a college 

teacher, were killed, as police 

charged batons on them during a 

demonstration at Phulbaria, Mymensingh 

on Sunday afternoon. 

According to local sources, 

teachers and students of Phulbaria 

Degree College brought out a procession 

in the district town around 

12:30pm, demanding nationalisation 

of the college. 

Later, the agitators locked the 

Phulbaria-Mymensigh Highway 

to realise their demand and police 

tried to disperse them, triggering a 

clash between police and demonstrators. 

Police then charged batons as 

well as opened fire on them, leaving 

at least 20 people injured. 

Of the injured, Safar Ali, a pedestrian, 

died on the way to Churkhai 

Community Hospital while 

Abul Kalam Azad, an associate professor 

of Phulbaria Degree College, 

died at the hospital. • 

Two killed in ‘turf wars’ 

• Tribune Desk 

Two people have been killed in 

separate gunfights in Jessore 

and Sirajganj. 

A young man was reportedly 

killed in a gunfight between 

two terrorist groups at Panchbaria 

in Sadar upazila of Jessore 

district early yesterday. 

The deceased was identified 

as Ripon Hossain, 30, son 

of Habibur Rahman, a resident 

of Chhoto Anchra of Benapole 

port area. 

Md Ilius Hossain, officerin-charge 

of Jessore Kotowali 

police station, said on information 

that a gunfight ensued 

between two criminal groups, 

a team of police conducted a 

drive in the area around 1am. 

Sensing the presence of the 

law enforcers, the members of 

both the groups fled away. Later, 

police detained Ripon with 

bullet injuries at the head. 

The injured detainee was 

taken to Jessore Medical College 

Hospital where doctor declared 

him dead. 

Police also recovered a 

one-shooter gun, one round of 

bullet and a bullet shell from 

the spot. 

In Sirajganj, an alleged robber 

was killed in a “gunfight” 

with members of Rapid Action 

Battalion (Rab) at Jhaoil 

in Kamarkhanda upazila on 

Wednesday night. 

The deceased was identified 

as Dulal Hossain, 42, son 

of Afzal Hossain, a resident of 

Sameshpur village in Belkuchi 

upazila. 

Assistant superintendent of 

police Hasibul Alom, commander 

of Sirajganj Rab-12, said on 

secret information that a gang 

of robbers was preparing for 

committing robbery, a team of 

the elite force conducted drive 

in the area around 9:30pm. 

Sensing the presence of 

the Rab members, the robbers 

opened fire at them prompting 

a retaliation that triggered a 

gunfight. 

At one point, Dulal was 

caught in the line of fire and 

died on the spot. •

WORLD AIDS DAY OBSERVED 

News 7 


Tuberculosis patients at high risk of HIV 

• Hedait Hossain Molla, Khulna 

The World Aids Day was observed 

yesterday across Bangladesh aiming 

at raise awareness of HIV and 

AIDS and to honour those who 

passed from AIDS related complications. 

This year’s slogan for the day 

is “Let’s raise hands of unity, let’s 

prevent AIDS.” 

On the occasion, the STI/AIDS 

Network of Bangladesh, Ministry 

of Health & Family Welfare and 

various NGOs brought out a processions 

from the Shahabag intersection 

on Thursday morning and 

paraded different thoroughfares 

before ending at Osmani Udyan. 

The reported number of HIV 

positive cases in the country was 

4,143 with estimated number of 

nearly 9,000, according to the statistics 

of UNAIDS Bangladesh. 

According to the Mukta Akash 

Bangladesh, a non-government organisation, 

Tuberculosis patients 

are at high risk of the deadly disease 

Human Immunodeficiency 

Virus (HIV). 

Already three Tuberculosis patients 

in Khulna have been affected 

with HIV virus recently. 

According to the NGO, the numbers 

of HIV positive people are increasing 

day by day due to lack of 

consciousness. 

In last one year from December 

31, 2015 to November 30, 2016, a 

total of 51 people, including 10 children 

were infected by HIV/AIDS in 

Khulna. 

Abu Mohammad Ali Javed, 

councilor and administrator of 

Mukta Akash Bangladesh, told the 

Dhaka Tribune that three Tuberculosis 

patients had been infected 

with HIV/AIDS recently. 

Terming Tuberculosis virus as 

nearly same as the HIV, he said: 

“A total of 37 people were infected 

with HIV virus in last one year from 

December 31, 2015 to November 30, 

2016 in Khulna. Six of the affected 

died during the tenure.” 

Rehana Begum, co-coordinator 

of Mukta Akash Bangladesh, said: 

“A total of 69 people in the area 

are HIV positive and six of them 

already died. Most the infected are 

residents of Narail, Jessore, Satkhira 

and Bagerhat.” 

Senior Health Officer of Khulna 

Md Abul Kalam Azad, said: “In 2015 

there were 25 HIV positive people in 

Khulna. In this year, 51 more people 

were infected with the virus.” 

Sources of World Vision Bangladesh 

said about 5.1 millon Indian 

are infected with HIV. Everyday 

nearly thousands truck driver entered 

Bangladesh and most of them 

are HIV infected. These drivers 

sometimes engaged in physical relation 

with Bangladeshi girls without 

using any protection. Not only 

this, in last two years, from 2014 

to 2016, total 2,234 people in India 

have been infected by the HIV. 

Earlier, experts warned that 

Bangladesh is a low HIV prevalence 

country with several well-documented 

at-risk groups, the most 

prominent of which is brothel-based 

sex workers and injecting 

drug users. Although prevalence 

rate is remaining low in the country, 

it is surrounded by nations with 

much higher prevalence rates and 

with its own at-risk population. 

The World AIDS Day is observed 

on December 1 every year 

to raise awareness about acute immune 

deficiency syndrome (AIDS) 

caused by HIV, and to demonstrate 

international solidarity in the face 


of the endemic. 

The day is an opportunity for 

public and private partners to disseminate 

information about the 

status of the pandemic and encourage 

progress in HIV prevention, 

treatment and care around the 

world, particularly in high prevalence 

countries. 

Nasim: Bangladesh must continue 

efforts to end AIDS by 2030 

Health and Family Welfare Minister 

Mohammad Nasim today said 

Bangladesh has been successful 

in controlling HIV and AIDS and it 

must continue the existing efforts 

to end these sexually transmitted 

diseases by 2030. 

“The government along with local 

and international organizations 

would be able to free the country 

from HIV and AIDS,” he told a discussion 

in the Osmani Memorial 

Auditorium here. • 

Karnaphuli 

Water Supply 

Project 

launches 

• Anwar Hussain, Chittagong 

The perennial water crisis is likely 

to ease in the premier port city 

Chittagong with the launching of 

the much-awaited Karnaphuli Water 

Supply Project. 

Chittagong Water Supply Sewerage 

Authority has already launched 

the project on a trail basis on November 

1. The mega project is likely 

be launched formally by the end 

of this year. 

Managing Director of Chittagong 

Wasa Engineer AKM Fazlullah 

made the announcement while addressing 

a press conference held at 

Karnaphuli Water Treatment Plant 

at Rangunia upazila of Chittagong 

yesterday morning. 

However, the age-old rundown 

supply lines cannot withstand the 

huge pressure of the increased supply 

of water. Therefore, the supply 

lines are developing leakages frequently. 

Admitting the leakage in the 

supply line, Fazlullah said, “The 

leakage repairing task has now 

emerged to be a challenge for us. 

We have so far repaired 400 leakages 

from November 1. We have information 

that more 300 leakages 

have developed in different parts 

of the city.” 

“We are now renovating and 

replacing the 50-year old asbestos 

and PVC pipelines with High-Density 

Polyethylene and ductile iron 

pipes which could supply water for 

80-100 years,” added the MD of the 

Wasa. • 

Farmers unload vegetables from a boat to take those to Lakhiyarkhil railway station market, Dohazari, Chandanaish upazila, Chittagong yesterday. Farmers of the upzila 

have witnessed a good yield of winter vegetables this year due to favourable weather and availability of agri-inputs 

RABIN CHOWDHURY 

Transport strike cripples the North 

• Nazmul Huda Nasim, Bogra 

Goods carrying from 16 districts 

to other parts of Bangladesh was 

hampered yesterday, as transport 

workers observed strike. 

North Bengal Truck, Covered-van 

Owner and Workers’ Unity 

Association imposed the strike 

in 16 districts to press home their 

seven-point demand. 

The association went on 

the strike, demanding a ban on 

the movement of unauthorised 

vehicles on roads and highways, 

stop harassment by police in the 

name of checking papers, dismissal 

of government restrictions on 

removal of car bumper, immunity 

from accumulated interest from 

delayed payment of tax-token, 

fitness, route-permit, stop 

harassment and extortion in the 

excuse of weigh scales put in 

different places, stop harassment 

during renewal of driving licenses 

and new driving license and 

demanding new licenses for heavy 

vehicles drivers. 

During the strike, no vehicles 

left Bogra, much to cause 

sufferings for local traders and 

farmers. 

As workers stopped unloading 

and uploading of goods, traders 

and farmers in the district are fearing 

that perishable goods might be 

rotten. 

Local said everyday there 16 

trucks entered into the capital with 

goods from Mahasthangarh. But 

After imposing the strike, people in 

the area got stuck in different local 

markets with their goods. 

Abdul Mannan Akondo, convener 

of the association said: “Every 

people in the region are working to 

fulfil our demands.” 

However, local people who are 

suffering for the strike urged authorities 

concerned to solve the 

problem very soon. •


8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

Malaysia cancels football 

matches with Myanmar 

over Rohingya issue 

Malaysia’s national football 

team has cancelled two friendly 

under-22 matches with Myanmar, 

in protest against the bloody 

crackdown on ethnic Rohingya 

Muslims, a team spokesman said 

on Thursday. Referring to the cancellation 

of the games set for later 

this month, the spokesman told, 

“It was a political decision because 

of the Rohingya issue.” REUTERS 

INDIA 

16 dead in explosives 

factory fire in India 

At least 16 workers have been killed 

and 15 more injured after a blast at 

an explosives factory in Tiruchirappalli, 

a city in Tamil Nadu state, on 

Thursday, A total of 200 workers 

were present at the compound, 

which is spread over 5 acres. HT 

CHINA 

China to implement North 

Korea UN sanctions 

Beijing will seriously implement 

new UN sanctions imposed on 

North Korea over its nuclear 

and missile programmes, it said 

Thursday, with the measures set to 

hit Pyongyang’s lucrative Chinese 

coal exports hard. UN Security 

Council resolution 2321, passed 

on Wednesday, caps the North’s 

annual coal exports at little more 

than four months of current sales 

to China, Chinese government 

data shows. AFP 

ASIA PACIFIC 

Malaysia to hold early 

election 

Malaysia will hold polls soon, embattled 

Prime Minister Najib Razak 

said Thursday, vowing to fight until 

the death and showing no sign 

of succumbing to calls to quit over 

a massive financial scandal. It was 

the first time the Malaysian leader 

has signalled he may bring forward 

polls not due until mid-2018, as he 

addressed the annual assembly of 

his ruling party. REUTERS 

MIDDLE EAST 

30,000 flee east Aleppo 

About 30,000 people are receiving 

aid after fleeing the besieged eastern 

zone of Aleppo in the past few 

days, taking the total number of 

displaced people in the Syrian city 

to more than 400,000, UN special 

envoy Staffan de Mistura said on 

Thursday. By Wednesday, about 

18,000 people had been registered 

entering government controlled 

areas and about 8,500 crossing 

into Sheikh Maqsoud, the Kurdish-controlled 

zone of Aleppo. AFP 

EXPLAINER 

What’s behind persecution of 

Myanmar’s Rohingya 

• Tribune International Desk 

Muslim Rohingya face discrimination 

and violence from the 

Buddhist majority in the country, 

also called Burma. Their plight 

generally goes unnoticed by the 

world at large, even though some 

rights activists say their persecution 

amounts to ethnic cleansing, 

reports the Associated Press. 

Here are several things to know 

about the group– 

‘The most friendless people in the 

world’ 

Although Rohingya - a Muslim 

ethnic minority of about 1 million 

among Myanmar’s predominantly 

Buddhist 52 million people - have 

lived in Myanmar for generations, 

most people view them as foreign 

intruders from neighbouring Bangladesh. 

Bangladesh, which hosts 

many Rohingya refugees, also refuses 

to recognise them as citizens. 

“The Rohingya are probably the 

most friendless people in the world. 

They just have no one advocating 

for them at all,” Kitty McKinsey, a 

spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner 

for Refugees, said in 2009. 

Border attacks led to latest 

outbreak of violence 

Almost all Rohingya live in western 

Myanmar’s Rakhine state, 

where the military has stepped up 

operations since November, when 

nine police officers were killed in 

attacks on posts along the border 

with Bangladesh. The identity 

of the perpetrators remains unclear. 

Rohingya villagers armed 

with homemade weapons resisted 

troops and an unknown number of 

villagers died, along with a handful 

of soldiers and officials. Rohingya 

solidarity groups say several 

hundred civilians have been 

killed since October. The New 

York-based group Human Rights 

Watch says satellite imagery shows 

1,250 houses and other structures 

have been burned down. 

Disappointment with Suu Kyi 

There has been great disappointment 

that Nobel laureate Aung San 

Suu Kyi, whose political party took 

power in Myanmar this year after 

decades of military rule, has failed 

to ease the plight of Rohingya despite 

her reputation as a fighter 

for human rights. Speaking out for 

Rohingya rights is an unpopular political 

position. However, Suu Kyi’s 

government in August appointed 

former UN Secretary-General Kofi 

Annan to head an advisory panel 

aimed at finding lasting solutions 

to the conflict in Rakhine state. He 

is scheduled to visit Rakhine on 

Friday. The UN special adviser on 

the prevention of genocide, Adama 

Dieng, on Tuesday expressed concern 

about reports of excessive use 

of force and other serious human 

rights violations against civilians, 

particularly Rohingya, including 

allegations of extrajudicial executions, 

torture, rape and the destruction 

of religious property. • 

‘Catastrophic’ water shortages for 500,000 in Mosul 

• AFP, Mosul 

Up to 500,000 civilians in Mosul 

are facing a “catastrophic” 

drinking water shortage, the UN 

warned, as Iraqi forces advance 

against the Islamic State group in 

the city. 

Already suffering from a severe 

lack of food and electricity, civilians 

in Iraq’s second city are now 

also running out of drinkable water, 

said Lise Grande, UN humanitarian 

coordinator in Iraq. 

“Nearly half a million civilians, 

already struggling to feed themselves 

day to day, are now without 

access to clean drinking water. 

The impact on children, women 

and families will be catastrophic,” 

Grande said Wednesday. 

Tens of thousands of Iraqi 

troops and allied forces launched 

an offensive last month to retake 

Mosul, which was seized by IS 

more than two years ago. 

Protesters hold signs during a demonstration against what organisers say is the crackdown on ethnic Rohingya Muslims in 

Myanmar, outside the Myanmar embassy in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 25 

REUTERS 

Internally displaced Iraqi children carries a jerrican with water on November 28 

at al-Khazer refugee camp 

AFP 

Weeks of fighting have seen the 

Iraqi forces surround the city and 

break into its eastern neighbourhoods, 

where there have been 

heavy street-to-street battles with 

the jihadists. 

The battle for Mosul has destroyed 

a major water pipeline, the 

UN children’s agency UNICEF said, 

adding that the break was located 

in an inaccessible part of the city 

controlled by IS. 

“Unless running water is restored 

in the next days, civilians 

will be forced to resort to unsafe 

water sources, exposing children 

to the risk of waterborne diseases 

such as severe diarrhoea and the 

threat of malnutrition,” it said. 

Residents in east Mosul say 

they have resorted to pumping 

water from wells. 

“We don’t have water or electricity. 

We are drinking well water 

but that’s not enough,” said Mosul 

resident Mohamed Khalil, 25. 

“Water is the most important 

thing. We aren’t washing. We are 

going to catch lice and our homes 

are filthy,” said Iman Baker, a 

34-year-old mother of three who 

lives in an eastern neighbourhood 

recently retaken from IS. 

Since the launch of the assault 

on October 17, more than 70,000 

people have fled the fighting, but 

more than a million people are 

estimated to remain in the city, 

including around 600,000 in the 

eastern neighbourhoods. •

World 

Blasphemy case ignites Indonesia 

• Reuters, Jakarta 

When Jakarta governor Basuki Tjahaja 

Purnama had some of the capital’s 

sprawling slums levelled this 

spring, Muslim groups including the 

hardline “Islamic Defenders Front” 

(FPI) moved in quickly to help some 

of the city’s poorest residents. 

The offer of food, shelter, 

clothes and money was a lifeline 

to the struggling families. But religious 

conservatives, who had long 

opposed Purnama because he was 

a Christian, did not stop there. 

After a video circulated in October 

of Purnama, also known as 

“Ahok”, making comments that 

some Muslims said insulted the 

Koran, the FPI went into overdrive. 

It called for his arrest, bombarded 

its social media pages with 

fiery messages and rallied some 

150,000 protesters to the streets 

of the capital earlier this month. 

With another mass protest slated 

for December 2, the FPI has 

helped trigger a crisis that has 

engulfed President Joko Widodo, 

seen as a close ally of Purnama, 

and damaged the hitherto popular 

governor’s hopes of re-election in 

a ballot in February. 

The FPI, which divides opinion 

in Indonesia, has also seized the 

political agenda, using the blasphemy 

scandal to get people on to 

the streets and pushing a message 

of intolerance in a Muslim-dominated 

country where hardline 

posturing rarely makes waves. 

The FPI said it wants Friday’s 

demonstration to be peaceful, but 

minorities, including Christians 

and the lesbian, gay, bisexual and 

transgender community are fearful 

of the group. 

Around 50 FPI members 

barged into a Jakarta apartment 

at the weekend to break up what 

they said was a gay sex party. The 

group has vowed to continue to 

target the LGBT community. 

Social media ‘jihad’ 

Purnama has been in the Islamists’ 

sights for years. 

The FPI believes a Christian, who 

is also ethnic Chinese, should not 

hold the powerful position of running 

the city of 10 million people. 

The group, which says it has 

about five million members, has 

a history of harassing minorities. 

In recent years, they have 

forced the closure of churches and 

mosques run by non-Sunni Muslims, 

raided bars, and caused the 

cancellation of a 2012 Lady Gaga 

concert to “protect Indonesians 

from sin”. 

When some Jakarta slums were 

razed in March and April, the FPI 

encouraged those evicted to form 

small “pop-up” groups to demonstrate 

against clearances, Bamukmin 

said. Some later joined the 

November 4 protest. 

In September, when the case of 

alleged blasphemy first surfaced, 

FPI leaders ratcheted up their 

rhetoric against the governor, calling 

for his arrest and preaching 

in mosques that “blasphemy is 

non-negotiable”. 

The group also began publishing 

posts hourly, as opposed to 

two or three times a day, on Facebook, 

Twitter and in newsletters 

to express its outrage. 

Their online feeds are now 

crammed with anti-Purnama 

traffic, as well as some against 

Widodo himself, and many posts 

are being liked, re-posted or commented 

on thousands of times. • 

Italy’s right-wing sees referendum as vote against EU 

• Reuters, Rome 

ITALY’S CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM 

Government-proposed reforms are aimed at transforming the current 

system, which critics say have caused chronic political instability 

A weakened Senate 

Today 

Italy’s Chamber of Deputies 

and its Senate have equal 

rights and powers to pass laws 

Less federalism 

The reforms aim to trim 

the powers of the 15 

regions, particularly 

in energy policy, 

strategic infrastructure 

and the environment 

Abolish one layer 

of administration 

Italy’s 110 provinces 

would simply disappear 

A ‘No’ vote in Sunday’s referendum 

on constitutional reform 

would be a slap in the face to Europe, 

said the head of the rightist 

Northern League, pledging to pull 

Italy from the euro if he wins the 

next national elections. 

Matteo Salvini, who has said he 

would run for prime minister, has 

helped lead the campaign against 

the government’s planned overhaul 

of the constitution, saying 

it does not address Italy’s main 

problems. 

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi 

says his reform will boost political 

stability in a country that has had 

63 governments since 1948, and 

has promised to resign if he loses 

the vote. 

Opinion polls suggest that he is 

set for defeat. 

In an interview Salvini said that 

if the ‘No’ camp won, Italy should 

hold elections in 2017, a year 

ahead of schedule. 

“This ‘No’ vote will also be a 

‘No’ vote against the rules and 

regulations of Europe, which have 

been disastrous for Italy,” Salvini 

said, adding that EU austerity 

measures had shredded the Italian 

economy. 

EU leaders, including European 

Commission President Jean- 

Claude Juncker and German 

Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, 

have thrown their weight behind 

Renzi, fearful that his resignation 

might unleash political and 

economic turmoil. 

The 43-year-old Salvini said Europe 

had let Italy down, limiting 

its ability to salvage its debt-laden 

banks and doing little to help it 

deal with an influx of almost half 

a million migrants over the past 

three years. 

A vocal supporter of US president-elect 

Donald Trump and a 

fierce critic of mass immigration, 

Salvini said he would place quitting 

the single euro currency at the 

heart of his election manifesto. 

A survey published by La Stampa 

newspaper last week said 71% 

An Indonesian flag is seen during a protest by Muslim groups against Jakarta’s 

Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama in Jakarta, Indonesia on November 4 REUTERS 

The 

reforms 

in five 

points 

Proposed reforms 

Cut the number of senators from 315 to 100 

Drastically limit the kinds of laws the Senate can pass 

Strip the Senate of the power to launch no-confidence votes 

Speed up leglisative process 

The reforms enable the government 

to require deputies to decide quickly 

on certain draft laws 

Larger majority required 

to elect a head of state 

The president has little power 

but can play a key role in mediating 

crises. Election to the post would 

no longer be decided by simple majority 

of Italians thought leaving the 

euro would make Italy’s fragile 

economy even worse, but Salvini 

dismissed the polls and said he 

was working with economists on a 

plan for withdrawal. 

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi has 

staked his future on the reforms. 

He says he will step down 

if the proposals are rejected 

in Sunday’s referendum 

Leaving the North 

The Northern League is the third 

largest political force in Italy, garnering 

support of around 13 percent 

against roughly 30% for both 

Renzi’s Democratic Party (PD) and 

the anti-system 5-Star Movement, 

which is also opposed to the euro. 

The once dominant Forza Italia 

(Go Italy) party of former premier 

Silvio Berlusconi lies just behind the 

Northern League. Analysts say centre-right 

parties would have an outside 

chance of victory if they could 

create a united front, as in the past. 

Berlusconi, who turned 80 this 

year and survived major heart surgery, 

has said he wants to return 

to front line politics at the head 

of the centre-right, challenging 

Salvini for supremacy. He has also 

adopted a eurosceptic stance, saying 

that Italy should introduce a 

second currency to run alongside 

the euro. 

The bearded Salvini said he 

wanted to see primary elections 

for the centre-right, like those that 

have just anointed Francois Fillon 

as France’s conservative presidential 

candidate. • 

9 


USA 

Trump reportedly praises 

Pakistan’s ‘terrific’ PM 


President-elect Donald Trump 

offered to help solve Pakistan’s 

problems and praised Prime Minister 

Nawaz Sharif as a “terrific guy” 

in the first call between the two 

men, the Pakistani leader’s office 

said. Historical allies in the region, 

Islamabad and Washington have 

seen relations sour in recent years 

over US accusations that Pakistan 

shelters Islamist militants. REUTERS 

THE AMERICAS 

Audio tape: Colombia 

plane ran out of fuel 

The pilot of a charter plane 

carrying a Brazilian football team 

radioed frantically that he was out 

of fuel minutes before slamming 

into a hillside near Medellin with 

77 people on board. An audio 

tape aired by the Colombian 

media showed that the pilot of the 

LAMIA airlines BAe146 radioed 

the control tower Monday night 

seeking priority to land because of 

a fuel problem. REUTERS 

UK 

EU immigration surged 

before Brexit 

A record 284,000 EU citizens 

arrived in UK in the year to June 

when the Brexit referendum was 

held, with a particularly high 

number coming from Romania and 

Bulgaria, official data showed on 

Thursday. There has also been a 

sharp increase in applications for 

citizenship by EU migrants since 

the Brexit vote, while Ireland said 

there had been a spike in Britons 

with Irish ancestry getting passports. 

AFP 

EUROPE 

Crimea tensions mount 

over Ukraine missile drill 

Ukraine on Thursday unleashed 

a barrage of missile tests near 

Russian-annexed Crimea in a show 

of strength and defiance bound 

to irritate Moscow. The two-day 

military drills near the Black Sea 

peninsula are a first for the former 

Soviet republic and a sign that it is 

regaining assertiveness in the face 

of its arch-foe Russia. AFP 

AFRICA 

Nigeria joins AU campaign 

to end child marriage 

Women’s rights activists on 

Wednesday urged Nigeria to accelerate 

efforts to end child marriage 

after it joined an African Union (AU) 

campaign to eliminate the practice. 

Nigeria launched this week a 

nationwide drive to end child marriage 

by pushing for policies that 

protect girls’ rights and help the 

justice system to punish perpetrators, 

becoming the 16th country to 

join the AU’s campaign. REUTERS

10 



World 

FACTBOX 

The Trump Organisation: A vast business 

with a few unknowns 

The Trump Organisation, the business 

conglomerate run by President-elect 

Donald Trump, oversees 

vast luxury real estate assets and 

golf courses around the world, creating 

a complex web of potential 

conflicts of interest. 

Trump announced Wednesday 

that pending legal arrangements 

would take him “completely out of 

business operations” in a bid to address 

any such conflicts. 

The roots of the empire 

The legend of his rise notwithstanding, 

Trump is not a self-made man. 

After World War II, Trump’s father 

Fred, the descendant of German immigrants, 

had already built a real estate 

business in New York in developing 

low and middle-income housing. 

Donald Trump took over in the 

1970s, securing a $1m loan from his 

father and focusing the business 

instead on Manhattan luxury properties. 

Luxury properties, golf courses 

Trump Tower, which today is the 

Trump Organisation’s headquarters, 

opened in 1983 and was followed 

by a series of New York buildings 

and luxury properties. 

The company’s website lists 

more than 20 residential developments 

in the United States, mainly 

in Manhattan and Florida, but also 

including cities such as Las Vegas 

and Los Angeles. 

Prominent buildings emblazoned 

with the Trump name have 

also been built in India, Turkey and 

South Korea, countries with which 

the United States maintains diplomatic 

relations, which could create 

conflicts of interest once Trump 

takes control of US foreign affairs. 

Trump’s empire also contains 

golf courses and luxury hotels in 

the United States and abroad. The 

most recent, the Trump International 

Hotel, opened in Washington 

in September just a stone’s throw 

from the White House. 

The company is no longer active 

in casinos, a sector that nearly ruined 

Trump in the 1990s, when he 

declared bankruptcy four times. 

Closely guarded secrets 

Because the Trump Organisation 

is privately held, the company and 

three of Trump’s children, Ivanka, 

Donald Jr and Eric, can keep its activities 

and investments relatively secret. 

The company does not disclose 

its ownership stake in properties, 

whether it holds only a minority interest 

or is merely leasing its name. 

The Trump Organization’s debts are 

also closely guarded. 

Trump’s personal fortune is also 

open to discussion. 

Forbes estimates it at $3.7bn 

while the former reality TV star 

claims it is three times greater. •. 

Victims’ families oppose senators’ 

bid to alter 9/11 law 

• AP, Washington, DC 

The families of September 11 victims 

are voicing their stern opposition 

to a proposed change to a new 

law that allows them to sue Saudi 

Arabia for its alleged backing of the 

attackers, invoking the support of 

President-elect Donald Trump for 

their cause. 

In a statement late Wednesday, 

they said the adjustment proposed 

by two Republican senators would 

“effectively gut” the Justice Against 

Sponsors of Terrorism Act (Jasta). 

But John McCain of Arizona and 

Lindsey Graham of South Carolina 

said their amendment is necessary 

to ensure that lawsuits can only 

be brought against countries that 

knowingly engaged in the financing 

or sponsorship of terrorism. 

Congress handed Barack Obama 

the first veto override of his presidency 

in late September in overwhelmingly 

passing the law. Saudi 

Arabia, an important US ally in the 

Middle East, fought to prevent the 

bill, known as Jasta, from being 

passed. The kingdom has hired a 

number of high-profile lobbying 

firms to work on its behalf. 

Graham, who described the 

change as a “caveat” during remarks 

on the Senate floor, said he 

fears that without the change other 

countries could pass laws that 

hold the United States liable when 

civilians are killed or injured during 

a legitimate attack on a terrorist 

target. 

“It protects the United States in 

its efforts to defend itself in a very 

dangerous world,” Graham said. 

“We don’t want to be sued under 

those circumstances.” That’s essentially 

the same reason Obama 

decided to veto the bill. 

Terry Strada, national chair of 

9/11 Families and Survivors United 

WHO WILL MANAGE THE TRUMP BUSINESS EMPIRE? 

Strict rules on business activities do not apply to a US president 

"I'd assumed that you'd have 

to set up some type of trust 

or whatever, and you don't" 

Nov 23 

The Trump Organisation LLC 

Assets* 

Chairman and President: Donald Trump 

Income 

HQ: Trump Tower, New York 

Stock and funds 

International real estate 

management and development 

Liabilities 

Trump Tower, New York 

Sources: Bloomberg, ABC, New York Times 

For Justice Against Terrorism, said 

Graham and McCain are seeking 

to “torpedo” the law by making 

changes demanded by Saudi Arabia’s 

lobbyists. 

“We have reviewed the language, 

and it is an absolute betrayal,” Strada 

said. “The president-elect has 

made his support for Jasta crystal 

clear, and there is zero risk that he 

will support this kind of backroom 

backstabbing of the 9/11 families.” 

Trump had called Obama’s veto 

of Jasta in September “shameful” 

said it would “go down as one of the 

low points of his presidency.” 

In their statement, the 9/11 families 

said the senators’ change is 

far more than a caveat. They are 

proposing “to add a specific jurisdictional 

defence Saudi Arabia has 

been relying on for the last 13 years 

to avoid having to face the 9/11 families’ 

evidence on the merits,” according 

to the statement. • 

Rudy Giuliani 

Top Trump 

advisor 

(former mayor 

of New York City) 

(Estimates) 

61 

315 

* Election Commission, 

Trump financial disclosure 

(estimates) 

Right-wing website stigmatises 

US college professors 

• Tribune International Desk 

In the wake of Donald Trump’s stunning 

victory, right-wing activists are 

emerging as an ever-growing force 

marginalising the liberal voices in 

American education. 

A website with right-wing undertones 

calling itself Professor Watchlist 

appeared on November 21. The website 

claims to “expose and document college 

professors who discriminate against 

conservative students and advance leftist 

propaganda in the classroom.” 

To be succinct, the website methodically 

tracks down college professors 

who are vocal critics of racism and 

discrimination in the United States. 

The “news sources” the website refers 

to are all right-wing websites, the majority 

of whom lack credibility. 

Professor Watchlist contains 143 

entries – 72 white males, 50 females of 

various racial and religious ethnicities, 

14 black males, 3 Muslim males, 2 Latin 

males, 1 Native American and 1 Asian. 

A thorough examination of all the 

Real 

estate 

Trump Organisation 

executive vice presidents 

"For the good of the country 

he should... just be a passive 

participant in the sense that he has 

no decision-making, no involvement" 

"This Week" (ABC), Nov 13 

687 

million 

$ 

Others 

550 

100 Hotels 

58 Aircraft 

Golf courses, 

resorts 

Control of the empire could pass to Trump’s family 

Donald 

Trump Jr 

38 

son 

615 million 

Ivanka 

Trump 

35 

daughter 

Eric 

Trump 

32 

son 

At least 

$1.5 billion 

including 

Members of Trump’s 

transition team 

professors revealed that the accusations 

were all based on Twitter posts, 

none of which could be verified, with 

only a few screenshots which contain 

the possibility of being morphed. 

One such link condemning one Dr 

Sut Jhally of Amherst College led to a 

“news website” which accused him of 

harbouring radical ideology and historical 

revisionism. The article had two 

links which allegedly contained the evidence 

of his radical remarks on Twitter. 

The links are defunct. More importantly, 

the article opens with the following 

line: 

“Important note: Both of these 

tweets link to articles (here and here) 

that don’t mentioned the phrases/ 

terms Jhally decided to use.” 

The site bizarrely admits to its fallibility 

in making a case. It goes to the extent 

to admit the supporting sites also 

lack the evidence to back up the accusations. 

However, neither Professor 

Watchlist nor the sites it links to relent 

in making their allegations against Dr 

Jhally or any other listed professors. •

Advertisement 

11 



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12 

Business 


CAPITAL MARKET SNAPSHOT: THURSDAY 

DSE Broad Index 4,823.0 0.5% ▲ Index 1,149.5 0.8% ▲ 30 Index 1,787.7 0.7% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 8,034.5 27.4% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 248.7 23.5% ▲ 

CSE All Share Index 14,840.6 0.4% ▲ 30 Index 13,245.1 0.5% ▲ Selected Index 9,023.3 0.4% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 535.9 35.7% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 20.4 41.5% ▲ 

Tax return submission record high 

Over 1m income 

tax returns 

were submitted 

as the deadline 

for submission 

ended on 

November 30 

• Syed Samiul Basher Anik 

The National Board of Revenue 

(NBR) has received a huge response 

from the taxpayers with a 40% rise 

in volume of income tax return 

submission as the deadline expires 

on November 30. 

The taxpayers have so far submitted 

about 1.5m income tax returns 

for the fiscal year 2016-17 till 

the last date of the submission. 

According to official data compiled 

by NBR, the numbers were 

around 834,000 in 2014 while 

815,000 in 2015 during the same 

period. 

The NBR has bagged over 

Tk3,335 crore, a 207% rise from last 

year, as income tax from the taxpayers 

till November 30, this year. The 

volume of tax collection was over 

Tk1,390 crore in 2014 and around 

Tk1,084 crore in 2015. The NBR had 

compiled the data after the official 

deadline for income tax return submission 

expired on November 30. 

A little over 151,000 individual 

taxpayers have sought an extra-time 

time for submission of 

BB signs deal 

with six banks for 

green financing 

• Tribune Business Desk 

Bangladesh Bank (BB) yesterday 

signed separate agreements with six 

private banks to facilitate long-term 

financing under the Green Transformation 

Fund for export-oriented 

textile and textile products and 

leather manufacturing industries. 

Under the agreements, the six 

banks would provide long-term 

financing for transforming the export-oriented 

industries into green 

manufacturing units, reports BSS. 

The banks are Eastern Bank, 

Jamuna Bank, Mercantile Bank, 

Prime Bank, Shahjalal Islami Bank 

and South East Bank. • 

Taxpayers submitting income tax returns during the recent income tax fair in Dhaka 

their returns this year. 

According to the Income Tax 

Act, taxpayers having annual income 

above Tk2.50 lakh have to 

pay their income taxes. 

All the 649 circle offices under 

31 income tax zones across the 

country were open till 10pm on 

Wednesday to facilitate the submission 

of the income tax returns 

as per deadline. 

Besides, the taxpayers’ response 

to register them with the electronic 

Taxpayers Identification Number 

was also appreciable. 

The total number of e-TIN holders 

in the country has crossed 2.4m 

marks by November 30. 

India wants transit in BD seaports 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

India wants to use Bangladesh’s 

Chittagong and Mongla seaports as 

transit. The Indian authorities have 

already sought permission from 

Bangladesh in this regard. 

The Indian High Commission in 

Dhaka sent a letter to the shipping 

ministry on October 18, 2016 requesting 

the permission. 

However, India has urged Bangladesh 

not to impose any additional 

fees on imports and exports, 

customs duties and administrative 

fees for the facility. 

A shipping secretary level meeting 

was held on November 16, 2015 

and exchanged draft Standard Operating 

Procedure (SOP) in New 

Delhi. 

The number would have crossed 

2.5m if there were no temporary 

problem with the NBR server that 

hampered the registration process, 

said NBR officials. 

Appreciating mass response 

from the taxpayers, NBR Chairman 

Md Nojibur Rahman thanked taxpayers 

and stakeholders for successful 

observation of nationwide 

income tax fair, income tax week 

and income tax day 2016. 

“The NBR is promised to provide 

services like income tax fair to 

the tax offices for round the year,” 

said a NBR press release quoting 

the chairman. 

Volume of submission of income 

RAJIB DHAR 

tax returns, collection of income 

tax and registration of electronic 

taxpayer’s registration number 

was highest among last three years 

during income tax fair, income tax 

week and income tax day, he said. 

The NBR has celebrated income 

tax fair from November 1-7, income 

tax week from November 24-30 

this year. It also celebrated the income 

tax day 2016 on November 

30, official deadline for submission 

of returns. 

Those, who have failed to submit 

income tax returns by deadline, 

will have to pay a 2% penalty 

on the payable tax for delay of each 

month. • 

In the Indian High Commission 

letter, it was stated that as per the 

MoU, both countries will issue required 

notification in a mutually 

agreed time-frame to implement 

the SOP deal. 

Analysts say the tax should be 

kept in mind when determining the 

cost of transit because the Bangladesh 

government will have to develop 

the necessary infrastructure 

for providing transit. 

Analysts also said India is now 

transiting its goods in poor infrastructure 

like narrow roads in 

Akhaura-Agartala from Kolkata. 

They said it has not yet been finalised 

that how much funds will 

be given by India for developing 

roads and highways. 

The transit deal between Bangladesh 

and India was initiated during 

India Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi’s visit to Dhaka last year. • 

Tofail wants 

multinational 

firms in stock 

market 


Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed 

has asked Bangladesh Securities 

and Exchange Commission to draw 

the multinational companies running 

business in the country into 

share market, BSS reports. 

“Many multinational companies 

have been doing business here and 

making profits. I would tell BSEC 

chairman to take steps to draw those 

companies into the market,” he said 

at the opening session of Bangladesh 

Capital Market Expo 2016 at the Institution 

of Diploma Engineers yesterday. 

Online news portal Artha Suchak 

organised the three-day fair. 

Editor of the portal Ziaur Rahman 

chaired the event which was 

addressed, among others, by BSEC 

Chairman Dr M Khairul Hossain, 

Managing Director of Dhaka Stock 

Exchange (DSE) KM Sajedur Rahman, 

Md Saifur Rahman Majumder 

of Chittagong Stock Exchange 

(CSE), DSE Brokers Association 

president Ahmed Rashid Lali and 

Merchant Bankers Association 

president Sayedur Rahman. 

In his address, Tofail said the 

capital market is now at a stable 

position. The incident that took 

place in 2010 in the capital market 

was unexpected as many investors 

lost their money. 

He added that the merchant 

banks and investors needed to be 

more conscious at that time. 

“The investors will have to be 

given assurance for their investment. 

Investors will not invest 

their money if they do not find the 

capital market stable and secure.” 

People’s confidence in the capital 

market has increased because 

of Bangladesh Bank’s capital market 

friendly policy, according to the 

minister. •


12 

Business 


CAPITAL MARKET SNAPSHOT: THURSDAY 

DSE Broad Index 4,823.0 0.5% ▲ Index 1,149.5 0.8% ▲ 30 Index 1,787.7 0.7% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 8,034.5 27.4% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 248.7 23.5% ▲ 

CSE All Share Index 14,840.6 0.4% ▲ 30 Index 13,245.1 0.5% ▲ Selected Index 9,023.3 0.4% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 535.9 35.7% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 20.4 41.5% ▲ 

Tax return submission record high 

Over 1m income 

tax returns 

were submitted 

as the deadline 

for submission 

ended on 

November 30 

• Syed Samiul Basher Anik 

The National Board of Revenue 

(NBR) has received a huge response 

from the taxpayers with a 40% rise 

in volume of income tax return 

submission as the deadline expires 

on November 30. 

The taxpayers have so far submitted 

about 1.5m income tax returns 

for the fiscal year 2016-17 till 

the last date of the submission. 

According to official data compiled 

by NBR, the numbers were 

around 834,000 in 2014 while 

815,000 in 2015 during the same 

period. 

The NBR has bagged over 

Tk3,335 crore, a 207% rise from last 

year, as income tax from the taxpayers 

till November 30, this year. The 

volume of tax collection was over 

Tk1,390 crore in 2014 and around 

Tk1,084 crore in 2015. The NBR had 

compiled the data after the official 

deadline for income tax return submission 

expired on November 30. 

A little over 151,000 individual 

taxpayers have sought an extra-time 

time for submission of 

BB signs deal 

with six banks for 

green financing 


Bangladesh Bank (BB) yesterday 

signed separate agreements with six 

private banks to facilitate long-term 

financing under the Green Transformation 

Fund for export-oriented 

textile and textile products and 

leather manufacturing industries. 

Under the agreements, the six 

banks would provide long-term 

financing for transforming the export-oriented 

industries into green 

manufacturing units, reports BSS. 

The banks are Eastern Bank, 

Jamuna Bank, Mercantile Bank, 

Prime Bank, Shahjalal Islami Bank 

and South East Bank. • 

Taxpayers submitting income tax returns during the recent income tax fair in Dhaka 

their returns this year. 

According to the Income Tax 

Act, taxpayers having annual income 

above Tk2.50 lakh have to 

pay their income taxes. 

All the 649 circle offices under 

31 income tax zones across the 

country were open till 10pm on 

Wednesday to facilitate the submission 

of the income tax returns 

as per deadline. 

Besides, the taxpayers’ response 

to register them with the electronic 

Taxpayers Identification Number 

was also appreciable. 

The total number of e-TIN holders 

in the country has crossed 2.4m 

marks by November 30. 

India wants transit in BD seaports 


India wants to use Bangladesh’s 

Chittagong and Mongla seaports as 

transit. The Indian authorities have 

already sought permission from 

Bangladesh in this regard. 

The Indian High Commission in 

Dhaka sent a letter to the shipping 

ministry on October 18, 2016 requesting 

the permission. 

However, India has urged Bangladesh 

not to impose any additional 

fees on imports and exports, 

customs duties and administrative 

fees for the facility. 

A shipping secretary level meeting 

was held on November 16, 2015 

and exchanged draft Standard Operating 

Procedure (SOP) in New 

Delhi. 

The number would have crossed 

2.5m if there were no temporary 

problem with the NBR server that 

hampered the registration process, 

said NBR officials. 

Appreciating mass response 

from the taxpayers, NBR Chairman 

Md Nojibur Rahman thanked taxpayers 

and stakeholders for successful 

observation of nationwide 

income tax fair, income tax week 

and income tax day 2016. 

“The NBR is promised to provide 

services like income tax fair to 

the tax offices for round the year,” 

said a NBR press release quoting 

the chairman. 

Volume of submission of income 

RAJIB DHAR 

tax returns, collection of income 

tax and registration of electronic 

taxpayer’s registration number 

was highest among last three years 

during income tax fair, income tax 

week and income tax day, he said. 

The NBR has celebrated income 

tax fair from November 1-7, income 

tax week from November 24-30 

this year. It also celebrated the income 

tax day 2016 on November 

30, official deadline for submission 

of returns. 

Those, who have failed to submit 

income tax returns by deadline, 

will have to pay a 2% penalty 

on the payable tax for delay of each 

month. • 

In the Indian High Commission 

letter, it was stated that as per the 

MoU, both countries will issue required 

notification in a mutually 

agreed time-frame to implement 

the SOP deal. 

Analysts say the tax should be 

kept in mind when determining the 

cost of transit because the Bangladesh 

government will have to develop 

the necessary infrastructure 

for providing transit. 

Analysts also said India is now 

transiting its goods in poor infrastructure 

like narrow roads in 

Akhaura-Agartala from Kolkata. 

They said it has not yet been finalised 

that how much funds will 

be given by India for developing 

roads and highways. 

The transit deal between Bangladesh 

and India was initiated during 

India Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi’s visit to Dhaka last year. • 

Tofail wants 

multinational 

firms in stock 

market 


Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed 

has asked Bangladesh Securities 

and Exchange Commission to draw 

the multinational companies running 

business in the country into 

share market, BSS reports. 

“Many multinational companies 

have been doing business here and 

making profits. I would tell BSEC 

chairman to take steps to draw those 

companies into the market,” he said 

at the opening session of Bangladesh 

Capital Market Expo 2016 at the Institution 

of Diploma Engineers yesterday. 

Online news portal Artha Suchak 

organised the three-day fair. 

Editor of the portal Ziaur Rahman 

chaired the event which was 

addressed, among others, by BSEC 

Chairman Dr M Khairul Hossain, 

Managing Director of Dhaka Stock 

Exchange (DSE) KM Sajedur Rahman, 

Md Saifur Rahman Majumder 

of Chittagong Stock Exchange 

(CSE), DSE Brokers Association 

president Ahmed Rashid Lali and 

Merchant Bankers Association 

president Sayedur Rahman. 

In his address, Tofail said the 

capital market is now at a stable 

position. The incident that took 

place in 2010 in the capital market 

was unexpected as many investors 

lost their money. 

He added that the merchant 

banks and investors needed to be 

more conscious at that time. 

“The investors will have to be 

given assurance for their investment. 

Investors will not invest 

their money if they do not find the 

capital market stable and secure.” 

People’s confidence in the capital 

market has increased because 

of Bangladesh Bank’s capital market 

friendly policy, according to the 

minister. •

14 



Business 

UK may pay for EU single market access 

• AFP, London 

Britain would consider paying for continued 

access to the European single 

market after it leaves the EU, a senior 

minister said yesterday , boosting investors’ 

hopes of a “soft Brexit”. 

The minister for exiting the EU, David 

Davis, was asked in parliament whether 

the government would consider making 

“any contribution in any shape or form 

for access to the single market” after it 

withdraws from the bloc. 

Davis replied: “There is a distinction 

between picking off an individual 

policy and setting out a major criteria, 

and the major criteria here is that we 

get the best possible access for goods 

and services to the European market. 

“If that is included in what you are 

talking about then of course we would 

consider it.” 

Davis and other top Brexit supporters 

campaigned to stop payments to 

the EU during the campaign ahead of 

the June referendum, making it into a 

top slogan. • 

A worker cuts steel plates inside the China Steel Corporation factory in 

Kaohsiung 

REUTERS 

China factory activity 

growth accelerates 

• AFP, Beijing 

China’s factory activity grew 

at its fastest rate in more than 

two years in November, official 

data showed yesterday, 

as cheap credit and improving 

demand helped revive industry 

in the world’s second-largest 

economy. 

The better-than-expected 

pick-up in the closely watched 

purchasing managers’ index 

(PMI) will provide fresh hope 

for stability after a long-running 

slowdown in economic 

growth. 

The official PMI, which 

gauges conditions at factories 

and mines, came in at 51.7 in 

November, its highest since 

July 2014, the National Bureau 

of Statistics (NBS) said. That 

beat October’s 51.2 and was 

much better than the median 

forecast of 51 in a Bloomberg 

News survey of economists. 

Anything above 50 signals 

expanding activity while anything 

below suggests contraction. 

The expansion in factory 

activity was driven by an 

uptick in market demand, 

with production of consumer 

goods and high-tech equipment 

both accelerating, NBS 

analyst Zhao Qinghe said in a 

statement. 

But production “still has 

some difficulties” with raw 

materials and transportation 

costs rising for many companies, 

and sharp fluctuations in 

the yuan exchange rate making 

imports more costly, Zhao 

added. 

China’s weakening currency 

helped lift new export 

orders, Zhao Yang of Nomura 

said in a note, adding that he 

expects the depreciation to 

continue, which “bodes well” 

for exports next year. • 

Putin demands economic 

reforms after 2018 polls 

• AFP, Moscow 

Russia needs to introduce 

economic and tax reforms to 

end its stagnation, President 

Vladimir Putin said yesterday, 

urging the government to plan 

for 2019 and beyond, after the 

2018 presidential polls. 

“If we don’t resolve basic 

problems of the Russian economy, 

if we don’t fully launch 

new factors for growth, then 

we could hover around zero 

for years, pushing us to constantly 

shrink, economise and 

delay our development,” he 

said in an annual state of the 

union speech.. 

“We can’t afford this,” he 

said. 

“I order the government... 

to work out a substantial plan 

of action for the period up to 

2025 that would allow us to 

reach an economic growth 

rate that is faster than the 

global average from the end 

of 2019 or beginning of 2020,” 

he said. 

“We must focus our tax 

system so that it works toward 

the main goal: stimulating 

business activity, economic 

growth and investment,” he 

said, adding the government 

must pass tax reforms in 2018 

so that they can be implemented 

in 2019. 

The Russian economy has 

been stagnating for years, and 

is forecast to contract by 0.6% 

this year. 

The government looking 

into deep spending cuts to reduce 

the budget deficit. •

Business 15 



China merges steelmakers 

to forge new national leader 

• AFP, Shanghai 

China officially established 

a new national steelmaking 

leader - the world’s second-largest 

manufacturer 

– yesterday by merging two 

giant mills, as Beijing pushes 

consolidation in the industry 

to combat overcapacity. 

Shanghai-based Baosteel 

Group and Wuhan Iron and 

Steel Group, in the central province 

of Hubei, were combined 

to create China Baowu Steel 

Group, second only to Paris-listed 

ArcelorMittal. 

Its birth was marked with a 

ceremony in Shanghai attended 

by top national government 

and company officials. 

The combined new entity 

will have total assets of 730bn 

yuan ($105.9bn) and 228,000 

employees, a Baowu statement 

said. 

The two firms’ combined 

steel topped 60 million tonnes 

last year, according to data 

from the World Steel Association, 

exceeding that of previous 

national leader Hesteel. 

Baosteel, which had been 

China’s No 2 steelmaker, has 

issued new stock to existing 

shareholders of Wuhan Iron 

and Steel to absorb the company. 

• 

CORPORATE NEWS 

Southeast Bank Limited has recently signed an agreement with 

Bangladesh Bank for participation in Green Transformation Fund, said 

a press release. Deputy governor of central bank, SK Sur Chowdhury 

and Shahid Hossain, MD of Southeast Bank Limited have signed the 

agreement 

MJL Bangladesh Limited has recently held its 18th annual general 

meeting, said a press release. The company’s chairperson, Nazimuddin 

Chowdhury presided over the meeting 

ICAB has recently awarded IDLC Finance Limited the first position 

under Integrated reporting category and for having the best presented 

annual report in 2015 among financial service sector companies, said a 

press release. The company’s MD, Arif Khan received the award from 

Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed

FULL PAGE GOVERNMENT AD

FULL PAGE GOVERNMENT AD

18 



Feature 

Man vs machine 

Robo Carnival 2016 held at BUET 

• Mahmood Sadi 

Events like the Robo Carnival 

2016 could easily make a layman 

feel alienated. Take some of the 

sentences for instance, which were 

frequently being heard for the last 

three days amid the increasing 

noises of enthralled tech-savvy 

youths and lots of mechanical 

sounds at the auditorium 

complex Bangladesh University of 

Engineering Technology (BUET). 

“Oh, see, they have used 

Kinect,” “I think, C# for the 

back-end would have been a 

better choice instead of VB,” “No 

DC motors, how come?” “Did 

you think of using the hydraulic 

actuator?” “We used a gyroscope”, 

“Debugging in Matlab is tough”... 

and many more. 

But that didn’t take away the 

sheer joy of watching the minimachines 

moving, rotating, 

jumping, digging, and flying at 

the Robo Carnival 2016, that took 

place at BUET from November 29 

to December 1, 2016. 

“You don’t need to understand 

the science of robotics to 

appreciate a robot. Watching a 

mechanical object moving with 

the command of a human is pure 

fun,” said Sagar Hasnat, a student 

of BBA of a private university who 

came to see what was happening. 

Saiham Ahmed, a second year 

student of electrical engineering of 

Ahsanullah University of Science 

and Technology, however, came 

to learn. “I plan to pursue a higher 

degree in robotics. So I came to see 

various projects.” 

And as much fun as robots are 

to play with, robots are even more 

fun to build, he said. 

“Besides, my friends from 

BUET have robots here. I came to 

cheer for them.” 

Meanwhile, on Thursday, 

Nayeem Reza, a fourth year 

student of Electrical and 

Electronics Engineering (EEE) 

of BUET was found fixing his 

robot for the round of industrial 

automation challenge. 

“This robot is going to pick up 

different shapes from the platform 

and place it in appropriate holes. 

This is important because the 

technology used for this robot is 

scalable and can be integrated in 

the industry,” he said. 

Fahim Faisal, secretary general 

of BUET Robotics society, said that 

the Robo Carnival was arranged 

with certain focuses in mind. 

“The robots that we asked for 

at the carnival will do practical 

things. We wanted 

robots for industrial 

automation and for 

conducting rescue 

operations during 

disasters. That’s 

why the carnival 

has segments 

for industrial 

automation 

challenge and 

rescue bot 

challenge.” 

Here the students 

submitted design and 

prototype of robots for 

these two functions, he 

added. 

Faisal said that they also 

have a separate segment where 

students need to submit and pass 

the line challenge. 

Explaining this, he said, in 

this segment, student groups are 

challenged to program robots with 

light sensors to follow a black 

line. Learning both the logic and 

skills behind programming robots 

for this challenge helps students 

improve their understanding 

of how robots “think” and 

widens their appreciation for 

the complexity involved in 

programming industrial scale 

robots. 

Photos: Syed Zakir Hossain 

Sumaya Saima, a third year 

student of the Mechanical 

Department of BUET, who was 

given the charge of organising 

the workshop during the Robo 

Carnival, said that she was 

overwhelmed by the response she 

received. 

“Over 200 HSC level students 

from different colleges took part 

in our workshop where basics 

of robotics were discussed and 

taught. Their enthusiasm made 

the workshop a big success.” 

Saima said that the idea 

behind the workshop is to 

educate college level students 

about basic robotics. “At the 

HSC level, students already get 

to learn computer programming 

language like C. They also learn 

about electronic circuits. Our plan 

was to combine the theoretical 

knowledge along with practical 

implementation to fulfill the 

learning process.” 

She said that during the 

workshop, the college students 

were taught the basics of robotics 

practically. “The look on their 

faces when they first lit a LED light 

on a breadboard was priceless.” 

Dr Reduan Hasan Khan, a 

former student of EEE of BUET 

who was one of inspiring figures 

behind the formation of BUET 

Robotics club, said that the idea of 

robotics has changed. 

“The word robot doesn’t have 

to create an image of a mechanical 

thing moving something from 

one place to another. The 

core idea behind robotics 

is automation and 

improving the 

performance of 

machines and 

lessening the 

burden on 

humans.” 

He said 

that the 

world has 

entered 

into the era 

of ‘internet 

of things’. 

“Almost 

every 

action which 

previously 

used to 

need manual 

labour is being 

automated these 

days. And these 

actions are connected 

with each other through 

cloud computing. Imagine that 

you can now control the room 

temperature from your office. 

Robotics played the role here.” 

“We are dreaming of taking the 

robotics of the country into 

that level where we can create 

industrial scale invention and 

market it for the benefit of the 

people. Our students have the 

capacity. All they need is little 

help from the policymakers and 

industries.” •

Biz Info 

19 



| event | 

Empowering youth and fostering economic opportunities 

come from the poorest-ofthe-poor 

families in the focus 

districts. Over 90 percent 

successfully completed their 

training on their own cost, of 

which 75 percent are already wage 

employed or self-employed, and 

47 percent are girls and young 

women including Person with 

Disability (PWDs).“Engaging and 

empowering youth is important 

to alleviate poverty, achieve 

economic equity, and build the 

foundations for a stable society,” 

Hoogstraten added. 

The vocational education and 

training intervention is part of a 

larger four year PROOFS project, 

funded by the Embassy of the 

Kingdom of the Netherlands 

and implemented by ICCO 

Cooperation with Edukans, 

iDE Bangladesh, BoP Inc. and 

Bangladeshi partners. PROOFS is 

designed to improve household 

food and nutrition security, 

feeding practices for women of 

reproductive age, infants and 

young children, WASH situation, 

and vocational education and 

training opportunities for 

80,000 rural households at the 

bottom of the pyramid. The 

Vocational Education and Training 

intervention worked with the 

PROOFS’s Farm Business Groups, 

where other interventions worked 

simultaneously. The integrated 

approach was designed to improve 

the quality of life of all the target 

80,000-farmer households, with 

particular focus on food and 

nutrition security. • 

Today, the Embassy of the 

Kingdom of the Netherlands 

and the Profitable Opportunities 

for Food Security (PROOFS) 

program commemorated its 

two-year partnership with the 

Government of Bangladesh, 

contributing towards National 

Skill Development Policy (NSDP), 

and the private sector to train, 

empower, and foster economic 

opportunities for dropped out 

adolescent youth in seven districts 

of Bangladesh. This partnership, 

since November 2014, has trained 

on the job, and created jobs 

for nearly 2,300 youth in the 

informal sector, working with 

and through 1,100 local traders/ 

businesses. This has expanded 

small businesses, created safer 

workspaces, contributed to 

increased household incomes 

leading to improved food and 

nutrition security and reduced 

child labour in at least 3,500 

households. 

In 2014, after widespread 

reports of troubling workplace 

safety and child labour incidents, 

including the devastating Rana 

Plaza collapse, the Embassy of 

the Kingdom of the Netherlands 

launched a Vocational Education 

and Training intervention, as part 

of the PROOFS program. Speaking 

at the closing event, Martine-van 

Hoogstraten, Deputy Ambassador 

of the Embassy said, “The program 

empowered over 3,500 adolescents 

and traders with workplace safety 

and labour compliance messaging, 

networks, access to quality 

vocational skills training and 

jobs/self-employment, wage and 

self employment and increased 

incomes.” 

The 2,300 apprentices trained 

| welfare | 

Bayer inaugurates ‘Krishi Seba Crop Clinics’ in Dhaka 

Bayer CropScience Limited 

Bangladesh, the local subsidiary 

of Bayer AG with its headquarters 

in Germany, introduced a unique 

farm advisory service in Dhaka 

on November 29, 2016. The new 

initiative is named ‘Bayer Krishi 

Seba’ (Crop Clinic). The first four 

Bayer Crop Clinics will commence 

operation in the districts of 

Dinajpur, Mankiganj, Meherpur 

and Bogra and will provide 

farmers free technical advisory 

and crop related advice. 

Peter Mueller, Head of 

Bayer APAC -2, Crop Science 

Division, unveiled the new 

initiative at Krishibid Institution 

Bangladesh (KIB) auditorium 

in Dhaka today along with the 

Additional Secretary, Ministry of 

Agriculture, Md Nazmul Islam 

and the German Ambassador to 

Bangladesh Dr Thomas Prinz. 

The event was attended by over 

100 farmers who assembled in 

Dhaka from across the country. 

Farmers and DAE officials from 

Dinajpur, Mankiganj, Meherpur 

and Bogra also participated via 

a video conference. In view of 

the upcoming Boro Season, the 

Bayer team distributed onfarm 

demonstration kits of ‘Arize Tej 

Gold’ – Bayer’s Bacterial Leaf 

Blight Tolerant Hybrid Rice variety 

to the farmers. 

Addressing the farmers, Peter 

Mueller, Head of Bayer South 

Asia, Crop Science Division, 

said, “Farmers face a diverse set 

of issues – be it unpredictable 

weather, pest infestations, plant 

diseases, increased resistances 

or changing market trends. To 

ensure a stable income, farmers 

also need to produce high quality 

crops. Bayer wants to help 

farmers increase their agricultural 

productivity and profitability. 

The newly launched Krishi Seba 

initiative aims to support farmers 

in Bangladesh by giving timely 

advisory tailored to local needs.” 

The Bayer Krishi Seba (Crop 

Clinic) is equipped with trained 

farm advisors who can address 

farmers’ queries, demonstrate new 

farming technologies; conduct 

live displays of pest symptoms, 

hold training sessions and impart 

knowledge on current trends 

including market commodity 

prices, weather/crop/disease/ 

pest management. Registered 

farmers can also use the Bayer 

Call Center service by calling or 

sending an SMS. If a farmer wishes 

to schedule a visit, Bayer advisors 

can visit the farmer at his home/ 

farm. 

Bayer aims to open 70 such 

Crop Clinics within the first 

quarter of 2017 in different cities 

across Bangladesh. The advisory 

service will extend to 150 Crop 

Clinics by end of 2017. •


20 

Editorial 


TODAY 

A brief history 

of grievances 

in the CHT 

To date, only a few provisions of the 

Peace Accord have been implemented 

PAGE 21 

Hunted in their 

own land 

The torture perpetrated on the ethnic 

Muslim minority in Myanmar has been 

quite unparalleled in modern history 

PAGE 22 

A failure to protect 

BIGSTOCK 

How to lead in 

intolerant times 

We’ve become rusty at constructive 

conflict. Here’s what I mean: If you 

disagree with me, it must mean that I 

hate you. I will immediately question 

your integrity and motivation 

PAGE 23 

Be heard 

Write to Dhaka Tribune 

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DhakaTribune. 

The views expressed in opinion 

articles are those of the authors 

alone and they are not the 

official view of Dhaka Tribune 

or its publisher. 

It is safe to assume that no child or adolescent freely chooses a life of sex 

work. 

And yet, the numbers are shocking. 

A study conducted by a Dhaka University professor reveals that some 

64% of sex workers in Bangladesh were minors, while a staggering 90% of 

them had entered the sex trade while they were still minors. 

How are so many young people ending up in prostitution? 

Clearly, they are being forced into the trade, and our law enforcement 

system is, shamefully, failing to protect these vulnerable girls and women. 

This is fundamentally an issue of coercion and exploitation, and applies to 

not just children, but to all sex workers. 

Any person who forces someone into the sex trade is violating human 

rights, and committing a grave crime. The crime is all the more unforgivable in 

the case of minors. 

The hammer of justice must come down hard on those people who profit 

off of forcing others into prostitution. 

It is important that our law enforcement recognise the rights of these girls 

and women -- the focus on the crackdown must be coercion, not prostitution 

itself. 

As a society, we must not further victimise those who have already been 

wronged and been put through traumatic experiences. 

Policies and institutions must be put in place, like shelters where sex 

workers can escape to and remain safe. Too often they remain stuck in the 

business for fear of bodily harm or worse. 

Furthermore, there must be hotlines, awareness campaigns, and outreach 

programs that let sex workers know that they are not alone, and that help is 

available for those who need it. 

Ultimately, there must be zero tolerance for those who perpetuate this trade 

of exploitation and coercion. 

This means coming down on pimps and traffickers with a firm hand, and 

the imposition of draconian penalties. 

The hammer of justice 

must come down hard on 

those people who profit 

off of forcing others into 

prostitution

Opinion 21 



A brief history of grievances in the CHT 

Is peace in sight for the Pahari population of Bangladesh? 

LETTER 

FROM 

AMERICA 

• Fakhruddin Ahmed 

Since today is the 19th 

anniversary of the signing 

of the Chittagong Hill 

Tracts Peace Accord, a brief 

review of the recent history of the 

indigenous people is in order. 

Mir Qasim Ali Khan, the British 

East India Company-installed 

governor of Bengal after the ouster 

of Mir Jafar Ali Khan, gifted the 

The government must recognise indigenous land rights 

To date, only a few 

provisions of the 

Peace Accord have 

been implemented 

Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) to the 

Company in the 1760s. In 1860, the 

British designated CHT a district 

of Bengal. 

The Company demanded that 

the indigenous people pay taxes in 

the form of karpas or raw cotton, 

which were collected by Bengali 

agents, beginning the Bengali 

migration to the predominantly 

Pahari CHT. The Bengali migrants 

were government agents, traders, 

and money-lenders. 

The Company switched to 

cash taxation in 1789, forcing the 

monetisation of the centuriesold 

subsistence-oriented, Pahari 

Jhum economy. Jhum cultivation 

involved clearing the thicket of 

the hillside through fire, which 

yielded fresh soil, with the 

cinders acting as fertiliser. Seeds 

of different crops were mixed 

and sown in this soil. Rice and 

vegetables were harvested within 

months; cotton, turmeric, etc 

several months later; and wood 

years later. After the land lost its 

fertility, it was left fallow for 15-20 

years, and the process is repeated 

on different slopes. 

The British opposed Jhum 

cultivation because it yielded 

low revenue, and it was harder 

to impose political control over 

a people continually shifting 

their cultivation lands. They 

introduced plough cultivation 

in the 1850s, which created a 

demand for Bengali cultivators 

from the plains who possessed the 

requisite knowhow. The Chakma 

elite employed Bengali sharecroppers 

to plough their paddy 

lands in the flat valleys of the 

CHT. The introduction of wet-rice 

cultivation resulted in the influx 

of Bengali craftsmen, artisans, and 

traders. 

The valley-dwelling and 

plough-cultivating Chakma, 

Marma, and Tripura became 

relatively prosperous and 

politically dominant. They were 

less resistant to cultural intrusion 

from the plains than the ridge-top, 

Jhum-cultivating Mru, Bawm, 

Pankhua, and Khumi. 

Disregarding the indigenous 

people’s historical rights to the 

lands, in 1875, the British created 

two categories of land: The 

Reserve Forests (RF), and the 

District Forests, now known as 

Unclassed State Forests (USF). 

By 1882-83, nearly a quarter of 

the total area of the CHT was 

“enclosed” as Reserve Forests, 

transforming the lands of the 

CHT into different categories of 

property. 

In 1881, the government of 

Bengal restructured authority 

among the Hill peoples, based on 

three “chiefs” among their society. 

Most of the CHT was divided into 

three “circles,” each placed under 

a chief: The Mong Circle under its 

chief in Manikchhari, the Chakma 

Circle under its chief in Rangamati, 

and the Bohmong Circle under its 

chief in Bandarban. 

The Chittagong Hill Tracts 

Regulation of 1900 provided the 

legal framework for civil, revenue, 

and judicial administration in 

CHT. The regulation vested the 

deputy commissioner (DC) with all 

executive, judicial, and financial 

powers, with absolute power over 

land rights and settlements. It 

reaffirmed the traditional structure 

based on the three circles, while 

redefining the relationship 

between the chiefs and the district 

administration under the DC. 

Pakistan kept the CHT 

Regulation of 1900, and Pakistan’s 

1956 constitution preserved CHT’s 

status as an “excluded area.” 

The Pakistani government was 

primarily interested in exploiting 

the rich natural resources of the 

CHT. Karnaphuli Paper Mill in 

Chandraghona (1953), which 

utilised bamboo and softwood 

from local forests, was the first 

developmental intervention. The 

Karnaphuli Multipurpose Project 

(“Kaptai Project” of 1957-63), 

that generated hydro-electricity 

by damming Karnaphuli river at 

Kaptai, was the second. 

The Kaptai Lake inundated 

the valleys of Karnaphuli River 

and its tributaries, including the 

Chengi, Kassalong, and Maini 

valleys. About 400 square miles 

were submerged, including “Old” 

Rangamati town, the main urban 

centre of CHT. Catastrophically, 

54,000 acres of the highly-prized 

plough lands were submerged, 

amounting to 40% of plough 

lands. Many Paharis were 

uprooted, and became internally 

displaced. The Kaptai project 

saw further influx of Bengali 

and non-Bengali Pakistanis who 

monopolised trade, commerce, 

and government jobs, fueling 

Pahari resentment. 

In the conflict between Bengali- 

Pakistani nationalisms in 1971, 

most indigenous people remained 

noncommittal. While the Chakma 

and Bohmong chiefs gave support 

to Pakistan, the Mong chief, and 

some Chakma and Marma leaders 

attempted to join Mukti Bahnini, 

only to be rebuffed. 

Limited collaboration with 

the Pakistani Army by some of 

them resulted in the erroneous 

notion that all indigenous peoples 

opposed Bangladesh’s liberation, 

which they did not, and for which 

they suffered deadly retribution. 

Leading an indigenous 

delegation, Manabendra Narayan 

Larma met then Prime Minister 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with a 

four-point demand on February 15, 

1972: (1) Autonomy for CHT along 

with the establishment of a special 

legislative body for the region. (2) 

Retention and endorsement of 

the CHT Regulation of 1900 in the 

new constitution of Bangladesh. 

(3) Continuation of the offices of 

the tribal chiefs. (4) Constitutional 

provisions restricting further 

amendment of the CHT 

Regulation, and imposing a ban on 

further Bengali settlement in the 

CHT. 

Bangladesh’s Constitution 

(November 4, 1972) ignored 

their aspirations. Abandoned 

by their own government, they 

formed the Parbatya Chattagram 

Jana Samhati Samity (PCJSS) to 

protect their interests. In response 

to the government’s gradual 

militarisation of CHT (1972-75), 

the PCJSS’s military wing, “Shanti 

Bahini,” (SB) was born. 

Believing that foreign powers 

were fomenting unrest, and had 

designs for the natural resourcerich 

CHT, General Ziaur Rahman’s 

regime banned PCJSS, sending the 

movement underground to India, 

and triggering SB insurgency in 

1976. A component of the counterinsurgency 

strategy was to evict 

and relocate them from their land, 

and settle Bengalis there. 

While the SB primarily targeted 

Bengali settlers, the security forces 

burned villages, tortured, and 

killed men, and raped women in 

retaliation, they allege. 

Unable to quell the insurgency, 

in October 1983, General Ershad’s 

regime announced its willingness 

to suspend further migration of 

Bengalis to CHT, start dialogue 

with the PCJSS leadership, and 

grant amnesty to rebels. 

It also initiated a generally 

successful policy of government 

largesse to “pacify” the indigenous 

population. The CHT Peace Accord 

was signed on December 2, 1997 by 

the AL government. 

In exchange for general 

amnesty, repatriation, and 

rehabilitation, the PCJSS/SB 

members surrendered and 

disarmed. The government agreed 

to mechanisms for recognising 

and recording of indigenous land 

rights, cancellation of illegal leases 

and settlements, setting up of 

a Land Commission, a Ministry 

of CHT Affairs to be headed by 

an indigenous minister, and 

a regional council (RC) with 

jurisdiction over the entire CHT. 

To date, only a few provisions 

of the Peace Accord have been 

implemented. 

Current estimates put CHT’s 

generally Theravada Buddhismpracticing 

Pahari population 

at over 50%. From less than 

2% during the British period, 

the Bengali, mostly Muslim, 

population has skyrocketed to 

49%. Although the demographic 

dynamics of two-and-a-half 

centuries cannot be reversed 

overnight, indigenous grievances 

can be partially assuaged if the 

ecological disaster, Kaptai Dam, is 

dismantled. 

That would resurface 4,000 

square miles of land, which should 

be restored to the indigenous 

Bangladeshis of CHT for their 

exclusive use. • 

Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed is a Rhodes 

Scholar.

22 



Opinion 

Hunted in their own land 

Myanmar is systematically wiping out the Rohingya population 

Destroyed homes, destroyed lives 

The torture perpetrated on the ethnic Muslim minority in Myanmar has 

been quite unparalleled in modern history 

• Sadat Zaman Khan 

Joseph Conrad’s novel Heart 

of Darkness expresses the 

account of Kurtz, a manager 

of the station in the depth 

of Congo, while he was carrying 

a colonial mission into the “dark 

continent,” Africa. 

The hatred for the native 

Africans and the exploitation of 

black lives show a darker side of 

human barbarity. 

The tyranny was merely a 

part of the cleansing operation of 

an entire community of people 

living in that part of the world for 

thousands of years. 

Let me introduce, quite 

analogically, the recent story 

of Myanmar, who are also 

exterminating helpless Rohingyas 

from Arakan state with brutal 

force. 

It now seems the “clearing” 

operation of Myanmar’s armed 

forces is an all-out razing effort -- a 

meticulously planned effort of the 

extermination of a race. 

This is just as odious as the 

Nazis’ venture of eliminating Jews 

from Europe. 

In Azeem Ibrahim’s The 

Rohingyas: Inside Myanmar’s 

Hidden Genocide, the author 

wonderfully details how a 

historical canard is used as a 

pretext to completely erase them 

from Myanmar. 

The book also explores 

the fact that among 135 ethnic 

minorities, Rohingyas are the 

worst treated, stripped of all rights 

as citizens, depleted of wealth and 

property, pushed to the edge, and 

systematically exterminated. 

The Rohingyas are considered 

to be originated from the Indo- 

Aryan ethnic group from Arakan. 

The origin of the word Rohingya 

has always been a controversial 

subject. 

Many historians believe that the 

name was derived from the word 

“Rahaam,” meaning sympathy, 

used by the Arabian businessmen, 

as they were rescued from 

drowning by the small community 

of people living in that Rakhine 

state. 

This story dates back to 8th 

century, hundreds of years before 

British Colonial rule. 

The popular narrative used as a 

basis for effacing the Rohingyas is 

that, during colonial British rule, 

migration had been encouraged 

to Myanmar from India and 

Bangladesh. 

This historical migration event 

REUTERS 

takes place in the first quarter of 

the 19th century. 

The word Rohingya is a recent 

invention, and they are identified 

as the descendents of the colonialera 

immigrants in Bangladesh. 

In the controversial 1982 

Citizenship Law, drafted by the 

military, the name Rohingya is 

crafted out so as to legitimise their 

systematic expulsion from the 

land. 

It is such drafted: “Nationals 

such as the Kachin, Kayah, Chin, 

Mon, Rakhine, or Shan who have 

settled in any of the territories 

included within the state as their 

permanent home anterior to 

1823AD are Burma citizens.” 

Thus, the rights of an ethnic 

community living in the land 

for hundreds of years have been 

denied legislatively. 

More controversial is the clause 

that says “The Council of State 

may decide whether any ethnic 

group is national or not” (clause 4, 

chapter II). 

Even according to that 

controversial citizenship law, some 

recorded historical facts can give 

Rohingyas the scope to become 

naturalised citizens of the country. 

An article published in the 

UNHCR website mentions how 

in 1799, Francis Buchanan, a 

surgeon with the British East India 

Company, travelled to Myanmar 

and met members of a Muslim 

ethnic group “who have long 

settled in Arakan [Rakhine], and 

who call themselves ‘Rooinga’ or 

natives of Arakan.” 

That would indicate they were 

self-identified as Rohingya living 

in Rakhine at least 25 years before 

the 1823 cut-off for citizenship. 

A good number of Muslim 

people lived in Arakan even before 

the timeline of eligibility was set 

by the military for citizenship. 

When Arakan was an 

independent state and was ruled 

by Mrauk U from the mid-15th to 

late 18th century, many rulers of 

the same dynasty are known to 

have had Muslim titles in their 

names. 

The later annexation of Arakan 

within Burmese territory (1785), 

therefore, has a historical record 

of the existence of a Muslim 

population. 

Long before the set timeline, 

Muslim history thrived in Arakan 

state. 

So, disowning them and forcing 

them into exile is merely an 

orchestrated event. 

The torture perpetrated on 

the ethnic Muslim minority 

in Myanmar has been quite 

unparalleled in modern history. 

The history of disowning 

a people is a long-planned 

extermination formula. 

Razing 1,200 homes, as can 

by Human Rights Watch through 

satellite images, is a step to drive 

people off their land. 

Capsizing the boats, raping 

indiscriminately, mutilating 

people, blocking the media 

and international bodies would 

possibly give the victims a 

feeling similar to that as stated 

in Jonathan Swift’s Gulliver’s 

Travels: “I cannot but conclude 

that the Bulk of your Natives, to be 

the most pernicious Race of little 

odious Vermin that Nature ever 

suffered to crawl upon the Surface 

of the Earth.” 

I am afraid people will lose faith 

in humanity if the international 

community plays the role of mere 

bystanders. 

Like the fictional account of the 

historical brutality demonstrated 

in the African Congo by the 

coloniser in Conrad’s text, another 

account of suffering, deportation, 

and torture is surfacing in 

Myanmar today. • 

Sadat Zaman Khan is Assistant Professor 

and Chairman, Department of English, 

Premier University.

Opinion 

23 



How to lead in intolerant times 

Ignore trolls, embrace constructive conflict 

We need our discourse to rise above petty conflict 

BIGSTOCK 

• Lutfey Siddiqi 

What lies beyond 

tolerance? What 

is the space on 

the other side of 

tolerance? 

Is it a breaking point, or a bursting 

of the dam, when you think: “I 

can’t put up this pretense anymore. 

I’m tired of being politically 

correct, tired of having to pretend 

that I don’t have concerns or fears 

in case I get branded a racist, 

xenophobic, or some other kind 

of phobic? Can I not just curl up in 

my post-truth blanket and enjoy 

my dislike for experts?” 

Or is the space beyond 

tolerance filled with mutual 

understanding, empathy, the 

suspension of judgment, and a 

meaningful search for diversity? 

The forces of polarisation are 

tearing at our social fabric. Sure, 

some of the sources of stress are 

real. There are serious economic, 

demographic, and technological 

challenges to address. It’s the allencompassing 

Fourth Industrial 

Revolution. But at least some of 

the tensions are man-made. And 

I’m afraid to say, you and I are 

suckers for them. 

We all have our biases, 

prejudices, fears, and grievances 

that are sometimes legitimate. 

But then, we let all of these get 

hijacked and whipped up from 

frustration to rage, from rage to 

hate and at times, from hate to 

violence. 

We’ve become rusty at 

constructive conflict. Here’s what 

I mean: If you disagree with me, 

it must mean that I hate you. I 

will immediately question your 

integrity and motivation. I will not 

isolate the person from the issue 

of disagreement. 

I also cannot separate or 

compartmentalise areas of 

disagreement. If you disagree 

with me on one topic, I will have 

to disagree with you on the next 

topic -- whatever that topic is -- 

just to retaliate. 

We’ve seen this in parts of the 

Brexit debate, with fears around 

migration, the lampooning of 

judges who you don’t agree 

with, or even the generalised 

bashing of certain professions and 

apparently-evil-but-unnamed big 

businesses. This is not responsible 

leadership. 

The license for all forms of 

generalised hate comes from the 

same place. This is true in all echochambers 

-- whether religious, 

secular, right-wing, or left-wing. 

What do I wish to see beyond 

mere tolerance? 

I’d like to know if we can 

stop ourselves, as individuals, 

from succumbing to some of the 

emotional triggers of polarisation. 

Furthermore, I’d like us, as a 

community, to become immunised 

against exploitative polarisation. 

Next time, when someone 

comes to me with the language of 

“us and them,” I want to be able 

to say: “No we’re cool. We have 

problems, but we’re dealing with 

them constructively.” 

Or, the next time someone 

says to me, “you’re excluded, you 

don’t belong here,” I can point to 

areas where I’ve been pro-actively 

included and say: “What are you 

talking about?” Or, the next time I 

read a headline in the media that 

is deliberately designed to get my 

goat, I don’t give them my custom. 

Is all of this a bit too idealistic? 

Possibly. But I clearly don’t believe 

so. 

Smoking was cool in my father’s 

generation. It isn’t so anymore. 

Our attitudes to climate change 

or towards LGBT communities 

are different from what it was two 

decades ago. All over the world, 

there are inspiring stories of real 

positive change that we need to 

magnify and replicate. 

So, what lies beyond tolerance? 

We’ve become rusty at constructive conflict. Here’s what I mean: If 

you disagree with me, it must mean that I hate you. I will immediately 

question your integrity and motivation. I will not isolate the person 

from the issue of disagreement 

I hope it’s constructive conflict 

and pro-active diversity. 

Constructive conflict is about 

rising above false binaries. It is 

about transcending the labels of 

socialism, capitalism, globalism, 

nationalism, or any of the “isms” 

that strip serious issues from their 

nuances. I can be a Euro-sceptic 

and a Remain voter. I can be a 

feminist and not vote for Hillary 

Clinton. 

I can dislike the hijab in some 

contexts and oppose the ban on 

hijabs. I can be a proponent of 

multi-cultural diversity and still 

have concerns about the pace of 

migration. I can believe in greater 

liberalisation of labour markets 

and a greater role of government 

in transitional welfare. 

Constructive conflict is also 

about how we engage in debate. 

It’s about moving away from the 

Westminster-style of engagement 

where one side pretends that 

nothing is wrong while the other 

side argues that everything is 

wrong. This style of offencedefense 

generates heat but very 

little light and creates a façade of 

accountability. 

Other suggestions include 

deliberate processes that focus 

on bringing out blind spots or 

highlighting each dimension of 

a debate (factual, emotional, 

positive, negative) separately. 

Many of these processes are 

practiced in corporations and in 

professional risk-management 

settings. Somehow, we allow for 

standards to drop when it comes 

to public and political discourse. 

Not anymore. 

This will be the new test of 

responsible and responsive 

leadership. Whatever your views 

and whatever your cause, you are 

not a leader if you don’t practice 

constructive conflict. Let the 

counter-insurgency begin. • 

This article is based on the author’s 

opening speech at The London 

School of Economics. 

Lutfey Siddiqi is Visiting Professor, 

London School of Economics. This 

article previously appeared in weforum. 

org.


24 

Sport 


TOP STORIES 

In-form Dhaka face 

confident Ctg 

Table-toppers Dhaka Dynamites 

will face the in-form Chittagong 

Vikings in the fourth edition of 

the Bangladesh Premier League 

Twenty20 in Mirpur’s Sher-e- 

Bangla National Cricket Stadium 

today. PAGE 25 

Brazilians support 

Chapecoense 

Brazilians have rallied around the 

Chapecoense team in the two days 

since a plane crash in Colombia 

nearly wiped out its squad, more 

than doubling the size of its paying 

fanbase, a club executive said on 

Wednesday. PAGE 26 

Akram says SL has 

pace, needs swing 

Legendary Pakistani paceman 

Wasim Akram said that Sri Lanka 

had a promising crop of fast 

bowlers despite their traditional 

reliance on spin after holding 

a coaching session with the 

islanders yesterday. PAGE 27 

United cruise, 

Arsenal ousted 

Anthony Martial and Zlatan 

Ibrahimovic scored twice each to 

help Manchester United ease into 

the League Cup semi-finals with a 

4-1 victory over West Ham United 

as Arsenal suffered a 2-0 defeat by 

Southampton. PAGE 28 

Barisal Bulls’ Dawid Malan smacks one through the cover region during their BPL 4 match against Rajshahi Kings in Mirpur yesterday 

Barisal end six-match 

losing streak 

• Mazhar Uddin 

Barisal Bulls finally registered a 

win after six consecutive defeats 

when they beat Rajshahi Kings by 

17 runs in the Bangladesh Premier 

League Twenty20’s fourth edition 

in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National 

Stadium yesterday. 

Rajshahi ended their chase on 

144/7 after Barisal posted a challenging 

total of 161/4. Mushfiqur 

Rahim and his troop will no doubt 

be greatly relieved after ending 

their six-game winless run. 

On the other hand, Rajshahi 

made life difficult for themselves 

as they suffered their sixth defeat 

and with only one game left, Darren 

Sammy and his side will have 

to win their last game against an 

in-form Chittagong Vikings tomorrow 

if they are to harbour any 

hopes of progressing to the playoffs. 

Chasing 162, Rajshahi kept losing 

wickets right from the start 

with Mominul Haque (16), Nurul 

Hasan (12) and Sabbir Rahman 

(eight) all departing cheaply. 

However, Samit Patel kept 

alive Rajshahi’s slim hopes as the 

right-hander struck some lusty 

blows on way to his 51-ball 62, featuring 

seven fours and a six. But 

soon after his departure, Barisal 

took charge and heaped more 

pressure upon their opponents. 

TODAY’S MATCHES 

Comilla Victorians v Khulna Titans, 1:30pm 

Dhaka Dynamites v Chittagong Vikings, 6:15pm 

Both games will be held at SBNS, Mirpur 

POINTS TABLE 

TEAMS M W L PTS 

Dhaka 10 7 3 14 

Chittagong 10 6 4 12 

Khulna 10 6 4 12 

Rajshahi 11 5 6 10 

Rangpur 10 5 5 10 

Barisal 11 4 7 8 

Comilla 10 3 7 6 

Rajshahi required 28 runs in 

the last over with captain Sammy 

at the crease but it was a humongous 

task even for the swashbuckling 

West Indian. As it were, 

Rajshahi eventually fell short by 

17 runs. 

Player of the match Rayad Emrit 

bowled well, picking up 3/27 

from his four overs while Kamrul 

Islam Rabbi, Monir Hossain, 

Enamul Haque and Thisara Perera 

all took a wicket each for Barisal. 

Earlier, Barisal, asked to bat 

first, made a brilliant start, riding 

on opening batsman Dawid Malan 

and Fazle Mahmud as the pair 

added exactly 100 runs for the 

second wicket. 

Malan was dismissed after 

scoring the highest 56 off just 33 

balls, studded with half a dozen 

boundaries and three maximums 

while Fazle added a run-a-ball 43 

with the help of four fours and a 

couple of sixes. 

Although Mushfiq was out 

for eight, Perera (29 not out) and 

Shahriar Nafees (16 not out) blasted 

some late blows to take Barisal 

to a fighting total.• 

SCORECARD 

MD MANIK 

BARISAL BULLS R B 

Mendis c Farhad b Miraz 6 8 

Malan run out (Nazmul) 56 33 

Fazle c Miraz b Farhad 43 43 

Mushfiq c Nurul b Sami 8 8 

Perera not out 29 22 

Shahriar not out 16 6 

Extras (lb 2, w 1) 3 

Total (4 wickets; 20 overs) 161 

Fall Of Wickets 

1-7 (Mendis), 2-107 (Malan), 3-107 (Fazle), 

4-143 (Mushfiq) 

Bowling 

Sami 4-1-16-1, Miraz 4-0-34-1, Farhad 4-0- 

32-1, Sammy 3-0-28-0, Franklin 2-0-21-0, 

Nazmul 2-0-21-0, Patel 1-0-7-0 

RAJSHAHI KINGS R B 

Mominul c & b Enamul 16 16 

Nurul lbw b Monir 12 6 

Sabbir c Malan b Emrit 8 6 

Patel c Shahriar b Emrit 62 51 

Raqibul c Mushfiq b Perera 9 13 

Franklin c Perera b Rabbi 18 18 

Sammy not out 11 7 

Farhad c Enamul b Emrit 4 2 

Miraz not out 0 1 

Extras (lb 3, w 1) 4 

Total (7 wickets; 20 overs) 144 

Fall Of Wickets 

1-27 (Nurul), 2-36 (Sabbir), 3-53 (Mominul), 

4-68 (Raqibul), 5-112 (Franklin), 

6-129 (Patel), 7-134 (Farhad) 

Bowling 

Taijul 4-0-29-0, Rabbi 3-0-27-1, Monir 

3-0-17-1, Emrit 4-0-27-3, Enamul 2-0-6-1, 

Perera 4-0-35-1 

The Bulls won by 17 runs 

MoM: Rayad Emrit (BB)

Sport 25 



PLAYS OF THE DAY 

Emrit wins battle against 

Sabbir 

An interesting battle took place 

between Barisal Bulls’ West Indies 

pacer Rayad Emrit and Rajshahi 

Kings’ Sabbir Rahman when the 

latter came out to bat in pursuit 

of 162. Mominul Haque changed 

ends through a leg-bye in the first 

ball of the fourth over bowled by 

Emrit. In the next delivery, Sabbir 

smashed a gorgeous square-cut 

for a boundary. In the next ball, 

there was a huge appeal after an 

incoming Emrit delivery kissed 

Sabbir’s thigh before making its way 

to Mushfiqur Rahim. The umpire 

however, did not move. Sabbir was 

in no mood to give the momentum 

to Emrit as he tried to pull a 

rather banged-on delivery. But he 

mistimed it as Dawid Malan took a 

sharp catch at the mid-on region as 

Emrit eventually won the challenge. 

Sabbir departed after scoring just 

eight runs. 

Barisal’s first win after six 

matches 

Barisal finally registered their first 

win after losing six consecutive 

matches in the ongoing Bangladesh 

Premier League Twenty20’s fourth 

edition when they beat Rajshahi. 

Mushfiq’s side won their first three 

games and were beaming with 

confidence but suddenly lost their 

way and were unable to win a single 

game in their last six attempts. 

But against Rajshahi, Barisal finally 

returned to winning ways and in 

the process, did the double over 

them having beaten them earlier in 

the tournament by a tight four-run 

margin. However, Barisal are pretty 

much out of the playoff race as they 

have won only four out of 11 games. 

With only one game remaining, 

they will look to conclude their BPL 

campaign on a high when they take 

on Rangpur Riders tomorrow. 

–MAZHAR UDDIN 

In-form Dhaka face confident Ctg 

• Ali Shahriyar Bappa 

Table-toppers Dhaka Dynamites 

will face the in-form Chittagong 

Vikings in the fourth edition of the 

Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 

in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National 

Cricket Stadium today. 

The clash of these two heavyweights 

has been regarded as a 

dress-rehearsal ahead of the upcoming 

playoffs. Dhaka have won 

seven out of 10 match, earning 14 

points, while Chittagong have been 

victorious six times in the same 

number of outings as the capital 

city outfit and find themselves second 

with 12 points. 

The star-studded Dhaka side are 

one of the tournament favourites 

and have displayed some dominant 

performances in the last few 

matches. West Indies’ opening 

batsman Evin Lewis and all-rounder 

Andre Russell have improved 

their squad furthermore with the 

former playing a blistering knock 

of 75 in his very first BPL 4 appearance. 

Russell on the other hand is one 

of the best all-rounders in world 

cricket, especially in the shorter 

formats. He can change the game 

any time with his big-hitting ability 

or clever bowling. 

Another Windies all-rounder 

Dwayne Bravo is also performing 

consistently in the ongoing tournament. 

Although he has not contributed 

much with the bat, his deathover 

bowling has been exceptional 

so far. 

Sri Lankan spinner Seekkuge 

Prasanna is another overseas player 

who is playing well for Dhaka. 

The leg-spinner is giving good support, 

especially in the middle part 

of an innings. 

Lankan legends Kumar Sangakkara 

and Mahela Jayawardene did 

not feature in the last match which 

Friendship will be put to one side when Chris Gayle’s Chittagong Vikings take on Dwayne Bravo’s Dhaka Dynamites in the BPL 

4 at Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur today MD MANIK 

goes to show how much strength 

Dhaka have as a unit. 

Dhaka icon and captain Shakib al 

Hasan is obviously the trump-card 

of the side and the star all-rounder 

has also done justice to his name by 

performing consistently. 

Chittagong also have a very balanced 

squad at their disposal and 

alongside Dhaka, are one of the 

tournament favourites. 

Big-hitting West Indian Chris 

Gayle has already lightened up the 

tournament with his power hitting. 

Opener and skipper Tamim Iqbal 

is also in red-hot form as the Chittagong 

lad is currently the highest 

run-getter of the competition with 

351 runs. He has scored back-toback 

fifties so the Dhaka bowlers 

will need to be on their guard 

against Chittagong’s opening duo. 

Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad 

Nabi is also playing superbly, 

be it with ball or bat. He is 

currently the highest wicket-taker 

of the tournament with 17 wickets. 

He has also scored 213 runs with a 

staggering strike rate of 182.05. 

The experienced Shoaib Malik is 

also one of their batting strengths. 

The Pakistan all-rounder has 

scored 178 runs in six innings so 

far. 

Chittagong have won five 

matches in a row and will try to carry 

the momentum forward when 

they take on Dhaka. Gayle, Malik 

and Tamim did not practise yesterday 

but the rest of the Chittagong 

squad looked quite serious during 

training. 

On the eve of the game, Chittagong 

top-order batsman Jahurul 

Islam said they are determined to 

register yet another solid team display. 

“Dhaka are one of the favourites 

in the tournament. The last time we 

met them, we lost (in Chittagong). 

At that time, our confidence as a 

team was not upto the mark. But 

now, we are playing good cricket. 

We want to carry it forward. Hopefully 

we will play good [today] and 

post a win,” Jahurul told the media 

at the Bangladesh Cricket Board 

academy ground. 

In the other game of the day at 

the same venue, Khulna Titans will 

lock horns with holders Comilla 

Victorians. Khulna have 12 points 

from 10 matches while the struggling 

Comilla have six points from 

the same number of outings as the 

former. • 

Southgate 

talks of great 

expectations 

• Reuters, London 

The Dickensian fog obscuring 

Wembley’s arch hardly looked a 

portent of a golden era for England’s 

national team as new manager 

Gareth Southgate spent his 

first day in the job trying to provide 

some cheer yesterday. 

“There are great expectations 

that come with this job and I’m 

looking forward to embracing 

that,” said Southgate. “I’ve had 

a great insight over the last few 

weeks into what the job entails. I 

don’t think any job is impossible. 

Some are more difficult than others, 

some are more complex, and 

this is certainly one of those.” • 

England manager Gareth Southgate poses after the press conference at Wembley 

Stadium yesterday 

REUTERS 

Malaysia axes Myanmar 

matches over Rohingya 

crackdown 

• AFP, Kuala Lumpur 

Muslim-majority Malaysia has 

abruptly cancelled two under-22 

football friendlies against Myanmar 

to protest at the bloody crackdown 

on Rohingya Muslims. 

The national football team announced 

via Twitter Wednesday 

that the December 9 and 12 matches 

in Yangon had been cancelled but 

did not elaborate. Malaysia has recently 

upped its criticism of Myanmar 

over its handling of the crisis. 

Officials from the Football Association 

of Malaysia could not be 

reached for comment but a senior 

Malaysian sports official told AFP 

yesterday that the cancellation was 

a “political decision”. 

Prime Minister Najib Razak in a 

speech yesterday at the annual assembly 

of his ruling United Malays 

National Organisation, strongly 

condemned the violence against 

“our Muslim Rohingya brothers” in 

Buddhist-dominated Myanmar. 

“The government led by UMNO 

will do everything in its means to 

ensure the parties involved will 

stop the human rights violations,” 

he said. •


26 


Sport 

Champions 

League tribute 

to Chapecoense 

• AFP, Nyon 

A minute’s silence for the 

Chapecoense football players killed 

in a plane disaster in Colombia will 

be held before every Champions 

League and Europa League game 

next week, UEFA said yesterday. 

“This tragedy has shaken the 

world of football and we would like 

to send our support to all of those 

affected by it,” said UEFA president 

Aleksander Ceferin in announcing 

the gesture. 

Most of the Brazilian club’s players 

and coaching staff were among 

71 people killed when a plane carrying 

them to the Copa Sudamericana 

final against Atletico Nacional 

crashed near Medellin in Colombia 

earlier this week. 

Reports have indicated the 

plane ran out of fuel.• 

Children release balloons during a tribute to members of Brazil’s Chapecoense team who died in a plane crash, at Atanasio 

Girardot stadium where they were to play a game in Medellin, Colombia on Wednesday 

AP 

Brazilians rush to support Chapecoense 

• Reuters, Chapeco 

Brazilians have rallied around the 

Chapecoense soccerteam in the 

two days since a plane crash in Colombia 

nearly wiped out its squad, 

more than doubling the size of its 

paying fanbase, a club executive 

said on Wednesday. 

The club, based in a remote 

southern corner of Brazil, had 

about 9,000 paying members at 

the start of the week, acting President 

Ivan Tozzo said. They have 

since added more than 13,000 

from across Brazil, with the cost of 

An illustration 

posted by the 

Chapecoense 

club on 

its official 

Facebook page 

shows the 

players lined 

up in heaven as 

God hands each 

of them a halo 

INTERNET 

membership ranging from 16 reais 

($5) to 185 reais ($55). 

“That shows you how people really 

want to help,” Tozzo said. “The 

scale this team has taken on - no 

one ever imagined it.” 

Along with the outpouring from 

fans, Chapecoense has received 

support from many of their largest 

rivals in Brazil. 

A group of major clubs has 

called on the Brazilian Football 

Confederation to guarantee Chapacoense’s 

presence in the top division 

for three years. Teams as far 

off as Benfica in Portugal have also 

Ronaldinho to Chapecoense? 

• Agencies 

Supporters have called for Ronaldinho 

to play for Chapecoense on 

social media as the club begins the 

rebuilding process after the tragic 

air crash in Colombia. 

The tragedy killed 71 people 

and left six others injured after the 

plane carrying the Brazilian club 

offered to lend players as the club 

rebuilds. 

Tozzo said the club was grateful, 

but it would also need a boost from 

one of the sport’s biggest sponsors 

in Brazil, media group Globo, 

which pays teams for TV rights in 

rough proportion to the scale of 

their fan bases. 

“Our club has one of the smallest 

budgets in Brazil in terms of 

- I’ll say it - money from Globo,” 

said Tozzo. “We will indeed need 

the help from clubs and also from 

Globo, the CBF and everyone else 

to rebuild our team.” 

to the Copa Sudamericana final 

crashed on Monday night. 

Several Brazilian clubs have 

reportedly offered to loan 

Chapecoense players and fans have 

now taken to social media urging 

Ronaldinho to offer his services. 

Supporters using the hashtag 

#ronaldinhonachape have flooded 

posts on Ronaldinho’s official Instagram 

page calling for the Brazilian 

legend to feature for the stricken 

side. 

Ronaldinho has not played officially 

since leaving Fluminense in 

2015 but has featured in friendlies 

all over the world. 

Chapecoense are expected to 

begin planning for the future next 

week.• 

Last year Chapecoense ranked 

17th of 20 teams in Brazil’s top 

league in revenue from TV rights, 

receiving 25 million real ($7.3 million) 

versus an average of 70 million 

reais, according to sports finance 

specialist Amir Somoggi. 

With scant revenue from transferring 

talented players overseas, 

Chapeco relied on the money from 

Globo, which made up 54 percent 

of its 2015 revenue, according to 

Somoggi. 

Globo was not immediately 

available for comment after normal 

business hours.• 

Bodies expected 

back today 

• Reuters, Chapeco 

The bodies of Brazilians killed when 

a plane carrying Chapecoense soccer 

team crashed in Colombia have 

all been identified and are being 

prepared for transport by military 

aircraft back to Brazil, club Communications 

Director Andrei Copetti 

told reporters. Copetti said the coffins 

will arrive in Chapeco by midday 

today at the earliest and will 

be taken directly to the club’s stadium 

where a collective wake will 

be held, with Brazilian President 

Michel Temer expected to attend. • 

Chapecoense could have to 

play final Serie A game next 

week with youth squad 

• Agencies 

‘Plane crashed 

without fuel’ 

• Reuters, Medellin 

The plane that crashed in Colombia 

killing 71 people including most of 

a Brazilian soccer team had no fuel 

on impact, according to initial findings 

by aviation officials, prompting 

an investigation into why the 

plane flew under those conditions. 

The comments by the civil aviation 

authority late Wednesday 

night confirmed Bolivian pilot 

Miguel Quiroga’s final words to the 

control tower at Medellin’s airport 

on a crackly audio obtained by Colombian 

media. 

“When we arrived at the accident 

site and were able to inspect 

the remains we could confirm that 

the aircraft had no fuel at the time 

of impact,” said Freddy Bonilla, 

secretary of airline security at Colombia’s 

aviation authority. A recording 

of the pilot’s final words 

can be heard. • 

The acting president of 

Chapecoense has revealed his 

side’s final game of a tragic season 

could take place as soon as next 

week with a team made up predominately 

of youth players. 

Nineteen Chapecoense players, 

as well as a number of team 

officials, were killed on Tuesday 

when their plane came down near 

Medellin in Colombia, where they 

had been due to play the first leg 

of their Copa Sudamericana final 

against Atletico Nacional. 

The Brazilian Football Federation 

has called for seven days of mourning 

with the final round of Serie A 

games, which pits Chapecoense 

against fourth-placed Atletico 

Mineiro, having been postponed. 

But Ivan Tozzo said on Wednesday 

that he had spoken to Brazilian 

Football Confederation Marco Polo 

del Nero, who wants the remaining 

games played on the weekend of 

December 11 and 12, less than two 

weeks after the tragedy. 

“He told me: ‘This game has to 

happen. It has to be a big celebration,’” 

said Tozzo, who had been 

vice president under Sandro Pallaoro, 

another victim of the crash. 

“I responded: ‘We haven’t got 11 

players.’ 

“He said ‘Yes, you do. You have the 

junior team; the team that you have 

on medical recovery. Five or six injured 

players on standby, and complete 

the team with the juniors. We 

have to have a great ceremony, the 

kind that Chapeco and Chapecoense 

deserve. The kind the region deserves, 

that Santa Catarina state deserves 

and that Brazil deserves.” •

QUICK BYTES 

Zamal 30th after 

opening round 

Bangladesh golfer Zamal Hossain 

Mollah began his Panasonic Open 

India campaign at 30th position, 

tied alongside 19 others, following 

the conclusion of the opening 

round at Delhi Golf Club yesterday. 

Zamal struck three birdies and as 

many bogeys in the $400,000 

tournament, and after his par score 

of 72, he trails early leaders Jyoti 

Randhawa and Mukesh Kumar, 

both hailing from India, by five 

shots. Zamal is the sole Bangladesh 

representative in the sixth edition of 

the competition. 

–TRIBUNE REPORT 

Higuain denies 

death threats 

Gonzalo Higuain has angrily denied 

being given an armed escort or 

receiving death threats following 

his mega-money move to Serie A 

champions Juventus from rivals 

Napoli. The Argentine scored a Serie 

A record 36 goals for Napoli last 

season as they finished runners-up to 

Juventus to secure their return to the 

Champions League. But the former 

Real Madrid star caused shock and 

dismay in Naples when he moved to 

Turin for an Italian transfer record 90 

million euros this summer. 

–AFP 

DAY’S WATCH 

CRICKET 

CHANNEL 9, SONY SIX 

Bangladesh Premier League 2016: 

1:30PM 

Comilla Victorians v Khulna Titans 

6:15PM 

Dhaka Dynamites v Chittagong 

Vikings 

SONY ESPN 

CSA T20 Challenge 2016 

10:00PM 

VKB Knights v Bizhub Highveld Lions 

FOOTBALL 

SONY ESPN 

2:00AM 

Italian Serie A TIM 

Napoli v Inter Milan 

STAR SPORTS 1 

7:30PM 

Indian Super League 

Kolkata v Pune 

TEN 1 

1:35AM 

Sky Bet EFL 2016/17 

Nottingham Forest v Newcastle Utd 

TEN 2 

1:35AM 

French Ligue 1 2016/17 

Caen v Cote-d’or 

TEN 3 

2:20PM 

A-League 2016/17 

Melbourne Victory v Perth Glory 

Sri Lankan cricketer Kasun Rajitha speaks with former Pakistan player Wasim 

Akram in Colombo yesterday 

AFP 

Sport 27 



Akram says Sri Lanka 

has pace, needs swing 

• AFP, Colombo 

Legendary Pakistani paceman 

Wasim Akram said that Sri Lanka 

had a promising crop of fast 

bowlers despite their traditional 

reliance on spin after holding a 

coaching session with the islanders 

yesterday. 

After spending several hours 

with the national team’s main established 

strike bowlers and promising 

youngsters, Akram said there 

was no lack of raw pace but they 

needed to develop their ability to 

swing the ball. 

“Most of the bowlers had a pace 

of 130 to 140 kmph (kilometres 

per hour),” said Akram who himself 

bowled at a similar pace in his 

prime in the 1990s when he was 

one of the world’s leading players 

in all formats. 

Akram, who is now 50, said slower 

wickets were a fact of life in South 

Asia, particularly in Sri Lanka whose 

most successful bowlers have been 

spinners, including the record-breaking 

Muttiah Muralitharan. 

But he said there was no reason 

why fast bowlers could not thrive 

on slower tracks as long as they had 

the right tricks up the sleeve. 

“The idea is to teach them how 

to believe in themselves and how 

to fox out the batsmen,” he said 

after a coaching session at the Sinhalese 

Sports Club grounds in Colombo. 

Akram was joined at the SCC by 

Sri Lankan legends Aravinda de 

Silva and Chaminda Vaas, both of 

whom had played against the Pakistan 

swing king. 

Vaas, a former seamer, was recently 

tasked with identifying fast 

bowling talent across the cricket-mad 

island. 

Regarded as one of the best leftarm 

pacemen ever to grace the 

game, Akram took 414 Test wickets 

and 502 in 356 one-day internationals 

- both still a Pakistan record. 

Sri Lanka Cricket Chief Thilanga 

Sumathipala said they invited 

Akram to mentor local players in 

the next two years and visit the island 

at least twice a year. 

“We have invited him to be with 

us in the next two years as our consultant 

in pace bowling,” said Sumathipala. 

Sri Lanka, who have just completed 

a clean sweep of Zimbabwe, 

are to embark on a tour of South 

Africa later this month where they 

will play three Tests, three T20 

matches and five ODIs.• 

Day-night Ashes Test under discussion 

• Reuters, Sydney 

Discussions over whether Australia 

will host England in a first daynight 

Ashes cricket Test next year 

are taking place but nothing has 

been decided yet, Cricket Australia 

said yesterday. 

England head Down Under next 

November for the 2017-18 series 

and local media reported yesterday 

that the England and Wales Cricket 

Board had agreed in principle 

to play one of the matches under 

lights. 

A CA spokesman, however, said 

there had not been an agreement 

yet and the tour itinerary was still 

being finalised, though a day-night 

Test was part of the discussions. 

“Ongoing scheduling of daynight 

Tests in the Australian summer 

is a natural progression,” the 

spokesman said. 

“The Ashes is a great contest 

and attracts huge audiences both at 

the ground and on television, but 

nothing has yet been confirmed for 

next summer.” 

CA have hosted two day-night 

Tests under lights over the last two 

seasons, both of which have been 

a commercial success with large 

numbers attending the matches 

against New Zealand and South 

Africa. 

While both games were at the 

Adelaide Oval, making it favourite 

to host a day-night Ashes Test, 

Brisbane’s The Gabba will host its 

first pink ball Test later this month 

when Australia play Pakistan. 

England are to host their first 

day-night Test next August at Edgbaston 

against West Indies. 

‘Test woes irrelevant to Australia ODI side’ 

• Reuters, Sydney 

The troubles plaguing the Australian 

Test team will have little bearing 

on their one-day side’s performance 

in the three-match series 

against New Zealand starting on 

Sunday, according to Black Caps 

coach Mike Hesson. 

Steve Smith’s Test side have 

been pilloried by fans and their 

own media after they lost their 

latest series 2-1 at home to South 

Africa. 

That defeat came on the back of 

a 5-0 one-day series loss in South 

Africa and a 3-0 Test series defeat 

in Sri Lanka, leading to plenty of 

questions being asked about administrators, 

management and the 

players. 

Hesson, however, said Australia’s 

one-day unit was far more 

settled than the Test team and his 

side could not presume such turmoil 

would be evident at the Sydney 

Cricket Ground on Sunday. 

“It has been remarkably consistent 

barring the South African 

series,” Hesson told reporters in 

Sydney yesterday. 

“They have been very good for a 

number of years and are currently 

number one in the world. 

“I don’t think the unsettled nature 

of the Test side will carry over 

to the one-day side.” 

The timing of the one-dayers, 

which includes matches in 

Canberra on Dec. 6 and ends in 

Melbourne on Dec. 9, has been 

questioned by some Australian 

pundits, with it falling between 

Test series against the Proteas and 

Pakistan. • 

Alastair Cook, the England captain, 

said earlier this year he was 

against playing an Ashes Test under 

lights in comments echoed 

by Australian counterpart Steve 

Smith. 

Both felt the traditional rivalry, 

the oldest in world cricket, generated 

enough interest. 

However, CA chief executive 

James Sutherland, a major proponent 

of pink-ball cricket, said the 

success of the two Adelaide Oval 

games indicated the desire for at 

least one day-night Test. •


28 


Sport 

Manchester United’s English striker Wayne Rooney reacts after clashing with the foot of West Ham United’s New Zealand defender Winston Reid during their English 

Football League Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford in Manchester, north west England, on Wednesday 

AFP 

Cavani hits 100 but Zlatan 

comparisons persist 

Barcelona held 

by Hercules, 

Real cruise 

• Reuters 

Barcelona were held 1-1 by lowly 

Hercules in their King’s Cup last 

32 first-leg match on Wednesday 

while Mariano scored a hat-trick 

as Real Madrid romped to a 6-1 second-leg 

victory over third-tier Cultural 

Leonesa and a 13-2 aggregate 

triumph. 

Barca’s Carles Alena struck a 

sublime effort in the 58th minute 

to cancel out David Mainz’s closerange 

opener six minutes earlier as 

the cup holders came from behind 

but had to accept a draw in a match 

they dominated. 

The Spanish champions’ struggles 

in La Liga followed them 

to Segunda B side Hercules as a 

much-changed side made it three 

domestic games without a win after 

a disjointed performance. 

Real Madrid, playing a leg earlier 

than everyone else ahead of their 

Club World Cup campaign, held 

a 7-1 lead after the first game and 

made short shrift of their opponents 

at the Bernabeu, opening the 

scoring after 23 seconds through 

Dominican forward Mariano.• 

United crush Hammers, Arsenal ousted by Saints 

• Reuters, London 

Anthony Martial and Zlatan Ibrahimovic 

scored twice each to help 

Manchester United ease into the 

League Cup semi-finals with a 4-1 

home victory over West Ham United 

on Wednesday as Arsenal suffered a 

2-0 home defeat by Southampton. 

Martial netted twice in the 

second half to take the tie at Old 

Trafford away from West Ham, 

who had levelled through Ashley 

Fletcher following Ibrahimovic’s 

opener after two minutes. The 

Swede added the fourth deep into 

stoppage-time. 

Southampton clinched their 

first appearance in the last four of 

the competition since 1987 with 

powerful first-half efforts from 

Jordy Clasie and Ryan Bertrand 

against a weakened Arsenal, who 

made 10 changes to their side. 

United were then drawn to face 

Hull City in the semi-finals and 

Southampton will play Liverpool. 

United and West Ham met at the 

same venue in the Premier League 

on Sunday when United boss Jose 

Mourinho let his frustrations boil 

over and earned a second touchline 

ban of the season for booting a 

water bottle. 

The Portuguese was banned 

from the dugout on Wednesday, 

but would have been delighted 

with the way United carved open 

their opponents after just two minutes 

with a fluent break. 

West Ham opened the scoring on 

Sunday equally early, but they were 

caught cold as Wayne Rooney, one 

goal short of Bobby Charlton’s alltime 

club scoring record, fed Henrikh 

Mkhitaryan, whose backheel 

picked out Ibrahimovic to dink the 

ball into the net. The Swede should 

have doubled the lead when he 

waltzed through the heart of the 

West Ham defence before twice being 

denied by keeper Adrian. 

That could have proved a costly 

miss because for all United’s firsthalf 

dominance, they were pegged 

back 10 minutes before the break 

by one of their former players. 

Having come through the youth 

ranks at United, Fletcher was allowed 

to join West Ham in the 

close season and punished his 

former employers by scoring from 

close range after David de Gea had 

spilled a shot from Dimitri Payet. 

Payet, however, was the villain 

two minutes after halftime as his 

poor clearance was pounced on and 

fed to Mkhitaryan, who claimed his 

second assist by laying the ball off 

for Martial to blast past Adrian. 

With 30 minutes remaining, 

Martial grabbed his second, tapping 

home Antonio Valencia’s 

cross before Ibrahimovic added the 

fourth from close range. 

The League Cup has not been 

kind to Arsenal in recent years with 

the club having now progressed 

from just one of their previous six 

quarter-finals.• 

• Reuters, Paris 

Edinson Cavani scored his 100th 

goal in all competitions for Paris St 

Germain in their 2-0 Ligue 1 victory 

over Angers on Wednesday, but the 

Uruguay international still cannot 

escape the shadow cast by his predecessor 

Zlatan Ibrahimovic. 

Cavani became the fourth PSG 

player to reach 100 when he struck 

a penalty for his 14th league goal 

of the season as Unai Emery’s side 

secured their 11th victory of campaign 

to climb above Monaco into 

second place on 35 points. 

Yet despite his form, doubts 

persist about whether Cavani is 

the right man to help PSG establish 

themselves as genuine European 

heavyweights. 

The spectre of Ibrahimovic, who 

departed for Manchester United 

this year after scoring 156 goals 

and winning four French titles, has 

hardly helped his successor. 

“When I came, we talked a lot 

about Ibrahimovic,” Emery told 

reporters. “It’s understandable because 

he was important here and 

had some great seasons.” 

Cavani often cut a frustrated 

figure during three years overlapping 

with Ibrahimovic, often being 

shoe-horned into a wide role while 

the Sweden international led the 

line. 

He continues to be the subject of 

scorn for his profligacy in front of 

goal, and frustrated the home supporters 

by being flagged offside on 

six occasions before converting a 

penalty on Wednesday after Hatem 

Ben Arfa was fouled by Romain 

Thomas. • 

PSG’s Thiago Silva and Lucas Moura pose with the Brazilian national flag after 

defeating Angers 2-0 during their Ligue 1 tie in Paris on Wednesday 

AP

Downtime 

29 



CROSSWORD 

ACROSS 

1 Warmth of emotion (4) 

5 Small nail (4) 

10 Rainbow goddess (4) 

11 Flightless bird (3) 

12 Communion plate (5) 

13 Copy (3) 

14 Knighthood (5) 

16 Judged (6) 

18 Raised narrow strips (6) 

21 Mustering rope (5) 

23 Taxi (3) 

24 Narrates (5) 

26 Afflict (3) 

27 Young females (4) 

28 Woody plant (4) 

29 Barrel (4) 

DOWN 

2 Supple (5) 

3 Metal-bearing rock (3) 

4 Seasons (7) 

6 Actual (4) 

7 Electrical unit (6) 

8 Owing (3) 

9 Hurried (4) 

15 Stupid (7) 

17 Pastry (6) 

19 Seabirds (5) 

20 Tolerable (4) 

22 Skilled (4) 

23 Feline (3) 

25 Period of time (3) 

CODE-CRACKER 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 2 represents H so fill H 

every time the figure 2 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 

Bella Hadid walks her first Victoria’s 

Secret Fashion Show alongside ex 

The Weeknd 

Prince documentary 

featuring Bono, Mick 

Jagger slated for 2017 

• Showtime Desk 

Bella Hadid smirked at her ex The 

Weeknd, who couldn’t take his eyes 

off her, as they crossed paths at the 

Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show. 

The 20-year-old model flashed 

a smile at her former boyfriend as 

she walked the runway in Paris, 

France to his performance of 

“Starboy.” 

In the footage posted on social 

media, Bella can be seen smiling 

at her ex as he sings to her. He 

continues to watch her as she 

makes her way down the catwalk 

in a metallic grey corset and a 

matching cape. 

After a year of dating, the 

couple reportedly called it quits 

but Bella was confident that the 

night would go well. 

“This is his second year 

performing, and I think he’s going 

to kill it. There is no awkwardness. 

He is my best friend, and I am 

excited because I am walking 

during his performance,” Bella told 

E! News.• 

Source: Mirror 


A Prince documentary is 

underway, and will feature the 

likes of Bono, Billy Idol and Mick 

Jagger. 

The documentary, titled 

Prince: R U Listening? will 

be directed by Michael Kirk. 

Apparently, the film will focus 

on the beginnings of Prince’s 

career and his path to stardom. 

It seems that Kirk has 

gathered an impressive group of 

collaborators to help tell Prince’s 

story. In addition to the likes 

of Bono, Mick Jagger, Lenny 

Kravitz and Billy Idol, Prince will 

bring together the icon’s former 

band mates and close friends, 

inclulding Dez Dickerson, 

Prince’s first guitar player and 

Sheila E. 

Purple Rain, Prince’s 

magnum opus, will also be 

re-issued next year with adding 

unreleased material from the 

artist. Last November, a greatest 

hits album entitled Prince 

4Ever was released just before 

Thanksgiving, which includes 

40 well-known songs, and also 

includes “Moonbeam Levels,” a 

previously unreleased track. 

Swiss film distribution 

company Ascot Elite 

Entertainment Group to release 

the documentary next year in 

Europe. An American release date 

has yet to be confirmed, although 

it is being produced by the United 

States company 13 Films. • 

Bradley Cooper and Irina Shayk expecting 

their first child 

Netflix allows offline 

viewing now 


According to PEOPLE, Bradley 

Cooper’s girlfriend and Victoria’s 

Secret model, Irina Shayk, is pregnant 

with their first child. The couple is yet 

to confirm the pregnancy or respond 

to requests for comments. 

Cooper, 41 and Shayk, 30, have 

been together since spring 2015, which 

was right after they both came out of 

their previous relationships. Shayk 

dated football star Cristiano Ronaldo, 

and Cooper dated Suki Waterhouse. 

On Wednesday, Shayk walked in the 

2016 Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show in 

Paris, just prior to the baby news. She 

wore a gray lingerie and thigh-high 

black boots. Taking another turn down 

the runway, Shayk wore a red halter 

top bra and strappy stilettos, but kept 

her belly hidden with a matching 

fringed robe. • 


Netflix, the worldwide streaming 

media, has finally allowed its 

users to download TV shows and 

films to watch on-the-go, after 

years of requests from users for 

offline viewing. 

Netflix said it has already 

made a lot of its content 

available for offline viewing, and 

that more shows will be added 

in due course. Those available 

to download from November 30 

include The Crown, Orange is the 

New Black, Stranger Things and 

Narcos. 

The company added the 

feature thanks to high demand 

from customers. “While many 

members enjoy watching Netflix 

at home, we’ve often heard 

they also want to continue their 

Stranger Things binge while 

on air planes and other places 

where Internet is expensive or 

limited,” it said. 

Netflix, which added 3.2 

million subscribers to its service 

in the last quarter, will be hoping 

the move can stem competition 

from the likes of Amazon Prime 

Video and Virgin Media, both of 

which offer on-the-go watching. •

Showtime 

17th Asian Art Biennale inaugurated 

31 


WHAT TO WATCH 


The Jungle Book 

Star Movies 2:28pm 

After a threat from the tiger 

Shere Khan forces him to flee 

the jungle, a man-cub named 

Mowgli embarks on a journey 

of self discovery with the 

help of panther, Bagheera, 

and free spirited bear, Baloo. 

Cast: Neel Sethi, Bill Murray, 

Ben Kingsley 

Mad Max: Fury Road 

HBO 9:30pm 

A woman rebels against 

a tyrannical ruler in 

postapocalyptic Australia 

in search for her home-land 

with the help of a group of 

female prisoners, a psychotic 

worshipper, and a drifter 

named Max. 

Cast: Tom Hardy, Charlize 

Theron, Nicholas Hoult 


The 17th Asian Art Biennale was 

inagurated yesterday. Organised 

by Bangladesh Shilpakala 

Academy, artists from around the 

world have participated in this 

biennale which is the largest in 

the country. 

The month-long art festival 

was inaugurated by the finance 

minister Abul Maal Abdul 

Muhith, at National Art Gallery of 

Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy, 

yesterday morning. 

After inaugurating the event, 

the finance minister said, “This 

biennale will help to display our 

arts to the world, breaking the 

country’s political, social and 

economic barriers.” 

Asaduzzaman Noor, the 

minister of cultural affairs who 

graced the inaugural ceremony 

as the special guest, said, “The 

country’s history, heritage and 

Band Fest 2016 kicks off 


For the third consecutive year, 

Channel i organised the annual 

Band Fest. The youth is the target 

audience for this occasion. Yesterday 

at 11:05 am, the opening 

ceremony started. Ayub Bachchu, 

the leading man of the band LRB, 

Ashraful Haq, the director of Edison 

Group, Syed Nurul Islam, the 

CEO of Well Food, Fakir Alamgir, 

Kazi Habul, Omar Khaled Rumi, 

Tipu, and Bappa Mazumdar were 

present. During the programme 

Faridur Reza Sagar handed over 

a cheque of Tk1 lakh to Anisul 

Haq’s foundation, that would 

help local aspiring artists. 

Mayor of North Dhaka City 

Corporation, Anisul Haq, managing 

director of Channel i Faridur 

Reza Sagar, director, and head of 

news of Channel i Shaikh Siraj, 

director Zahir Uddin Mahmud 

Mamun, and Mukit Majumdar 

Babu were some of the noticeable 

guests during the event. 

Through out the day, bands 

like Uchcharon, Spondon, Obscure, 

Black, Teerondaj, Bappa 

and Friends, Jooler Gaan, Different 

Touch, Durbin, Mahreen, 

Topu, Shironaheen, Bangladesh, 

Metrical, Carnival, The Manager, 

Torun, Conclusion, Scene, 

Poraho, Jatra, LRB and 26 other 

bands performed on stage. Other 

than that, contestants from two 

of Channel i’s talent shows, 

Channel i Sherakantho and 

Khudegaanraj, performed for the 

occasion. The event lasted till 

5pm. • 

culture are thousands of years 

old. We aspire to spread our 

ceaseless culture to the world.” 

“These arts biennale create 

intense cultural relationship 

with other countries, which play 

a pivotal role in building the 

country’s overall correlation with 

those countries,” he added. 

Liaquat Ali Lucky, the director 

general of Bangladesh Shilpakala 

Academy, and the convener of the 

17th Asian Art Biennale, delivered 

his addressing speech in this 

programme. 

This year, the ‘Honourable 

Mention Award’ was handed 

over to five artists, Kuntal Baroi, 

Bipasha Hayat, Rajib Kumar Ray, 

Shamol Chandro Sarker, and Dilip 

Kumar Karmokar. 

The ‘Grand Award’ was 

handed over to three artists – 

Kamrurzzaman Shadin, Harunur 

Rashid and Dagmara Wyskiel 

from Chile.• 

Beverly Hills Cop 

WB 4:46pm 

A freewheeling Detroit 

cop pursuing a murder 

investigation finds himself 

dealing with the very 

different culture of Beverly 

Hills. 

Cast: Eddie Murphy, Judge 

Reinhold, John Ashton 

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 

Zee Studio 9:30pm 

When New York is put under 

siege by Oscorp, it is up to 

Spider-Man to save the city 

he swore to protect as well as 

his loved ones. 

Cast: Andrew Garfield, 

Emma Stone, Jamie Foxx 

Tomorrow Never Dies 

Movies Now 2:25pm 

James Bond heads to stop 

a media mogul’s plan to 

induce war between China 

and the UK in order to obtain 

exclusive global media 

coverage. 

Cast: Pierce Brosnan, 

Jonathan Pryce, Michelle 

Yeoh

32 



A BRIEF HISTORY OF 

GRIEVANCES IN THE CHT PAGE 21 

Back Page 

17TH ASIAN ART BIENNALE 

INAUGURATED PAGE 31 

Anisul: RCBC can’t deny responsibility 


Law Minister Anisul Huq has said 

that the responsibility of the Philippines 

Rizal Commercial Banking 

Corp (RCBC) in Bangladesh Bank 

reserve heist is undeniable. 

“RCBC cannot deny its responsibility 

regarding the money that 

was stolen from Bangladesh Bank 

reserve. The bank authorities have 

already admitted responsibility for 

the stolen money because the Philippines 

central bank fined them 

with $21 million for their wrong doing,” 

the minister told reporters at 

his Secretariat office. 

The press conference was arranged 

to brief media about his visit 

to the Philippines to bring back the 

remaining $66m from the RCBC bank. 

The minister also pointed out 

that out of the $21m, the RCBC had 

already paid $10m to the Philippines 

central bank. 

“The RCBC is responsible for 

the stolen $66m because the Bangladesh 

Bank reserve money was 

stolen from its deposit. No one 

from the Bangladesh Bank can be 

blamed for the heist,” he said. 

The five-member delegation, 

led by the law minister, met with 

officials of the Philippines government 

to discuss the legal details 

concerning the retrieval of the 

reserve that was stolen from its 

account with the Federal Reserve 

Bank of New York in February. 

Other members of the delegation 

were Bangladesh Bank Governor 

Fazle Kabir, Attorney General Mahbubey 

Alam, Financial Institutions 

Division Secretary Eunusur Rahman 

and President of Parliamentary 

Standing Committee on Finance 

Ministry Dr Md Abdur Razzak. 

Anisul yesterday said that the 

Philippines senate president, Aquilino 

Pimentel Jr, and Finance 

Minister Carlos Dominguez had assured 

them of taking all out effort 

to recover the money from RCBC. 

“Out of the $66m, only $29m went 

to casino which is definitely recoverable,” 

he claimed. 

“We have asked the Philippines 

authorities to resume hearing in 

parliament regarding the matter,” 

the minister said, adding that the 

Philippines senate president had 

also asked the authorities concerned 

to fix a day for the hearing. 

Regarding filing of cases against 

the RCBC and the Federal Reserve 

Bank of New York, Anisul said: 

“The Philippines government has 

filed a case against eight officials of 

the RCBC.” He, however, said that 

the case regarding the New York 

Fed was a different issue. 

Unknown cyber criminals tried 

to steal nearly $1bn from the Bangladesh 

Bank in February, which 

is dubbed one of the biggest bank 

frauds ever. They succeeded in 

transferring some $81m via an account 

at the New York Fed to four 

accounts in fake names at a branch 

of RCBC in Manila. Most of the money 

was laundered through casinos 

in Manila and remains missing. 

RCBC’s external counsel Thea 

Daep urged the central bank of 

Bangladesh to be transparent and 

produce the results of its own investigation 

to shed light on who was 

behind the heist, saying it was the 

least Bangladesh Bank could do. 

Only about $15m has so far been 

recovered and returned to Bangladesh, 

with a further $2.7m frozen. 

The RCBC was fined a record one 

billion Philippine pesos ($20m) by 

the Philippines central bank, about 

one fifth of its net profit last year, 

for its failures to prevent the Bangladesh 

Bank money from being transferred 

through accounts at the bank. 

An anti-money laundering body 

last week filed charges against five 

officials of RCBC in connection with 

the heist. The central bank has already 

recovered $15.25m from the 

Philippines’ anti-money laundering 

council and $20m from Sri Lanka. 

Bangladesh Bank authorities 

also filed a case while a high-profile 

team involving a former governor 

of the bank investigated the matter 

and submitted a report to the government. 

• 

Superheroes to animate Bangladeshi culture and heritage 

• Mahadi Al Hasnat 

Sometimes, it takes a superhero to 

get young people to engage with 

the best in their culture. 

Team Icarus, who won the Digital 

Khichuri Challenge on Wednesday, 

is planning to make superhero 

characters on 1971 Liberation War, 

sports and medieval era to promote 

Bangladeshi culture and heritage. 

As champions, the four-member 

team received a grant of $7,500 for 

their innovative idea of producing 

contents in new digital platforms. 

The team of youngsters was 

crowned the champion for their 

idea “Onimikh” - a digital world 

that embraces Bangladeshi culture 

and heritage and appeals to young 

Bangladeshis seeking reflections 

of their identity in modern global 

culture. 

“Our aim is to create our own 

superheroes that would promote 

peace and values and encourage 

Bangladeshi youths to promote 

the diversity, pluralism, peace and 

tolerance in Bangladesh,” said Sadman 

Muntasir from Jahangirnagar 

University, a member of the team. 

“We are now working to develop 

our website and gather more content 

creator and increase our readers. We 

also have plans to make superhero 

characters on our Liberation War, 

Participants interact with delegates on the closing day of Digital Khichuri Challenge on Wednesday 

sports and medieval era to promote 

Bangladeshi culture and taste,” Sadman 

told the Dhaka Tribune. 

“It was a great opportunity for 

those who can make positive differences 

with the help of digital 

platforms and existing technologies,” 

said Fahim Md Mahfuzur 

Rahman, team leader and a student 

of Ahsanullah University of 

Science and Technology. 

Two other members of Team 

Icarus are Bangladesh University 

of Engineering and Technology 

(Buet) student Rifat Arefin Haque 

and Dhaka University student Shawana 

Adbiah. 

In the first week of November, 

the organisers of “Digital Khichuri 

Challenge” invited young Bangladeshis 

to brainstorm and develop 

new solutions and produce new 

digital platforms using existing 

technologies. 

A first of its kind in South Asia, the 

three-day competition was co-sponsored 

by Facebook and the United 

Nations Development Programme 

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU 

(UNDP), with support from Google 

and organised by Affinis Labs, while 

Al Jazeera’s social media network 

and Dhaka Tribune were the media 

partners of the programme. 

Though the original plan was to 

award the winning idea with $5,000 

by sponsors, the Information and 

Communication Technology Ministry 

and UNDP decided to match the 

funds towards realisation of another 

two projects, thus raising total 

fund to $15,000. The second and 

third place winners received $5,000 

Fuel prices likely 

to fall next week 

• Aminur Rahman Rasel 

The government is likely to reduce 

the prices of fuel oil next week. 

The prices of octane, petrol, diesel 

and kerosene might be reduced 

by Tk5 to Tk10 per litre, an official 

of the Energy and Mineral Resources 

Division told the Dhaka Tribune, 

seeking anonymity. 

At present, octane is selling at Tk89 

per litre and petrol at Tk86, while kerosene 

and diesel at Tk65 a litre. 

The Energy Division has prepared 

a proposal to cut fuel prices, 

which has been sent to the Prime 

Minister’s Office. 

The proposal had been given the 

green signal, said the official. 

According to the proposal, the 

prices of octane and petrol would 

be cut by 10%, while the prices 

of diesel and kerosene would be 

slashed by 5%, he added. 

Earlier in April, the prices of octane 

and petrol were reduced by 

Tk10 per litre, while diesel and kerosene 

by Tk3 per litre. • 

and $2,500 respectively. 

Sharing their ideas, Fahim said: 

“At first we had to find out the 

problem to work on and found that 

our young generation has an identity 

crisis and lack of self-esteem as 

there is no Bangladeshi role model 

- in real or virtual life. Then, we 

decided to make comic story which 

combine both arts and writers in a 

single platform. 

“We also had to figure out the 

possible usage of the fund if we 

win the competition and we decided 

to make a website to upload 

our issues and share those on social 

media like Facebook and Twitter.” 

Attending the gala event on 

the closing day, State Minister for 

ICT Zunaid Ahmed Palak invited 

the participating teams at his office 

and declared that Team Icarus 

would be provided an office at “Janata 

Bhaban” for their outstanding 

performance. 

Sudipto Mukharji, UNDP country 

director for Bangladesh, while 

talking about their partnership 

with the competition, said: “UNDP 

will remain committed and continue 

its support to endorse the diversity, 

pluralism, peace and tolerance 

in Bangladesh in the line with SDGs 

No 16 which focuses on promoting 

just, peaceful and inclusive societies.” 

• 

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

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