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4 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 DT News Modi heads to Myanmar as Rohingya refugee crisis worsens • Reuters, New Delhi WORLD Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will discuss rising violence in Myanmar’s western Rakhine state during a visit that begins on Tuesday, and push for greater progress on long-running Indian infrastructure projects, officials said. India seeks to boost economic ties with resource-rich Myanmar, with which it shares a 1,600km border, to counter Chinese influence and step up connectivity with a country it considers its gateway to Southeast Asia. Two-way trade has grown to around $2.2bn as India courted Myanmar following the gradual end of military rule, but Indian-funded projects have moved slowly. Modi’s promises to “Act East” and cement ties with India’s eastern neighbour have slipped even as China has strengthened its influence. His first bilateral visit comes amid a spike in violence in Rakhine, after a military counter-offensive against insurgents killed at least 400 people and triggered the exodus of nearly 123,000 villagers to Bangladesh since August 25, according to UNHCR. The violence could hit development of a transport corridor that begins in Rakhine, with the Indian-built port of Sittwe and includes road links to India’s remote northeast, analysts said. Tridivesh Singh Maini, a New Delhi-based expert on ties with Myanmar, said:“You need to play it very smartly. You need to make it clear that Rakhine violence has regional implications...but India will not get into saying, ‘This is how you should resolve it.’” Last month, India said it wanted to deport 40,000 Rohingya refugees. Modi arrives from China late on Tuesday in the capital Naypyidaw to meet President Htin Kyaw on a three-day visit. New Delhi believes the best way to reduce tension in Rakhine is through development efforts, such as the Kaladan transport project there, said Indian foreign ministry official Sripriya Ranganathan. “We are very confident that once that complete corridor is functional, there will be a positive impact on the situation in the state,” she told reporters. Modi will meet Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi. Talks will be held on trilateral highway project connecting India’s northeast with Myanmar and Thailand. • DU Senate members shocked over interim VC’s appointment • DU Correspondent CURRENT AFFAIRS The members of Dhaka University Senate have expressed shock over the appointment of Pro-Vice-Chancellor Prof Md Akhtaruzzaman as the interim vice-chancellor (VC) of the university. In a statement issued yesterday, the senate members criticised the appointment saying Prof AAMS Arefin Siddique was still the VC of the university. The statement was signed by 33 senators, all of whom are members of Pro-Awami League Blue Panel of teachers in the university. The senate members pointed out in the statement that the Supreme Court on August 3 allowed Arefin Siddique to continue his duties as the VC until the disposal of a High Court ruling issued in response to a writ petition challenging the legality of the three-member VC panel formed by the Senate on July 29. When the Supreme Court has given a decision on this matter, appointing Akhtaruzzaman as the interim VC is embarrassing for the university, the apex court and the government, especially when the writ is not resolved yet, the statement continued. The senate members further said this decision was in clear violation of the Dhaka University Order, 1973, drafted by Father of the Nation Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and a deliberate attack on the autonomy of the university. They hoped the authorities concerned would adhere to the order and uphold the dignity of this prestigious institution. • Bangladeshi hurt in Malaysia nightclub attack • Tribune Desk WORLD A Bangladeshi man working at a nightclub in Malaysia was injured in a cocktail blast on Monday. The Sun Daily reported that Sujon, a 30-year-old working at the DK Club in Kota Damansara, was about to enter the club premises when the attack happened. Around 4pm, two men drove up to the club in a black Audi car and threw two Molotov cocktails at the building. One of the cocktails exploded near Sujon and his co-workers and burned his head and hands. The other cocktail did not go off. Witnesses gave chase but the attackers drove off, reports the The Star Malaysia. Sujon was taken to a local hospital for treatment. Initially, the attack was suspected as an act of terrorism, but police investigation said it was related to extortion by local gangs. Police will pursue leads after going through CCTV footage. •
News 5 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 DT Mirpur militants hold out for nearly 24 hours • Arifur Rahman Rabbi MILITANCY Rapid Action Battalion cordoned off a militant hideout in Mirpur’s Darus Salam area in Dhaka for nearly 24 hours with a suspected member of a new faction of Jama’atul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB) holed up inside the building with large amount of explosives. After daylong communication over phone with the militant, identified as Abdullah, RAB spokesperson Mufti Mahmud Khan yesterday evening said that Abdullah had agreed to surrender between 7:30pm and 8pm along with his two wives and as many children and two associates. However, around 9:47pm, the militants had exploded five bombs, three of them deafening, catching the security forces by surprise. Those were followed by exchange of gunfire between the militants and RAB personnel. As gunbattle continued, smoke was seen billowing from the building, according to this correspondent who was present at the scene. Around 10:40pm, Mufti told reporters that four RAB members had received minor injuries from the splinters. “But we don’t know the condition of the militants yet.” “After these blasts, we’ll follow protocol to resolve the situation. We’ll also coordinate with the Fire Service to take care of the fire originated from the bombs.” Until 11pm Tuesday, when this report was filed, the militants did not surrender. RAB also did not make any final statement regarding the late night development. However, onlookers speculated that the militants holed up inside may have died in the late explosions. Earlier in the day, Abdullah’s sister, who had surrendered at noon, and the six-storey building’s owner Habibullah Bahar Azad were taken into RAB custody and being interrogated, sources said. Prior to that, RAB Director General Benazir Ahmed had told reporters about Abdullah and six others being holed up on the fourth floor of the building named “Komol Prova” on Bordhon Bari Road at Darus Salam. A total of 65 residents of 23 flats in the building, about only 250 yards The holed up militants, instead of surrendering, set off powerful explosives around 9:47pm Tuesday night far from the Darus Salam police station, were evacuated in the early hours, after RAB laid a siege on it around 1:30am Tuesday, he said. “When contacted, Abdullah told us that he had over 50 improvised explosive devices (IEDs) with him. He has been living in this area for a long time while working as an electrician who also sold pigeons on the side.” Mufti Mahmud Khan said: “We came to know about this den from two other militants arrested in Tangail on Monday. “We maintained constant communication with Abdullah as we are tried to convince them to surrender. They did throw several bombs at us from the fourth floor after we cordoned off the building. Later in the evening, Abullah agreed to surrender.” Members of law enforcement agencies had taken position on all the streets near the building since the early hours. But they were not alert when the militants exploded more bombs a little before 10pm. Gulshan Ara, who lives on the third floor, told reporters: “We heard the first explosion around 1:30am. RAB officials evacuated us around 6am. I never had any interaction with the people living on the fourth floor.” According to RAB, Abdullah, who locals said had beard and long hair, used to work at an electrical store making and repairing Instant Power Supply (IPS) units. He also owned a shop at Darus Salam few years back, but had to shut it down after facing losses. Since then, he made and repaired IPS at his home, while trading in pigeons on the side. Abdullah, his two wives and two children, have been living in that home since 2003, said RAB. Sources said the man, who hails from Chuadanga, had gotten involved with the Islamist militants in 2005. Tangail arrests On Monday, RAB arrested two other JMB militants Nurul Huda alias RAJIB DHAR Masum, 30, and Mazharul Islam alias Khokon, 27, from their home at Elenga in Tangail’s Kalihati upazila with several firearms and a large quantity of Jihadi books. The two brothers had planned to carry out attacks using explosive-carrying drones. They had also initially targeted some places for their attacks, according to RAB. Before Eid-ul-Azha, the two had met other JMB members at Abdullah’s home to prepare for the attacks. According to their statements given to RAB, a large amount of explosives was stored at Abdullah’s home at Darus Salam. Khokon, a former electrical and electronics engineering student at Eastern University, is the alleged mastermind behind their drone attack plan and Masum was his helping hand. However, RAB said, both of them used to post pro-militancy speeches in social networking sites like Facebook and try to recruit members for the JMB. • Trump orders end to young immigration programme • Reuters, Washington, DC WORLD US President Donald Trump on Tuesday scrapped a programme that protects from deportation almost 800,000 young men and women who were brought into the United States illegally as children, ordering a phased-out dismantling that gives a gridlocked Congress six months to decide the immigrants’ fate. Trump’s action, announced by US Attorney General Jeff Sessions, rescinds a programme called Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (Daca). The administration presented the move as necessary to show respect for the country’s immigration laws, and said nobody covered by the programme would be affected before March 5. The programme, created by former President Barack Obama, is supported by Democrats and many business leaders, and hundreds of people protested outside the White House over Tuesday’s announcement. Democrats and civil liberties advocates blasted Trump. “To have a lawful system of immigration that serves the national interest, we cannot admit everyone who would like to come here. It’s just that simple. That would be an open-border policy and the American people have rightly rejected that,” Sessions said. In a statement issued by the White House, Trump said: “I do not favor punishing children, most of whom are now adults, for the actions of their parents. But we must also recognise that we are nation of opportunity because we are a nation of laws.” Trump’s order, deferring the actual end of the programme, effectively kicks responsibility for the fate of the Dreamers to his fellow Republicans who control Congress. Daca recipients whose work permits expire will be considered to be in the country and eligible for deportation, but will be a low priority for immigration enforcement, administration officials said. Trump made a crackdown on illegal immigrants a centerpiece of his 2016 election campaign and his administration has stepped up immigration arrests. But business leaders say ending the Daca programme would hit economic growth and tax revenue. • TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY CHANGE IN TEMPERATURE LIKELY WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017 Dhaka 34 27 Chittagong 32 27 Rajshahi 34 26 Rangpur 33 26 Khulna 33 26 Barisal 33 27 Sylhet 32 25 DHAKA TODAY TOMORROW SUN SETS 6:12PM SUN RISES 5:42AM YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 36.6ºC 24.2ºC Jessore Rangamati Source: Accuweather/UNB PRAYER TIMES Cox’s Bazar 31 26 Fajr: 5:10am | Zohr: 1:15pm Asr: 4:45pm | Magrib: 6:25pm Esha: 8:15pm Source: Islamic Foundation
Page 1 and 2: SECOND EDITION WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER
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Page 7 and 8: News WEDNESDAY, Why China did not f
Page 9 and 10: News 9 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2017
Page 11 and 12: Multinationals to pass decision on
Page 13 and 14: Opinion 13 A dictator by any other
Page 15 and 16: Opinion 15 Brexit becomes more comp
Page 17 and 18: What’s on 17 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER
Page 19 and 20: Sports 19 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2
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Page 23 and 24: Showtime 23 WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6,

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