The New Nation - Internet Edition

Canadian Pulse: Mission to visit Bangladesh on March 3-7

UNB, Dhaka

A Canadian marketing mission, led by the Agriculture and Food companies of Saskatchewan Trade and Export Partnership (STEP) involved in Saskatchewan's pulse sector, will visit Dhaka and Chittagong on March 3-7.

The purpose of the trade mission is to provide the local buyers and importers to network with Canadian exporters of high quality agricultural commodities and also to provide an insight into Canada's advances in the research and development made in this sector. Saskatchewan leads the world in pulse production and pulse markets are growing as world population grows. Bangladesh has become Canada's one of the top export destination for peas and pulses. Export to Bangladesh in 2007 reached an all time high of Canadian dollar 80 million (249,589 metric tons), said a Canadian High Commission release.

Warrant against Shahjahan Omar, his wife

UNB, Dhaka

The metropolitan sessions judge's court yesterday issued warrant of arrest against former state minister Shahjahan Omar, his wife and son in a corruption case.

They remained fugitive since the case was filed by ACC in September last year.

Judge Azizul Haq set March 2 for next hearing of the case. ACC accused Shahjahan and his family for amassing wealth of Tk 2.06 crore through illegal means during the previous BNP regime by abusing official power. While submitting statement of wealth to ACC he concealed wealth of Tk 40 lakh.

Seminar on new disability law in light of UN convention today

UNB, Dhaka

A seminar titled 'Towards a New Disability Law in the Light of UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities' will be held at Bangladesh-China Friendship Conference Centre here on Monday.

Action on Disability and Development (ADD) has organised the seminar, beginning at 10am, where Professor Michael Stain of Harvard University will present the keynote paper.

Eminent economist Prof Muzaffer Ahmad and Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser Brig Gen (retd) Abdul Malek are expected to attend the first and second sessions of the seminar as chief guests respectively. Barrister Amirul Islam, Social Welfare secretary MA Hai Hawlader, Justice Golam Rabbani (retd), journalist Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Barrister Sara Hossain, Barrister Farah Kabir and Mark Harrison, among others, will be present.

HC asks govt to set up judge court in hill dists

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court Sunday directed the government to set up both civil and criminal judge courts, run by judicial officers, in Rangamati, Khagrachhari and Bandarban for implementing the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) Regulation (Amendment) Act 2003. A division bench of the High Court also ordered the government to establish tribunals for preventing repression on women and children in the three hill districts.

The bench comprising Justice ABM Khairul Haque and Justice Abdul Awal delivered the judgment after a lengthy hearing on a public interest litigation (PIL) writ filed by Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST).

The bench asked the government to comply with its orders as soon as possible within a year.

The judgment noted that as the CHT districts are integral part of Bangladesh, the people of the hill districts have access to get justice before the court like any other districts of the country. BLAST, a human rights watchdog, filed the PIL writ demanding direction to implement the provisions of CHT Regulation (Amendment) Act 2003 and Section 26 of Nari O Shishu Nirjaton Daman Ain-2000 in the three hill districts, following functioning of judges' courts and tribunals in all districts excepting the CHT districts. On February 2 in 2006, the High Court, responding to the PIL, had issued a rule upon the government in this regard. Soon after the judgment, Idrisur Rahman, a counsel for BLAST, told UNB that the people of Chittagong Hill Tracts virtually had no access to justice since independence of Bbangladesh. There are court buildings at Khagrachhari, Rangamati and Bandarban district headquarters, but still no district and sessions judges there, he said.

Adv Idris further said the CHT Regulation 1900 (Amendment) Act was enacted on September 21, 2003 making mandatory provisions for establishment of civil and criminal courts (district and sessions judge's court) in the three CHT districts. The amended law, however, is yet to be given effect despite sufferings of about 14 lakh people of the CHT.

Adv Idrisur Rahman was assisted by Dr Shahdeen Malik, Protikar Chakma and Amatul Karim, while assistant Attorney General Zafar Imam stood for the government.

HC issues rule on govt over terror list

UNB, Dhaka

The High Court Sunday issued a rule upon government to explain why its notification that brought the name of Moshiur Rahman Kochi on the list of top 23 terrorists should not be declared illegal.

A division bench comprising Justice Shah Abu Nayeem Mominur Rahman and Justice Shahidul Islam, responding to a writ petition filed after six years of its enforcement, passed the order. "The rule is made returnable in eight weeks," says the court order. On December 27, 2001, immediate past BNP-led four-party alliance government published a notification listing 23 persons as top terrors and started combing operation against them for maintaining law and order.

The petitioner in his submission claimed that the government had tagged his name as part of a conspiracy since there was no case filed against him before declaring him as one of the 23 top terrors. Advocate Abdul Baset Majumder appeared for the petitioner.

US$60m Japanese loan to fund rehabilitation project

Staff Reporter

Bangladesh is going to sign a US$60 million loan agreement with Japan for "Emergency Disaster Damage Rehabilitation Project".

The agreement is expected to sign during the ongoing visit of Bangladesh Foreign Advisor Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury. He left for Dhaka to Tokyo on Sunday.

In a pre-departure statement, the Foreign Advisor said his visit to Japan "would expand bilateral cooperation."

He would hold official talk with Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Koumura today (February 25).

During his four-day visit the adviser will also meet with the President of Japan International Training Cooperation (JITCO), Tashio Takano and with the Senior Vice President of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), Kenzo Oshima.

The Adviser will deliver a speech on "Doha and G-8: Putting Development Back into Doha Round of Trade Talks" at the United Nations University in Tokyo. He will also speak on "Bangladesh Foreign Policy and Climate Change" at Japan National Press Club.

Bangladesh urged to recognize Kosovo

DU Correspondent

The students of Dhaka University yesterday urged the government to recognise the Cosovo as the independent state.

Welcoming the Cosovo, they said the people of the Cosovo rationally declared the country as independent, which was being recognised by the different countries of the world one after one, but our country did not respond yet in this regard.

They hoped that the country will recognize the Cosovo soon because it knows the important of getting independence.

They said this while addressing a rally at the Aparajeyo Bangla of the university to press home for declaring the Cosovo as independent.

As many as one hundred and fifty students under the banner of 'Repression protesting student movement' led by Khomeni Ehsan, Convener of the organization, took part in the rally.