The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The 26th death anniversary of Dr M A Rashid, the founder Vice Chancellor of the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), will be observed on November 6.

An international figure in his field, Dr Rashid had his D.Sc in civil engineering from the United States as early as in 1947 and performed many responsibilities including chairman of the erstwhile East Pakistan Public Service Commission, member of the pay commission in the independent Bangladesh, Chairman of the board of directors of the Janata Bank and member, advisory council of the president.

Dr Rashid was elected fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers and before his death in 1981, was chosen as chairman of Commonwealth Foundation. He was given 'Swadinatha Award" posthumously.

An ardent academic, he was associated with different people's welfare activities in Dhaka and in his village home in Habiganj in the greater Sylhet.

BSS, Dhaka

Dhaka City Corporation (DCC) launched five 'Help Desks' at the ground floor of the Nagar Bhaban aiming at providing necessary services to the city dwellers in line with Citizen Charter.

Similar desks have also been opened at 10 regional offices where the representatives of four sectional chiefs of the DCC will be present to help people solve their problems.

DCC Mayor Sadek Hossain Khoka inaugurated the 'Help Desks' at a function held at the Nagar Bhaban on Sunday. Chief Engineer of DCC Cololnel Ashfaqul Islam, Chief Health Officer Colonel Shawkat Ali, Chief conservancy officer Commander Maksud and DCC secretary Golam Mostafa were also present.

The DCC Mayor said the help desks will ensure improved services to the city dwellers. He urged citizens to extend their cooperation to the DCC to get the services of the new system.

BSS, Dhaka

A three-day regional cyber crime conference under the initiative of Bangladesh begins in Dhaka Sheraton Hotel in the city from today (Monday).

Representatives from Bangladesh, Australia, Hong Kong, Sri Lanka and Nepal will participate in the seminar, organisers said.

Only police and security officials will attend the business sessions, they said. Bangladesh, where no cyber crime is reported to the police so far, is organising such conference for the first time to prepare itself for facing the challenge of the new front, acting inspector general of police (IGP) NBK Tripura said on Sunday.

Quoting the statistics, the acting IGP said at a press conference at the Police Headquarters in the city that online fraud involving 105 billion US dollars might be committed in 2007 alone and the cost of data due to the malicious activities will reach 40 billion dollars globally this year.

"So, we should be prepared for undertaking precautionary measures to check the crime committed through the use of computing and communications technologies," Tripura added.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of Police and convener of the seminar Mohammad Saiful Alam, liaison officer of Australian Federal Police and counsellor of the Australian High Commission in Dhaka Mark Briskey, and ICT systems and strategy specialist of the Police Reform Programme Wojciech Koprowicz attended the press conference.

Tripura, who is also the national project director of the ongoing police reform programme, said along with the current reforms, the challenges of the cyber crime will be faced.

Under the reform programme, an unit on the cyber crime will be established in the CID, he said.

Replying to a question, he said a draft law on the cyber crime, prepared in 2006, is now under further study. Some adjustments, like commissions, omissions and elaborations, are needed to make it a law, because many persons are unaware of happenings of the cyber world, the acting IGP added. By 2008, the law on the cyber crime will be enacted, hoped Tripura.

Bangladesh, as a country and SAARC as a region, is a less telephone and IT density area. According to the statistics, Bangladesh had 19.131 million mobile cellular and 1.134 million main line telephones in 2006. It has 4,50,000 Internet users.

The tele-density in Bangladesh was 0.6 per 100 people and in India 1.5 per 100 people in 2005.

Pointing to the recent domestic surge in the sales of mobile phones, Tripura said if any one compares with the global figure he may not be satisfied with the Bangladesh figure, but if any one compares with the present time with the recent past that bears a lot of difference.

"You should consider that it's a trans national crime, and by just shutting the door it is difficult to escape from the cyber crime, " he cautioned.

BSS, Dhaka

The two-day 13th commerce secretary- level meeting of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) will begin in the city on November 24.

The last such meeting on the economic cooperation of the forum was held in Islamabad in November, 2004, official sources said yesterday.

The forthcoming meeting is considered to be important as it will take stock of the progress of the trade cooperation among the member countries of the eight-member regional grouping, the sources said.

The meeting will discuss strategies to eliminate or minimise tariff and non-tariff barriers to promote intra-regional trade and economic cooperation, the sources said.

Preferences accorded to the least developed countries (LDCs) of the grouping, particularly within the framework of the South Asian Free Trade Agreement (SAFTA), is expected to figure prominently at the discussion.

Bangladesh is likely to raise the difficulties it was facing in its trade with neighbours through land ports due to absence of required infrastructural facilities, official sources said.

The agenda, which will be discussed at the meeting, include review of progress on matters relating to economic cooperation since the 12th meeting, current status of trade cooperation and integration in SAARC, current status of study on potentials for trade in services under SAFTA agreement, efforts to eliminate non-tariff measures/para tariff measures, regional connectivity and intra-SAARC trade.

The meeting will also review implementation of various trade facilitation measures, including work of the standing group on standard, quality control and measurement, SAARC standards coordination board and group on customs cooperation, and implementation of SAARC agreement on mutual administrative assistance in customs matters, the sources said.

It will also discuss draft agreement on promotion and protection of investment, establishment of SAARC arbitration council and cooperation with international organisations. The committee, the sources said, will discuss and decide on over a dozen of items, including discussion on identification of new potential areas of economic cooperation among the member countries of the SAARC.

BSS, Dhaka

The two-day SAARC Council of Ministers Meeting is scheduled to begin in New Delhi on December 7.

The Council of Ministers Meeting will be preceded by a two- day foreign secretary level SAARC standing committee meeting from December 5.

Besides, the two-day SAARC programming committee meeting will precede the standing committee meeting from December 3, official sources said.

The council of ministers meeting will take stock of activities of the regional body to set the tone for the next SAARC Summit, scheduled to be held in the Maldives.

The agenda of the programming committee includes discussion on prioritization and rationalization of the work of the technical committees, working groups and regional centers and related intergovernmental meetings, consideration of the reports of second meeting of technical committee on transport, consideration of matters relating to the SAARC-Japan Special Fund and current status of upgradation of infrastructure of the SAARC secretariat, the sources said.

The programming committee will make assessment and recommend measures to make the SAARC bodies more action oriented and effective to fulfil the objectives of the SAARC.

BSS, N'ganj

A views exchange meeting on the preparation of voter list with photographs and national identity cards was held at the conference hall of the deputy commissioner here yesterday.

The preparation of voter list will be stated at Bandar upazila from November 22 and ended on December 19 next.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Lt. Colonel Shams, deputy commissioner Faizul Kabir, police super Shibgatullah, NDC Mizanur Rahman, election officer Abdul Hamid, five UNOs, representatives of NGOs, pourasabha commissioners and journalists.

The preparation of voter list will begin in Narayanganj Sadar upazila from December 25 and continue till March 13 next year while the work will start in Sonargaon upazila from March 18 and continue till April 17, 2008.

Besides, the preparation of voter list will begin at Araihazar upazila from April 27 and will end on May 30, 2008 while the work at Rupganj upazila will start from June 5 and will be ended on June 29, 2008.

The district and upazila election officers will complete all the formalities before the beginning of the enumeration works.

UNB, Dhaka

Bangladesh has expressed shock at the death of a large number of people including six Members of Parliament in a bomb attack in the Afghan province of Balagan on Tuesday. "The government has also condemned such despicable acts of mindless violence through which innocent lives are lost. Such acts are despicable since they are against all civilized norms and human values" said a Foreign Office press release.

"The government of Bangladesh stands by the government and People of Afghanistan and conveys its profound sympathy to the members of the bereaved families who have lost their near and dear ones", it said.

UNB, Dhaka

The United Nations World Food Program (WFP) is going to start its 5th round of emergency food distribution in 26 flood-affected districts of the country targeting more than 1.4 million people.

This follows four earlier distributions to more than 2.1 million people, said a WFP press release.

While announcing the distribution plan of food assistance today (Thursday) WFP Country Representative Douglas Broderick said that due to the recent floods thousands of poor families lost their incomes and livelihoods, the prolonged affect of the flood has reduced food security in many parts of the country.

"The UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) enable us to meet food need of people living in communities affected by floods," he added. WFP will distribute over 8,935 metric tons of rice following a contribution of US$ 4 million from the CERF to support emergency food assistance.

Donors to WFP's relief and recovery operation in Bangladesh include the Australia (US$ 1.3 million), German (US$ 680,000 million), Canada (US$ 24,000 million), Spain (US$ 64o,000 million) and the CERF (US$ 4 million).

"WFP has been vigilant about the market situation and price of commodities which affects the food security and livelihood of the poor people especially during the lean season for employment including Monga, said the WFP Country Representative.

UNB, Dhaka

Anticrime taskforce members Thursday visited the residence of detained former minister for Housing and Public Works Mirza Abbas at Razarbagh in the city.

Police said a two-member team of the taskforce, including a CID inspector, went to Abbas' home at about 11:30am to inquire about the age of his mother. "They stayed at the house for some time and asked her to know her age."

Later, the personal assistance to Abbas' mother informed the taskforce members that her age is about 80.

But, the reason why they went there and wanted to know the elderly lady's age could not be known.

UNB, Dhaka

Awami League's Liberation War Affairs secretary Capt (retd) AB Tajul Islam Thursday urged the present caretaker government to take necessary initiatives for trying the war criminals, saying it is high time to try the criminals who were against the Liberation War.

"If the government takes necessary steps against the war criminals, then Awami League will assist the government in this regard," he said at a press conference at the party central office at Bangabandhu Avenue.

About the Bangabndhu assassination, Tajul Islam said Col. (retd) Rashid and Col (retd) Faruq killed the father of the nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. "General Ziaur Rahman had good relations with Col. Rashid and Col. Faruq. So, he must have known about the plan of killing Bangabandhu."

Replying to a query about Col. (retd) Taher's link with the Bangabndhu killing, the AL Liberation War Affairs secretary said: "I don't know if Col. Taher was involved with the killing of Bangabandhu."

But he added that Col. Taher had good relations with Ziaur Rahman.

UNB, Mymensingh

Two fish traders traveling on top of a truck died and three pedestrians were wounded as the vehicle met with an accident at Trishal today.

Witnesses and police said the driver of the Dhaka bound truck lost control over the steering and rammed into the footpath leaving three pedestrians injured in front of a cinema hall. As he tried a quick retreat, two fish traders fell from the top.

The poor fellows were run over by the truck leaving one dead on the spot and the other fatally wounded. He also died soon after taken to the hospital. The identity of the victims was not immediately known. The driver managed to escape with the vehicle.

Three pedestrians wound were admitted to the hospit.

UNB, Dhaka

A three-member delegation led by a Supreme Court judge will visit four SAARC countries to glean information about the pay structure and recruitment process of the judges at their subordinate courts, trying to learn how to go about functioning independently.

Informing the newsmen Thursday at his office about the tour, Supreme Court registrar Ikteder Ahmed said chairman of the Judicial Service Commission Justice MM Ruhul Amin at the head of the delegation would leave for Nepal on November 12.

They will visit Nepal, India, Sri Lanka and Pakistan. However, their Pakistan trip is conditional to situation over there, as the country is in a tailspin for the latest political developments. "The delegation may drop visit to Pakistan unless the tumultuous situation improves," the registrar hinted.

After the weeklong familiarization tour, financed by the Asian Development Bank, the delegation will place its report along with recommendations with the Judicial Service Commission and the Judicial Pay Commission set up in compliance with the Supreme Court judgment on judiciary separation.

Later, the government will take necessary steps in this regard, the registrar said.

Staff Reporter

Association of the Victim Land-Owners of Kalyanpur Regulating Pond Project area demanded of the WASA authorities to review the proposed project and give reasonable price for their lands, which are likely to by acquired.

The association demanded this yesterday at a press conference held at the National Press Club in the city.

Terming the project as unplanned impractical and expensive they said the project should be reviewed as it would affect approximately 500 land-owners.

They demanded Tk 20 lakh for a Katha of land. If the authorities do not pay the reasonable price of their land, they will give their lives not land, they said.

They claimed that though Dhaka WASA is going to acquire 112 acres of land the authority has not yet apprised the land-owners about the acquisition.