The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Curfew relaxed for 17 hours from 6:00am to 11:00pm tonight in all the six divisional cities.

Life returns to normalcy in all the six divisional cities, including the bustling capital-Dhaka, as the Government relaxed the indefinite curfew for 14 hours yesterday from 8:00am to 10:00pm.

Although it was a weekend day, city dwellers were busy whole day, as many of the supermarkets and most shop owners opened their shuters and business transaction were almost normal.

The vehicular movement was normal and buses, cars and cycle rikshaws plied in the capital while long-route passenger buses, motor launches, to and from Dhaka and other divisional cities, had gone to those respective destinations timely. Muslim devotees said their Juma prayers at mosques of their respective localities.

Many of the industries, including garment factories, and private commercial offices functioned as workers and managers atended their offices normally during the relaxed hours. The indefinite curfew, imposed on Wednesday evening to contain the student demonstrations under the state of emergency, comes into force again from 10:00 yesterday night

The authorities relaxed curfew for an extended period of 14 hours in capital Dhaka and five other divisional cities, as there was no major untoward incident reported.

But mobile phone network again remained suspended from 6pm today. An official of GrameenPhone said the suspension was likely to continue till 10pm Friday.

In Dhaka, hundreds of thousands of city dwellers and traffic returned to streets in the capital after the curfew was lifted for 14 hours from 8am. People crowded city markets to buy essentials on the weekend while. Most shops and markets were open.

University and college students stranded by sudden closure of their dormitories rushed to bus, launch and rail stations to leave the city for their hometowns.

On Wednesday, the Government closed sine die all universities in the country and colleges of six divisional cities.

The Army-led Joint Forces picked up two senior teachers of Dhaka University and three others of Rajshahi University from their houses in separate operations conducted from midnight on Thursday to early hours yesterday.

The forces also arrested Azizul Bari Helal, who is the President of JCD, the students' wing of the BNP from Maghbazar early morning yesterday.

The arrested teachers include Dhaka University Teachers Association

(DUTA) General Secretary Prof Anwar Hossain of Biochemistry Department and Dean of Social Science Faculty Porf Harun-or-Rashid of Political Science Department, both of whom belong to the Awami League (AL).

The DUTA staged a demonstration on the DU campus last Wednesday demanding the withdrawal of the state of emergency, which was not included in the five-point charter of demands of the agitating students, and also extended support to students.

The students were about to call off their movement as all of their demands had been fulfilled by the Government the previous day. The teachers' demonstration was followed by widespread riots, organised mostly by non-students, in different parts of the capital.

The authorities imposed the curfew, closing down the institutions of higher education in divisional cities on Wednesday, to quell the three-day students' rioting, as it was spreading across the country fast

Offices of all Government, semi Government and autonomous bodies in the major cities were announced closed the following day until further order.

Staff Reporter

In spite of assuming liability of Tk 7,523 crore of the Bangladesh Petroleum Corporation (BPC) by the government in the current fiscal year's budget, it (BPC) is again going to get Tk 2,100 crore (US$ 300 million) from three nationalised commercial banks (NCBs)-Sonali, Janata and Agrani-to import fuel oil.

Earlier in the last week, the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources sought Tk 2,100 crore of loan from the Bangladesh Bank for the BPC.

The BPC owes about Tk 4,500 crore to the foreign banks operating in Bangladesh. Since the foreign banks are reluctant to provide the BPC any further loans unless their previous loans are repaid, the three state-owned banks have agreed to provide the BPC Tk 2,100 crore fresh loan at the directive of Bangladesh Bank.

It is learnt that the accumulated outstanding loan of BPC taken from three nationalized commercial banks (NCBs) stood at around Tk 12,820 crore, exposing the whole banking system to serious vulnerability. Of the amount, BPC owes Tk 4,912.58 crore to Sonali Bank, Tk 4,775 crore to Agrani Bank and Tk 3,132 crore to Janata Bank.

Sources at the Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources said there are a strong disagreement between the BPC and three commercial banks over the outstanding amount of loan. The banks claim that the BPC wants to show the amount deducting the regular interest on the loan, while the BPC says that the banks have been claiming exaggerated amount from it Instead of resolving this problem, the BPC is again going to take fresh loans from three commercial banks. In the current fiscal year's budget, the government decided to assume the accumulated default loan of BPC as its own liability by issuing treasury bonds of equivalent amount

According to the Finance Adviser Dr AB Mirza Azizul Islam, the issuance of treasury bonds will resolve the long-standing problems relating to the BPC's loan.

The sources said the different companies now owe Tk 1,878 crore to the BPC, while the BPC itself owes Tk 4,500 crore to the Islamic Development Bank and Standard Chartered Bank. As the price of fuel oil continues to rise in the international market, the government has also been facing great difficulties to repay the loans taken from the foreign banks. The BPC incurs a loss of Tk 217 crore in August alone for importing fuel oil as the oil price in global market goes up substantially.

Jamaluddin Jami

Five university professors were arrested by army-led security forces in Dhaka and Rajshahi early yesterday on suspicion of instigating violent clashes between students and police that led to the imposition of a curfew in the capital and six other divisional cities.

Besides, some 50 people, including students, were detained from the Dhaka University and nearby Aziz Super Market A general diary was filed against as many as 46 detained people by police. They have been kept at Shahbagh Police Station, where the diary was filed in the city.

It is learnt that the security forces have also been raiding different areas across the capital to arrest suspected students on suspicion of their involvement in the last week's three days of rioting. The arrests of two university professors came in raids early yesterday, as the government temporarily suspended a curfew imposed after three days of unrest in the country. The 14-hour suspension began at 8:00am and the curfew was re-imposed at 10:00pm.

However, there was no sign of protests since the curfew was imposed on Wednesday evening, and traffic poured onto the streets of the main cities yesterday immediately after the curfew was lifted. The two teachers were arrested from their respective residences at Dhaka University and Rajshahi University in early morning raids.

Prof Harun-ar-Rashid, Dean of Dhaka University's Faculty of Social Science, and Prof Anwar Hossain, Dean of Bioscience and general secretary of the Dhaka University Teachers' Association, were arrested, acting vice-chancellor Prof Yusuf Haider said.

"We're very much concerned about our two arrested colleagues….We're trying to know where they have been kept and maintaining constant contact with their families," he said.

"At least 10 army personnel came to our house in the night and said my father had to go with them to the police station," Anwar Hossain's son Sanjid Hossain told reporters. "Then they took my father on board of an army jeep, along with two CPUs (central processing units) of computers used by us."

Sanjid said they contacted the Shahbagh Police Station, but did not find his father there. "My mother became very concerned and fell sick after the arrest of my father," he said.

Barnali Rashid, daughter of Harun-ar-Rashid, said, "My father and uncle Anwar were picked up by joint security forces at their homes on the university campus."

The arrested teachers have been vocal in their criticisms of the army and the military-backed Caretaker government, which took power seven months ago following a political crisis.

They had also been active in the protests last week, which began after army personnel manhandled students during a football match on the campus of Dhaka University on Monday.

Our Rajshahi Correspondent reports: Three more teachers were arrested from their residences at Rajshahi University early yesterday, said the university vice-chancellor Altaf Hossain.

Hossain said intelligence officers told him they suspected teachers at the university of instigating violence there last week that left one bystander dead and dozens injured.

The detained academics were former vice-chancellor Prof Saidur Rahman Khan, Prof Abdus Sobhan of the Department of Applied Physics and Electronics and a leader of a left-leaning teachers' group, and Prof Moloy Kumar Bhoumik of the Department of Management

"Their families said security forces in civilian dress picked up the teachers from their residences," he said.

Meanwhile, streets that had earlier been deserted started returning to normal and people flooded into markets in the capital to stock up on food and essentials before the curfew was re-imposed last night, witnesses said.

Chitagong Correspondent

The port city went back to the usual and busy mode on Friday, even on the weekend, when the early bulletins of the satellite televisions aired curfew relaxation news for 14 hours from 8:00 in the morning.

Kitchen markets of the city turned overcrowded as hundreds rushed for weekly shopping. Shopping malls, superstores and other forms of business firms restored operation in the morning. Traffic congestions were seen at a number of city points following massive turnout of citizens for emergency purposes.

Though the horticultural produces had been costlier in the morning, the prices later took a downward trend when fresh supply of vegetables from the wholesale markets started arriving the city kitchen markets.

Many commercial establishments mostly the private ones did operate in full-scale for covering the damages of the curfew periods. Dislocation of international telephony and the cyber connectivity for at least 21 hours on Thursday also hindered business in the port city.

Cargo delivery from the port suffered hindrance during the curfew period though within port operation was claimed to have been normal. A significant quantity of cargo has been delivered from the port on Friday.

Staff Reporter

Leaders of different political parties urged the government to deal with the present situation with patience so that peoples' sufferings are not prolonged. They suggested the government to arrange dialogue with political parties before taking further course of action to overcome the situation.

Awami League Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed told reporters that the government should tackle the situation with patience. He said the government should have to be cautious to take its next decision, as the situation is becoming normal.

Workers Party President Rashed Khan Menon said the government should face the situation with patience and take immediate measure to hold dialogue with the political parties to overcome the situation.

JSD President Hasanul Haque Inu also echoed the same view to deal with the situation cautiously.

He opined that the government should hold dialogue with the political parties to determine its next decision.

DU Correspondent

Two Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) leaders were arrested by security forces early yesterday from their respective residences in the city. The arrested leaders are Azizul Bari Helal, president of JCD and Daneshul Islam, JCD Salimullah Muslim Hall Unit President Sources said the leaders were arrested for allegedly provoking the activists of the party and general students against the present government although security men did not explain the reason behind the arrests. JCD sources said Helal was picked up at about 7am.

Police also searched nearby places of the Dhaka University campus yesterday morning looking for some other leaders of different students' organisations.

The student leaders of various organisations, who were seen on the DU campus during the violence between students and police, again remained in hiding after enforcing curfew by the government on Tuesday.

Our Correspondent

Angry mob put blockade on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway and damaged a number of motor vehicles yesterday afternoon after three motorbike passengers, including the driver were killed in a tragic road accident in Narsingdi on Thursday.

Witnesses said the three passengers were killed when their motorcycle collided head-on with a speedy passenger bus at Rainadi under Madhabdi on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway on Thursday. The deceased were identified as Russel, Ruhul Amin and Afzal Hossain.

After their namaj-e-janaza yesterday afternoon, the local people became agitated and put blockades on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway. They also damaged a Bhairab-bound passenger bus.

Receiving information, police from the Narsingdi Sadar Police Station went to the spot and brought the situation under control.

Staff Reporter

Results of this year's HSC examinations under the seven education boards will be published on August 26, it is reliably learnt

Besides, the results of Alim, Fazil and Kamil examinations under the Madrasa Education Board, HSC results of the Technical Education Board and Diploma-in-Business Studies/Diploma-in-Commerce under the Dhaka Education Board will also be published on the same day. The results were scheduled on August 23. But due to unavoidable circumstances the results were not published on the date.

A total of 5,41,817 candidates from 6,958 educational institutions appeared at this year's HSC and its equivalent examinations and other examinations, according to the Education Ministry.

Out of the total, 4,40,248 appeared at the HSC examinations under seven education boards, 52,034 under the Madrasa Education Board and 49,535 under the Technical Education Board, they added.

The examinees have been asked to collect results from their respective centres or institutions. They can also get their results on the website: www.educationboard.gov.bd

This year's HSC and Alim examinations started on May 10 and ended on June 24.

Staff Reporter

Most of the telephone lines at Purbachal Road of Utar Badda remained dead for the last few days but the authority did not take any action in this regard.

The lines including numbers 8855391, 8829953, 8856419, 9895063 and 9888740 are dead for a few days. The people of the area can not make a call anywhere during the crisis moment especially when the mobile phone networks were stopped.

Abul Khaer, a resident of the area, said that he did not communicate with his sister who was very sick on Tuesday for remaining the phone dead that was standstill for five days.

The BTTB camp at Shajadpur was informed on Thursday but no action has yet a been taken in this regard.

He also said the people of the area want to get rid of such harassment and urged the authority to take necessary measure in this connection.

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh Sick Industries Association (BSIA) has requested the government to take necessary steps for rehabilitation of the sick industries.

President of BSIA Chowdhury Muhammad Ishaq in a later to the Chief Adviser and other advisers of the Caretaker Government urged to form an arbitration commitee to setle their disputes over bad loans with the banks outside court

The BSIA chief demanded formulation of law for protection of the entrepreneurs, whose industries became sick due to some adverse circumstances, as some early decisions of the government to rehabilitate sick industries remained unimplemented over the years.

He requested the government to take measures, so that their loans are not treated as default loan and the banks shun from suing them.