The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Adviser for Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs, and Information Barrister Mainul Hosein yesterday said the government is considering seting up of a Truth Commission to bring about a change in the nature of trial of corrupt businessmen for the sake of boosting economic activities.

The government is planning to make plea bargain law and constitute the Truth Commission so that corrupt businessmen can be punished in a lenient manner, he said while briefing journalists at the conference room of the Ministry of Information.

Under the proposed law, the Adviser said, corrupt businessmen would be able to confess their offences before the Truth Commission, pay penalty and return their illegally earned assets and property to the government They will not have to appear before the court or to go to jail, he added.

He said the measure is being taken in the greater interest of the state not in the interest of the government or any individual.

Barrister Mainul Hosein said the government is considering this as the country’s businessmen informed that they were in panic and could not render business services fully.

Businessmen did not oppose their trial for indulging in corruption but they made appeals for altering the nature of their punishment, he said.

He said the practice of reconciliation is seen in many countries after a big change and keeping this in mind the government is thinking of widening the scope of plea bargain and change the nature of punishment for corrupt businessmen.

The Adviser said it is though the rule of law that corrupt people politicians or businessman to justice but it is not wise to weigh all types of corruption and the corrupt persons on the same scale.

He said the greater task of the present caretaker government is to consolidate democracy and restore good governance in the country by holding a general election and the government is ataching the highest priority to ensuring honest and transparent politics.

To achieve this target, he said the government has to keep economic activities active and ensure generation of income for the common people.

“Business and trade activities have to remain vibrant; otherwise the government will be dysfunctional, he said

The Adviser observed that this could reduce government’s costs for running cases against corrupt people and also for feeding the suspects who have been imprisoned.

The objective of the present government is to establish transparency, honesty and constitutional rule. There would be no scope for the businessmen to commit corruption, if the government is honest and the ministers and officials of a government are honest, he said.

The government is giving priority to the establishment of honest and transparent politics. At the same time active business community is essential to boost economy and generate employment opportunities.

About the fate of the persons, who are both politicians and businessmen, the Law Adviser said it has to be found out who is more of a businessman and who is more of a politician.

Syful Islam

As a result of corrupt practices by the unscrupulous manpower exporters and their equally deceitful counterparts in Malaysia, Bangladesh is poised to lose one of its important remitance markets, as Malaysian government has decided not to recruit any more workers from this country.

The official BARNAMA news agency reported yesterday that the Malaysian Cabinet decided to stop recruitment of manpower from Bangladesh, as the 'process has caused problems to the country.’

Following the decision, sending of 100,000 more approved Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia has become uncertain. At present Malaysia is hosting about 200,000 Bangladeshi workers.

Malaysian Government earlier in 1999 had suspended importing of Bangladeshi manpower due to various problems. The Government resumed recruitment of Bangladeshi manpower this year following fruitful discussion with the previous four-party alliance government

Home Minister of Malaysia Datuk Seri Mohd Radzi Sheikh Ahmad in the Parliament said there were now too many workers and agents from Bangladesh in Malaysia.

He said the presence of such agents who used Malaysians as sub-agents and earn a huge amount of money "are not a healthy sign, it is not good for the country".

Talking to newsmen Mohd Radzi said Malaysia could recruit workers from 10 other countries such as Indonesia, Thailand, Cambodia, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Vietnam, Nepal and Laos.

"For the time being, we won't be taking in Bangladeshi workers," he said, adding that the freeze involved fresh applications for workers from that country.

Mohd Radzi said Malaysia had also inked agreements to hire workers from several other countries including Kazakhstan.

The minister said that Malaysia froze the recruitment of Bangladeshi workers back in 1999 because of various problems. Besides problems related to the agents, the workers themselves were causing many social woes, he said.

More than a hundred Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia began demonstration during the first week of September in protest against the poor working conditions in that country. They had been on a hunger strike on the premises of the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur.

Malaysian police picked up 82 agitating Bangladeshi workers and handed them over to Tenaganita, a local human rights organisation.

The government of Bangladesh lodged a formal complaint with the Malaysian authorities seeking stern action against Malaysian company PTC Asia Pacific for failing to provide appropriate jobs and facilities to Bangladeshi recruits.

The government also sent a three-member enquiry team led by Expatriates' Welfare Secretary Abdul Matin Chowdhury to Malaysia to probe the incidents.

Sources said returning back from Malaysia the commitee recommended termination of the driver of labour wing in Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur Jasimuddin, withdrawal of two administrative officers and cautioning of Labour Counsellor Talat Mahmud.

The commitee said the four officials of the High Commission were behind the plight of Bangladeshi workers in Malaysia. They earned huge sum through issuing fake certificates and work permits, which caused problems to the Bangladeshi workers, the commitee said.

Staff Reporter

Awami League Presidium member and Coordinator of the 14-party alliance yesterday demanded of the Government to withdraw the state of emergency at a realistic time instead of lifting it two months ahead of each election.

He made the demand while talking to journalists after a bilateral meeting between the Awami League (AL) and Samyabadi Dal.

Tofail, however, did not explain as to what he wanted to mean by the word-a 'realistic time’.

CEC Dr ATM Shamsul Huda on Tuesday said the emergency should be lifted at least two months before election from places where polls would be held.

Reacting to the CEC’s opinion, leaders of the AL and Samyabadi Dal said the emergency should be lifted much earlier so that the political parties could begin their political activities much ahead of the polls.

Demanding simplification of procedures of registration of political parties, Tofail Ahmed said they do not support any atempt by Election Commission (EC) to 'control’ political parties in the name of registration.

The bilateral meeting between AL and Samayabadi Dal was held at the Gulshan residence of AL Acting President Zillur Rahman who presided over the meeting.

The meeting was part to a series of talks among allies of the AL-led 14-party alliance to work out common and identical proposals to be presented at the dialogue with the EC on electoral reforms.

Justifying his demand of the EC, Tofail said many political parties would

not be able to be registered if the rules are not simplified.

He said the meeting decided that they would cooperate with the EC in implementing its announced roadmap but said the caretaker government and the EC should be more atentive to its implementation.

He also asked the EC to involve workers of the political parties in voters’ list preparation.

“We are ready to help the Election Commission to hold a free and fair election. But the Government and the Commission should not take any decision that might create obstacle to implement the EC’s roadmap,” Tofail said.

He said although they support the EC’s roadmap of holding elections by December 2008, it would be more pleasing for them if it is possible to hold the elections ahead of the announced deadline.

The meeting took an unanimous decision to raise a demand for declaring political parties that are accused of war crime, militancy, and fundamentalism and engaged in religion-based politics ineligible to take part in polls and national politics.

“We support the EC’s decision to involve Army personnels with the voter listing work with photographs but we think involvement of poltical activists in preparing voters’ list is also essential,” Tofail said.

He demanded lifting of the ban on indoor politics across the country so that leaders and workers of the 14-party combine could help prepare the voter list

Samyabadi Dal general secretary Dilip Barua said EC should take appropriate steps so that the religion-based political parties cannot participate in the election because religion-based politics divides the nation.

“This Government is the fruit of the 14-party alliance’s movement and people expect that the Government would hand over power as soon as possible,” he said.

AL leaders Matia Chowdhury, Mukul Bose, Mahmudur Rahman Manna, Akhtaruzzaman, Sultan Mohammad Mansur Ahmed, Adv Rahmat Ali, Adv Abdul Mannan Khan, Abdul Latif Siddiqui, Dr Mostafa Jalal Mohiuddin, Habibur Rahman Siraj, Dr Abdur Razzak, Dr Dipu Moni, and Maj Gen (retd) Subid Ali Bhuiyan, and Samyabadi Dal leaders Harun Chowdhury and Abu Hamed Shahabuddin, among others, were present at the meeting.

Staff Reporter

Expelled BNP Secretary General Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday dropped a broad hint about a rapprochement between the two factions of the BNP, making a call for unification of the party.

“We don’t want any division in the party centring our reform proposals,” he told a press briefing at his Gulshan residence.

He urged all leaders and workers of the party to refrain from any activity that can affect unity of the BNP. He said all party activists and leaders would have to work unitedly to win the next general election.

In a related development, Mannan Bhuiyan’s close aids Major (retd) Hafizuddin Ahmed and Dr Osman Farruk yesterday took seat along with BNP Secretary General Khandaker Delwar Hossain at an iftar party hosted by President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed at the Bangabhaban.

Earlier, on Monday, Major Hafiz disclosed that they were having backstage parleys with Khandaker Delwar and Brig Gen (retd) Hannan Shah to reunify the party.

When contacted yesterday, Khandaker Delwar did not comment on it He said there is no division in the BNP.

But sources close to the BNP Secretary General confirmed about the move.

The BNP became virtually divided into two factions following the announcement of proposals to reform the party by Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan and its opposition by party Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia in late June.

Meanwhile, both Khandaker Delwar and Mannan Bhuiyan yesterday demanded withdrawal of the state of emergency while talking to journalists separately.

Khandaker Delwar also questioned the Election Commission’s move to hold elections to the local government institutions before the general election, saying, “Constitutionally Caretaker Government is mandated only to hold parliamentary elections, not the local government institutions.”

Mannan Bhuiyan, however, stressed the need to create an atmosphere to ensure so that there is no recurrence of the anarchic situation leading to the January 11 changeover after the withdrawal of the state of emergency.

He said the changeover of January 11 had become inevitable because of anarchic activities resorted by the political parties.

Replying to a question, Mannan Bhuiyan said the January 11 changeover reflects the pledge to introduce a healthy political trend ending terrorism, corruption and individual-centered politics.

This healthy trend can be introduced only through rectification and reforms in the party and the leadership, he said.

The BNP leader said, they are not thinking about movement along with the 14-party alliance or any other political parties. Now the objective of all should be to take the politics forward in a positive mode, he added.

About the demand to the Election Commission (EC) for banning religion-based political parties, Mannan Bhuiyan said, “This does not fall under the jurisdiction of the EC. Everybody other than religious militants has the right to do politics in the country.”

When asked, Khandaker Delwar also expressed similar view saying, “There is no fundamentalism and religious fanaticism in the country, so such demand is not justified.”

On his expulsion order, Mannan Bhuiyan said any forum of the party did not approve his expulsion order by Chairperson Begum Zia. “Moreover, most of the central commitee leaders and former MPs have rejected that order,” he added.

UNB, Dhaka

The National Registration and Database Ordinance 2007 would be promulgated before the start of voter listing work in Dhaka City Corporation on December 1.

“The use of national identity (NID) cards to avail of 22 designated facilities and services would become mandatory with the promulgation of the ordinance,” Election Commissioner Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain told reporters at his office Wednesday. “One would not be able to be a voter if s/he does not want to enroll his or her name in the voter list and would not get NID card,” he said when asked what would be done if eligible voters continue to avoid enumerators.

The voter listing work in the Dhaka City Corporation would be a major challenge to the whole project, he said, adding that they have already apprehended some difficulties in completing the job. Advancing school final examinations to November from December is necessary for smooth completion of the DCC voter listing since most of the voter registration centres would be set up in city schools. “Advancing the school final examinations is considered to be a challenge. And enrolling the slum dwellers and floating people (who don’t have any addresses at all) would be other challenges,” Sakhawat said.

To identify the problems, the EC is going to take three test cases on the outskirts of the city (Kamrangir Char, Utar Khan and Dania) before starting the voter listing work in the DCC. “This time, only 1.5 to 2 percent duplication of voters may take place and it would be very encouraging if the percentage remains within 1.5,” Sakhawat said, adding that the number of duplication was only 46 out of 24,000 in Savar municipality that came to the notice during random checking.

The EC has a strong proposal to the government to lift the ban on indoor politics countrywide by December and relax the state of emergency at places where elections would be held, he said, as local body elections are going to be held from January next Sakhawat said they came to know from view-exchange meetings held at the places where voter listing task is going on that people are strongly in favour of the EC proposal of making registration of political parties mandatory and nomination from the grassroots level in addition to having the option for no vote. About the difficulties in voter listing, the Election Commissioner said there are some administrative problems like lack of manpower at the field level.

Besides, he said, the task would have been expedited had the politicians could work formally.

BSS, Dhaka

Chiefs of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) and the National Revenue Board (NBR) at a meeting here on Wednesday discussed the way of developing more coordination between the two organisations to handle the cases relating to financial corruption.

The meeting was held at a time when the High Court stayed proceedings of a number of cases filed by the NBR and the ACC against corruption suspects on charges of evading income tax and corruption.

After the meeting with ACC Chairman Lt Gen. (retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury at the ACC office, NBR Chairman M Badiur Rahman told reporters that they talked about the maters of improving coordination as writ petitions are being filed challenging the cases of the NBR and the ACC.

However, the NBR chairman said at present there is no lack of coordination between the two agencies.

He said the ACC, under section 19 (2), has power to seek any information from the NBR and any other agencies. If the ACC wants, it can also seek more information through courts, he added.

Badiur Rahman said they have also discussed the ACC act and income tax laws, and limitation of the NBR under section 163 of the income tax ordinance to provide information for others.

“The NBR has some obstacles under section 163 of the income tax ordinance, which mentioned that where I can provide information and where I cannot,” he said.

Replying to a question, the NBR chairman said the board was very much careful about keeping the economic activities of the country very normal.

“We want to assure the nation that the NBR will not follow any procedure that will hinder the economic progress. But it does not mean that we will stop our all activities,” he noted.

He said the NBR wants to do the tax collection job in a coordinated way by upholding the honour of the taxpayers and maintaining the existing rules and principles.

Badiur Rahman said even after expiry of the dateline of showing the undisclosed wealth of any individual by September 30, 2007, the board would welcome the persons who would willingly come forward to disclose their wealth.

He said the ACC does not want to make the tax realization process difficult with long legal procedure. It wants to setle the cases, as much it can, out of the court, he said.

The objectives of the filed cases were to just give a message to taxpayers that they must pay taxes, he said.

UNB,Dhaka

Bangladesh Bank Wednesday instructed a few commercial banks to devise suitable transaction mechanisms for Beximco and Bashundhara Groups to facilitate their businesses in absence of the detained owners.

The instruction was given amid requests that the two large business conglomerates were facing enormous difficulties in running their day-to-day business affairs, a senior central bank official told UNB. Sources said the groups have formed interim managing commitees to run the business affairs as the owners were detained under the government’s anti-corruption drive on heavy corruption charges. But, they added, the commitees have no authority to sign the bank documents, particularly the cheques, causing immense sufferings to the businesses.

“We’ve instructed 5-6 banks to do as much as possible for the business groups to help continue their business affairs,” Bangladesh Bank Governor Dr Saleh Uddin Ahmed told reporters. Replying to a question, he said even more legal complexities might emerge to operate the banking activities of the business groups, which could be sorted out later. “We’ll sit together with the problems for suitable solutions.”

Earlier, Bangladesh Bank had issued a circular asking banks to look into the banking problems the business houses were facing due to the absence of their owners.

Meanwhile, Finance Advisor Dr Mirza Azizul Islam today told reporters that an individual and a business organisation is not similar entity.

“Our drive is against corrupt individuals… we’ve no restriction against any organisation,” he said, replying to a question.

Staff Reporter

The Anti-Corruption Commission yesterday interrogated detained former Energy State Minister AKM Mosharraf Hossain at Dhaka Central Jail gate in connection with the container handling case filed against detained former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia and 12 others.

Detained former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia is likely to be quizzed next week in connection with the container handling case filed against her by the Anti-Corruption Commission. “The investigation officer is likely to file a petition in a day or two to allow him to question and take a statement from the detained former Prime Minister. If permited, it’ll happen sometime next week at the sub-jail,” a competent source told newsmen.

Another former minister for Health and Family Welfare Dr Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain now in Central Jail would be interrogated today in this connection, ACC sources said.

According to ACC sources, AKM Mosharraf Hossain was brought to Dhaka Central Jail from Kashimpur Jail in Gazipur for interrogation. He was later sent back to Gazipur last night

Deputy Inspector General of Prison (DIG-Prison) Maj Shamsul Haider Siddique told The New Nation, “The former state minister was brought to Dhaka and was produced before the CMM Court in connection with another case. Later, we brought him to the Central Jail for ACC’s interrogation.”

The ACC team started the interrogation from 4.30pm that continued till the time of Iftar.

A three-member interrogation team comprising ACC Deputy Director Zahurul Huda, investigation officer of the case, Taskforce-23 officer Maj Mostafa Kamal and CID inspector of Taskforce-23, Nurul Islam, interrogated the former state minister for over an hour.

Earlier, the ACC also interrogated five former ministers and seven bureaucrats at its Segunbagicha office. The ministers were interrogated, as they were the members of the Public Procurement Commitee, which approved the tender in favour of Global Agro Trade Company Ltd (GATCO).

The bureaucrats were interrogated as they had prepared the papers in this regard.

Earlier, the ACC had summoned eight former ministers and eight bureaucrats. But it could not interrogate former Commerce Minister Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury and former bureaucrat Zakir Ahmed yet, as both are out of the country.

Former Finance Minister Saifur Rahman, former LGRD Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, former Industries Minister and Jamaat Islami Bangladesh chief Motiur Rahman Nizami, former Agriculture Minister MK Anwar and former Information Minister Shamsul Islam have already been interrogated by the ACC.

The bureaucrats who appeared before the ACC were former Cabinet Secretary Dr Sa’daat Hossain, who is now the Public Service Commission (PSC) Chairman, former Shipping Secretary Zulfiker Haider Chowdhury, former Economic Relations Department (ERD) Secretary Mirza Tasadduk Hossain Beg (retired), former Implementation Monitoring and Evaluation Department (IMED) Secretary Manik Lal Samaddar (retired), former Energy Secretary Nazrul Islam (retired), former Secretary of the Prime Minister’s Office Nurul Islam (retired) and former Joint Secretary of the Cabinet Division ATKM Ismail.

Zahurul Huda, the IO of the case, has already had a telephonic conversation with the former Finance Secretary Zakir Ahmed and asked him to send his statement in writing to the investigation team through the Bangladesh Embassy in US.

On September 2, ACC Deputy Director Golam Shahriar Chowdhury filed the case against BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia, her younger son Arafat Rahman Koko and 11 others for alleged irregularities in awarding the contract for container handling to GATCO.

BNP Chairperson and former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, her son Arafat Rahman Koko and nine other accused have so far been arrested by the ACC in this connection.

Staff Reporter

Day after the suspension of four policemen of Mirpur thana on charge of pocketing gold bars, two other policemen of Utara thana were suspended yesterday while taking bribe.

The two suspended policemen of Utara thana were identified as Sub-Inspector (SI) Azaharul Islam and Assistant Sub-inspector (ASI) Mohammad Alauddin.

Talking to journalists on July 20 in Chitagong, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Noor Mohammad, said that they had taken various types of punitive actions against over 3,000 policemen on different charges since the State of Emergency was imposed.

According to Utara thana, the two police officers were caught red handed by the members of Detective Branch (DB) and also arrested from Monolova Restaurant in front of Zia International Airport (ZIA) while taking Tk 5,000 from a woman, Shantona Karim.

After their arrest, the higher officials suspended them who were kept at the DB office for interrogation.

Shantona Karim told journalists, the policemen demanded Tk 5,000 promising to setle a dispute over a piece of land between she and her brother Dr Amin Mohammad.

Following their contact, the policemen and Shantona went to the restaurant Later, DB members caught them red handed as Shantona had informed the DB police.

Earlier, four policemen of Mirpur thana were suspended on Wednesday for pocketing a gold bar instead of taking any legal steps.

The suspended police members are SI Syed Asaduzzaman, ASI Shahidul Islam and constables Safdar Ali and Sakamal Alam.

Mirpur thana OC Mohiuddin Mahmud said the suspended policemen had recovered a gold bar (biscuit) from Mirpur Bangla College area on September 28 last But, they did not inform it to the thana. Rather, they distributed the gold bar among themselves.

Staff Reporter

An alleged terrorist was killed early yesterday during a gunbatle between his accomplices and the RAB members at Chandrima Model Town in the city’s Mohammadpur, while an alleged mugger was killed and two others injured in a mass beating at Gandaria under Sutrapur thana.

In a separate mugging incident, a youth was stabbed to death by muggers at Mirpur under Pallabi thana on Tuesday night

RAB-2 said the alleged terrorist killed in cross fire was identified as Chhoto Manik, 24, son of Hossain Ali and resident of Town Hall area of Mohammadpur. He was wanted in a number of cases.

They said that one of their patrol teams chased a group of youths, numbering 4 to 5, for their suspicious movement in Chandrima Model Town area at about 1:15am.

Sensing impending danger, the youths tried to flee firing gunshots at the RAB team. RAB also retaliated with firing that led to the gunfight, RAB said adding that Chhoto Manik was caught in the crossfire and died on the spot

A revolver and one bullet were recovered from the spot The body was sent to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) morgue for autopsy.

Meanwhile, three muggers intercepted a youth, Russell, near Dhupkhola ground at about 3:30am. They stabbed him and tried to snatch his money from him.

Hearing Russell’s cry for help, locals rushed to the scene and caught the three red handed. The mob gave a good beating to the snatchers, leaving them seriously injured.

On information, police rescued the muggers and sent them to DMCH where Abul Hossain, 20, died at 7.00am.

Condition of two others-Bishwajit, 20, and Nurul Islam, 20, was stated to be critical.

In Mirpur, a gang of muggers atacked 19-year-old local youth Zayedul Islam, son of Gulzar Hossain, near Purabi Super Market in Mirpur-12 and chased him at about 11pm Tuesday.

As Zayedul reached the Purabi Cinema Hall, the muggers stabbed him indiscriminately and left the spot when passersby went forward to help him.

The passersby rushed Zayedul to DMCH where he died at about 12:30am Wednesday.

Three separate cases were filed in this connection.

Special Correspondent

A jury named winners from Bangladesh, Canada, Kenya and Sri Lanka Tuesday as recipients of the 2007 Right Livelihood Awards, often called the Alternative Nobel Prize, according to a report received in Dhaka from the Right Livelihood Awards authorities in Stockholm.

Grameen Shakti, a company in Bangladesh, was cited for showing “that solar energy applications can be scaled up massively and rapidly to provide an affordable and climate-friendly energy option for the rural poor.” The organization linked to the Grameen Bank group that along with its founder Muhammad Yunus was awarded the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize has pioneered cheap solar home systems. Some 110,000 systems covering 30,000 villages are currently in use.

Legal scholar Christopher Weeramantry from Sri Lanka was honoured for “his lifetime of groundbreaking work to strengthen and expand the rule of international law,” Andersson said. For instance, Weeramantry had shown how international law can be used to tackle “the nuclear arms race,” she added of the former member of the International Court of Justice.

Dekha Ibrahim Abdi of Kenya was lauded for “showing in diverse ethnic and cultural situations how religious and other differences can be reconciled,” the jury said. Andersson said Mombasa-based Dekha Abdi, who was born 1964 in Wajir, northern Kenya, was an example of how women are “not always credited for the peace work,” citing her work to promote inter-faith dialogue in countries ranging from Kenya to Uganda, Sudan and South Africa. Dekha Abdi has also taught in Britain and the Netherlands.

Percy and Louise Schmeiser of Saskatchewan, Canada were lauded for their work to defend “biodiversity and farmers’ rights,” the citation said, referring to their long struggle against genetic engineering of crops.

The couple have taken on agribusiness firm Monsanto and the concept of “patents of life” and genetic engineering that poses a threat to biodiversity, the jury said.

The winners all showed “practical solutions to global problems,” jury member Marianne Andersson said. “Many women work as technicians which is also a plus,” Andersson added.

This year’s award is worth 2 million kronor (310,000 dollars) and was to be shared equally between the four. A total of 84 candidates from 42 countries were nominated. The awards are to be presented at a ceremony in the Swedish parliament on December 7.

Last year, the prize was awarded to Brazilian Chico Whitaker Ferreira who helped found the World Social Reform, Indian social activist Ruth Manorama, US “whistleblower” Daniel Ellsberg and a Colombian poetry festival.

The award, established in 1980, was announced in Stockholm by its founder Jacob von Uexkull, a former member of the European parliament “The 2007 Right Livelihood Award Recipients highlight existing solutions for today’s world,” von Uexkull said in a statement “Dekha Ibrahim Abdi and Christopher Weeramantry demonstrate how war and terror can be overcome by peace-building and the rule of international law. “The Schmeisers and Grameen Shakti show us how to protect two essential services of our global ecosystem: our agricultural resources and our global climate,” he said. The prizes will be formally awarded at the Swedish Parliament on December 7.

BBC Online

India has been slow to break its silence over street protests across Burma this month even though it has strong geographical, political and strategic links with its eastern neighbour.

On Wednesday, the foreign ministry spokesman expressed concern at developments over the border, calling for peaceful and “broad-based” political reforms.

But Delhi’s unease over the protests was clearly illustrated when Petroleum Minister Murli Deora left for the troubled south-east Asian country at the weekend.

Before leaving, he ran into a protest by Burmese pro-democracy activists in Delhi.

The protesters carried placards reading “Deora, don’t go for gas, go for democracy” and “India stop supporting Burmese military rule”.

As Deora reached Burma, the huge street protests against Burma’s military rulers were beginning to peak.

India’s reticence over developments in Burma dates back as least as far as 1988, when the military brutally crushed student protests.

A senior Indian external ministry official said on Wednesday that India was “closely watching the developments in Burma”.

But he was quick to add: “We have no desire to interfere in the internal affairs of Burma.”

An official statement on Deora’s visit said: “He had wide-ranging discussions to explore the possibilities of enhancing bilateral co-operation in the hydrocarbon sector with Burma’s Energy Minister, Brig Gen Lun Thi.”

Deora was also present on Monday at the signing of Production Sharing Contracts (PSC) for three deep-water exploration blocks between India’s ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL) and Burma’s Myanmar Oil and Gas Enterprise (MOGE) .

“These contracts are a happy development and augur well for expanding the co-operation between the two neighbours,” Mr Deora said on his return to India.

When it comes to Burma, the priority for the world’s largest democracy under economist Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is now quite clear.

With a fast-growing economy, India is desperate to access any major source of energy in the neighbourhood from Iran to Burma and beyond.

Burma’s huge natural gas reserves in the country’s western province of Arakan and the adjoining seaboard, estimated at more than 30 trillion cubic feet or even more, is a great atraction for energy-starved India.

“India and not China should be geting this gas. It is vital for the economy of eastern India,” said Nazib Arif, former secretary general of the Indian Chamber of Commerce.

India says it is geting help from the Burmese army to fight insurgents in its troubled north-east, many of whom have bases in Burma’s Sagaing Division.

“India is desperate to counter Chinese influence in Burma. This, more than anything else, explains India’s complete reversal of its Burma policy in the 1990s,” says Rene Egreteau, author of an acclaimed book on India’s Burma policy, Wooing the Generals.

India is now developing ports, building roads and railways and is competing with China for Burma’s oil and gas reserves as part of its “Look East Policy”.

BBC Online

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhuto has said that talks on a power-sharing deal with President Pervez Musharraf are “totally stalled”.

Speaking in London, she said reports that corruption charges against her had been dropped were “disinformation”.

Ministers said on Tuesday that an amnesty deal was about to be announced.

The self-exiled Ms Bhuto has pledged to return to Pakistan on 18 October. President Musharraf looks certain to be elected for a new term on Saturday.

A deal as appeared close on a number of occasions in recent months but nothing has been finalised as the two rivals try to gain the upper hand in negotiations.

Bhuto made her remarks as she arrived for talks with officials of her Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) in London.

I am afraid we are heading for a situation which could lead to street agitation Benazir Bhuto “It’s absolutely wrong, the news the corruption charges have been dropped,” she said.

“He [Gen Musharraf] is not prepared to give a level playing-field. We want to see Pakistan move from dictatorship towards democracy.

“This is just a typical disinformation campaign by the present regime.

“The longer the military regime continues in this fashion, the more anarchic the situation becomes.”

Ms Bhuto, who denies the allegations of corruption, has lived abroad since well before Gen Musharraf seized power in a coup in 1999.

She has been one of his sternest critics, but is now a possible future ally as he looks for parliamentary support for a new term in office.

Suggestions from the government that it was near to meeting one of Ms Bhuto’s key demands came after she threatened to join a parliamentary boycot being observed by other opposition parties in protest at Saturday’s election.

The BBC’s Barbara Plet in Islamabad said the government’s announcement that it was close to finalising an agreement to drop corruption cases against her was perhaps aimed at preventing that

Pakistan has faced growing political and security instability in recent months.

The PPP is the biggest party in Pakistan. Observers say Gen Musharraf wants a power-sharing agreement with the PPP to give him more popular support

But Ms Bhuto has been insisting that the president gives up his power to sack the prime minister.

She also wants the repeal of a law banning anyone from being prime minister for more that two terms. She and political rival Nawaz Sharif have both been prime minister twice.

He returned to Pakistan in August but was promptly deported to Saudi Arabia. Ms Bhuto says she will return to lead her party in general elections due by mid-January.

Pakistan’s president is elected indirectly by parliament and the four provincial assemblies. Gen Musharraf’s supporters say they are confident he has the support to win another term.

Opposition resignations aimed at undermining the credibility of the ballot make victory for the president even more certain, observers say.

Meanwhile, judges in the Supreme Court are continuing to hear petitions challenging the president’s right to stand for election while still army chief