May 15, 2016

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016 | Jyoishtha 2, 1423, Shaban 7, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 23 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

SECOND EDITION

Now a Buddhist monk hacked to deathHome boss suspects relatives behind the killingn S Bashu Das, Bandarban

Unidenti� ed assailants killed a Buddhist monk by slitting his throat at Baishari union in Bandar-ban’s Naikhyangchhari upazila ear-ly yesterday.

Maung Shue U, son of late Aungthoai Chak, was found dead inside Chakpara temple, said police.

This is the latest in a spate of attacks on minorities in di� erent parts of the country. In February, a Hindu priest was hacked to death in Panchagarh. Maung, 70, was hacked in his neck.

His daughter-in-law Manung Ching discovered his body lying in a pool of blood after she brought a meal for him at the wooden temple

around 5am. Police later arrived and recovered the body.

Family members said Maung had no enemy.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal termed the killing an isolated incident, and said the victim’s relatives might be involved in it.

Locals said Maung had been passing his time meditating at the temple, which was built two years ago, as part of performing religious rituals.

He was living at the temple de-spite having a family.

Maung Baching Chak, a local man, said the monk was known as Batya Machhu in the area. “He was a simple man and was loved by all.”

Police said it was not clear who killed the monk but they were not ruling out Ansarullah Bangla Team members as suspects.

“There are other suspects as well,” said Kazi Ahsan, second of-� cer of Naikhongchhari police.

Locals pointed � nger at funda-mentalists and said the murder might have been an attempt to de-stroy communal harmony in the area. They also said they do not suspect the Rohingya people.

State Minister for Chittagong Hill Tracts A� airs Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing, Bandarban Superintendent of Police Mizanur Rahman, Sub-In-spector Anisur Rahman, in-charge of Baishari police investigation

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

What’s going on in the southeast?n Adil Sakhawat

Over the last three days, three major violent incidents have taken place in the country’s southeast region: shelling on a border guard camp from Myanmar, the murder of an Ansar commander and arms loot at a refugee camp and the murder of a Buddhist monk at a temple.

Are these incidents linked to each other and indicate a broader security threat to Bangladesh?

Probably not, says a security expert.

“The three incidents are separate,” said Maj Gen Md Abdur Rashid (Retd), a strategic and security analyst.

Six mortar shells were � red at Border Guard Bangladesh’s (BGB) Bulupara, Bandarban camp on the night of Wednesday, May 11 from the direction of Myanmar.

BGB Bandarban sector Commander Col Habibur Rahman said the attack was likely made by the law enforcement agencies of Myanmar or members of the separatist group Arakan Army.

The Arakan Army has also blamed the Myanmar army for the attack.

Maj Gen Rashid said separatist groups often resort to such tactics when they face obstacles from law enforcement or border guards.

“On the other hand the monk’s killing is most likely linked with the attacks on minority members that have been happening in Bangladesh recently,” he said.

Yesterday, 70-year-old Buddhist monk Mawng Shoi Wuu was slain inside his temple in Chakpara under Naikhongchhari, Bandarban, a short distance from Bulupara.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

News2DTSUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

What’s going on in the southeast?Confronted by reporters, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal said it was an isolated incident and blamed the victim’s family.

On May 13, Friday, an Ansar commander was shot dead in an attack on the platoon’s barracks in a Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar’s Teknaf.

Lt Col Abu Zar Al Jahid, commanding o� cer of Teknaf BGB, said the attack was probably due authorities cracking down on illegal drug trade by refugees.

“Some of the Rohingyas live in the jungle areas and smuggle drug s in collusion with the insurgent groups of Myanmar,” Lt Col Jahid said.

“This may have been a revenge for the crackdown,” he said.

Alikodom BGB camp commander Lt Col Reza also believed the three incidents were not linked.

But he also believed the shelling was a response to Bangladesh tightening its activity in the region.

“We are now successfully establishing BOPs in the highest altitudes in the east. So we have full control of security in those areas,” he said.

“But now it is time for Myanmar to take initiatives to control insurgent groups in the deep forests of Myanmar from where they do drug business,” he added.

Maj Gen Abdur Rashid also expects Bangladesh and Myanmar’s new democratic government to undertake joint anti-terrorism action and comprehensive border management agreements.

“Already BGB has proposed a comprehensive border management treaty to Myanmar. It is now their turn. The two countries can work together

to � ght insurgent groups and reduce security threats for both sides,” he said.

Shelling done by Myanmar army?Meanwhile, Arakan Army, a Buddhist rebel organisation from the bordering Rakhine state, claimed that the shelling in Bulupara was carried out by Myanmar army to create political crisis for thenew democratic government in Naypyidaw.

“I do not think the mortar � re was connected to the drug smuggling because we know that Burmese Army Battalion No 345 under 15th operational command division did

the mortar shelling around BGB post,”General Twan Mrat Naing of the Arakan Army told the Dhaka Tribune in an e-mail.

“We do not have that many heavy artillery rounds to waste and cannot a� ord to use them against those who are not our enemy,” he insisted.

Gen Naing said he suspected that the killing of Mawng Shoi Wuu was due to “the Burmese trying to divert Arakanese public attention to the yet unhealed Muslim-Buddhist clash once again.”

He also o� ered the Arakan Army’s cooperation to BGB to make further investigations into the case. l

Now a Buddhist monk hacked to deathcentre, Assistant In-charge Umar Faruq and newly elected Chairman Md Alam visited the crime scene.

Police said none was detained in

connection with the killing and a murder case would be � led.

Bandarban SP Mizanur said it was the � rst time a Buddhist monk

had been killed in the district and an investigation had been launched.

“The perpetrators will be arrested and brought to book,” he added. l

BNP: Chances of constitutional crisis highn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

The BNP yesterday said a consti-tutional crisis might be created in Bangladesh due to the recent con-� ict between the judiciary and the parliament.

“The con� ict between the judi-ciary and parliament has created a scope for a constitutional crisis to occur,” said Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, acting secretary general of the BNP, at an event organised by National Peoples' Party at Dhaka Reporters' Unity in Dhaka.

The event was organised to protest the cases of violence � led against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia.

Fakhrul urged the government to � nd out a solution for the crisis through discussions. “It is neces-

sary now to hold a national elec-tion with the participation of all the political parties under a non-parti-san neutral government. A neutral Election Commission is also need-ed for that election.”

The BNP leader claimed that there was no democracy in the country and the Awami League was ruling the country in a di� er-ent form of Bakshal system.

“The fate of common people has not changed, but the ruling party men have smuggled thousands of crore of taka.”

He further said false cases were � led against Khaleda to keep her from politics.

Meanwhile, another BNP senior leader Mirza Abbas said the ruling party's only agenda was to destroy the BNP. l

Police identify Kalabagan double murder mastermindn Mohammad Jamil Khan

Law enforcement o� cials say they have made a breakthrough in the Kalabagan double murder case and have kept two suspected attackers under surveillance.

“Two suspects, who live in Dha-ka’s Gulshan and Sylhet, are under surveillance. We are hopeful about solving the case soon,” a top o� cial of the Detective Branch of police involved in the investigation told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

Asking not to be named, he said banned militant out� t Ansarullah Bangla Team’s (ABT) involvement was found in the murders and one of the operational chiefs of the group masterminded the attack.

“The mastermind is a suspend-ed law enforcement o� cial. Under his direction, ABT prepared a � erce killing and suicide squad. The squad then began carrying out at-tacks on high-pro� le persons of the society,” he added.

Mashruqure Rahman Khaled, deputy commissioner of the Detec-tive Branch, said investigators had analysed the style of the attack and reached the conclusion that ABT members were behind the mur-ders.

“We are trying our best to crack

down on the total squad and mem-bers of other law enforcement agencies are also assisting us in this,” he added.

On April 25, LGBT activist Xul-haz Mannan and his friend Mahbub Tonoy were killed at Mannan’s resi-dence in Dhaka’s Kalabgan area.

It is almost three weeks but none has yet been arrested in con-nection with the incident.

Sources in the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI), which is as-sisting in the probe, said the sus-pected killers had been sketched according to descriptions provided by witnesses, but the drawings had not been released as PBI o� cials were still uncertain about their au-thenticity.

Another source in the Detective Branch said investigators were try-ing to zoom in the pictures of the suspected assistants captured on CCTV camera.

Monirul Islam, chief of the counter-terrorism and transnation-al crime unit, said police were try-ing their best to solve the case.

“There is no speci� c time to in-vestigate a case. Some cases can be solved shortly while others take time. We are putting in our best e� orts to solve the case soon,” he added. l

Locals look on as police inspect the temple where Buddhist monk Maung Shue U was hacked to death in Naikhongchhari, Bandarban early yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

May 145am: Buddhist monk found slainNaikkhanchhari, Bandarban

May 1210pm: Six mortar shells �redfrom the direction of Myanmarborder, Bulupara BGB camp, Bandarban

THREE MAJORINCIDENTSIN THREE DAYS

May 13 2am: Battalion Ansar commandershot dead, 11 ri�es, severalhundred bullets looted

5.45pm: 5 journos injured inattack by yaba dealersAnsar camp, Nayapara Rohingyashelter, Tekhnaf

News 3D

TSUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016

Erdogan's double talk on capital punishment n Tribune Desk

Turkey appears to have a double standard when it comes to capital punishment.

The country withdrew its am-bassador to Bangladesh following the execution of Motiur Rahman Nizami last week for genocide and other war crimes, Reuters reported last Thursday quoting President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.

But the president went on re-cord earlier in the year to defend executions by Saudi Arabia as a do-mestic issue.

“The executions in Saudi Ara-bia are an internal legal matter. Whether you approve or not of the decision is a separate issue, execu-tions in Saudi Arabia are a matter of domestic law,” RT.com quoted Erdoğan as saying.

His comments followed a huge furore in the Middle East over the capital punishment of 47 people, including a leading Shia cleric, Sheikh al-Nimr, on January 2.

Turkish Ambassador to Bangla-desh Devrim Öztürk is scheduled to have returned to Ankara last Thursday, Turkish newspaper Hür-riyet reported.

His departure was preceded by a Turkish Foreign Ministry state-ment on May 11 condemning the execution of Nizami.

The Bangladesh government has played down tensions over the hanging of the convicted war crim-inal.

But Turkey’s Hürriyet reported that groups connected to several Turkish NGOs protested in front of the Bangladesh embassy in Anka-ra, late on Tuesday, while members of the Anatolia Youth Association (AGD) gathered to voice their ob-jections at a park in Istanbul.

In his defence of the Saudi mass executions, Erdoğan said those who were silent about the victims in Syria’s civil war were now caus-ing an uproar over the execution of one person in Saudi Arabia. He was apparently referring to the de-

ceased cleric.Riyadh and Ankara share a sim-

ilar position – both hope to remove Syrian President Bashar al-Assad from power.

Ties between the two nations have improved since King Salman ascended the throne in January, as the new Saudi monarch has sought Sunni allies to counter the monar-chy’s main geopolitical rival – Iran, a Shia Muslim country.

Turkey is also a member of the 34-nation Islamic military alliance, which was announced by Saudi Arabia earlier in December.

Shia Muslims across the Gulf region reacted with disgust and condemnation after Saudi Ara-bia executed leading Shia cleric Sheikh al-Nimr. He was among 47 prisoners beheaded or shot by � r-ing squad across Saudi Arabia on January 2 – the largest number of individuals executed in the Gulf kingdom in a single day since 1980.

The executions led to protests in Iran, Iraq and Bahrain. l

Restaurant owners urge govt to reconsider eviction decisionn Nure Alam Durjoy

Businesses, who mainly operate in residential areas in Dhaka, have urged the government to recon-sider its decision to evict hotels, guesthouses and restaurants from the areas.

The call came in a press confer-ence yesterday organised by the Federation of Hotel, Guesthouse and Restaurant Owners Association to protest the government’s decision.

The conference was held in Em-manuelle Banquet Hall in Dhaka’s Gulshan.

The business owners demand-ed that a speci� c policy should be made for the hotels, guesthouses and restaurants in the residential areas rather than evicting them.

In a written speech, the associa-tion’s Secretary General FM Alaud-din Mahmud said: “The owners of hotels, guest houses and restau-rants give around Tk400 crore as VAT to the government every year and about one million households

depends on this industry directly or indirectly.

“These businesses have invest-ed a lot of money in this sector which is mostly taken from banks.”

He further said that in Gulshan area alone, around Tk2,000 crore is invested in 28 establishments, of which Tk600 is from bank loans.

The association’s secretary gen-eral also stressed that hotels and restaurants have played an impor-tant role in Bangladesh’s tourism sector.

“Almost every country have ho-tels and restaurants in its residen-tial areas. For example, in Delhi alone there are about 1,200 such establishments,” he said.

On May 29, 2008, Housing and Public Works Ministry published an o� cial gazette stating that ho-tels in residential areas can con-tinue its operations. But on April 4 this year, the Cabinet declared that all business establishments in residential areas should be moved within six months. l

Kamal: Prof Rezaul’s killers to be arrested any timen Dulal Abdullah

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday said that the po-lice would soon be able to arrest the killers of Rajshahi University teacher Prof AFM Rezaul Karim Siddique.

“The whole country is against these killers. They will be arrested soon. I cannot say details about it for the sake of investigation. But we will expose them before the na-tion,” the minister told a joint rally of teachers, students and citizens held at Kazi Nazrul Islam auditori-um of the university.

Expressing solidarity with the class boycott movement that start-ed after the professor was hacked to death near his house on April 23, the minister asked them to call o� the strike and resume academ-ic activities. “We will not let this campus become a den of extrem-ists. We will increase patrol all over Rajshahi and the police will ensure your security,” Kamal said.

In her speech, Prof Rezaul’s daughter Rezwana Hasin demand-ed that both the killers and the planners are brought to justice.

Police chief AKM Shahidul Huq too claimed that they had made signi� cant progress in the case.

Even though international mil-itant group Islamic State said that their men had carried out the mur-der, the home minister and the local police binned the claims as baseless.

On May 2, Rajshahi Additional Commissioner Sarder Tamij Uddin Ahmed told reporters that a leader of Islami Chhatra Shibir, also stu-dent of the same English depart-ment, had killed Prof Rezaul over ideological di� erences. As he is on the run, police detained his father and a brother for interrogation.

Three other people were also ar-

rested in connection with the case. They are imam of a madrasa at the teacher’s village home, a Shibir ac-tivist and a student of RU public administration department.

Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid expressed solidarity with the demonstrators, saying: “I cannot be relieved until the demands are met.”

State Minister for Foreign A� airs

Shahariar Alam said that earlier three teachers had been killed ear-lier. “These murders are being con-ducted to create a dreadful atmos-phere. They will get more chance if you are scared,” he added.

Prof Farid Uddin, the president of Bangladesh University Teachers Association, said that the systematic killing of intellectuals which began in

1971 should stop. He also asked the home minister and the police chief to improve skills of the law enforcers.

RU English department Chair-man Prof Masud Akhter said that they wanted to see that the panic created among the teachers and the students is removed soon. “This gathering should yield some good results,” he added. l

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal addressing a discussion jointly organised by teachers, students and citizens at Kazi Nazrul Islam auditorium of the Rajshahi University yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

'No place for Israeli spy in Bangladesh'n Abu Hayat Mahmud

Ruling Awami League has accused BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia again, this time of plotting a con-spiracy with the cooperation of Israeli spy agency Mossad to kill Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at a meeting at Mahanagar Natyaman-cha yesterday.

AL vowed that no space will be given to any enemy of Islam and the Muslim world, Israel and “Mos-sad” in Bangladesh.

The ruling party senior leaders made the remarks at a joint meet-ing of the Awami League's two city units, Dhaka North and South, with the party's central leaders yester-day.

The programme was arranged for the preparation of observing the homecoming day of Prime Min-ister and Awami League President Sheikh Hasina.

“BNP has always been shouting to save Islam but this is not the real picture. BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami are doing destructive politics us-ing the name of Islam. But they are communicating with Mossad,” said AL Presidium Member Sheikh Faz-lul Karim Selim.

“BNP's conspiracy, with the help of Mossad, also proves that Khaleda will take any strategy to come to power,” he added.

The former health minister said that after the independence of Bangladesh, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman had not made any ties with the Jews for their anti-Is-lam stand, while the BNP has links with this enemy of Islam after fail-ing to get support both nationally and internationally.

The AL senior leader claimed

that BNP is working with Mossad to come to power and that BNP will recognise Israel as an independent state.

Referring to Pakistan's repeated statements in favour of the war criminals in Bangladesh, Sheikh Selim said: “There is a limit to patience. Pakistan has been crossing a line in their responses to the executions of war criminals. The government of Bangladesh wants to maintain good relations with everyone. If Pakistan continues this, we will be bound to take tough measures.”

Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif said that everyone has been expecting Khaleda Zia to come out of her politics of conspiracy and destruction, but her actions suggest otherwise.

He added that Khaleda Zia has instead been communicating with Mossad.

Referring to a state-ment of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, AL leader Hanif said that Fakhrul had already acknowl-edged the meeting be-tween a high o� cial of Mossad and BNP Joint Secretary General Aslam Chowdhury, although Fakhrul claimed the meeting might be Aslam's personal and not as a par-ty representative. l

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016News4DT

Govt delegation visits Russian nuclear plantn Aminur Rahman Rasel

A Bangladeshi delegation compris-ing of the Ambassador to Russia SM Saiful Hoque, representatives of the Ministry of Science and Technology and other concerned departments have visited the No-vovoronezh nuclear power plant in Russia.

The Novovoronezh NPP is the reference project for the under construction Rooppur Nuclear power plant in Bangladesh, said a press release from Rosatom yester-day.

The Russian State Atomic En-ergy Commission Rosatom will build, operate and provide fuel to the plant.

Bangladesh and Russia signed

a general contract on December 25 last year for the construction and commissioning of Rooppur Nucle-ar Power Plant in Pabna at a cost of $12.65 billion.

Bangladesh Atomic Energy Commission, under the Science and Technology Ministry, will im-plement the Rooppur project.

The delegation, accompanied by Vladimir Zarubaev, Deputy Chief Engineer for Inspection Atomener-goproekt went around the di� erent facilities of power units 6 and 7 of the Novovoronezh NPP.

The operational aspects and advantages of the new generation VVER-1200 reactors being used at those units were explained to the delegation.

They also visited the complex

gas-insulated switchgear of 500 kV (GIS–500), protected emergency response control post (FP) and the block power unit control post.

They were shown the conden-sate puri� cation plant (CPP), the fresh fuel storage facilities and the cooling tower of power unit- 6 as well.

The cooling tower is a vital 172m high hydraulic structure, which serves for cooling circulating water in the second circuit and thereby cooling of the reactor itself.

The delegation went around the under construction turbine hall and reactor compartment of power unit number 7, as well as the labo-ratory for environmental monitor-ing and the training centre.

Ambassador Hoque expressed

his satisfaction with the high standards of safety maintained at the nuclear power plant.

Power units number 6 and num-ber 7 of the Novovoronezh NPP are a typical design of the new 3+ generation Russian NPPs with im-proved technical and economic � gures.

They are constructed accord-ing to the “NPP-2006” design and equipped with a VVER-1200 reac-tor. The design is based on half a century's experience of secure and accident-free operation of NPPs with VVER reactors.

The current design takes into account the implementation of requirements of Russian scienti� c and technical documentation and IAEA recommendations.

The main feature of the inno-vative power units is the use of additional passive safety systems combined with traditional active systems.

The design of the units provides protection against earthquakes, tsunamis, hurricanes and plane crashes. The reactor hall has a dou-ble containment; the core catcher is installed under the reactor vessel, the power unit is equipped with a residual heat removal system.

The power unit- 6 of Novovoronezh NPP is at the physical start up stage at the moment and will be connected to the grid very shortly. This will be the � rst 3+ generation NPP in the world to generate electricity on a commercial basis. l

The conditions of the streets in Malibagh, already in a dilapidated state due to the ongoing construction of a � yover, became worse when the rain of the past few days waterlogged the streets, making commuting for people even more di� cult. The photo was taken yesterday MEHEDI HASAN

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016News 5

DT

PRAYERTIMES

Cox’s Bazar 34 28Dhaka 38 27 Chittagong 34 29 Rajshahi 42 27 Rangpur 32 24 Khulna 39 27 Barisal 38 28 Sylhet 33 23T E M P E R AT U R E F O R E C A S T F O R TO DAY

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:34PM SUN RISES 5:16AM

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW36.3ºC 19.2ºCMongla RangpurSUNDAY, MAY 15

Source: Islamic Foundation

Fajr: 4:45am | Zohr: 1:15pmAsr: 5:15pm | Magrib: 6:40pmEsha: 8:30pm

THUNDERSHOWER WITH RAIN

Community project puts a dent in crash fatality numbersn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

Getting the whole community in-volved can more than halve the number of accidents on Bangla-desh’s roads, residents of an acci-dent-prone area in Narsingdi have come together to prove.

Nilkuthi in Raipura upazila, which lies on the busy Dhaka-Syl-het highway, is lined on both sides with areas of heavy pedestrian tra� c and is notorious for vehicle strikes at a number of deadly blind spots. The stretch of highway at Nilkuthi runs through a local mar-ket and is adjacent to a primary school.

But the number of pedestrians being struck by vehicles has de-clined sharply after a road safety project focused its intervention on community awareness. Even schoolchildren here are now spokespeople for safe road use.

Reema Aktar, a student of class four at Mahmudabad Government Primary School, showed this cor-respondent how to safely cross the road. “We have been taught how to cross safely and we cross the road together,” she said con� dently.

Three deadly blind spots on the N2 Highway in Narsingdi – Nilkuthi, Namapara and Kundarpara – have been selected by the Centre for Injury Prevention and Research, Bangladesh’s (CIPRB) communi-ty-based road safety pilot projects.

Before the project began, there were an average of 108 road crash-es per year in the project area, leav-ing an average of 231 injured and an average of 11 people dead.

After the project was implement-ed, the number of accidents involv-ing injuries or fatalities decreased by 63%. The number of people in-jured dropped by 71% and the num-ber fatalities came down by 78%.

CIPRB is working with Dutch non-pro� t Safe Crossings on the road safety project.

Their focus is on low-cost small-scale infrastructural adaptations to ease tra� c that can be implemented and evaluated locally and quickly.

Initial activities have focused on the construction of bus bays, fol-lowed by the installation of speed breakers, pedestrian crossings and warning signs and road markings.

Teamwork for road safetyThe pilot project includes an ed-ucation and training programme

that aims to develop better road users. The combination of engi-neering and educational activities makes the programme unique.

An extensive monitoring pro-gramme has been set up to meas-ure the impact of the interven-tions. Local stakeholders actively participate at various levels of im-plementation, working as crash record keepers, village road safety committee members and partici-pants in awareness programmes.

This is meant to create a sense of ownership in the project and con-tribute to its e� ectiveness.

Crash record keepers record crash data using a prescribed for-mat and are helping to prepare a database. Each area has two vol-untary record keepers who have shops located close to the highway.

The safety committee mainly consists of school teachers, the lo-

cal mosque imam, a representative of the bazaar committee, local un-ion parishad members, NGO work-ers, members of the CNG drivers’ association and school manage-ment committee members.

The committee acts as a local body to make sure people are aware of road safety rules and habits.

Local school teachers serve as trainers for the children’s pedes-trian training programme, which uses videos, printed material and simulations to teach safe road use habits.

’Scientific system of reducing road crashes’Buet Professor Dr Md Mazharul Ho-que, founding director of the Acci-dent Research Institute, said the project was a well thought out and scienti� cally researched system of reducing road accidents.

“Community involvement is es-sential to reduce road crashes and this project demonstrates that it is possible to reduce road crashes by involving the community. School children have been trained on how to cross roads safely and the pro-ject is working fantastically.

“Now the government should take up the project and implement it in accident-prone areas. But pro-ject areas should be monitored and maintained regularly so that the signs and markings remain visible,” said Prof Mazharul, who teaches in the Buet civil engineering depart-ment.

According to Bangladesh Jatri Kalyan Samity, which works for commuter welfare, at least 66,581 accidents took place in 2015. The number of road crash fatalities last year was 8,642, and some 21,855 people were injured. l

PROJECT AREA

‘Pakistan in violation of1974 treaty’n Tribune Desk

Pakistan has violated the 1974 Tri-partite Agreement and so it is no longer valid, Law Minister Anisul Huq has said.

The agreement was violated as Pakistan had not taken back its stranded citizens from Bangladesh. They did not comply with the con-dition of the agreement, the minis-ter said after a programme in Dha-ka’s Bilia Centre yesterday.

“As per the law, a deal becomes invalid if anyone [party] violates its conditions. So, this agreement is no longer acceptable,” he said.

Moreover, there was nothing in the agreement about the local col-laborators of the Pakistani Army who are now facing trial and execu-tion for committing crimes against humanity, Anisul said.

His comments came in the wake of Pakistan’s allegations that Bang-ladesh is executing the war crimi-nals violating the tripartite agree-ment signed among Bangladesh, India and Pakistan in 1974.

The Pakistan parliament on May 11 passed a resolution to express se-rious concerns over the execution of top war criminal Motiur Rahman Nizami, also chief of Jamaat-e-Isla-mi. After two days, Pakistan prime minister’s Adviser on Foreign A� airs Sartaj Aziz said that they would raise Nizami issue at the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) and with other countries.

On this, the law minister said: “This [trial] is our internal issue. They are being tried and executed following our domestic law.”

Pakistan should not talk about Bangladesh’s internal matters. “It is better if they keep their mouth shut,” the minister said.

Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Tureen Afroz too talked to the reporters following yesterday’s symposium, and said that the tripartite agreement had become invalid under both nation-al and international laws.

As per the section 53 of the Vi-enna Convention 1969 to which Bangladesh is a signatory, there are some crimes that cannot be forgiv-en by any government, and geno-cide is one of them, she said.

After independence, Bangla-desh collected speci� c evidence of genocide against at least 195 Paki-stani Army personnel, who were in Indian custody as prisoners of war (POWs). Pakistan took them back following the 1974 agreement, but did not try them as per the treaty. l

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016News6DT

Dhaka Tribune

Christians under attack from land grabbers in Barisaln Anisur Rahman Swapan,

Barisal

Tension simmers among Chris-tians in Barisal as local in� uen-tials allegedly violated a court injunction and attacked them in an attempt to take illegal possession of their land.

Talking to the Dhaka Trib-une, Mary Johnson, secretary at Barisal Baptist Church As-sociation, said business giant Khan Sons Group Ltd tried to grab the land, owned by the Christians, using muscle power with a fake legal document on Friday afternoon.

Five members of the com-munity – Ranjit Mallik, Jib-on Baroi, Shobha Bala, Mala Biswas, and Ranu Bala – were injured in a scu� e with the company’s musclemen.

Mary said Khan Sons and Group Ltd’s sister concern Olympic Properties Ltd took possession of the land illegally in the city.

They secretly purchased the 2.53-acre land, worth around Tk30 crore, at a throwaway price of Tk8.82 crore with the help of the leaders of Bangla-desh Baptist Church Sangha, which came to light in 2012.

Mary claimed that the land was owned by Barisal Baptist Mission Society and it was was non-transferable or non-salable as per the constitutions of Bang-ladesh Baptist Church Sangha, Barisal Baptist Mission Associ-ation, Bangladesh Christian As-sociation and trustee law.

Soon after this matter came to light, the Christians � led a

case against the business group with police, which was later sent to a Barisal court.

While the case was pending at the court, Olympic Proper-ties forcibly evicted 44 ultra poor Christian families that lived on the land on September 8 last year.

It was the same year that the court forced an injuction over the transfer of the land’s pos-session, sources said.

Christian community leaders condemned the business group and its associates’ actions and urged the government to take action against them and reha-bilitate the a� ected ultra poor families immediately.

Meanwhile, when contact-ed, Ansar Ali Howlader, general manager of Khan Sons Group, denied the allegations and claimed that they legally pur-chased the land to construct a specialised hospital of mothers and children.

When eight members of the Christian community willing-ly tried to hand the property over to the Olympic Properties on Friday, other members at-tacked them, he told the Dhaka Tribune.

Ataur Rahman, OC at Barisal Kotwali police station, said po-lice rushed to the spot as soon as they heard about the scu� e and brought the situation un-der control.

Sub-Inspector Asaduzzam-an of the police station said additional police members had been deployed in the area to maintain law and order and avoid untoward incidents. l

3 teens found dead in Savar dairy farm n Nadim Hossain, Savar

Police recovered the burnt bod-ies of three teenage boys, in-cluding two siblings, from the room of a dairy farm at Hemay-etpur in Savar, on the outskirts of Dhaka yesterday

The police said three work-ers of Pranta Dairy Farm Jibon, 19, Nasir, 16, two sons of Ziaur Rahman, and Bhoje, 14, son of Karkama Mia, hailing from Nilphamari district went to sleep in the room on Friday night.

Having no response from them the following morning,

the parents of the trio entered the room breaking open the door and found them dead.

On information, police re-covered their charred bodies and sent those to Dhaka Medi-cal College Hospital morgue for autopsy

Savar Model police station Senior Assistant Superinten-dent of Police Rasel Sheikh said: “We are investigating into the incident. Besides, we de-tained the farm’s owner.”

The trio might have been killed in a lightning strike at night, said police. l

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016News 7

DT

Dying rivers of Panchagarh threaten lifen Sazzadur Rahman Sazzad,

Panchagarh

Jainul and Nur Islam are 60 and 55 years old respectively. Both were � shermen on the Karatoya river for the better part of their lives, but have lost most of their livelihoods in the last few decades.

Jainul, who lives on what was once the banks of Karatoya, in Dhakkamara, Panchagarh, now grows paddy in the riverbed, and pulls a van besides to make a living.

Nur’s family, from Tulardanga Khalpara village, has been in this profession for three generations, although he says he might be the last in this line.

“I have been doing this for al-most 35 years. Now there’s no wa-ter, and no � sh. I do other sorts of work most of the year,” Nur Islam said.

Panchagarh, a district inter-

twined with 27 rivers, was once known for water based commerce, � shing and boats. In 30-40 years, most of the rivers have died out or lost their � ow as India built one dam after another upstream.

The powerful Mahananda and Karatoya rivers now have many shoals where locals raise crops.

These two, as well as, Dahuk, Chawai, Shenua, Kurum, Ghora-mara, Jamuna, Mora Teesta, Talma and Nagar originate in India’s Jal-paiguri and Sikkim and in the Him-alayas in Nepal. At the upstream, Indians have built barrages, dams, sluice gates, regulators, reservoirs and feeder canals, impeding the natural � ow of water.

The country has also built a 221km circular embankment along the district’s border.

In 1990, India began building the Gajoldoba barrage on Mahanan-da river in Siliguri. The river used

to run along the Bangladesh-In-dia border for about 20km from Banglabandha Zero Point to Tetulia Sadar. The river is now almost dry.

Karatoya originates in Jalpaig-uri and enters Bangladesh through Bhadreswar border area in Tetulia. At Rajganj Madanbari, India has built a dam and barred almost all of its water.

Indians have also built dams, sluice gates and regulators on Dahuk, Chawai, Shenua, Kurum, Ghorama-ra, Jamuna and Mora Teesta rivers.

Every year in dry season Indi-an authorities divert this water through feeder canals to dry areas in West Bengal and Bihar for irriga-tion. During monsoon on the other hand, all barrages, dams and sluice gates are opened up, causing � oods in Panchagarh.

The district’s agriculture, en-vironment and biodiversity have been devastated by the death of

its rivers. Navigability has declined drastically. Groundwater levels have dropped to 18-19 feet. Fish fertility has fallen. Birds and ani-mals are losing habitat.

Thousands of � shermen have lost their livelihoods and vast areas of agricultural land has become fal-low due to the lack of water.

Panchagarh Livestock O� cer Mosharraf Hossain said the dying rivers were causing species extinc-tion in the area.

“Waterbirds, � sh, other aquatic animals like snails, turtles, snakes, aquatic plants and insects are dy-ing out because of the drying riv-ers,” he said.

Ra� qul Islam, deputy director of Panchagarh Agricultural Extension Department, said farmers were cul-tivating Boro crops in the riverbeds now.

“But the water tables are down, so they have to irrigate more,” he said.

Local environmentalist Sheikh Sajjad Hossain said farmers were using strong insecticides and chem-ical fertlisers when farming in the riverbeds, which reduced � sh fer-tility and harmed the local wildlife.

The Joint River Commission (JRC) between Bangladesh and In-dia has failed to take practical ac-tion in ensuring the country’s fair share in river resources despite international agreements to treat joint rivers as shared assets.

Panchagarh Environment Coun-cil President Topwhidul Bari said under the JRC agreement, India is obligated to consult with Bang-ladesh before building dams and sluice gates on joint rivers.

“But India did not consult with Bangladesh before building these dams. The dams are threatening our biodiversity and environment and the region faces the risk of de-serti� cation,” he said. l

BR bills remain unpaidn FM Mizanur Rahaman,

Chittagong

A total of Tk1,08,36,000 of Bangladesh Railway (BR) remained unpaid by Chittagong University.

Local sources said both the authorities of BR and CU held several meetings over the issue but no visible output came out.

The sources said BR had to in-cure losses in Chittagong-CU rail route as the bills remained unpaid.

BR and CU campus sources said around seven pairs of shuttle trains had been plying in every working day between Chittagong-CU routes as the shuttle train was the main transport of around 12,000 non res-idential students of the university.

BR sources said CU had been paying Tk6,02,000 to BR as seven pair shuttle trains’ bills in every month.

BR high ups told the Dhaka Tribune that following the government decision, BR had increased the train fare in passenger and freight train by 50 percent in � rst phase on October 1, 2012 across the country to overcome its losses while BR later have also hiked train fare for the second time by 7.23 percent from February 20 this year.

After hiked the train fare in October 2012 by 50 percent, the fresh train fare of CU stood at Tk9,03,000 from Tk6,02,000 in every month while the total amount of the outstanding bills stood Tk96,32,000 until December 2015, said the BR o� cials.

The total amount of arrears now stand at Tk1,08,36,000 until April 2016 as CU has paid train bills.

BR (East Zone) Deputy Chief Commercial Manager (CCM) (R) Md

Jakir Hossen told the Dhaka Trib-une: “We have repeatedly asked CU authority to pay the bills by sending letters or calling o� cial meeting but CU authorities have proposed us to increase the past fare rate by 10 percent instead of 50 percent”.

In this circumstance, a Diesel Electric Multiple Unit (DEMU) train has been inaugurated in city-CU route from June 2014 to ease the pressure over shuttle train.

“The BR East Zone is not au-thorized to reduce or re-� x the fare rate, however, the new fare chart (7.23 percent) yet to be � nalized while the fare of DEMU’s fare is also still undecided”, said Jakir.

Jakir added when the 7.23 per-cent new rate will be implemented, the fare will be hiked once again.

BR sources said a meeting between a team of CU head by CU acting Registrar Professor Dr Mohammed Kamrul Huda and BR was held at Central Railway Building (CRB) on December 23, 2015.

In the meeting, informing about the unpaid bills to CU, BR East Zone General Manager (GM) Mohammed Mokbul Ahmed urged the CU registrar to pay the bills immediately as there is a pressure from government to ful� ll the revenue target.

The university delegation team had informed BR that CU has agreed to increase the fare rate by 10 percent instead of giving 50 percent as CU is a service providing agency.

The CU team also proposed the BR authority in the meeting to reschedule the shuttle train routine based on o� -day in a bid to coordinate the additional fare. l

Woman hacked to death n Anwar Hussain, Chittagong

Miscreants hacked a woman to death at Banshkhali upazila in dis-trict early yesterday.

The deceased was Bijoy Rani Das, 65, wife of Rakhal Das and res-ident of Rabonpara area at Sadhan-pur union of the upazila.

Quoting the family members, Md Alamgir Hossain, o� cer-in-charge of Banshkhali police sta-tion, said some unidenti� ed mis-

creants entered the house of the victim around 4 am.

“The miscreants � rst hacked Bijoy Rani and later daughter in law Turna when they tried to resist them. Bijoy Rani died on the spot while Turna sustained injuries,” said the OC.

“Locals rushed the injured to Chittagong Medical College and Hospital where she was undergo-ing treatment,” added the OC.

“We are not yet to ascertain the motive behind the murder. Howev-

er, we detained a person identi� ed as Babu Das from the area suspect-ing his involvement with the inci-dent,” added the OC.

Ahsan Ullah, chairman of Shadanpur union council, said the male members of the family went to another village to attend one of their relative’s family programme.

“In absence of them, the mis-creants enter the house and hacked Bijoy Rani as she recognised them,” added the UP chairman. l

Truck and Covered-van Workers’ Union, Dhaka unit form a human chain in front of National Press Club yesterday protesting illegal extortion taken by miscreants in kitchen markets of the country SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

8TOP STORIES

DT World

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016

Sykes-Picot, the secret deal still drives Turkey foreign policyResentment over the Sykes-Picot Agreement between Britain and France that carved up the Middle East from the ruins of the Ottoman Empire remains, 100 years later, a major factor in Turkish President Re-cep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy. PAGE 9

US to renew most Myanmar sanctions with some changesThe United States plans to renew the bulk of its sanctions against Myanmar when they expire next week, but will make some changes aimed at boosting investment and trade, according to several senior US o� cials and congressional aides.

PAGE 11

Brexit: The arguments for and against The key arguments for and against staying in the EU - in a nutshell.

PAGE 10

US, Russia step up war of words over missile shieldn Tribune International Desk

The United States and Russia on Friday accused each other of mounting an aggressive military presence in northern Europe, with Moscow vowing to “end threats” posed by a US missile shield near its border.

The stepped-up war of words came as Poland on Friday broke ground on the northern section of a US missile defence shield launched in Romania a day earlier, which Russia slammed as a serious security threat despite US assur-ances to the contrary.

Russian President Vladimir Pu-tin on Friday warned Washington that Moscow will consider meas-ures to “end threats” from the US anti-missile systems in Europe but said it would not be engaged in a new arms race.

“Now that these anti-missile elements have been installed, we will be forced to consider putting an end to the threats emerging in relation to Russia’s security,” Putin told defence o� cials in televised remarks.

US President Barack Obama hit back hours later, warning Rus-sia about its military build-up in northern Europe, as he hosted leaders from � ve Nordic countries at the White House.

“We are united in our concern about Russia’s growing aggressive military presence and posture in the Baltic-Nordic region,” Obama said.

Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu said last week that Moscow will set up three new divisions in the west and south of the country by the end of the year to counter Nato forces close to its border.

Relations between Nato and Moscow have sharply deteriorated since Russia annexed Crimea from Ukraine in March 2014, sparking fears among other eastern Europe-an countries that they too could be targets of Russian aggression.

Nato European shield Located in Redzikowo, northern Poland, and Deveselu in southern Romania, the two US missile inter-ceptor stations are part of Nato’s larger European shield, due to be-come fully operational by 2018.

US and Nato o� cials insist the system is intended to counter the threat of short- and medium-range ballistic missiles, particularly from so-called “rogue” states in the Middle East.

But with the Redzikowo sta-

tion just 250km from the Russian enclave of Kaliningrad, Moscow views the system as a security threat on its very doorstep.

US Deputy Secretary of Defence Robert Work was on hand Friday for the start of construction on the Aegis Ashore-type missile defence facility in Redzikowo.

It will include 24 land-based SM-3 missiles as well as anti-air-craft systems.

The facility in Poland “is a US contribution to Nato mis-sile defence,” Work said at the ground-breaking ceremonies, add-ing that “when completed in 2018 it will be capable of defending the central and northern arc of Nato.”

Work also said that “by the (Nato) Warsaw summit in July, we expect alliance leaders to declare initial operational capability for the Nato ballistic missile defence system.”

“Although we joined Nato years ago, now we are seeing that Nato is truly entering Poland,” Polish President Andrzej Duda said be-fore ceremony participants took shovels in hand and began digging at the Polish air force base.

Launched in 2010, Nato’s an-ti-missile shield system - based essentially on US technology - in-volves the progressive deployment of missile interceptors and power-ful radar in eastern Europe and Turkey.

Nato and the United States said this spring that they will switch their defence doctrine from as-surance to deterrence in eastern Europe in response to a “resurgent and aggressive Russia” following

its annexation of Crimea.The Pentagon said in March it

would begin continuous rotations of an additional armoured brigade of about 4,200 troops in eastern Europe beginning in early 2017.

Spooked by Russian action toward Ukraine, eastern Nato members including the formerly Soviet-ruled Baltic states and Po-land have lobbied the alliance to increase its presence in the region to guarantee security.

Potential Russian missile responsesAfter meeting with Putin, Dmitry Rogozin, a deputy prime minister in charge of military industries, said Russia will use military tech-nology that would allow the coun-try to “neutralise any threat with minimal resources,” but he didn’t elaborate further.

The Russian military has also

discussed stationing its state-of-the art Iskander missiles in Rus-sia’s Baltic outpost of Kaliningrad, which borders Nato members Po-land and Lithuania.

The Iskander missiles have a range of up to 500km and would place most of Poland in reach if deployed from their westernmost outpost.

The two US missile interceptor stations in Poland and Romania are part of Nato’s larger European shield, which is set to become fully operational by 2018.

The stations rely on radars to detect ballistic missile launches into space. Sensors then measure the rocket’s trajectory and attempt to destroy it in space before it re-enters the atmosphere. Missile interceptors can be � red either from ships or from ground sites. l

Source: AFP, REUTERS, DW

Hostile ballistic missile launchedEarly-warning radars and defence satellites detect and track missile threat as soon as it is launched. Data is sent to the US.High resolution X-band/ground-based radar tracks missile and decoysOne or more interceptors are launched from ground sites

Kill vehicle isolates warhead from decoys or debris

Kill vehicle locks on to warhead and seeks out to destroy it

GERMANY

POLAND

TURKEY

ROMANIA

SPAIN

To interceptorcontrol in the US

Communicationssatellite

Kill vehicleSurveillance satellites with infrared technology

Central command in Ramstein

X-band/ground-based radar

Early warning radar

Four ballistic missile defence-capable ships

Sources: Missile Defense Agency, FAS, US Senate

NATO MISSILE SHIELD

1

1

2 2

2

3 3

44

4

5

5

6

6

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SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016World

SOUTH ASIAImran Khan admits using o� -shore companyPakistani opposition leader Imran Khan, who tried to oust Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in a row over o� shore wealth, has acknowledged using an o� -shore company to avoid paying British tax on a London prop-erty sale. Analysts say the admission is likely to ease the pressure on Sharif’s government from a Panama Papers data leak. -REUTERS

INDIA2 Indian reporters shot dead in less than 24 hoursGunmen shot dead 2 journalists in 24 hours in separate incidents in eastern India, the latest media killing in Asia’s deadliest country for reporters. Rajdeo Ranjan, the local bureau chief for Hindi-language daily Hindustan, was shot 5 times by unknown assailants on late Friday in Bihar. Late on Thursday, television journalist Akhilesh Pratap Singh was also shot dead by unknown assail-ants in Jharkhand state. -AFP

CHINAChina’s CGN: No plans to build nuclear plants in BritainChina General Nuclear Power Cor-poration (CGNPC) on Saturday said it has no plans to build reactors at the Hinkley Point C site in Britain, denying reports it would be willing to take over from EDF should the French � rm pull out. EDF has delayed its investment decision on the construction of two third-gen-eration European Pressurised Reactors at Hinkley Point until September, amid escalating costs and � nancial problems. -REUTERS

ASIA PACIFICChina, Thailand to hold joint military exercises China and Thailand will hold joint exercises beginning this month, China’s Ministry of Defence said on Friday, in another sign of improving relations since the Thai military seized power in 2014. The May 19-June 10 exercises will involve land and sea operations, the ministry said, as well as training in humanitarian re-lief and maritime transport. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EASTIS snipers prevent civilians leaving FallujahIslamic State snipers are targeting humanitarian corridors established by Iraqi security forces to relieve su� ering in the IS-held city of Fallu-jah, a Pentagon o� cial said Friday. Baghdad-based military spokesman Colonel Steve Warren said the shoot-ers were preventing residents from escaping Fallujah, which is only about 50km west of Baghdad and is facing major shortages of basic supplies including medicine. -AFP

Sykes-Picot, the secret deal still drives Turkey foreign policyn AFP, Istanbul

Resentment over the Sykes-Picot Agreement between Britain and France that carved up the Middle East from the ruins of the Otto-man Empire remains, 100 years later, a major factor in Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s foreign policy.

The May 1916 accord, signed by two British and French diplomats as defeat began to loom in World War I for Germany and its allies, created spheres of in� uence in the Ottoman-ruled Middle East which to a large extent helped de-� ne the borders of modern states including Syria, Lebanon, Iraq and Israel.

After the founding of the Turk-ish Republic by Mustafa Kemal Ataturk in 1923, the state stepped back from Ottoman imperialism, focusing on building a strong na-tion within its own borders.

But since Erdogan’s Islam-ic-rooted Justice and Develop-ment Party (AKP) came to power in 2002, it has pursued a more am-bitious foreign policy, seeking to increase Turkish in� uence in for-merly Ottoman-controlled regions from Bosnia to Saudi Arabia.

Turkey’s leadership, accused of neo-Ottomanism by critics, has never hidden its scorn for the Sykes-Picot accord which it says created arti� cial barriers between Muslim states and deprived Tur-key of its natural in� uence in the region.

Prime Minister Ahmet Davu-toglu said the turmoil of the Arab Spring was used to thwart Turkish plans to reverse the outcome of the Sykes-Picot accord, such as by creating a free economic zone with Syria, Lebanon and Jordan.

And now Turkey’s enemies are

working to create a “new Sykes-Pi-cot” by dividing up Iraq and Syria, he said, as Kurds in particular seek their own autonomous regions.

‘Narrative of resentment’ Erdogan has repeatedly railed against Sykes-Picot as the cause of the troubles in the Middle East, saying that “every con� ict in the region... had been designed a cen-tury ago”.

He has also made a particular bete noire of T.E. Lawrence -- the British o� cer better known as Lawrence of Arabia, who fought alongside Arabs in their upris-ing against Ottoman rule during World War I -- calling him an “Eng-lish spy disguised as an Arab”.

“Sykes-Picot is in� uential as a narrative for resentment towards

‘Western abuse’ and ‘reclaiming victory stolen by past injustices’, in the rhetoric of the contempo-rary Turkish leadership,” Sezin Oney, political scientist at Bilkent University in Ankara, told AFP.

With the succession of cente-nary anniversaries for World War I, Turkish authorities have shown a conspicuous readiness to fete Ottoman victories in a war that the empire did not just lose but led to its disintegration.

In 2015, Turkey staged huge commemorations for the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Gal-lipoli, where Ottoman forces de-feated invading Allied armies.

And this year, Turkey’s leaders put huge emphasis on the rela-tively minor Ottoman victory over a British-Indian force in the 1916

siege of Kut al-Amara (Kut in mod-ern Iraq).

Stinging defeat“One hundred years after Kut al-Amara, we say that its spirit will win out whatever happens and that Sykes-Picot will sustain a stinging defeat,” said Davutoglu on the April 29 anniversary.

“With calculations that had nothing to do with reality, they separated the cities, the rivers, the valleys and above all the people” in the region, he said.

Turkey has showed the extent of its post-imperial ambition in the Syria con� ict, seeking to oust President Bashar al-Assad to have a major say in the post-war poli-tics of the country. It has also used its military inside Iraq.

Erdogan has eyed reimposing Turkey’s grip on parts of territory in northern Syria, � oating the idea of a safe zone on the other side of the border that could accommo-date some of the 2.7 million Syr-ian refugees in Turkey, or even a whole new city.

But in many ways the ambition has back� red, with Assad still in power and Turkey itself now the target of Islamist extremists oper-ating from Syria.

It remains to be seen if the shock announcement by Davuto-glu -- a former academic seen as the architect of Turkey’s foreign policy -- that he is stepping down as premier will change the coun-try’s diplomacy.

“Davutoglu’s departure brings the prospect of change in foreign policy but I see the chances as quite slim,” Turkey’s former ambassa-dor to Washington Faruk Logoglu told AFP, adding that Erdogan had rubber-stamped foreign policy de-signed by Davutoglu. l

In May 1916, the United Kingdom and France redrew the map of the MiddleEast in this secret accord following the fall of the Ottoman Empire

The Sykes-Picot Agreement

Direct French control French in�uenceDirect British control British in�uence

Current statebordersCurrent stateborders

Internationalin�uence

BaghdadBaghdad

DamasDamas 100 kmIRAQ

JORDAN SAUDI ARABIA

IRANS Y R I A

TURKEY

ISR.ISR.

LEB.LEB.

AmmanAmman

BeirutBeirut

JerusalemJerusalem

AleppoAleppoMosulMosul

Peace deal expected with armed Afghan groupn Tribune International Desk

The Afghan government is expect-ed to � nalize a peace deal with a notorious militant insurgent group within days, an o� cial and a representative of the group said on Saturday, reports Associated Press.

The deal is partially symbolic as the group in question, Hezb-i-Isla-mi, has been essentially inactive for years. However it provides a much-needed success for the be-leaguered administration of Pres-ident Ashraf Ghani and potential template for ending Kabul’s 15-year war with the still active and far more dangerous Taliban.

Under the terms of the 25-point agreement, the group would end its war against Kabul, commit to respecting the Afghan constitu-tion, and cease all contact with other armed, anti-government groups. In return its members would receive amnesty and its

prisoners in Afghan jails would be released.

Ataul Rahman Saleem, deputy head of Kabul’s High Peace Coun-cil, told The Associated Press that the deal with the armed wing of Hezb-i-Islami could be completed on Sunday, after two years of ne-gotiations. A senior representative of Hezb-i-Islami, Amin Karim, also said he expected President Ashraf Ghani to approve the � nal version of the agreement on Sunday.

Hezb-i-Islami is led by war-lord Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, best known for killing thousands of people in Kabul during the 1992-1996 civil war. He is believed to be in Pakistan, though Karim has said

he is in an unspeci� ed location in Afghanistan. He could soon return to Kabul to sign a formal peace deal and take up residence.

Hekmatyar, in his late 60s, is designated a “global terrorist” by the United States and blacklisted by the United Nations along with Osama bin Laden. The agreement obliges the Afghan government to work to have the restrictions lifted.

Hezb-i-Islami has only in-termittently been active on the battle� eld for some time; its last known major attack was in 2013, when at least 15 people, including six American soldiers, were killed in Kabul. l

Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, leader Hezb-i-Islami REUTERS

10DT


USATrump taps climate change skepticDonald Trump on Friday picked a prominent climate change skeptic to help him craft his energy policy and pushed back against renewed calls that he release his income tax returns - saying his tax rate is “none of your business.” The presumptive Republi-can presidential nominee is seeking to build out his policy proposals as he pivots from campaigning for his party’s nomination. -REUTERS

THE AMERICASVenezuela extends emergency measuresVenezuelan President Nicolas Ma-duro on Friday extended by 3 month emergency powers to shore up the country’s crippled economy, and said that he expects to continue such extensions through 2017. Speaking in a broadcast address to the nation, Maduro said that he signed a new emergency decree that will allow us during the months of May, June, July to recover the country’s produc-tive capacity. -AFP

UKBritain’s opposing camps intensify EU referendum campaignsPrime Minister David Cameron on Saturday stepped up his campaign for Britain to remain in the EU, warn-ing that exiting the bloc would cost Britain billions of pounds in invest-ment. Both Cameron and Jeremy Corbyn, leader of main opposition Labour Party, were each out on the Remain campaign trail in search of voter support, as was leading Leave campaign member Boris Johnson, an MP within the prime minister’s Conservative party and recently the London mayor. -AFP

EUROPEGermany to spend nearly €100bn on refugees by 2020The German government expects to spend €93.6bn on refugees by 2020, a report said Saturday. Citing a draft document from the Finance Ministry, Der Spiegel magazine re-ported that the sum includes hous-ing and integration costs as well as e� orts to combat the refugee crisis by tackling its root causes. -DPA

AFRICARwanda to start using drones to supply vaccinesPresident Paul Kagame said on Friday Rwanda was keen on plans to use drones to deliver blood supplies and vaccines, and was working with US-based � rm Zipline to launch the service by August. The drones will deliver blood and vaccines to half the transfusion centres in the country of 11 million people, making deliveries 20 times faster than by land. -REUTERS

INSIGHT

GOP chairman: Trump understands need for unityn Tribune International Desk

The chairman of the Republican Party says pre-sumptive nominee Donald Trump has been trying hard

lately to act more presidential and should keep meeting individually with Republican leaders to win the party’s trust, reports Associated Press.

In a brief interview, Reince Priebus also expressed uncertain-ty about whether Trump needs to heal his frosty relationship with House Speaker Paul Ryan before the GOP launches fall campaigns to capture the White House and defend its control of Congress. Ryan, the top Republican in Con-gress, has declined to endorse Trump, though the two men met privately Thursday in a session both said was positive.

“I’m not sure,” Priebus of the need for a Trump-Ryan embrace. But he added, “I do think that Donald Trump understands, and I certainly understand and believe, that the more unity we have, the better o� we’re going to be.”

The extraordinary chasm be-

tween the country’s two leading Republicans re� ects ideological di� erences over spending, im-migration and other issues. In addition, swing district GOP law-makers worry that Trump’s hard-line statements on Hispanics and comments about women’s appear-ances will imperil their re-election prospects.

Priebus, who attended Thurs-day’s meeting between Trump and Ryan, said the session “was more Midwest than New York” and said he believes Ryan will end up chair-ing the party’s July national con-vention in Cleveland. Trump had threatened to keep Ryan from that largely ceremonial role but has since backtracked.

Priebus repeatedly referred to the problems political profession-als have had assessing Trump’s candidacy, saying people have been “completely wrong about Donald Trump and the playbook.”

Trump seems all but certain to formally become the GOP nom-inee at the party’s convention, despite his insulting entire vot-ing blocs and personal invectives against many of his rivals.

“He’s been trying very hard to be presidential and gracious and I

think he’s actually done a nice job of that lately,” Priebus said of Trump, “And I expect him to con-tinue working at it and getting the job done.”

To win over Republicans who continue resisting his candidacy, Trump should continue visiting party leaders, Priebus said. Trump also met Thursday with other House GOP leaders and with top Senate Republicans.

“Obviously he’s a salesman. So he’s naturally talented, and I think the more he does that individually here with leaders of our party, the better o� I think he’s going to be,” Priebus said.

Sidestepping a fresh dispute, Priebus said it is up to Trump and the public whether the billionaire

should release his tax returns. Trump refused Friday to reveal even the tax rate he pays, saying he would not do so until the IRS � nishes auditing his returns.

Priebus also said he didn’t know what to make of a report in The Washington Post that Trump posed as his own spokesman more than two decades ago in phone conversations with reporters in which he provided details about the New York businessman’s per-sonal relationships.

The Post posted online a re-cording of one such phone call from 1991. On NBC’s “Today” show Friday, Trump denied the voice was his.

“I don’t know if it’s true or not, so I don’t know what to tell you,” Priebus said.

Asked about Trump’s depar-ture from GOP orthodoxy on some issues - such as his opposition to trade treaties and to culling sav-ings from big bene� t programs like Medicare - Priebus downplayed the di� erences. Conservatives have been threatening to battle Trump over the GOP platform at the Cleveland convention if he tries altering crucial party princi-ples. l

Brexit: The arguments for and against The key arguments for and against staying in the EU - in a nutshell.

IMMIGRATIONLeave:Britain can never control immigration un-til it leaves the European Union, because freedom of movement gives other EU citizens an automatic right to live here.Stay:Leaving will not solve the migration crisis but bring it to Britain’s doorstep because border controls from the Continent will move from Calais in France to Dover in UK.

CRIMELeave:The European Arrest Warrant allows Brit-ish citizens to be sent abroad and charged for crimes in foreign courts, often for mi-nor o� ences. Exit would stop this.Stay:Rapists, murders and other serious crim-inals who convict o� ences in Britain can only be returned once � eeing abroad thanks to the European Arrest Warrant. Exit would stop justice being done.

TRADELeave:Britain’s links with the EU are holding

back its focus on emerging markets – there is no major trade deal with China or India, for example. Leaving would allow the UK to diversify its international links.Stay:44% of Britain’s exports go to other EU countries. Putting up barriers with the countries that Britain trades with most would be counterproductive.

LAWLeave:Too many of Britain’s laws are made overseas by dictates passed down from Brussels and rulings upheld by the European Court of Justice. UK courts must become sovereign again.Stay:The exit campaign has over-exaggerat-ed how many laws are determined by the European Commission. It is better to shape EU-wide laws from the inside rather than walking away.

JOBSLeave:The danger to jobs has been over-ex-aggerated. By incentivising investment through low corporation tax and other perks Britain can � ourish like the Scan-dinavian countries outside the EU.Stay:Around three million jobs are linked to

the EU and will be plunged into uncer-tainty if voters plump for exit, as busi-nesses would be less likely to invest if the country was outside Europe.

CLOUTLeave:Britain does not need the EU to pros-per internationally. By re-engaging with the Commonwealth the UK can have just as much clout as it does from inside the EU.Stay:Britain will be “drifting o� into the mid-Atlantic” if it leaves the EU, as Nick Clegg likes to say. In a globalising world the UK’s interests are best protected by remaining part of the EU block, with American and Chinese leaders indicat-ing as much.

FINANCELeave:Talk of capital � ight is nonsense. Lon-don will remain a leading � nancial cen-tre outside the EU and banks will still want to be headquartered in Britain due to low tax rates.Stay:Banks will � ee the UK and the City of London collapse if Britain votes for exit, because the trading advantag-es of being inside the EU help boost

banks’ pro� ts.

SOVEREIGNTYLeave:The British Parliament is no longer sov-ereign. With the EU hell-bent on “ever closer union” and further economic in-tegration likely after the euro crisis, it is best to call it quits before ties deepen.Stay:In a globalised world, every country must work closer with others if the want to � ourish economically. A Little Englander desire for isolation will undermine the UK.

DEFENCELeave:Britain could soon be asked to con-tribute to a EU Army, with reports suggesting Angela Merkel may de-mand the Prime Minister’s approval in return for other concessions. That would erode the UK’s independent military force and should be opposed.Stay:European countries together are fac-ing the threats from IS and a resurgent Russia. Working together to combat these challenges is best – an e� ort that would be undermined if Britain turns its back on the EU. l

Source: TELEGRAPH

Donald Trump REUTERS

11D

T


US to renew most Myanmar sanctions with some changesn Reuters, Washington DC

The United States plans to renew the bulk of its sanctions against Myanmar when they ex-pire next week, but will make some changes aimed at boosting investment and trade, ac-cording to several senior US o� cials and con-gressional aides.

An announcement on extending much of the International Emergency Economic Pow-ers Act, or IEEPA, could come as soon as Tues-day ahead of a visit to the Southeast Asian na-tion by Secretary of State John Kerry on May 22, o� cials said.

The US Treasury Department has signi� -cantly eased sanctions against Myanmar by issuing general licenses that give companies and investors exemptions to sanctions tar-geting more than 100 individuals and busi-nesses, including some of Myanmar’s biggest business players.

US o� cials began lifting trade and � nan-cial sanctions against the country after mil-itary leaders launched reforms that led to a civilian government being formed in 2011, beginning its transformation from a half-cen-tury as an international pariah.

In December, Treasury temporarily relaxed trade restrictions on the country also known as Burma by allowing all shipments to go through its ports and airports for six months.

This time, Washington will likely o� er more general licenses to speci� c companies, and take some people o� Treasury’s list of “Special-ly Designated Individuals” targeted for sanc-tions, congressional aides and US o� cials said.

Kerry’s visit to Myanmar is his � rst since the party of Aung San Suu Kyi, the country’s Nobel laureate, swept to power following a landslide election win in November. A consti-tution drafted by the country’s former mili-tary rulers bars her from becoming president.

President Barack Obama’s opening to My-anmar followed by its peaceful transition to an elected government is seen as one of his foreign policy achievements. He has visit-ed there twice. But the administration also wants to maintain leverage on the country to guard against backsliding on reforms and to press for improvement on human rights.

By renewing the legal framework for sanc-tions even as it eases some measures, Obama will o� er the private sector more breathing room while maintaining pressure on its military, which still holds signi� cant political power. The sanctions had been due to expire on May 20.

Washington has deep concerns about hu-man rights conditions in predominantly Bud-dhist Myanmar, especially violence against

ethnic and religious minorities including Ro-hingya Muslims.

Road to democracyMembers of the US Congress, from both

parties, are watching closely and could move to clamp down on Myanmar themselves if they think Obama is moving too quickly.

Last month, Senators Cory Gardner and Ben Cardin, the Republican and Democratic leaders of the Foreign Relations Asia subcom-mittee, wrote to Kerry and Treasury Secretary Jack Lew expressing concern about rights, and asking the administration to work with Congress to ensure those concerns were ad-dressed.

“Like you, we want to ensure that the U.S. is Burma’s strongest supporter on its road to democracy,” the senators said in the letter, seen by Reuters.

US o� cials, speaking on condition of ano-nymity, said Aung San Suu Kyi supported the extension of US sanctions with some chang-es. Discussions with her have focused on how to properly target trade restrictions so they do not hurt Myanmar’s overall economy, but keep pressure on military-owned institu-tions, they said.

“We are looking to take steps to demon-strate our support for the new democratical-ly elected government of Burma ...and that we’re taking the necessary steps to ensure that they succeed, that they can carry on eco-nomic developments and reforms,” a senior administration o� cial said.

“At the same time we want to do that in a smart, measured way that gives us a range of options and � exibility to respond appropri-ately going forward,” the o� cial added.

The United States is eager to expand rela-tions with Myanmar to help counteract Chi-na’s rise in Asia and take advantage of the opening of one of the world’s last “frontier markets,” growing but less developed emerg-ing economies.

Peter Kucik, a former senior sanctions ad-viser at the US Treasury, said despite an eas-ing of some banking sanctions by the United States since 2012, transactions with Myanmar were still di� cult.

“I suspect the changes that get announced all drive at the same end goal: which is to pro-mote and make easier the trade and business relationships between the two countries and encourage continued reform while minding concerns,” said Kucik.

“The details will really indicate where the principal areas of remaining concern are but broadly speaking they are going to be aligned with what we’ve seen so far,” he said. l

Aung San Suu Kyi with Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai, was said by the US to support modi� ed sanctions AP

12DT Business


Capital market snapshot: Past WeekDSE

Broad Index 4,298.7 -0.2% ▼

Index 1,056.1 -0.1% ▼

30 Index 1,667.2 0.1% ▲

Turnover in Mn Tk 19,551.6 12.0% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol 461.9 2.8% ▲

CSEAll Share Index 13,232.5 -0.1% ▼

30 Index 12,298.4 -0.1% ▼

Selected Index 8,043.6 -0.2% ▼

Turnover in Mn Tk 1,078.2 10.2% ▲

Turnover in Mn Vol 37.8 -9.3% ▼

G7 to take steps on global steel glut The Group of Seven nations will take steps to tackle a global glut in steel that many blame on over-capacity at Chinese producers of the material used in construction and cars, according to a draft text obtained by Reuters. PAGE 15

Tender evaluation of block 4 completed Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority – owner of the Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park – has completed tender evaluation process of its Block 4 for awarding the bid to a certain company. PAGE 13

Same old problems for G7 � nance ministers Finance ministers from the world’s largest developed economies met in Germany a year ago against a backdrop of faltering global growth, scant in� ationary pressures and the latest chapter in the Greek debt crisis. PAGE 14

TOP STORIES

‘Budget to be investment-friendly’n Syed Samiul Basher Anik

The upcoming budget will feature speci� c policy measures to ensure a business, investment and tax-payers friendly atmosphere, said NBR chairman.

Nojibur Rahman said while the budget will provide incentives for honest business, it will appear dreadful for dishonest ones.

At a pre-budget meeting with the Association of Television Channel Owners (Atco) yesterday, he said the abuse of bonded ware-house facility will be prevented in the FY2016-17 budget.

The television channel owners demanded same bene� ts as the newspaper industry enjoys.

Atco President Mosaddek Ali Falu said the local TV stations have to pay 15% value-added tax

on advertisements before they are broadcast.

“The TV channels have to pay VAT before broadcasting ads, al-though the newspapers can pay it after publishing. This is discrimi-natory.”

Mosaddek Ali, also managing director of NTV, urged the govern-ment to remove the discrimina-tion and provide similar bene� ts of newspaper industry.

He demanded the government allocate funds to broadcast gov-ernment advertisements.

Shykh Seraj, secretary general of Atco, expressed concerns that a shift of ad revenue is going on from local to foreign channels as the for-eign channels are airing massive programmes here in Bangladesh.

“Foreign TV stations are very popular here, and they are airing

a lot of advertisements. But the government is not getting any revenue from this as foreign chan-nels are not required to pay tax to Bangladesh,” he said.

“But it’s fostering an uneven competition between local and foreign channels. The government

should pay attention to it.”NBR chairman said the author-

ities will discuss the matters with di� erent ministries and try to settle them. Bangla Vision Chairman Ab-dul Haque, Asian Television Chair-man Harun-ur-Rashid and NBR members were also present. l

Gas crisis hits garment industry n Ibrahim Hossain Ovi

Nearly 200 readymade garment manufacturers in Bangladesh are facing severe shortage of gas and power supplies, leading to mas-sive disruptions in production, the owners’ association claimed.

“As it has become di� cult to get new gas and power connec-tions, many RMG manufactur-ers in the country have resorted to diesel-run power generators, while power cuts have just added to our woes,” said Siddiqur Rah-man, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Ex-porters Association.

At a press conference yester-day, he said currently a total of 197 RMG units are facing trouble.

“Of them, sixty units have sought a transfer of their exist-ing connections, 73 applied for increasing gas pressure while 64 applied for new connections, but to no avail,” Siddiqur said in reply to a question.

Talking on the electricity sta-tus, he said though the country has installed capacity to generate 14,000 megawatts of electrici-ty, but the current generation is 8,000MW.

Factories located in Ashu-lia, Savar, Gazipur, Rupganj and Narayanganj are su� ering at least four hours of power cut daily, BG-MEA president said.

Seeking policy support from the government, the apex trade body of the country’s clothing industry also focused on employ-ment generation to attain the $50bn export target by 2021.

Every year, about 20 lakh peo-

ple are entering the job markets and RMG sector is providing jobs for those young entrants. That is why the government should focus on the sector through policy sup-port in the next budget to enhance capacity of the sector, said the BG-MEA president.

According to the BGMEA data, RMG sector registered a 10% growth in � rst 10 months of the current � scal year while it needs about 12% growth to achieve the $50 billion export target by 2021.

But in the last 22 months, the sector witnessed only 6.81% growth, which is 5.19% less than the estimated target.

To overcome the situation and

meet the desired growth, the sec-tor has to double its growth.

“So, we need support from the government.”

BGMEA has demanded re-intro-duction of reduced tax rate bene-� t for the next � ve years starting from the next � scal year 2016-17.

The apparel makers enjoyed the reduced tax rate bene� t since 2005, but it was cancelled in 2014-15.

“Now, we are paying corporate tax at the regular 35% rate from the Fiscal Year 2014-15.”

BMGEA president also urged the government to allow duty-free import of safety equipment and energy-e� cient machinery to make the apparel industry safe,

compliant and environment friendly.

While talking on the present status of apparel sector, the BG-MEA boss said a total of 618 RMG units have been closed while an-other 319 are about to be shut.

But the only hope is that the sector has already 28 certi� ed green factories while 118 have been registered for the purpose.

BGMEA senior vice-president Faruque Hassan, vice-president Mahmud Hassan Khan Babu, Mo-hammed Nair, SM Mannan Kochi Ferdous Perves Bivon, Director Md Ashikur Rahman Tuhin, Miran Ali and ANM Saifuddin were pres-ent at the media brie� ng. l

Many RMG manufacturers in the country have resorted to diesel-run power generators DHAKA TRIBUNE

Business 13D


Traders to protest 15% VAT rate by closing shopsn Tribune Business Desk

Owners on May 25 will keep shops closed for an hour to press home demand of continuation of pack-age VAT system and amendments to the new law.

Dhaka South Business Forum announced the programme at a press conference yesterday.

The traders will form human chains in Dhaka closing their shops from 12:00 noon to 1:00pm on the day if their demands are not met.

They also demanded for multi-ple VAT rates as the new law pro-poses 15% � at VAT rate.

The government is planning to implement new VAT law from July, 2016, with no provisions for pack-age VAT or truncated value-based VAT system. With the introduction of the new law, all level of business has to pay a unique and a single VAT rate at 15%.

During his speech, General Sec-retary of the forum Abu Motaleb

said: “Imposition of the 15% VAT with new law has created worries among the traders, particularly the small-medium enterprises and the retail shops.”

“Once implemented, it will hike the price of the products by 10% to 12% immediately, which will create a setback for the small traders,” he said.

Seeking Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s attention on the mat-ter, the traders have placed a four-point demand from the pro-gramme including continuation of package VAT-based on turnover for the small traders and shopkeep-ers, imposing 3% turnover VAT on traders having turnover ranging from Tk36 lakh to Tk1.5 crore for small and cottage industries, im-posing 4% � at VAT on supply price of those small and medium traders who cannot claim tax credit bene-� ts and to impose 2% turnover VAT for traders who sells price on � xed price. l

HI-TECH PARK

Tender evaluation of block 4 completed n Ishtiaq Husain

Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authori-ty – owner of the Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park – has completed tender evalua-tion process of its Block 4 for award-ing the bid to a certain company.

A source close to the Hi-Tech Park Authority told the Dhaka Trib-une that tender evaluation com-mittee has completed the evalua-tion process last month.

Now they will hold a meeting at the end of this month to � nalise the bid winner.

“The Hi-Tech Park Authority al-ready completed tender evaluation process. Now we will sit together to announce our � nal bid winner. The decision will be sent to the Prime Minister’s O� ce for � nal approv-al,” said Hosne Ara Begum, manag-ing director of Bangladesh Hi-Tech Park Authority.

Developers will have to set up water treatment plant, substation for electricity and develop industrial area for the block with

36 acres of land. Summit Technopolis and Bangla-

desh TechnoSity Limited submitted tender documents to get the work order in October last year to devel-op block 4 of Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park.

Expressing disappointment, an o� cial of a participant company said the park authority took a long time to announce the bid winner though only two companies took part in the tender process.

Sources said a meeting was held

in January with Abul Kalam Azad, principal secretary to the PMO, in the chair to review the overall pro-gress of Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park and Jessore Software Park.

At the meeting, Abul Kalam Azad ordered all o� cials concerned to speed up the entire process for greater interest of the country.

“It is a priority project of the pres-ent government. Considering it, the park authority should expedite the total process so that construction

and development works of the Hi-Tech Park can be completed quick-ly,” another o� cial of a participant company said, asking not be named.

They took too much time though only two companies partic-ipated in the tender, he added.

Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park, the � rst ever in the country is located at Kaliakoirupazilla in Gazipur. It is only 40km north o� Dhaka city with 232 acres of area.

Kaliakoir Hi-Tech Park has a

total of � ve blocks, out of them, three have already been allocated to Summit Technopolis and Tech-noSity Limited.

TechnoSity will develop 40 acres of land under Block 3 on a design, build, � nance, own, operate (DB-FOOT) basis according to an agree-ment signed on August 11, 2015.

Initially, TechnoSity will invest $25 million for construction, and if necessary, the investment might also be increased 10 to 12 times.

Summit Technopolis will de-velop Block 2 and 5 of the project under Public Private Partnership (PPP) within the next 40 years at a cost of $207 million.

On June 28, the government signed an agreement with Summit Technopolis to develop block No 2 and 5, which spread over 65 acres and 29 acres of land respectively.

The Hi-Tech Park will be equipped with uninterrupted gas, electricity connection, high-speed internet connection.

The Hi-Tech Park Authority of-fers 10 years tax holiday, exemp-tion of income tax for expatriate professionals, 10 years accelerated depreciation permissible, exemp-tion from import duties, 100% ex-emption of taxes for all exports, 100% equity is allowed for FDI companies, custom bonded area and single window agency.

As many as 70,000 employ-ments will be created by the Hi-Tech Park Authority. l

India announces new trademark, patent policy amid global pressure n Reuters, New Delhi

India announced a new intellectual property policy on Friday, speed-ing up the online registration of patents and trademarks, but resist-ed pressure from the United States and other Western countries to amend its patent laws.

The policy will make the Depart-ment of Industrial Promotion and Policy the agency in charge of reg-ulating intellectual property rights in the country.

Since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took o� ce in 2014, global drug brands led by US companies have been pushing for changes to India’s intellectual property rules.

India’s strained patent and in-tellectual property administration has failed to keep pace with grow-ing technological advances. Global pharmaceuticals players have often complained about India’s price con-trols and marketing restrictions.

“We hope it will lead to an inter-

pretation of the Indian Patent Act that respects innovation, encourag-es research and facilitates e� ective enforcement mechanisms,” said Ranjana Smetacek, Director Gener-al, Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India, a body of multi-national drugmakers in India.

Nirmala Sitharaman, com-merce and industry minister, told lawmakers last month that over 237,000 applications were pending in India’s four patent o� ces.

The policy aims to spread awareness among public about trademarks, copyrights and pat-ents to promote innovation within the country, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told reporters.

The new policy will try to safe-guard the interests of rights own-ers with the wider public interest, while combating infringements of intellectual property rights.

Jaitley said India would retain the right to issue so-called com-pulsory licenses to its drug � rms,

under “emergency” conditions, and would not immediately need to change patent laws that were al-ready fully World Trade Organiza-tion-compliant.

“Compulsory licences are al-ready provided in our patent law. That existing provision will con-tinue,” Jaitley said after the cabinet approved national IPR policy on Thursday evening.

Last month, the U.S. Trade Rep-resentative kept India, China and Russia on its “Priority Watch List” for inadequate improvement in IPR protection.

India, however, says, it is party to the Trade-Related Aspects of In-tellectual Property Rights (TRIPS), a WTO agreement that sets min-imum standards for intellectual property regulation.

“It (IPR policy) reiterates India’s commitment to the Doha Develop-ment Agenda and the TRIPS agree-ment,” a government statement said. l

‘We will sit together to announce our � nal bid winner. The decision will be sent to PM o� ce for � nal approval’

Business14DT


International Business Forum of Bangladesh has recently organised its annual general meeting for the year 2015, said a press release. US Ambassador to Bangladesh, Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat was present at the meeting along with other industrialists

Bangladesh Bank has recently awarded Prime Bank Limited an appreciation letter for achieving disbursement target of Agricultural and Rural Credit in � scal year 2014-15, said a press release. Managing director and CEO of Prime Bank Limited, Ahmed Kamal Khan Chowdhury received the letter from deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, Shitangshu Kumar Sur Chowdhury

National Bank Limited has recently held an annual business review meeting with its managers, said a press release. The bank’s deputy managing director, ASM Bulbul was present at the meeting along with other high o� cials of the bank

CORPORATE NEWSSame old problems for G7 � nance ministers

n Reuters, Dublin

Finance ministers from the world’s largest developed economies met in Germany a year ago against a backdrop of faltering global growth, scant in� ationary pres-sures and the latest chapter in the Greek debt crisis.

When they and their G7 central bank colleagues convene again in Japan next Friday the � rst two items remain just as problematic and potentially even trickier than a year ago. Only unusually smooth talks between Athens and its lend-ers may keep Greece o� the agenda this time around.

The hosts’ monetary and � scal policy trajectory appears obvious: the Bank of Japan is coming under increasing pressure to counter a damaging rise in the value of the yen that could derail a fragile re-covery for the world’s third-largest economy.

Talk of more action gathered pace after an academic seen to be close to Governor Haruhiko Kuro-

da said the BOJ is likely to expand monetary stimulus either in June or July. The government has also said Tokyo is ready to intervene in currency markets.

Whether explicitly on the agen-da or not, such interventions are certain to be brought up by coun-terparts from France, Italy, Germa-ny, Britain, Canada and the United States either side of a planned � eld trip to see how the northeastern Japanese city of Sendai has recov-ered from the devastating 2011 earthquake.

First-quarter economic growth data on Wednesday should also add to the backdrop with quarterly gross domestic product (GDP) fore-cast to have expanded by just 0.1%, according to a Reuters poll.

“The Bank of Japan has been heavily criticized for its decision not to take further economic stim-ulus measures at its meeting in April,” said Commerzbank econo-mist Bernd Weidensteiner.

“Because of its refusal to bow to the market expectations of

‘more and more’, the central bank currently faces a tough task to convince the markets of its policy actions.”

Fed puzzle Things are not so straightforward for the US Federal Reserve, which is caught in a bind over when to push interest rates higher amid concerns about the health of the la-bor market at home and fears about the knock-on e� ects its actions will have abroad.

There was fresh hesitation among economists ahead of the re-lease next week of the minutes from the April 26/27 Fed meeting when the central bank’s rate-setting com-mittee acknowledged that econom-ic growth seemed to have slowed.

The Fed will likely wait until September before raising rates again, a Reuters poll found this week, stretching to nine months the time since its � rst hike in nearly a decade as it waits for clear signs in� ation is picking up.

April’s U S in� ation � gures arrive on Tuesday, a day before the euro zone give an update on its battle to register any kind of price growth and the same day Britain releases its consumer price data for last month.

British price growth is expect-ed to have slowed after a pick up in March while jobless numbers on Wednesday may also show a dip in hiring in the � rst quarter as employers turn cautious ahead of June’s Brexit vote. Retail sales are due on Thursday.

Latest polling on the EU mem-bership referendum will be just as closely watched to see if the Bank of England’s warning that a Brexit would slow the economy sharply, and could even push it into reces-sion, has had any impact on voters. l

Participants of the G7 � nance ministers and central bankers meeting prepare for a family picture in Palace Chapel in Dresden, Germany REUTERS

With world watching, China steel mills take their chancesn Reuters

When falling commodity prices and listless demand forced China’s Shanxi Zhongsheng Steel Co Ltd to close in October, it was sitting on roughly enough unsold steel to lay high-speed train tracks from San Francisco to the Mexican border.

A sudden turnaround in Chinese steel prices o� the back of govern-ment economic stimulus e� orts changed everything. Belying a global steel slump, the � rm came back to life, sold its 100,000 tonnes of inventory and now churns out about 4,000 tonnes of product each day, including rebar and wire rod.

Chinese mills like Shanxi Zhong-

sheng – dubbed “zombies” because they had idled production when prices slumped in recent years – are coming alive just when other coun-tries are seeking restraint in the Chinese output many blame for a global glut of the metal.

China supplies half the world’s steel and despite global oversup-ply, produced a record amount of the metal in March.

Although China has clearly stated its intention to cut produc-tion capacity, the equation in steel towns of Shanxi and elsewhere is not so straight forward, showing how di� cult it can be for Beijing to tame an industry that has played an integral part in the country’s

economic rise.Many mills like Shanxi Zhong-

sheng re-open as soon as the price is right, under pressure from local authorities conscious that these � rms are often the main employer and tax payer in the community. Many other mills cling to life even in a downturn thanks to the sup-port of local governments terri� ed at the prospect of mass layo� s and being landed with steel � rms’ debts.

Restarting steel mills can also have other knock-on e� ects for lo-cal business, adding to demand for coke and in turn demand for coal.

“Everyone’s kids will grow up, and in China we like to say they’re

going to all need to buy a home and a car,” said Chen Xuewu, who oversess production at Shanxi Zhongsheng. “That’s a guarantee of their basic needs, and it’s also a guarantee that there will be steel demand.”

The revival of many idled Chi-na steel mills is depressing news for rivals from Britain to the Unit-ed States, which are trying to cope with a surplus of global steel. They already blame cheap and plentiful Chinese exports for killing home-grown steel producers and have threatened trade action.

India’s Tata Steel said in March it was pulling out of Britain.

In Shanxi alone, at least 23 mills

closed or slashed production in the past year or so, � gures from on-line information portal steelcn.cn show. Several are now returning to production.

Even with all the closures, Shanxi produced 38.5 million tonnes of steel last year, more than three times Britain’s output - and it was China’s � fth-biggest steel producing region. China’s total production of 804 million tonnes dwarfed that of any other country.

Indeed, Macquarie Research said in an April report that senti-ment among Chinese steel mills is more bullish than it’s been in years – a view re� ected by Chen.l

Business 15D


G7 to take steps on global steel glut n Reuters, Tokyo

The Group of Seven nations will take steps to tackle a global glut in steel that many blame on overcapacity at Chinese producers of the ma-terial used in construction and cars, according to a draft text obtained by Reuters.

If adopted at the G7 summit in Japan later this month, it will likely add to pressure on Ch ina, which accounts for about half of global steel output, to take steps after production hit a record high earlier this year. Steel mills from Australia to the UK are under threat of closure because of the glut.

“We recognise the negative impact of global excess capacity across industrial sectors, espe-cially steel, on our economies, trade and work-ers,” the draft text says.

“We are committed to moving quickly in taking steps to address this issue by enhancing market function, including through coordinat-ed actions that identify and seek to eliminate such subsidies and support, and by encourag-ing adjustment.”

G7 leaders will meet on May 26-27 in Ise-Shi-ma near Nagoya, a major car production and steel manufacturing centre.

China’s steel output hit a record in March as rising prices and better margins prompted mills that had been shut or suspended to re-sume production.

Chinese prices have since plummeted, with Chinese steel futures posting their biggest weekly fall since 2009 on Friday.

Last month, China and other major steel producers failed to agree on measures to tack-le the overcapacity crisis, prompting the Unit-ed States, European Union and others to call for urgent action.

China plans to shed as much as 150 million tonnes of domestic crude steel capacity in the next � ve years in a bid to help tackle the ca-pacity overhangs that have saddled domestic � rms with losses and debts.

France and Germany urged fellow EU mem-bers on Friday to tighten trade defences to protect the bloc’s companies against � oods of cheap imports, including steel products from China.

Cheap Chinese steel exports have been cit-ed as one reason for Tata Steel’s decision to sell its British steel operations. Australian steel and mining company Arrium has gone into ad-ministration, while in Germany steelworkers have taken to the streets because of the threat of job cuts.

Chinese o� cials have said that they are al-ready taking su� cient steps to curb capacity, while state news said blaming China for the global steel crisis is an excuse for protection-ism that would be counter-productive.

Some European countries are opposed to the wording of the G7 draft text because of fears about retaliation from China, according to a source.

China is not the only concern, with Japan threatening to take action against India at the World Trade Organisation after it set minimum prices for imported steel. Japan and South Ko-rea have also been criticised for exporting steel products cheaper than those sold domestically.

“In particular, we are concerned about sub-sidies and other support by governments and government-supported institutions that dis-tort the market and contribute to global excess capacity, including such supports granted to overseas expansion of the capacity,” the G7 text says. l

n SK Farhan Rahman

There are only so many things in life as amazing as the � ghting entrepreneurial spirit,

but that doesn’t mean it’s an easy road. One of the most unsung roles in an entrepreneurial business is not the founder or the owner; it is the role of that person’s signi� cant other.

“Your environment has a huge impact on your success, and your spouse is a major part of that environment. He or she has to put up with the late nights, the crazy ideas, and the erratic life that an entrepreneur generally leads” says Si� at Sarwar, the founder of ShopUp.

After graduating from the Institute of Business Administration, University of Dhaka in 2012, she sought jobs in the corporate sector just for the exposure and the experience. Her decision to work in the corporate sector proved to be invaluable, as the networks she made would eventually fuel ShopUp’s business, the startup she founded three years after graduating. As a married entrepreneur, the downside of managing a startup is juggling many things at once. On any given day, Si� at Sarwar usually has to work till 10pm, which as you might have guessed, is doubly stressing if you are a married woman. An expert on the hectic life of an entrepreneur, Si� at Sarwar talks about her daily schedule, how she copes with the di� culties of being a married entrepreneur, and how she balances the � ne line between her business and her family.

“It’s all about control. You need to � gure out when you need to work, and when you need to be home with your family. It would be foolish to work past midnight, for anyone, and not just a married entrepreneur,” she continues.

Being an entrepreneur means constant attention to the business. The growth stage is crucial; it is the stage that demands most of the attention. Being married, and being an entrepreneur, the key is to not go overboard. You must keep a check on things, and must � nd a way to balance both. Here’s how Si� at Sarwar does it.

Remembering to stopThe biggest di� culty Si� at Sarwar faces is remembering when to stop. Like most startups, her work is never ending as well. Sure, if she allowed herself to, she could easily work well into the night for countless hours with no breaks in between. That is not healthy for herself, or her family, and she constantly has to remind herself of that very fact. The world won’t end if she postpones a task to the next day, but that is especially hard for entrepreneurs with an iron clad determination to � nish the task at hand. She tries her best to balance everything, and is getting the hang of it now with repetitive practice.

DeterminationLike most, Si� at faced countless questions and confusion about her decisions, mostly from her family, her parents to be exact.

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SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016Career

The wife

The balancing act

She had a glorious career ahead in banking while she was working at Standard Chartered Bank, and her family had enormous di� culty accepting her decision to move on, and start something of her own. Confusion and second thoughts amidst a life changing decision is enough to derail people from their anticipated track, and had she not been so determined, ShopUp may have never existed. She emphasises that, without the constant and unending support of her beloved husband, she wouldn’t have made it so far.

Elements that make it easier Everyone needs a break; waking up every day to the face of adversity is enough to drive anyone crazy. Si� at Sarwar considers herself to be extremely lucky in this as spousal support and access to the latest technology have made her life a lot easier.

Spousal supportFor Si� at Sarwar, it was the support of her husband that made all the di� erence. Her husband is an entrepreneur as well, and logs in similar working hours, if not more. Her husband is also a� liated with ShopUp, so that makes things much more bearable. But, he has his own business to look after as well, and both of them eventually have to sacri� ce a lot. Si� at has to work on Fridays, whereas her husband

works on Saturdays, both of them basically not being able to enjoy the weekend as a family. He is as supportive of her as she is of him, and eventually everything just seems to fall into place. Think of your better half as your shoulder to lean on, whatever may be the case, you have at least one person who always has your back, and that makes all the di� erence in the world.

TechnologyTechnology makes it a lot easier, she says. The only challenge she faces with technology is keeping up with the constant changes, and selecting the most e� ective technology at her disposal. Social media, for instance, is necessary for any startup to compete in by utilising the marketing strategies unique to each business. While managing social media may take a lot of her time, she focuses on the absolute priorities and uses scheduling tools to properly keep track of everything easily, e� ciently, and e� ectively.

Family vs business This, Si� at Sarwar agrees is the hardest of all decisions. Many a times have occasions presented themselves where she had to choose between the two. She stresses that her business would always be the number one priority, her arguments on the subject being hard to refute. Since her husband is a part of her business

as well, she just has to choose between her parents and ShopUp. She believes that her family would be disappointed, and upset with her, but nothing more than that. ShopUp on the other hand, has employees that count on her, and investors who expect quick returns. There are signed contracts in both cases, something she cannot overlook. She feels the weight of her responsibilities, and as such, keeps on working vigilantly, all the time praying that her family appreciates how di� cult her decisions truly are. l

Content was reprinted from www.startup-bd.com

“It’s all about control. You need to � gure out when you need to work, and when you need to be home with your family. It would be foolish to work past midnight, for anyone, and not just a married entrepreneur,”

Yes, you can have it all. The secrets to a healthy work-life balance.

and regular fun loving kids. He felt that it was a barrier to his success. But today he tells people, “Hussain taught me that nerds can build companies, in fact great companies.”

A few years down the roadNext, we spoke about his future plan for Dhaka Rides. co-founders Fahad and Wasif both have long-term ambitions for their start-up. Fahad shared with us in the interview how he dreams of creating an online platform that will connect people to a sustained network of carpooling. Dhaka Rides currently has a full-� edged website and Facebook page. The website was inspired by chaldal.com, an online grocery store based in Dhaka.

With big plans ahead, both the founders are working with small numbers that matter more. For example, the initial feedback from 129 people was positive in a sense that something e� ective is being done regarding tra� c issues of the city.

Acceptance and supportNo matter how hard one’s life gets, family is the last resort of peace and self-discovery. In case of Ahmed Fahad, his parents, although disappointed about his absence in homely a� airs, became supportive as his actions got justi� ed. At this point in the interview, we talked about emotional elements that string throughout his life, school and business.

Throughout his journey till today, Fahad being such a young entrepreneur has encountered unique situations that led to his

understanding of doing something that matters, more importantly to others. As advice to everyone he said, “I think it’s important to be true to yourself.”

Pros and cons in a life of such balance“As for cons, being a high school-er and trying to set up a business de� nitely divides your day into a 50-50 priority of studying and working,” says Fahad. This is a drawback, but certainly a necessity for student entrepreneurs; after all life is about priorities. Moreover, people in a country like Bangladesh � nd it hard to take young entrepreneurs seriously, at least at � rst.

However, the pros of having such a lifestyle have led Fahad to reignite his passion continually. For example, he realised what seemed to be a disadvantage at � rst turned into an advantage later; people looked at him di� erently, with awe and inspiration. He added, “Even if you are young, you need to be professional; show

people that you matter”Like Ahmed Fahad there are

dreamers out there, who are brave enough to act young, build young and achieve the unthinkable. Conversely, our societal notion towards entrepreneurship is yet in a primal state. Hence, we end with a few words from the business prodigy himself: “Don’t take yourself for granted and keep trying new things.” l

Content was reprinted from www.startup-bd.com

n Rafi d Imran Shuddho

Ahmed Fahad is a high school senior who resides in Dhaka. His dreams are big and his

actions bigger. In an interview Fahad tells us the story of his short entrepreneurial journey with great impact on his personal-life, family, friends and the startup scene of Bangladesh. Fahad’s self-employing a� atus started young; according to him – working for a company or under another person was never a choice. Hence, from that very muse of self building, he co-founded a Carpooling service called Dhaka Rides,in September 2015. Let’s � nd out how.

A few years up the roadWhile he was in the 8th grade, Fahad started working in a web development company called Hackhouse, based in Dhaka. During his working period there, a project called Jaben was landed by Hackhouse founder and CEO Fahim Saleh. Jaben was a project that serviced in facilitating regular CNG Auto passengers to book their rides and simplify the process. The project failed to reach its potential due to the complexity in managing unwilling CNG drivers. However, this gave Fahad a lot of insight and an inspiration to create something

that solved practical problems. Both Fahad and his co-founder Wasif worked at Hackhouse while they developed the idea of Carpooling in Dhaka. With the trial-and-error trait of Wasif and the geeky intellect of Fahad, they have successfully established the � rst platform for carpoolers in the city.

However, coming up with a new idea and transforming it into a venture was not an easy-do job. Being a student presented him with daunting practical challenges from � nance and management to acceptance and support. Hence, we take a look at how he succeeded in getting the action underway and making his place in the entrepreneurial world.

During the interview we came along several anecdotes from his journey; some humorous and some downright serious, but each and every event seems to have contributed to his goal, much like the lives of other successful entrepreneurs. He started o� like any other kid at school except for one thing; the interest of challenging himself continually. Around his middle school years he started to learn coding and web-development. In his words, “I got jealous when I saw a guy in my class who could code, and I thought to myself: I can do that!”

When asked about other hobbies, he gave us a geeky smile that instantly re� ected

his techie nature. Further along the conversation he told us how consecutive nights of self motivation and focus can make someone learn something. Fahad learned video editing by himself, other than coding and web development, which led to him to producing a documentary on his own school.

Funny thing, when we asked about relationships, he went:

“Relationships? Non-existent!” He laughed.Soon after that, the conversation led to family, through which we discovered that both of his parents are doctors and that he is the � rst entrepreneur in the family after his grandmother. This is interesting because we happened to � nd a trail back in the family. Fahad’s grandmother started a farm back in her village after she quit her job and decided to run on her own at the age of 55.

Fahad said, “I had much to learn from my grandmother. She used to nurture the farm with her own hands and take care of the management with utmost interest. She taught me what work ethic is.”

After his grandmother, Fahad takes inspiration from his role model Hussain Elius. While working with Elius, Fahad was challenged by his introverted character which created di� erences between him

The student

The balancing act

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“I had much to learn from my grandmother. She used to nurture the farm with her own hands and take care of the management with utmost interest. She taught me what work ethic is"

18DT

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016Feature

21 tons of nitrogen oxides would be eliminated daily if tiles on one million roofs were coated with the titanium dioxide mixture. They also calculated that it would cost only about $5 for sufficient titanium dioxide to coat an average-sized residential roof

Air purifying roof tilesn Mehdi Hasan Abdullah

We are living in an era where certain people have to buy bottled air because it is so difficult to breathe in smog-covered areas. Global Warming is no longer a hypothesis or a myth; it is a serious issue from which people either shy away or talk about it without fruitful contribution.

Discussions can only take us so far, but it is the hard work and vision of the extreme minority that will help us move towards a safer world. There are thousands of new green technologies being developed or tested as we speak, but the major problem these pioneers tackle with is - practicality vs. theory (or rather usefulness).

One such idea, which caught Green Channel’s eye, was this new trend in green technology, which a team of University of California,

Riverside’s Bourns College of Engineering students came up with. They created a roof tile coating that when applied to an average-sized residential roof, breaks down the same amount of smog-causing nitrogen oxides per year as a car driven 11,000 miles.

By their estimations, 21 tons of nitrogen oxides would be eliminated daily if tiles on one million roofs were coated with the titanium dioxide mixture. They also calculated that it would cost only about $5 for su� cient titanium dioxide to coat an average-sized residential roof.

The students coated two identical o� -the-shelf clay tiles with di� erent amounts of titanium dioxide, a common compound found in everything from paint to food to cosmetics. The tiles were then placed inside a miniature atmospheric chamber which the students built out of wood, Te� on and PVC piping.

The chamber was connected to a source of nitrogen oxides and a device that reads concentrations of nitrogen oxides. They used ultraviolet light to simulate sunlight, which activates the titanium dioxide and allows it to break down the nitrogen oxides.

They found that this titanium dioxide coated tiles removed between 88 percent and 97 percent of the nitrogen oxides that were present. They also found there wasn’t much of a di� ere nce in nitrogen oxide removal when di� erent amounts of the coating were applied, despite one having about 12 times as much titanium dioxide coating. This was because surface area, not the amount of coating, is the important factor.

There’s also a possibility of producing tiles to remove carbon dioxide, but this would decrease the practicality of the tiles by

making the roofs harder to install. But with time, these researchers

are hopeful that they will be able to � x this issue. They are also looking at applying the coating to concrete, walls or dividers along freeways to see if the same result follows.

In a country like Bangladesh, where there are high-rise buildings or apartments in all directions with unbearable tra� c on the ground level, this is something that Bangladesh should invest in!

It is cost-e� ective, e� cient, easy to install, and most importantly, it will make the air in the cities breathable. Recent studies show that the air in Dhaka city contains large amounts of nitrogen oxides as well as sulfur dioxide which are harmful for our lungs. l

Mehdi Hasan Abdullah is a research associate at Green Channel

NCC Bank has signed a corporate agreement with Hotel InterContinental Dhaka. Under this agreement, NCC Bank’s premiere customers will have access to Balaka Executive Lounge at Hazrat ShahJalal International Airport Dhaka, which is operated and managed by InterContinental Dhaka. l

Huawei, the second largest android smartphone brand in the world, has cut down the prices of a range of Huawei handset models in the Bangladesh market. The reduction in prices is aimed at making smartphone purchases more convenient for consumers in Bangladesh.

Ranging from Tk500 to Tk5,000, the price cut is applicable for models catering to the needs of all age groups, and is applicable for the Huawei Y625, Huawei Y6, Huawei Y6 Pro, Huawei Y6 Lite, Huawei G Play Mini, Huawei Honor 4X, Huawei P8 Lite, Huawei GR 3, and the Huawei G7 Plus. Customers will receive one-year after-sales services with every handset purchased.

Referring to the latest o� er, Ingmar Wang, director of device business at Huawei said, “With a rapid rise in the use of information technology, Bangladesh is well on the way to becoming ‘Digital Bangladesh’. The support provided by the government to the IT sector is praiseworthy. It is because

of these factors that we are being able to successfully conduct business operations in Bangladesh and to deliver high quality products and services to customers. We have reduced the price of almost all the handsets that have recently arrived at the Bangladesh market. It is one of our e� orts to bring a smartphone in everyone’s hands.”l

Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resort Limited and Regency Hospitality Training Institute (RHTi), in collaboration with Paci� c Asia Travel Association (PATA) Bangladesh Chapter, organised a CSR campaign through a day-long workshop on “Food Service Excellence” for the local hotels and restaurant within Khilkhet, Dhaka on May 10, 2016.

The entire workshop was conducted by Regency Hospitality Training institute (RHTi); a new initiative of Dhaka Regency Hotel & Resort, which enables its aspiring students to build a professional career in the hospitality industry through a personalised approach, research-based, professional instruction and working very closely with industry to give them a career of choice. By virtue of the nature of business at

RHTI, it is continuously supporting local economies by creating and educating skilled manpower, stimulating economic activity and driving tourism.

The primary objective of the workshop was to provide free training on customer service and food hygiene to the local food service providers which could create awareness within the community, and at the same time add value to their services.

“PATA is always extending its active support for the community development, ensuring environmental sustainability and promoting responsible tourism principles. Undoubtedly, this initiative will create a di� erence for the services RHTi is providing compare to its competitors, and thus, helping community to remain sustainable and enhancing

skills and knowledge on Food Service Excellence,” said Mr Shahid Hamid FIH, chairman of PATA Bangladesh Chapter. “Our mission is to educate and train the young aspirants who believe to enter in tourism and hospitality industry and also creating a di� erence by implementing our socially responsible activities,” added RHTi principal, Dr Islam Md Hashanat.

The workshop ended with a certi� cate giving ceremony to all the participants with the hope to generate awareness and improve the opportunities of local hotels and restaurants for better service standards. Mr Faisal Aziz, director of sales and marketing and Mr ATM Ahmed Hossain, director of food and beverage at Dhaka Regency Hotel and Resort were also present during the occasion. l

One of the signi� cant highlights of authentic Thai cuisine is Thai curry. Though made using contrasting ingredients, each curry boosts a unique � avour. Red curry is spicy with mild sweetness and has a beautiful red hue that comes from red chilies. Yellow curry has a rich taste with a milder � avor, composed of turmeric base, cumin, yellow mustard seeds, nutmeg, ka� r lime leaves and juice, � nished with an addition of coconut cream. Discover the delights in these two curries and many more at Absolute Thai.

Book your table online: http://goo.gl/DVLKKE l

The Westin Dhaka introduces the � nest imported Australian beef steaks and the freshest grilled seafood everyday at Prego. The premium cut menu o� ers steak lovers the juiciest selection of high quality Aussie beef, including Grain fed, Black Angus and High graded Wagyu.

To ensure the highest quality, taste and texture the beef is directly � own in from

the lush pastures of Australia. For the seafood a� cionados,

the new grill menu o� ers Norwegian Salmon, Atlantic Cod, Tiger prawns, local lobster and a delectable seafood platter consisting of prawns, calamari, mussels and barramundi. The premium grilled dishes can all be enjoyed via the Prego À-La-Carte menu everyday at lunch and dinner. For more info call +88029891988. l

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SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016Biz Info

NCC collaboration with Hotel InterContinental

Huawei slashes prices

Dhaka Regency’s CSR workshop

Curry craze at Absolute Thai

New grill menu at the Westin Dhaka

| partnership || growth |

| discount |

| � avours | | dining |

TODAY

The body of Mong Shu You, a 70-year-old monk, was discovered with his throat slit inside Chakpara Buddhist Temple on Saturday.

It is very important that the investigation into his murder looks into reports which claim the victim had been receiving anonymous death

threats but the reports had not been taken seriously by authorities.As an apparently targeted killing, the � rst of its kind against a Buddhist monk

in Bandarban, it is imperative authorities reassure the public by swiftly acting to identify and bring his killers to justice.

The government needs to take note. Mong Shu You’s murder shares obvious similarities with recent targeted killings of religious minorities and secular writers.If an innocent 70-year-old monk can receive death threats and be brutally murdered, nobody in the country can feel fully safe.

The ever-widening list of attacks shows that it does not matter what victims believe, say or write, the groups behind targeted killings will keep � nding or making up reasons to incite or carry out new attacks.

The government’s � rst responsibility is to keep all people safe and secure. First and foremost, its duty is to uphold law and order by ending the impunity which has emboldened gangs of murderous fanatics to cynically target individuals to be slaughtered in cold blood.

Although authorities claim to be making progress in investigations and di� erent militant groups have variously been blamed for, or have claimed responsibility for killings, the fact remains these despicable targeted murders are still continuing and the murderers remain at large.

This is plainly unacceptable. The government needs to catch the killers and put a stop to these murders to ful� ll its duty to protect all citizens.Authorities must not rest until all those responsible are brought before the law.

Authorities must not rest until all those responsible for targeted killings are brought to justice

Are jongis a real threat to Hasina?

What’s good to eat around here?The crisis for lunch will go on until a creative entrepreneurial genius o� ers a hygienic lunch, which has a good amount of calories with a good mix of protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins, is tasty, and ideally does not cost more than Tk100

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Malaysia can’t have its cake and eat it tooThe fact remains, Malaysia is badly in need of foreign workers. But the country does not want the social problems and the economic conundrum normally associated with a large migrant population

One may not like it, but Hasina doesn’t look like she will make what she thinks is a choice which could politically hurt her

Take threats seriously to keep people safe

EditorialSUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016

Be heardWrite to Dhaka Tribune

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207

Send us your Op-Ed articles:[email protected]

www.dhakatribune.comJoin our Facebook community:

https://www.facebook.com/DhakaTribune.

The views expressed in Opinion articles are those of the authors

alone. They do not purport to be the o� cial view of Dhaka Tribune or its

publisher.

BIGSTOCK

DT 20

n Afsan Chowdhury

Sheikh Hasina is the most politically successful leader in Bangladesh’s history. While her father

Sheikh Mujib led the nationalist movement to independence, his post-war years were not great. Losing power in 1975, the AL had to wait till 1996 before it could reach power again.

In the period from 1972 to 1996 -- 24 years -- the AL ruled for three years only. In the next 20 years, the AL has ruled for more than 12 years. On her way, she has clobbered the political clout of the BNP-Jamaat duo into near oblivion and the military, once her arch-foe, shows no sign of wanting to step in.

Are “jongis” even comparable to the threats that BNP-Jamaat and the military o� er? Individuals and groups may be under threat from the jongis but not her, it is obvious. Maybe the US -- which is accused by many of being behind the jongis -- are, but that’s a di� erent ballgame altogether. On their own, are the jongis a threat to Hasina’s AL?

In 2014, when the caretaker system was abolished, BNP called for a “movement” to oust Hasina, but it failed. The street violence-based strategy of BNP-Jamaat a few months later failed as well. A chastened BNP has begun a

political rehabilitation move by returning to elections, but the position is gone.

Sure, the elections could be � xed, the EC is toothless, but in this land only electoral results matter. Hasina has used court cases, jails, and intimidation to reduce BNP’s muscle beyond recognition. Leaders are in oblivion, Khaleda’s space is cramped, her main support, Tarique Rahman, exiled to London and helpless, and Jamaat is almost over with its main leaders hanged. She has e� ectively � nished her opposition.

In fact, the AL stands at the door of a virtual one-party rule by default under Sheikh Hasina, because no other parties exist. A politician who has seen her father and family killed knows the threat,

so if the jongis were a threat, she would have crushed them or at least tried to. Her motivation would at least partly be her son’s safety, because she wants Joy to take over.

Her security anxiety is best exempli� ed by the way she went after Sha� k Rehman and the kidnapping allegation. If the jongis were a serious threat, she would have acted even if in the best interest of her son and heir apparent.

As Sherlock Holmes must have said: “If the threat doesn’t lead to an adequate response from someone who knows the business of staying in power by managing all threats, maybe it isn’t such a big a threat to her. Maybe for others but not her.”

Even if we go by media reports and speculation, the jongis are after “free thinkers” and secularists, the supporters of the original constitution, bloggers, academics, Hindus, gay rights activists, small-time foreign NGO workers, a few Shias, etc. Some of the victims are part of the “neo-liberal” elite with commitment to the rule of law, freedom of expression, and so on.

Almost all the victims were also more or less against Islam as a state religion. This wouldn’t include the poor Hindus and a sprinkling of socio-cultural underclass members who seem to

be eminently disposable victims at any time of the day. But how important they are in matters of shaping public opinion, one isn’t sure. Do the liberals matter politically?

It’s the majority which matters and when an overwhelming majority of Bangladeshi Muslims want Sharia law, though they have no idea what it means, Hasina is not going to make them feel uncomfortable. They are very pro-Islam though, but it’s their version of “Islam.” They don’t like bloggers and secularists, but nor do they like killers. It’s they who will vote for Hasina if need be, and she is � rmly on their side. She knows which side of her political bread is buttered.

The liberals insist that Hasina take a political stand against the

jongis, but Hasina is keener to send the message that she will not tolerate any “insult to Islam.” It’s a simple equation of demography in politics. She knows that just as the Shahbagh movement was slain by the slogan of “atheism,” it really makes no sense in getting portrayed as pro-people of the kind she doesn’t need politically.

Even if none of them, a� ected by the jongis, vote for her, it won’t matter. They can’t vote BNP-Jamaat either, so, in every way, the AL and Hasina are secure in following the “pro-Islam” strategy.

Despite alarmist statements, Bengal has never responded to any Islamic theological calls in its history. In 1971, Pakistanis and its supporting parties tried this, but failed. In fact, this was a common call to “save Pakistan and Islam”

from 1947 to 1971, but nobody responded. This society’s main focus is on livelihood expansion and economic mobility.

It is capable of strong resistance if its livelihood is challenged, as history shows. The Fakir Sannyasi, Pagol Panthi, and Wahhabi movements were not religious but social resistance movements against British and zamindari rule that hurt their belly. In 1971, it was an issue of peasant survival not realising a constitutional vision. Bengal’s worst tragedies are its famines and hunger, not the politics which has never served them anyway.

People even have little use for national democracy since all their politics is local. In the absence of a political infrastructure, national politics never took o� after 1971. And the bloggers are a big issue in the West and to a section of people here, but not to her constituents -- the vast majority.

This is why local-level political killing is high, because the stakes are high, but nobody joins national movements as there is no stake. National politics doesn’t matter

much anymore. So could the jongis be a security

threat on their own? We know that the police are incompetent, but the very loyal military is not. And they are happy with Hasina.

Blue assignments are pouring in, army business is riding high, and nobody disturbs them about what they do. Even the Tonu murder public hype didn’t produce an investigation report, let alone arrests. There is less hostility between the civil and military sources of power than ever before.

And if push comes to shove our army, the Indian army, the other armies, are big enough to tackle any jongi threat, with or without chapatis. So why should Hasina worry? One may not like it, but Hasina doesn’t look like she will make what she thinks is a choice which could politically hurt her and her son’s future.

Jongis, right now, are no big deal to her. l

Afsan Chowdhury is a journalist and researcher. He has worked for various news organisations, including the Dhaka Courier, The Daily Star, and the BBC.

Opinion 21D


The PM won’t make a choice that could hurt her politically BIGSTOCK

One may not like it, but Hasina doesn’t look like she will make what she thinks is a choice which could politically hurt her

It’s a simple equation of demography and politics for the PM

Are jongis a real threat to Hasina?

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 201622D

T Opinion

n Zia Hassan

Lunch at noon during work brings a serious crisis to the life of most working people in

Bangladesh, especially for the students, rickshaw-pullers, and the handyman at various trades, who have to take to the street on a regular basis.

The options are limited, none of the options are hygienic, and all of the options are relatively expensive. In terms of public health, unhealthy lunches are the source of many long-term health issues.

In capitalism, every crisis is an opportunity for someone to come up with an ingenious solution and make money and each public health issue is for government to address -- but so far, no solution is in the horizon and an unelected, insular government has more important things to deal with, such as plundering public money.

The crisis comes in the form of lunch, but not breakfast or dinner, because people can usually leave home after having breakfast or can consume their dinner after going back home.

In this patriarchal society, the prime reason for marriage in many families is to have the guarantee of decent, good quality, hygienic breakfast and dinner for an earning member. The woman usually wakes up early and hands over the ti� n carrier with rice and curry with love. But for the rest of the SOBs, having a decent working lunch is an everyday crisis.

There are di� erent kinds of hotels that cater for lunch for people in varying income spectrums. First is the hotel “chaladias” -- the temporary, illegally-occupied hotels with make-shift rooftops.

They prepare food in the open, wash foods with limited water from around and who knows where, and cook food on a gas

or kerosene stove just beside the buzzing street.

All the nano-particles from burnt diesel adds to the aroma and taste of this food. Due to the compulsion to complete the whole operation with limited water, hardly any cook washes his hand.

One does not have to be a food scientist to tell the way these foods are prepared, cooked, and served -- it will surely invite all variants of hepatitis B and almost each public health professional in Bangladesh knows. We have an epidemic here.

And ask anyone who has caught this disease and he will invariably tell you, he was forced to eat outside for a few months for some work or other reason.

The second option is the average street-side hotel, which varies in quality based on where it is located, the size, and whether it has air conditioning or not. But in all cases, the quality of food and hygiene standards is more or less the same -- disastrous. No better

than the hotel “chaladias”.These hotels have access to

water, so in many cases, they have better cleanliness. But “better” is a very subjective word.

The Bangladeshi hotel industry has no sense of hygiene. You can see people spitting, all the � lth in the cook-house, and the cockroaches in the cups, plates, and rubbish dumped just beside the food.

The more upmarket the hotel is, the lesser space it has and hygiene is proportionately abysmal. Apart from the food, the options for dishes speak volumes about our culture, entrepreneurship, and society.

In most places, the obvious dish to be o� ered during lunch-time is kacchi, morog polao, or khichuri -- three horribly unhealthy foods to be taken on a daily basis -- because in all cases, the rice comes soaked with oil.

The vegetable menu is, in most cases, a dull mix of seasonal varieties, but the disaster comes in the shape of � sh. It is di� cult to cook � sh in large quantities. So, they would invariably fry it before cooking it and in most cases, the � sh tastes horrible in the hotels.

The beef is usually poor. In terms of taste, in most hotels, the chicken jhal-fry is the saviour of the day. But, all these dishes come

soaked with oil. I am not a doctor, but my guess

is just 20% of these dishes will � ll up the recommended daily requirement of saturated fat for a person.

And regarding the question of used oil -- I don’t blame the hoteliers, because in an unhealthy competition to drive down prices, and in an absence of any government oversight, almost all the hoteliers reuse the burnt cooking oil.

I recall, one day, in a beautiful poetic morning, I was dipping freshly baked naan roti in tea and watched in horror how the baker poured in the leftover cooking-oil to make another batch of my favourite naan roti -- an item I thought free of these vices.

A law for the disposal of used cooking-oil is a serious need, if we really take public health seriously, but that is a discussion for another day.

But when you are out there in the street, hunting food as a primal instinct that is instilled in your gene from your forefathers in the savanna and when you face such a crisis, every day you question -- does the government in this country exist at all?

And, you come to realise -- no, they don’t. Else, most of these hotels would have been closed and sealed 20 years back.

So, let’s now focus on the young entrepreneurs, who came up with burger joints and modern fast foods. The big problem with these options is, almost in all cases, the key o� ering for lunch is fried rice with a fried chicken and vegetable, or a fried chicken with fried rice and vegetable or vegetable with fried rice and fried chicken -- this unimaginative menu day after day, year after year, makes John a very angry man. The less we speak about this, the better.

But, let us also take this opportunity to congratulate the fast food operators on the hygiene side. Except for a few, these fast food joints are much cleaner and more hygienic than hotels.

So, the crisis for lunch will go on until a creative entrepreneurial genius o� ers a hygienic lunch, which has a good amount of calories with a good mix of protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins, is tasty, and ideally does not cost more than Tk100. Trust me -- this guy will become a billionaire. l

Zia Hassan is a blogger. He blogs on society, culture, politics, and any other issue that matters.

Does this look appetising? DHAKA TRIBUNE

The crisis for lunch will go on until a creative entrepreneurial genius o� ers a hygienic lunch, which has a good amount of calories with a good mix of protein, carbohydrates, and vitamins, is tasty, and ideally does not cost more than Tk100

There aren’t enough healthy, a� ordable lunch options around Dhaka for busy people

What’s good to eat around here?

OpinionSUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016

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n Ibrahim Sani

Malaysia has been experiencing an average growth rate of about 5.6% over

the past � ve years, clearly setting its ambition to join the “exclusive club” of the other four highly free market and developed economies of Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan -- the latter four countries are collectively known as the “four tigers of Asia.”

An important footnote here is that the “four tigers,” and the rapid growth of their economies, were driven not just by their own citizens -- who pay taxes and other dues to the nation -- but by the hard labour of foreign workers who do not receive the necessary treatment that their citizens receive.

These foreign workers are not expatriates. Many of them are illegally brought into the countries to work there. Their living quarters are often deplorable, and thus too their overall living standards. But despite all this, the tigers are where they are today, and how they got there is conveniently forgotten by many.

Malaysia, however, has the unfortunate luck of trying to build its nation in the age of information. Everything Malaysian leaders do and say will be documented and repeated (or re-tweeted) enough times until these same leaders come to regret what

they have said in the � rst place. One such utterance came from

the second-in-command, the deputy prime minister who holds a double portfolio as the home minister as well.

As the home minister, Dr Zahid Hamidi is in charge of the internal a� airs of the country and is the boss of the police, the immigration, the customs and excise department, and more. This makes him, quite literally, the second most powerful government o� cial after the prime minister himself. And as the head of the immigration, foreign workers’ policies and directives are under his purview.

In February 2016, he said that there was a deal to bring about 1.5 million Bangladeshi foreign workers into the country. A memo-randum of understand (MOU) was signed between Kuala Lumpur and Dhaka in February 2016. One day after this MOU was inked, Kuala Lumpur froze all intake of foreign workers. Either o� cials within the government of Malaysia are not talking to each other, or they are playing a very macabre game

with the government of another sovereign state.

When the initial MOU was signed, an uproar amongst Dr Zahid’s foes came to being, plenty arguing that most of these jobs would make the income � ow of the Malaysia seep out in the form of foreign wages. Dr Zahid argues that the government can stand to earn higher income from the higher levies charged against the employers who bring the foreign workers in.

This second rebuttal incurred a fresh wrath of fury -- this time it came not from Zahid’s political opponents, but from the Malaysian Employers’ Federation (MEF) and their allies.

MEF’s primary argument is that a substantial increase in levies would render it economically non-viable for employers to even hire legal foreign workers. This would either force employers to stall their business altogether, or worse, bring in illegal foreign workers through less than savoury means using even dodgier mules to bring these foreign workers into the country.

What sparked the home minister to rethink the foreign workers’ situation is the fact that Malaysia is under tremendous pressure to keep up that high growth rate of 5.6%. The sectors that helped grow the nation are in the manufacturing, construction, plantation, and furniture making industries.

Collectively, the above four sectors form a major contributor to Malaysia’s economy. If one adds the oil and gas sector as well (which is less dependent of foreign workers compared against the earlier four sectors), it could well form almost the entire complexion of the Malaysian economy.

And from February until earlier this week, the debate to bring, or not to bring, foreign workers into Malaysia raged on, from political stages to the co� ee shops on the streets of KL, fondly known as “mamaks.” Plenty are still debating the pros and cons of having these workers in the country.

In a turn of events, even while the debate is still hot on the lips of many Malaysians, the transport minister of Malaysia earlier this

week announced that now, foreign workers can be allowed back into Malaysia, but in only the four major sectors listed above.

With the reversal of these policies, analysts are wondering if the government has the necessary policies that truly re� ect what is happening on the ground, and what is best resonated amongst the employers in Malaysia. These policies that are introduced, often later removed, and in some cases, re-introduced again, must at the very least re� ect the current and prevailing economic conditions of the country.

The fact remains, Malaysia is badly in need of foreign workers. But the country does not want the social problems and the economic conundrum normally associated with a large migrant population. Because of this, Malaysia simply cannot have its cake and eat it too. Something’s gotta give.

If Malaysia wants to sustain its 5.6% growth rate for the next � ve years, the way it has had � ve years before this, then Malaysia will have to either up its game in making its own citizens do what the foreign workers are doing now, or bite the bullet and open the doors to let these Bangladeshi workers and other nations into the country to help build Malaysia together. l

Ibrahim Sani is a presenter and producer at BFM radio, and a former banker. He is based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Bangladeshis make up a large portion of the migrant worker population in Malaysia REUTERS

The fact remains, Malaysia is badly in need of foreign workers. But the country does not want the social problems and the economic conundrum normally associated with a large migrant population

Malaysia can’t have its cake and eat it tooKuala Lumpur needs to bite the bullet and open its doors to foreign workers

24DT Sport

TOP STORIES


Warner warning on pink cricket ballAustralia’s David Warner has voiced concerns about the pink ball used for day-night Tests, a report said, amid a stand-o� with South Africa over a proposed � xture. Warner reportedly told The Australian newspaper that players want the pink ball improved. PAGE 28

Ton-up Mashrafe � ays Sheikh JamalMashrafe bin Mortaza smashed a record century in the DPL yesterday to guide Kalabagan KC to only their second win in six matches. Kalabagan captain Mashrafe hammered a blistering 51-ball 104. PAGE 25

Siddikur leads the way in MauritiusAce Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman took advantage of a late collapse from Andrew Dodt to claim the third round lead at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open. Dodt came into the day with a three-shot lead. PAGE 26

Kohli, de Villiers smash recordsAB de Villiers and Virat Kohli orchestrated a mayhem by scoring centuries as Royal Challengers Bangalore in� icted a 144-run defeat on Gujarat Lions, recording the biggest ever victory in the history of IPL here. PAGE 27

FC Barcelona’s Luis Suarez (R) duels for the ball with Granada’s Matheus Doria during their Spanish La Liga match at Los Carmenes stadium in Granada, Spain yesterday AP

5 GAMES THAT WON BARCA

LA LIGAAtletico Madrid 1 Barcelona 2 September 12, 2015Barca faced a huge test just three games into the defence of their title with a visit to Champions League � nalists Atletico.

Lionel Messi started only on the bench the day after the birth of his second son, but the World Player of the Year came on to score the winner after a stunning Neymar free-kick had cancelled out Fernan-do Torres’s opener.

Real Madrid 0 Barcelona 4 November 21, 2015Messi watched on from the bench once more for the � rst hour on his return from knee ligament damage, but Barca still landed an early blow in the title race from which Madrid and, in particular, beleaguered coach Rafael Benitez never recovered.

Suarez and Neymar starred with the Uruguayan opening and rounding o� the scoring, whilst the Brazilian slotted home the second just before half-time and teed up Andres Iniesta’s stunning strike for the third with a cheeky backheel.

Barcelona 6 Celta Vigo 1February 14, 2016Barca blew open a tight game with a magni� cent 20-minute spell to score four goals of stunning quality to see of a valiant Celta Vigo. The easiest � nish was the most talked about as Suarez slotted home Messi’s pass from the penalty spot in homage to the late Johan Cruy� ’s famous e� ort for Ajax 34 years previously.

That was part of a second-half hat-trick for Suarez, whilst Neymar and Ivan Rakitic chipped home classy � nishes late on to add to Mes-si’s inch-perfect � rst-half free-kick.

Deportivo 0 Barcelona 8 April 20, 2016Having su� ered three consecutive league defeats for the � rst time in 13 years, Barca bounced back in stunning fashion with a demolition of Deportivo inspired by four goals and three assists from Suarez.

Messi, Neymar, Rakitic and Marc Bartra also netted as the con� dence � owed back to start a run of � ve wins to end the season by a com-bined score of 24-0.

Granada 0 Barcelona 3May 14, 2016Suarez was the hero once more as he struck a hat-trick to take his tally for the season to 59 and become the � rst player other than Messi or Cristiano Ronaldo to win the Pichichi trophy as La Liga’s top scorer in seven years. l

Suarez hat-trick � res Barca to La Liga titlen AFP

Barcelona sealed their 24th La Liga title as Luis Suarez took his tally for the season to 59 goals with a hat-trick in a 3-0 win at Granada to hold o� Real Madrid’s late-season surge.

Real registered their 12th consecutive La Liga win, 2-0 at Deportivo la Coruna thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo’s double, but � nished a point behind their bit-ter rivals.

Suarez’s treble also sees him become the � rst player in seven years other than Ronaldo and Bar-ca teammate Lionel Messi to win the Pichichi award for La Liga’s top goalscorer with 40.

Barca had seemed set to cruise to the title until a run of three consecutive defeats for the � rst time in 13 years last month.

However, they bounced back like champions as, inspired by Suarez’s 14 goals, they scored 24 times without reply in the last � ve games to win the title.

Barca were put under pressure early on as Ronaldo struck after just seven minutes to put Madrid in front in A Coruna.

Gerard Pique was twice denied by Andres Fernandez from cor-ners, whilst the Granada goalkeep-er also tipped over Messi’s driven e� ort from the edge of the area.

Barca’s nerves were settled by

a brilliant team move on 22 min-utes as Neymar freed Jordi Alba down the left and his low cross was turned into an empty net by Suarez at the back post.

Suarez then doubled Barca’s advantage when he nipped in ahead of Fernandez to head in Dani Alves’s cross at the near post.

Neymar nearly rounded o� a brilliant � rst 45 minutes for the champions as he shot just wide at the end of a surging individual run.

Fernandez made excellent saves from a Messi free-kick that was arrowing towards the top cor-ner and Neymar to keep Granada in the game after the break.

And the Andalusians had the chance to set up a nervy � nish but former Barca winger Isaac Cuenca’s shot was beaten away by Marc-Andre ter Stegen.

However, � ttingly Suarez sealed a stunning season when he completed his hat-trick from Ney-mar’s unsel� sh square pass. l

Deportivo 0-2 Real Madrid Ronaldo 7, 25

Granada 0-3 Barcelona Suarez 22, 38, 86

RESULTS

2016: Barcelona

2015: Barcelona

2014: Atletico

2013: Barcelona

2012: Real Madrid

2011: Barcelona

2010: Barcelona

2009: Barcelona

2008: Real Madrid

2007: Real Madrid

2006: Barcelona

2005: Barcelona

2004: Valencia

2003: Real Madrid

2002: Valencia

LAST 15 WINNERS

Sport 25D

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MASHRAFE BIN MORTAZA

104 (51 balls)4×2, 6×11

Ton-up Mashrafe � ays Sheikh Jamaln Minhaz Uddin Khan

Mashrafe bin Mortaza smashed a record century in the Dhaka Pre-mier League yesterday to guide Kalabagan Krira Chakra to only

their second win in six matches.Kalabagan captain Mashrafe,

coming in to bat at number six, hammered a blistering 51-ball 104 as his side clinched a much-needed 21-run victory over Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club. The quick� re ton was Mashrafe’s maiden in List A cricket and included as many as 11 sixes and two fours.

The right-handed batsman reached his milestone in exactly 50 deliveries to emerge as the fastest List A centurion among Bangladesh cricketers. His 11 maximums is also a record for Bangladesh players in List A cricket.

The records do not stop there. Mashrafe’s blazing century is the third fastest in a List A game on Bangladesh soil. In 1999, a certain West Indian named Brian Lara had hit the fastest ton, o� 45 deliver-ies, in an ODI at Bangabandhu Na-

tional Stadium while the second fastest ton belongs to Zimbabwe-an Brendan Taylor, who struck a 46-ball hundred while playing for Prime Bank Cricket Club in the Dhaka League.

Kalabagan, invited to bat � rst, were reeling on 169/4 in the 26th over of the innings when Mashrafe went to the middle.

And the veteran cricketer wast-ed very little time in shifting the momentum towards his side as he stitched together two 50-plus stands. Not surprisingly, he played the role of the aggressor in both the partnerships.

First, he added 60 runs along-side Mehrab Hossain Jr for the � fth wicket and followed it up by put-ting together a 72-run partnership with Sharifullah for the sixth wick-et in just 4.5 overs.

Mashrafe’s heroics, coupled

with Jashimuddin’s 64, propelled Kalabagan to a huge total of 316/7.

Later, Kalabagan’s Zimbabwean all-rounder Hamilton Masakadza led from the front to restrict Sheikh Jamal to 295. Medium pacer Masakadza, who had earlier scored 45 runs, dismissed four Sheikh Jamal batsmen conceding 37 runs as Kalabagan recorded a rare victory.

After the game, Mashrafe, ever the team man, said, “I am happy to have scored a century but what makes me more elated is that the team won. The team’s win is more important.

“Playing better cricket would have enabled us to win one or two more matches and we could have been in a better position in the table but we failed to do that. I hope we will be able to play some good cricket in the next � ve matches.” l

Kalabagan Krira Chakra captain Mashrafe bin Mortaza goes big against Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club in the DPL at Fatullah’s Khan Shaheb Osman Ali Stadium yesterday. This was the � rst of his 11 sixes MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

POINTS TABLETeams M W L T Pts

Mohammedan 6 5 1 0 10

Victoria 6 4 1 1 9

Rupganj 6 4 1 1 9

Gazi Group 6 4 2 0 8

Doleshwar 6 4 2 0 8

Sheikh Jamal 6 3 3 0 8

Abahani Ltd 6 3 3 0 6

Prime Bank 6 3 3 0 6

Brothers Union 6 3 3 0 6

Kalabagan KC 6 2 4 0 2

Kalabagan CA 6 0 6 0 0

BALL BY BALL: 0 0 0 4 6 1 0 1 1 2 0 0 2 1 2 0 1 0 6 1 1 2 6 1 0 0 0 1 2 1 0 1 6 1 2 1 4 1 6 1 1 6 6 1 6 6 6 1 6

Shahriar, Kapali star with bat, balln Minhaz Uddin Khan

Shahriar Nafees’ � rst List A hun-dred in nine years yesterday steered Brothers Union to their third win in the ongoing Dhaka Pre-mier League.

In the other game of the day, a combined e� ort saw Gazi Group Cricketers move to fourth position in the points table following their convincing victory against Kalaba-gan Cricket Academy.

Brothers Union v Cricket Coaching SchoolOpening batsman Shahriar Nafees’ 147-ball 134, featuring 14 bounda-ries and � ve sixes, along with Imrul Kayes’ 49 set the tone for Brothers Union as they posted 253 for the loss of six wickets after taking � rst guard.

This is Shahriar’s � rst century in domestic List A cricket, and sixth overall. Previously, the left-handed opener struck � ve hundreds – four for the national side and the other for the Bangladesh A team.

In pursuit of Brothers Union’s tally, CCS lost wickets at regular intervals and eventually managed 215, falling short by 38 runs, with the one-drop Saif Hasan top-scor-ing with a 101-ball 86 and Salam Hossain chipping in with 68.

Gazi GC v Kalabagan CAAlok Kapali bagged a � ve-for while opener Shamsur Rahman remained undefeated on 95 as Gazi Group registered their fourth win of the season, an eight-wicket victory against the winless Kalabagan.

Asked to bat � rst, Kalabagan were skittled out for just 186 with experienced campaigner Kapali leading the way with his � ve-wick-et haul.

Chasing the small total, Shamsur blasted an unbeaten 120-ball 95 with the help of eight boundaries and three sixes as Gazi Group coasted to the destination in the 41st over losing only two wickets.l

BRIEF SCORESKALABAGAN KC 316/7 (Mashrafe

104, Jashimuddin 64, Masakadza 45) beat SHEIKH JAMAL DC 295 (Zabid 52*,

Muktar 51, Masakadza 4/37) by 21 runs

BROTHERS UNION 253/6 (Shahriar 134, Kayes 49, Shawon 4/45) beat

CRICKET COACHING SCHOOL 215 (Saif 86, Salman 68, Milind 2/27) by 38 runs

KALABAGAN CA 186 (Jatin 44, Mahmudul 41, Kapali 5/44) lost to GAZI GROUP CRICKETERS 187/2 (Shamsur

95*, Mehedi 39, Miraz 1/31) by eight wickets

MORNING SHOWS THE DAY

26DT Sport


Siddikur leads the way in Mauritiusn Agencies

Ace Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman took advantage of a late collapse from Andrew Dodt to claim the third round lead at the AfrAsia Bank Mauritius Open.

Dodt came into the day with a three-shot lead and had extended that to � ve at one point but he came home in 43 to sign for a 77 and open the door for the rest of the � eld.

Siddikur capitalised as he re-corded a 69 at Four Seasons Golf Club at Anahita to get to seven-un-der and open up a one-shot lead over Trophée Hassan II champion Jeunghun Wang, with Dodt and Nicolas Colsaerts both four shots o� the lead.

Australian Scott Hend was then at one under after a 69, a shot clear of South African Brandon Stone whose 68 was the low round of the day.

A win for Siddikur would be his � rst on the European Tour while victory for Wang would be his sec-ond in as many weeks after his tri-umph in Morocco just six days ago.

“I really enjoyed my round [yes-terday],” said Siddkur. “It was a

very special day for me.“I am very excited and I will try to

enjoy myself [today]. One more day to go. Nothing’s going to change. I’ll just try and play the same way as I did for the last few days. I am look-ing forward to playing in the leader group again [today].”

Siddikur kept himself in the hunt with birdies on the � rst, fourth and 11th and a single dropped shot on the � fth, and when Wang bogeyed the 15th the Bangladeshi was in a share of top spot.

Dodt surrendered another dou-ble-bogey on the same hole and he dropped alongside Colsaerts, who was then within two of the lead.

The big-hitting Belgian - who is attached to the Four Seasons and had used all his local knowledge to � re a brilliant 65 last Friday - turned in 37 after a double-bogey on the eighth and dropped anoth-er shot on the 12th before back-to-back birdies.

More drama was to come on the 16th as Colsaerts, Wang and Dodt all dropped shots but Siddikur hit a brilliant three wood close and opened up a two-shot lead.

“The highlight [yesterday] and possibly the highlight for me so far this week is on 16,” Siddikur added. “I had a great drive and I hit my sec-ond shot with my three wood from

225 yards into the wind from left to right before sinking an eight-footer for birdie. That was by far my best birdie for the week.”

A birdie on the last from Wang

cut the gap to one and just � ve players will head into the � nal round under par as the windy con-ditions continue to provide a tough test in the Indian Ocean. l

Federation Cup pushed back by a monthn Tribune Report

The season’s second domestic tournament, the Federation Cup, has been deferred by around a month owing to a lack of interest among most of the premier league clubs.

The Bangladesh Football Federation following a professional league committee meeting yesterday con� rmed that the Federation Cup will only be held after the national side’s AFC Asian Cup Quali� ers Play-o� matches against Tajikistan, scheduled for June 2 and 7.

The home and away games against Tajikistan were supposed to precede the Bangladesh Premier League, initially slated for a June 10 start, but following yesterday’s decision, the top-� ight is likely to make space for the Federation Cup.

Last Thursday was the deadline for the top-tier clubs to con� rm their participation in the Federation Cup but only three teams – Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club, Muktijoddha Sangsad KC and Arambagh KS – expressed their interest to take part.

As a result, the professional league committee had no other choice but to postpone the tournament after discussion with di� erent club representatives. l

Premier Bangladesh golfer Siddikur Rahman plays a shot during the third round yesterday COURTESY

Shakib Al Hasan of Kolkata Knight Riders bowls during their Indian Premier League match against Rising Pune Supergiants at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata yesterday. Shakib conceded 21 runs in his three overs and took the important wicket of Usman Khawaja in their eight wickets victory. Pune were at 103/6 in 17.4 overs before the rain interrupted the play and KKR were given 66-run target in 9 overs in Duckworth–Lewis method. BCCI

Pep signs o� at Bayern with German league titlen AFP, Berlin

Pep Guardiola signed o� his three years in the Bundesliga yesterday as Bayern Munich lifted a fourth straight German league title af-ter yesterday’s 3-1 win over bot-tom-side Hanover.

Poland hot-shot Robert Le-wandowski � nished as the Bunde-sliga’s top scorer after claiming his 30th league goal of the season.

No other foreign striker has ever scored so many goals in a single Bundesliga season. Mario Goetze then netted twice in what could be his last Bundesliga game for Bayern.

According to reports, the Ger-man World Cup winner has been told to � nd a new club by Bayern’s in-coming coach Carlo Ancelotti, who will replace Manchester City-bound Guardiola next season.

Bayern were presented with the Bundesliga trophy after the � nal whistle as they became the � rst club to win the German league four times in a row. This was Guardiola’s 20th trophy as a coach after 14 in four years with Barcelona and now six in three years in Munich.

He received a standing ovation after a presentation from the 75,000 sold-out crowd at the Allianz Are-na. His � nal game as Bayern coach is next Saturday’s German Cup � nal against Borussia Dortmund in Ber-lin where his side could send him o� with the domestic double. l

Bayern Munich 3-1 Hanover 96Lewandowski 12, Sobiech 66Goetze 28, 54

Dortmund 2-2 CologneCastro 11, Modeste 27, Reus 75 Jojic 44

Leverkusen 3-2 IngolstadtAranguiz 31, Leckie 16, Kampl 37, Hartmann 69-PKiessling 61

VfL Wolfsburg 3-1 VfB StuttgartArnold 11, Didavi 78Schuerrle 29, 90

Augsburg 1-3 HamburgFinnbogason 11 Gregoritsch 36, 74, Mueller 62

Werder Bremen 1-0 FrankfurtDjilobodji 88

Ho� enheim 1-4 Schalke 04 Uth 41 Huntelaar 7, Choupo-Moting 14, Sane 56, Schaer 89-og

Mainz 0-0 Hertha Berlin

Darmstadt 0-2 M'gladbach Hazard 31, Hahn 63

RESULTS

BRIEF SCORERising Pune 103/6 (17.4) Bailey

33, Russell 1/11, Shakib 1/21Kolkata Knight Riders 66/2 (5/9 ov, target 66) Pathan 37,

Pandey 15, Ashwin 2/30KKR won by 8 wickets (D/L)

Sport 27D

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Dhaka, Rangpur in Development Cup � nalDhaka and Rangpur swept into the � nal of the Development Cup Under-16 Football Tournament after beating their respective opponents in the semi-� nals in the capital city yesterday. Dhaka earned a comfortable 3-0 win over Rajshahi in the � rst semi-� nal at the Government Physical Education College � eld in Mohammadpur. Shaon bagged a brace for the victors while Shuvo scored the other. In yesterday’s other last-four clash, Rangpur toiled hard but eventually defeated two-time champions Chittagong 1-0 with Dipok netting the all-important goal. The � nal will be held at the same venue tomorrow.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Ambrose replaced by Estwick as West Indies bowling coachWest Indies great Curtly Ambrose has been replaced as bowling consultant for the Caribbean Test nation by Roderick Estwick, the West Indies Cricket Board said on Friday. Estwick, the Barbados Pride bowling coach, joins the West Indies technical team in time for the upcoming Tri-Nations one-day series against Australia and South Africa.

–AFP

FIFA audit chief Scala quits over threat to reformsThe head of FIFA’s independent audit committee Domenico Scala quit yesterday in protest at what he called attacks on reforms of the scandal-tainted world football governing body by its leadership. Scala said he was “consternated” by a FIFA Council move to control the nomination of members of independent oversight bodies such as its ethics com-mittee and audit and compliance committee.

–AFP

QUICK BYTES

visit our website @www.dhakatribune.com

DAY’S WATCHFOOTBALL

SONY SIX12:45AM

Italian Serie A Lazio v Fiorentina

TEN 27:30PM

Federation Cup 2016Sporting Goa v Aizawl

STAR SPORTS 28:00PM

English Premier League Man United v Bournemouth

STAR SPORTS 48:00PM

English Premier League Arsenal v Aston Villa

CRICKET SONY SIX

Indian Premier League 4:30PM

Mumbai v Delhi 8:30PM

Punjab v Hyderabad

TENNIS TEN 3

6:00PMWTA: Internazionali

BNL d’Italia-Final

FORMULA 1 STAR SPORTS 4

6:00PMF1: Main Race

Circuit De Catalunya Barcelona

BOXING SONY ESPN

8:00AMUFC: 198

Fabricio Werdum v Stipe Miocic

The duo put together an incredible 229 runs for the second wicket from just 96 balls. This is the highest partnership in IPL history.

Virat Kohli ended things with 109 from 55 balls and AB de Villiers with 129 from 52 balls. This is the second time two players from same team scored hundreds in a match. Previously, Kevin O’Brien (119) and Hamish Marshall (102) scored two tons in same innings in English County in 2011.

De Villiers took 43 balls to reach his ton – the � fth fastest in IPL. Chris Gayle holds the record for the quickest ton (30 balls).

Kohli scored his third century this IPL – the most in the cash-rich league.

Only Ravindra Jadeja � nished with an economy rate of below 10.

RCB recorded their second highest IPL total. RCB also hold the record for the highest score – 263.

RCB raced o� to a 144 runs victory – the biggest victory margin in the IPL.

Royal Challengers Bangalore captain Virat Kohli (R) congratulates AB de Villiers during match 44 of the Vivo Indian Premier League against Gujarat Lions in Bangalore yesterday. The duo caused absolute carnage with Kohli hammering a 55-ball 109 and De Villiers blasting an unbeaten 52-ball 129 BCCI

Kohli, de Villiers smash recordsn Agencies

AB de Villiers and Virat Kohli yesterday or-chestrated a mayhem by scoring magni� -cent centuries as Royal Challengers Ban-galore in� icted a crushing 144-run defeat on league leaders Gujarat Lions , recording the biggest ever victory in the history of Indian Premier League here.

Batting � rst, RCB plundered a massive 248 for 3 courtesy De Villiers’s 129 not out and an equally attractive 109 by Kohli with records falling like ninepins at Chinnas-wamy Stadium during the afternoon ses-sion.

Having been de� ated in the � rst ses-sion itself, Gujarat Lions capitulated to a meagre 104 all out in 18.4 overs with Chris Jordan picking up 4/11 in three overs and leg-spinner Yuzvendra Chahal getting 3/19 in four overs.

With 10 points from 11 games and a pos-itive net run-rate of +0.627, RCB will fancy their chances of sneaking in as the third or fourth team into the play-o� s by winning all their remaining three games.

The Kohli-De Villiers combine eclipsed its own partnership record by pummeling the Lions to add a staggering 229 runs in just 16 overs. l

28DT Sport


Warner warning on pink cricket balln AFP, Sydney

Australia vice-captain David Warn-er has voiced concerns about the pink ball used for day-night Tests, a report said yesterday, amid a stand-o� with South Africa over a proposed � xture.

Aggressive opening batsman Warner reportedly told The Aus-tralian newspaper that players want the pink ball improved.

“The concept is fantastic and it is a great spectacle, but for those of us who play it, the most important thing is getting the ball right,” he said from India where he is playing for the Sunrisers Hyderabad.

“It’s always going to be an is-sue because it is not a red ball. You can’t shine it up like you do a red ball and Test cricket has always been about using the red ball prop-erly when you’re in the � eld.

“Looking after it to get swing is a key and we can’t do that with a pink ball because it will not shine up.”

Warner, who played in the inau-

gural day-night Test against New Zealand in Adelaide last year, said batsmen and � elders struggled to see the pink ball at times.

“It’s still hard to see during the twilight period,” he said. “The guys on the side boundaries have trou-ble picking it up. You have to get that right.

“With the ball they used last year, there was no chance of seeing the seam. If you’re a batsman it is critical to be able to see the seam as it gets closer to you so you can work out which way it is going to swing - if it does.” l

Novak Djokovic of Serbia returns a ball to Rafael Nadal of Spain during their quarter-� nal at the Italian Open tennis tournament on Friday AP

Bolt still wants United job but not for Van Gaaln AFP, George Town

World’s fastest man Usain Bolt says he still dreams of playing for Man-chester United - as long as Louis Van Gaal is not the manager.

Bolt, who owns the 100-meter world record at 9.58 seconds and the world 200m record of 19.19, spoke Friday on the eve of his opening race of the 2016 campaign in the Cayman Invitational.

The Jamaican superstar has long been critical of Van Gaal’s steward-ship of Manchester United, say-ing he has not used players in the proper positions and that has led to disappointing performances by the English Premier League club.

“I supported Manchester Unit-ed for years,” Bolt said. “I would still love to play for them, but if Louis Van Gaal is the coach, not so much,” Bolt said.

Manchester United stand � fth in the Premier League with 18 wins and nine drawn from 37 starts entering today’s season-ending matches, two points behind fourth-place Manchester City. l

Manchester rivals � ght for Europen AFP, London

Manuel Pellegrini has warned his Manchester City stars to keep their eyes on the prize as they aim to secure a Champions League place at the expense of Manchester United, while champions Leicester will bring down the curtain on their astonishing season at Chelsea today.

With a memorable Premier League campaign coming to a conclusion with the � nal round of � xtures this weekend, the focus is split between the Manchester ri-vals’ battle for the last spot in Eu-rope’s elite club competition and a � tting � nale for Leicester as the fairytale champions bow out at the home of last year’s winners.

For City manager Pellegrini, his side’s trip to Swansea o� ers an op-portunity to leave on a high note as the Chilean prepares to clear his desk ahead of the arrival of Pep Guardiola, who moves to East-

lands from Bayern Munich in the close-season.

Fourth placed City are two points clear of United and, with their goal di� erence at +30 com-

pared to their � fth placed rivals’ +12, Pellegrini’s side need only to draw in south Wales to qualify for the Champions League and con-sign their neighbours to the drudg-ery of the Europa League.

But Pellegrini knows a compla-cent attitude from his team could lead to a calamity at the Liberty Stadium.

“This Premier League is not easy. Swansea are a di� cult team when you play away,” he said.

“They have done well in the last two games. We must play a very good game to qualify.

“If we play the way we did against Arsenal (last weekend) and we win, it will be a good � nish.”

United’s 3-2 defeat at West Ham in midweek took their European fate out of their hands and they host Bournemouth knowing only a victory, combined with a City de-feat at Swansea, will be enough to snatch a top four � nish.

Despite the unpromising situation, United mid� elder Mi-chael Carrick, whose side face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup � nal on May 21, urged his team-mates not to coast through the Bourne-mouth game.l

Djoker fends o� Nadal, Murray winn Reuters, Rome

World number one Novak Djokovic fended o� a resurgent Rafael Nadal 7-5 7-6 (4) in a pulsating battle on Friday to reach the semi-� nals of the Italian Open.

Earlier, Andy Murray held o� a strong � ghtback from Belgium’s David Go� n to win 6-1 7-5.

In the women’s event, top-ranked Serena Williams was in dominant mood as she crushed Russia’s Svetlana Kuznetsova 6-2 6-0 to advance to the last four.

Nadal led Djokovic 4-2 in the � rst set and had � ve set points on serve at 5-4 in the second but his opponent held � rm for a bruising clay-court victory which took two hours 24 minutes. It was his seventh straight win over the Spaniard and 11th in 12 meetings. However, it took all of the Serb’s incredible defen-sive skills to withstand a much-im-proved performance from the nine-times French Open champion.

“I held my nerve at the clutch moments. Even though I had nervy beginnings to both sets, with some good games, I managed to win.” Djokovic said. l

FIXTURES Arsenal v Aston Villa Chelsea v Leicester Everton v Norwich Man United v Bournemouth Newcastle v Tottenham Southampton v Crystal Palace Stoke v West Ham Swansea v Man City Watford v Sunderland West Brom v Liverpool

Downtime 29D

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CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

DILBERT

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.

CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

CODE-CRACKER

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a di� erent letter of the alphabet. For example, today 18 represents V so � ll V every time the � gure 18 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . 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, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CROSSWORDACROSS 1 Skin eruption (4)3 Respond (5)8 Water pitcher (4) 9 Bird (4)11 Dashing elbow (5)12 Domesticated (4)14 Knowledge (3)15 Enthusiasm (5)18 Confused � ght (5) 19 Fuss (3)21 Of the ear (4) 24 Out of bed (5)26 Den (4)27 Region (4) 28 Irritable (5)29 Biblical quotation (4)

DOWN 1 Sway to and fro (4) 2 Black deposit (4)4 Snakelike � sh (3)5 Not sleeping (5)6 Yield (4)7 Tendency (5) 10 Undulation (4)11 Headwear (5)13 Gourd (5)16 Disguise (4)17 Gem weight (5)18 Biblical character (5) 20 Dreadful (4)22 Wired enclosure (4)23 Legal document (4)25 Consume (3)

SUDOKU

30DT

SUNDAY, MAY 15, 2016Showtime

n Showtime Desk

To mark the 117th birth anniversary of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, seasoned director Irani Biswas has � nished shooting for her upcoming project Rokto Lekha, a TV play based on the poem, Amar Koi� yot, written by Nazrul.

Impress Tele� lm Ltd has produced the play, and national award winning actor Tariq Anam Khan will be portraying a special role.

“It is not an easy task when it comes to turning a poem into play. The challenge is doubled when the poem is written by none other than national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. The screenplay was written within a short time. I tried my level best to make it acceptable to audiences,” said Irani Biswas.

The plot of the play is based on the life of Nazrul. The shooting of the play was done on May 6 and May 7 at di� erent locations in Narayanganj.

“In that era, many accepted the poet, while many rejected him. I have directed the play with this thought in mind,” Biswas added.

Nilanjana Nila, Rimu Roza Khondkar, Obak Rahman, Washiqur, Chanchal Shoikat, SM Mohsin, Liza Khanam, Dalim, and Beauty have been cast in the play scheduled to be airred on Channel I on May 25, on the occasion of Kazi Nazrul Islam’s birth anniversary. l

n Showtime Desk

Ice Cream will air in Chittagong starting today. The director Redwan Rony said, “It will continue till 19th May for a � ve-day exhibition. There will be four shows each day. The � rst show will begin at 11am, the next will be at 2pm. Then, the last two shows will

be at 4:30pm and 7:00pm.”Ticket prices for the exhibition

has set to Tk150. However, students will be able to enjoy the � lm at only Tk100 by showing their ID cards. Previously, Ice Cream was screened in Comilla by a mass arrangement. The � lm was received by the audience with wonderful enthusiasm. l

n Farhan Shahriar

The post-wedding reception of Preity Zinta was held in Mumbai, India on Friday. Shah Rukh Khan, Shahid Kapoor, Abhay Deol, Abhishek Bachchan, Madhuri Dixit, Juhi Chawla, Sushmita Sen,

Lara Dutta, Karan Johar, Dino Moriah, Farah Khan, and Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh came to greet the newly married couple.

Salman Khan was present on the occasion with his girlfriend Yulia as well.

Preity stood out in her red

wedding gown with her man Gene Goodenough, who sported a black suit with a tie. Before the post-wedding reception, Preity visited the Taj Mahal along with her husband, mother and mother-in-law.l

Rokto Lekha to mark Nazrul’s 117th birth anniversary

‘Ice Cream’ starts today in Chittagong

She’s Preity and he’s Goodenough

The SpongeBob Movie: Sponge Out of WaterHBO 5:00pmWhen a diabolical pirate above the sea steals the secret Krabby Patty formula, SpongeBob and his nemesis Plankton must team up in order to get it back.Cast: Antonio Banderas, Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Carolyn Lawrence, Mr Lawrence

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part 2HBO 6:55pm Harry, Ron and Hermione search for Voldemort’s remaining Horcruxes in their e� ort to destroy the Dark Lord as the � nal battle rages on at Hogwarts.Daniel Radcli� e, Emma Watson, Rupert Grint, Ralph Fiennes, Michael Gambon

Madagascar 3: Europe’s Most WantedZee Studio 5:50pmAlex, Marty, Gloria and Melman are still � ghting to get home to their beloved Big Apple. Their journey takes them through Europe where they � nd the perfect cover: a traveling circus, which they reinvent – Madagascar style.

Cast: Ben Stiller, Chris Rock, David Schwimmer, Jada Pinkett Smith, Sacha Baron Cohen

Avengers: Age of UltronStar Movies 6:20pmWhen Tony Stark and Bruce Banner try to jump-start a dormant peacekeeping program called Ultron, things go horribly wrong and it’s up to Earth’s Mightiest Heroes to stop the villainous Ultron from enacting his terrible plans.Cast: Robert Downey Jr, Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ru� alo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson

TroyWB 9:30pmAn adaptation of Homer’s great epic, the � lm follows the assault on Troy by the united Greek forces and chronicles the fates of the men involved.Cast: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana, Orlando Bloom, Brian Cox, Sean Bean l

WHAT TO WATCH

31D


Showtime

Farzana Hridi Sheikh wins Mangolee-Channel I Shera Nachiye

Tauquir Ahmed and Bipasha Hayat attend Cannes

n Showtime Desk

A total of 45,000 participants took part in season three of Channel I Shera Nachiye. Among them, Farzana Hridi Sheikh from Dhaka stood out the champion of the season.

The announcement was made

at the end of a glamorous � nale held at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital on May 13.

Farzana was awarded with a diamond crown and a brand new car sponsored by ACI-Fun Chanachur. First runner-up Sinthia Yasmin Nupur (from Munshiganj)

n Showtime Desk

The dynamic duo of the Bangladeshi small screen Tauquir Ahmed and Bipasha Hayat has hit the world-famous Cannes Film Festival 2016, which kicked o� in Cannes, France on May 11.

Talented Bangladeshi actor-director Tauquir Ahmed marks his � rst Cannes venture with his much-anticipated � lm O� yatonama. The � lm, produced by Impress Tele� lm Ltd, will see its world premiere on May 17 at 6:30pm in the Cannes Film Festival’s Palace Eye Hall.

The � lm got the ticket for participating in The Marché du Film, which is the business counterpart of the Cannes Film Festival and one of the largest � lm markets in the world.

The couple reached the festival on Friday, May 13, accompanied by Faridur Reza Sagor, Ibne Hasan Khan, and Farhadur Reza Probal.

Tauquir Ahmed said, “It is pivotal that Bangladeshi

films must be shown to people from all across the world. The Cannes Film Festival is certainly one such platform, and through that we got the opportunity for Aggatonama to make its world premiere. I feel that in the future, our young directors will get the opportunity to participate in the Cannes Film Festival. The current generation of directors in our country is extremely talented and that is how our films will stand out in the world of cinema.”

O� yatonama is the second Bangladeshi � lm to get the ticket to the festival. However, the � lm does not stop here. It also got nominated to compete at the Independet Film Festival to be held in Italy.

O� yatonama will participate with seven other � lms from seven di� erent countries - America, China, Japan, Germany, Iran, France and Spain. Tauquir and Bipasha will set o� for Italy to attend the competition on May 19. The couple will return to Bangladesh on May 24. l

n SK Farhan Rahman

Jennifer Lawrence seems to have assumed her usual self yet again. She punched Sophie Turner in her “lady parts” recently, and Sophie even said it was “awesome.” The new X-Men movie comes out in two weeks time, and so far, critics aren’t loving it. While the success of the movie may be in doubts, Turner can at least � nd solace in walking away with a classic Jennifer Lawrence story.

The Game of Thrones actress who plays Jean Grey in the new

X-Men movie remembered her time on set in an interview with Just Jared. Lawrence is “exactly the same person you see in interviews,” said Turner, and went on to describe the classic Katniss moment.

“She punched me once. I didn’t even ask her to either,” said Turner, Apparently it just happened. Evan Peters and Turner were having a fake � ght once when Turner said something along the lines of “I’ll punch you in your midsection,” which Jennifer thought to believe that Turner

actually wanted a punch in her lady parts.

Turner added, “So she punched me down there, and I was like, ‘awesome.’ It was pretty hilarious to be honest.”

This, coming from the actress who talks about urinating in a bidet and crushing on Larry David, sounds like a pretty classic Jennifer Lawrence moment. Honestly, we wouldn’t expect anything less from her. l

Source:moviefone, Hu� ngton Post

Jennifer Lawrence punches Sophie Turner

and second reunner-up Umme Habiba Shobha (from Rangpur) received Tk3 lakh and Tk2 lakh respectively.

Channel I managing director, Faridur Reza Sagor and director and head of news Shykh Seraj handed over the awards.

AST Beverage Ltd chairman Md Harun-ur-Rashid and ACI Group executive director Syed Alamagir were present.

Munmun Ahmed, one of the three regular judges of the show, could not attend the event as she is currently abroad, while � lm actress Purnima appeared as a guest judge along with the regular judges Ferdous Ahmed, Meher Afroza Shaon.

Among the participants, Suraiya Islam Riya from Tangail received a scholarship in dance from Shadhona. Lubna Marium, artistic director of Shadhona handed over the certi� cate.

Faridur Reza Sagor said Channel I was increasing the number of reality shows in order to aid youth to become established dancers, singers, actors, models and entrepreneurs.

Meher Afroza Shaon and Ferdous enthralled the audience with their gorgeous dance performance. l

Back Page32DT


GAS CRISIS HITS GARMENT INDUSTRY PAGE 12

TON-UP MASHRAFE FLAYS SHEIKH JAMAL PAGE 25

SHE’S PREITY AND HE’S GOODENOUGH PAGE 30

Dhaka Tribune

Chain stores shut todayin protestn Tribune Desk

Bangladesh Supermarket Own-ers Association has announced to keep all the chain stores across the country closed today in protest at what it described as discrimination in policy and constant harassment.

The announcement was made in a press statement signed by the association’s General Secretary Md Zakir Hossain yesterday.

“The supermarkets have been applying the latest meth-ods for storing and selling foods and other products for long but the association is compelled to announce the shutdown of the supermar-kets, including Agora, Meena Bazar, Shwapno, Prince Bazar and Almas, for Sunday to pro-test against discrimination in policy and continuous harass-ment,” the statement read.

“Thousands of workers, farmers and producers are in-volved in this thriving sector but because of discriminatory policies, we are facing unnec-essary harassment.

“Supermarkets are playing a key role when it comes to selling safe foods but mobile courts, police and RAB are car-rying out continuous drives at the stores. The stores are being � ned after examining foods using unscienti� c methods. It seems supermarkets have

become the targets of such drives. These drives are send-ing the wrong message to the consumers that such stores only sell adulterated or rotten products. But the companies that invested a lot of money to build their infrastructures and brands will not deliberately do anything to lose the trust of consumers,” it added.

The statement said the way drives are conducted at the su-permarkets gives the impres-sion that they are more aimed at media coverage than check-ing the quality of foods.

It said it is not possible to ensure safe food just by con-ducting drives at supermar-kets or popular shops if no e� ective step is taken to check adulteration in the stages of production and supply.

“Real perpetrators respon-sible for food adulteration are getting away and consumers are also getting confused because of such media exposure-orient-ed drives. This is a harassment for a sector that is � ourishing,” according to the statement.

It was also said in the state-ment that supermarket owners respect the law but they do not want to be the victims of abuse of law.

The statement demanded a safe working environment for supermarket sta� and called on the highest level of the govern-ment to solve the problems. l

BSF kills teenagern Mehedi Hasan,

Chuadanga

Border Security Force (BSF) shot a Bangladeshi teenager to death in Goalpara border area under Jibonnagar upazila of Chuadanga district yesterday.

The deceased was Shihab Uddin, 16, son of Mahabul Hal-sana of Goalpaara village.

UP member Imad Ali said BSF members of India`s Tungi

camp beat up Shihab when he went to pick up mangoes near the international border pillar No 66 in the morning.

Later, they shot him while he was returning.

Locals rushed him to Jibon-nagar Upazila Health Complex where attending doctors de-clared him dead.

Chuadanga 6 BGB Director Mohammad Amir Majid con-� rmed the incident. l

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 O� ce: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: [email protected], [email protected], Website: www.dhakatribune.com

May 15, 2016

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