The New Nation - Internet Edition

May Day today

Staff Reporter

The historic May Day is today. The day will be observed today across the world including Bangladesh alongside entire humanity to express solidarity with the movement for establishing socio-economic rights of the working-class people.

The day is a public holiday. Trade unions, political parties and professional organizations will observe the May Day by organising indoor discussions. But May Day rallies are banned under the current state of emergency.

The May Day, also known as International Workers' Solidarity Day, commemorates the historic uprising of working people in Chicago, USA, at the height of a prolonged fight for eight-hour workday.

In 1884, the Federation of Organised Trade and Labour Unions passed a resolution stating that eight hours would constitute a legal day's work from and after May 1, 1886. And that was achieved with blood spilled in a vigorous movement in the American city of Chicago.

The unions called a general strike to achieve the goal, as the workers were being forced to work 10, 12 and 14 hours a day in the heyday of industrial boom.

In Chicago, the heart of the movement, police and militia fired into a crowd of strikers at the McCormick Reaper Works Factory, killing four and wounding many on May 3, 1886.

The agitating workers called a mass meeting the following day at Haymarket Square to protest the brutality. Police again fired into the crowd, killing one more worker and injuring many. Amid the mayhem, a bomb was thrown at the police, leaving a policeman dead.

President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed and Chief Advisor Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed have issued separate messages on the occasion, wishing the workers at home and overseas all the best.

Dr Iajuddin in his message said the contribution of the working-class people is undeniable to the socio-economic development of the country. In the present-day world, the vast population will have to be deeply involved in production-oriented activities to attain national prosperity.

"There is no other alternative to skill and united effort alongside establishment of labour- intensive industries," said Prof Iajuddin and adding, "In the current competitive world, we will have to attach importance to improving the quality of services and production and prices."

He called for improving worker-owner relations and congenial atmosphere in industry-worker management to uphold the significance of the May Day.

In a separate message, Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed said that the role of the working-class people is immense in development, production and construction in a country. He said the future of the country is closely linked with the welfare of the toiling people and change in their destiny.

"The government is implementing effective measures to establish the basic rights of the working-class people, especially their just wages, professional skill and appropriate working condition as well as to improve the workers-owners relations," said the Chief Adviser.

Sequel to assault of student by cop: JU students confine VC, proctor for 7 hours

Jahangirnagar University students gheraoed the
Vice-Chancellor's Office in protest against the beating of a
student of the university by the policemen on JU campus
yesterday. Banglar Chokh

JU Correspondent

Several hundred agitating students of the Janagirnagar University yesterday laysiege to the administrative building of the university and confined the vice-chancellor, treasurer and proctor for seven hours in protest against the police assault on a JU student on Tuesday night.

The rampaging students also put barricade on the road and blocked the movement of Dhaka bound vehicles.

According to university sources, Mehedi Ullah, a first-year student of Bangla Department and resident of Maulana Bhasani Hall, was stopped by a traffic police near the Technical Institute when he was returning to the campus at 9:00 pm on Tuesday. The police threw away his identity card and assaulted him, it was alleged. As the news of the assault spread on the campus on Wednesday the rampaging students brought out a procession on the campus and lay siege to the VC Office.

The kept VC Prof Dr Muniruzzaman, Treasurer Prof Sayed Abdul Hye and proctor Prof Sayed Kamrul Ahsan and other officials confined seven hours. The students demanded unconditional apology from the Inspector General of Police (IG) for this incident.

The authorities of the University authority met in an emergency meeting to control the situation. The proctor of the University said that they have already contacted with the high officials of the police and asked them to investigate into incident as soon as possible.

Menwhile, tension is running high on the campus.

However, VC Prof Dr Muniruzzaman, Treasurer Prof Sayed Abdul Hie and proctor Prof Sayed Kamrul Ahsan along with other officials were confined till filling this report.

Diplomat’s dilemma

Ismat Jahan

Hasanuzzaman Khan

Bangladesh permanent representative to UN Ismat Jahan is learnt to have expressed her desire to marry a Dutch national presently staying in New York. She has communicated her desire to the foreign ministry in Dhaka and sought permission. But as per foreign service rules a diplomat is not allowed to marry a foreigner as there is a risk of state secret being leaked out.

The Foreign Ministry is yet to give permission to her to marry the foreign national.

Earlier, Anwarul Karim Choudhury, a permanent representative to UN, married a Nepali woman when he was posted in Kathmandu as Ambassador. The Nepali woman had issues from her previous wedlock. During the Liberation War Anwarul Karim Choudhury defected to Bangladesh foreign service severing his allegiance to the then Pakistan government. No breach of rules in his service with the foreign ministry was recorded and he maintained service continuity.

Wazed Ali Khan, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia, married a Pakistani woman violating the service rules. But he had to quit the job of High Commissioner to pay the price of his affair with a foreign woman.

Ismat Jahan, who is in her 50s, is learnt to be determined to marry her foreign

fiancé even risking her job in the Foreign Service. It was not known what prompted Ismat Jahan to break her long-drawn celibacy after elopement with a foreign national.

Ismat Jahan is a sister-in-law of former foreign secretary Hemayetuddin. Her elevation to the top diplomatic job in the UN gave rise to many questions as she was junior to many in the foreign service. It was yet to be seen whether she will give up her position in the foreign ministry for the sake of her love.

It may be mentioned that Dr. Debapriya Bhattacharya, Bangladesh representative to UN office in Geneva, has a Russian wife. It does not become a bar for him to have a job in the foreign ministry.

Dr Hamidur Rashid and Anisul Haque, two foreign office directors, have foreign wives. They were given permission by the Foreign Ministry to marry foreign women although the service encadrement rules do not permit diplomats to marry foreign women. The national security is likely to be endangered if a person having high state responsibility is allowed to marry a foreign citizen.

Council of Advisers takes stock of situation : 'Nargis’ poised to hit Teknaf-Akyab coast

Staff Reporter

Authorities yesterday renewed their call for immediate harvest of the Boro paddy and warned fishing crews to stay close to shore as the severe cyclone 'Nargis", in the Bay of Bengal churned towards the southeastern coast is moving towards Bangladesh-Myanmer coast, with a direct hit possible later in the week.

"We have warned all fishing boats not to venture into the deep sea for fishing until further notice," said the assistant director of Bangladeshs Meteorological Department, Shah Alam.

Officials said the cyclone was still around 1,000 kilometres (620 miles) from the southeastern port city of Chittagong.

"The present strength of severe cyclone 'Nargis' indicates that it will hit the Bangladesh-Myanmar coast, but we will not be sure until yesterday afternoon when and where it will make landfall," added the head of the Meteorological Department, Arjumand Habib.

Meanwhile, the Council of Advisers of the Caretaker Government yesterday took a close look at the oncoming severe cyclone Nargis and Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed directed all concerned to take precautionary measures against any adversity and closely monitor the situation.

Chairing a meeting of the council of advisers, the Chief Adviser asked for following the standard operating procedure of disaster management. Deputy Commissioners (DCs) concerned have been asked to remain alert.

The Secretary of the Defenece Ministry in cooperation with Metrological Department presented a power-point presentation on movement of 'Nargis', informing that "its movement was very slow and it is early to say about its consequences".

A round-the-clock monitoring cell by Disaster Management Bureau has been opened to keep track of the cyclonic storm, formed over the Bay only six months after the super-cyclone Sidr hit the country last November.

Members of the Advisory Council attended the meeting at the CA's office. Cabinet Secretary and Secretaries concerned were also present.

Earlier, in the afternoon our Chittagong Correspondent reported that the severe cyclonic storm Nargis over west-central and adjoining east-central Bay continued packing in intensity and moved northeastwards.

The tropical storm was centred about 1,000 km southwest of Chittagong Port, 935 km southwest of Cox's Bazar Port and 875 km south-southwest of Mongla Port, said the Storm Warning Centre.

"The storm is likely to intensify further and move in north-northeasterly direction," said the latest forecast.

Maximum sustained wind speed within 64 kms of the storm centre is about 90 kph, rising up to 115 kph in gusts or squalls. "Sea will remain very rough over North Bay and high near the cyclone."

Maritime ports of Chittagong, Cox's Bazar and Mongla have been advised to keep hoisted distant warning signal number two.

All fishing-boats and trawlers over the North Bay have been advised to remain close to the coast and "proceed with caution till further notice".

They are also advised not to venture into the deep sea because of the brewing tempest.

Polls in time in doubt : Political parties’ instant reaction to EC delimitation of constituencies

Staff Reporter

Leaders of major political parties yesterday expressed the doubts about the next general election in accordance with the roadmap of the Election Commission due to legal difficulty created by the Commission by carrying out delimitation of constituences.

The apprehensions were expressed following publication of draft of the delimitation work of some 133 parliamentary constituencies out of 300 constituencies by the Election Commission (EC).

In their instant reaction on the EC's move, they observed EC created a new difficulty by carrying out the delimitation work to delay the election.

Secretary General of pro-Khaleda faction of BNP Khondoker Delwar Hossain told reporters that he is not clear about the motive of the Commission to carry out the delimitation work. He thought it would hamper the election.

Khondoker Delwar said they would disclose their formal reaction next week after holding party meeting.

Meanwhile, Awami League leaders at a meeting yesterday urged the Commission to cancel the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies since it might hamper the holding of national elections in line with the electoral roadmap.

Addressing the meeting to mark the historic May Day at the party's central office at Bangabandhu Avenue, AL presidium member Abdur Razzaq questioned as to why the EC took the initiatives delimitating the parliament constituencies.

He demanded cancellation of the delimitation, saying that "The EC should complete the most important tasks relating to the election right now.

Another presidium member Suranjit Sengupta said the EC should settle by June all appeals to be filed against delimitation of the constituencies and the EC should ensure that the appeals are not be submitted to the court.

"It is not a compulsory for the EC to go for delimitation of the parliamentary constituencies. Don't create legal complications in this regard. Otherwise, the election roadmap could be hampered," he said.

News analysis: World businesses start caring for climate, local ones fall behind

Mostafa Kamal Majumder

Indonesian pulp and paper company April is making a strong claim of positive contribution towards the reduction of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions as its reforestation of about 50,000 hectares a year with 100 million seedlings is said to make a significantly positive balance.

Neil Franklin, sustainability director of the Asia Pacific Resources International Holdings Limited (April), told newsmen during the Business For the Environment (B4E) summit in Singapore that his company now manages 340,000 ha of highly productive plantations and 242,000 ha of protected conservation area in Riau, Indonesia.

His claims to sustainable management of forests, however, was challenged by Soumitra Ghosh, of the National Forum of Forest and People, India on the agrument that no plantation can restore forests, and that monoculture would harm biodiversity rather than helping it. "Forestry is not just a carbon calculation, it's a way of life. When a company takes over it encroaches up on the commons that this is opposed by communities."

April has been in partnership with the UN Environment Programme (Unep), reaffirms its commitment to sustainable development and climate change mitigation, and was one of the sponsors of the recently concluded B4E summit.

So was the Dow Chemical Company, probably the No.1 in the world with 3000 products exported virtually to every country, said E Adam Muellerweiss, its public affairs director on sustainability. 'To us sustainability requires making every decision with the future in mind," he said adding Dow has specific sustainability goals.

"Because virtually all industrial and consumer products today have embedded within them chemical reactions and compounds, we have a unique role in helping the world manage resources effectively and sustainably - and, as a result, a unique role in supporting individuals, communities and economies addressing their development needs and opportunities and in a way that is both credible and sustainable," says Dow paper.

With annual sales of US$54 billion and operations in 160 countries Dow indeed, has the capability to take the challenge of charting an energy efficient, sustainable development path by doing away with the generation of hazardous wastes through recycling and safe disposal.

Dow officials told journalists that between 1995 and 2005 their company reduced solid wastes by 1.6 billion pounds, wastewater by 183 billion pounds and greenhouse gas emissions by 20 per cent while significantly improving energy efficiency.

And the UN has a platform 'Caring for Climate' for business leadership to reduce their carbon footprints and develop innovative solutions to combat climate change. As world leaders work through the Bali roadmap to have a climate agreement beyond 2012, businesses also organise under the platform to do their part, because the activities of the big ones are truly global.

Launched by the UN secretary general at the Global Compact Leaders Summit in 2007, Caring for Climate is a voluntary global initiative that seeks to mobilise the business community to develop solutions that reduce climate risk while at the same time create value for the company. The initiative is jointly developed by the UN Global Compact, Unep and the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD).

The platform helps companies to advance practical solutions, share experiences, inform public policy as well as shape public attitudes. When endorsing the initiative, chief executives are prepared to set goals, develop and expand strategies and practices, and to publicly disclose emissions. This commitment to communicate annually on progress is part of the existing disclosure commitment within the UN Global Compact Framework, the Communication on Progress (COP).

Climate change will affect business and society in fundamental ways, and change the context in which the private sector operates and its ability to prosper. However, climate change also offers opportunities for business. By joining the platform companies can align their climate initiatives with a collective effort that has high credibility and visibility; gain access to experiences and best practices of their peers, facilitating the articulation of climate strategies and the cooperation to develop new technologies; reduce risks and capitalise on opportunities; demonstrate their role in advancing the agenda through vision, innovation and smart investment; and add their voice to a global call to governments to create incentives and rules that reward leadership and innovation.

Georg Kell, executive director, UN Global Compact and Cloud Fussler, programme director, Caring for Climate told newsmen during the B4E summit held in Singapore that about a dozen new big companies joined 230 others who had already been there with the platform, pledging to set goals to implement relevant strategies and practices, to publicly disclose emissions and to report annually on progress made.

Businesses from Bangladesh are not represented in the Caring for Climate or the World Business Council for Sustainable Development, and are distant listeners to the latest developments that are shaping up around the globe on the environment front. This isolation has the potential of ruining their future business prospects because they remain unaware of new production processes that develop as ways out of unsustainable processes. They may soon find themselves becoming easy targets to be dumped with the old processes that would be phased out and with those demands for their products.

BB quarterly report: 6.2 pc GDP growth projected

Staff Reporter

The growth of the country's GDP is expected to be between 6 per cent and 6.2 percent during the current fiscal, according to a quarterly report of the Bangladesh Bank (BB) released yesterday.

Quoting the report during a press briefing, Mustafa K Mujeri, Chief Enonomist, BB, said disbursement of agriculture and industrial credit, import of industrial raw materials and intermediate goods, index of manufacturing production, increase in exports and inflow of remittances are indicators of the positive economic growth.

The report said the production of 'Boro' is likely to surpass its target of 17.5 million tonnes due to the government's massive agriculture rehabilitation programmes.

The report laid emphasis to see to it that the farmers get the fair procurement price of Boro fixed by the government. The fair price will give them incentives and encourage them to invest and produce more in the following seasons, the report added.

During the quarter of the current fiscal year the overall growth of manufacturing sector has been moderate and service sector has also maintained a reasonable growth, according to the report.

The report also suggested the government to act quickly to ease the electricity, gas and other infrastructure constraints so that production activities in different sectors can go unhindered which was earlier caused by natural disaster.

On the money and credit market development it said during the quarter of the current fiscal year the central bank continued to follow its pro-growth monetary policy stance for bringing price stability and highest sustainable output growth. The BB also pursued prudent policies in the foreign exchange markets.

On the issue of fiscal development in the first nine months of FY08 the report said the estimated total revenue and total expenditure stood at 7.6 percent and 10.9 percent of GDP respectively as against their yearly targets of 10.8 percent and 16.4 percent.

The report mentioned that the fiscal deficit as share of GDP reached 3.2 percent in the first nine months of the fiscal year, as against the yearly target of 4.8 percent.

And financing the fiscal deficit Tk 106.2 billion came from domestic sources that include Tk 30.2 billion form bank sources. Foreign financing stood at Tk 64.3 billion in the first nine months of FY08.

Showing the improvements in the banking system in Q3 FY08m, the report mentioned that the risk-weighted capital asset ratio for all banks increased and the ratio of gross NPL to total loans of the banking sector declined.

And as the regulatory authority of the banking and financial system is working consistently with its policy framework to persuade the banks to reduce the spread in a rational manner.

On the issue of external sector development, the report said the current account balance showed a small surplus during January- February 2008 due to a healthy growth in workers remittances and a strong export growth. The country is expected to maintain reasonable external sector stability in FY08 having a healthy growth inflow of remittances and a strong foreign exchange reserve position.

The growth-supportive monetary policy stance adopted by BB and growth- oriented policies of the government facilitated the process of easing inflationary pressure in the economy. The point-to-point (p-t-p) CPI inflation eased during February- March of this year. The inflation rate stood at 10.06 percent in March 2008 compared with 11.59 percent in December of 2007. This decline has been due to slow down in non-food price inflation, according to the report.

It further said supportive macroeconomic policies, steady growth in private sector led investment, effective and timely implementation of prudent public sector policies and programmes and the pursuit of ongoing institutional and structural reforms in a consistent and transparent manner are the key factors for the sustenance of this positive outlook of the economy of the country.

Habibullah Bahar, Economic Adviser of the central bank and other high officials were also present.

Niko case: ACC approves chargesheet against Khaleda, Hasina

bdnews24.com, Dhaka

The Anticorruption Commission yesterday approved chargesheets against former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina in separate Niko scam cases, an ACC official said. In a press briefing at the commission's Segunbagicha office, ACC director general colonel Hanif Iqbal said the twin chargesheets involve about 20 people The graft watchdog filed separate cases against the accused on Dec 9 last year.

Khaleda and 10 others stand accused of costing the state coffers Tk 13,777 crore and Hasina with eight others was blamed for the loss of Tk 13,630 crore in state wealth.

ACC deputy directors AMM Sabbir Hasan and Mahbubul Alam filed the cases against Khaleda and Hasina respectively.

Hasina, when she was the prime minister, allegedly approved a Niko deal in 2001, which cost the government Tk 13,630 crore in losses, according to case details.

The case alleged that Niko Resources was "very inefficient" in different aspects, including technical know-how for oil explorations, but the deal was approved in violations of a proper procedure.

The BNP-led government also connived with Niko in implementing an "illegal" joint venture agreement soon after the alliance assumed power in October 2001, it was alleged in the case filed against Khaleda.

Niko applied to state minister for energy Mosharraf Hossain to close the deal, but some experts of Petrobangla and Bangladesh Petroleum Exploration and Production Company (BAPEX) opposed the agreement, according to case details.

Khaleda, the then prime minister, allegedly ignored opinions of the gas experts and took sides with Niko on the deal, costing the state Tk 13,777 crore in losses.

Hasina denies remark about Dr Kamal

bdnews24.com, Dhaka

Detained former prime minister Sheikh Hasina denied yesterday that she made any comment about Dr Kamal Hossain recently, as had been reported in some papers.

"I did not say anything about whitening of black money by Dr Kamal Hossain," she told her lawyers in the presence of reporters after appearing in court.

"But a few newspapers reported that I had commented so," the former prime minister said. Hasina was reported to

have made the remarks about Kamal Hossain on Apr 27 to her lawyers while appearing in court in a graft case involving the purchase of MiG-29 war planes.

A number of newspapers published them the following day, to which Dr Kamal replied.

He said: "I have not seen Tk 1 crore altogether in my life ever. The matter of whitening black money cannot be raised here."

Hasina appeared in court Wednesday for a hearing in a graft case involving the setting up of barge-mounted power plants during her term as prime minister.

The AL chief said no misappropriation had taken place during her regime.

"Charges were brought against me in the power plants case without the report of the evaluation committee. How can the authorities say that misappropriation took place without the report?" Hasina said in the presence of reporters.

"Cases should be filed against those who have filed the case against us," she said.

Three die of food poisoning

UNB, Sirajganj

Three members of a family died from food poisoning and four others fell sick after taking food at Soydabad in Sadar upazila early yesterday.

Local sources said seven members of Abdul Karim's family fell sick shortly after having dinner on Tuesday night.

They were rushed to Sadar Hospital where Karim's mother Pariman Bewa, 60, son Kaiser, 12, and cousin Monirul, 35, died at about 1am. Karim, 45, his wife Selina, 35, son Shaheen, 15, and daughter Koli, 6, were under treatment at Sadar Hospital.

Neighbours said the curry they took with rice might have been cooked with nitric acid mistaking it for salt, thus resulting in the family tragedy.

People of the village are mostly weavers and they mix nitric acid with colours for dyeing cloth.

Pre-dialogue report submitted: CA’s nationwide address soon

Staff Reporter

Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed is expected to address the nation soon about the much-talked formal dialogue with the political parties.

Adviser for Communications Maj Gen (Retd) Ghulam Quader disclosed this yesterday

while talking to reporters after submitting a report on pre-dialogue informal talks to the Chief Adviser.

The Chief Adviser will speak about the forthcoming political dialogue, the state of emergency and elections in his address to the nation very soon. He (chief adviser) will make the issues clear in his speech to the nation," he said.

Asked about the specific date of the election Ghulam Quader said he could not give a specific date of the polls.

He said the advisers, who were assigned to conduct the informal talks with political parties, reported to the Chief Adviser on the recommendations of pre-dialogue talks.

Replying to a question, he said they have reached a consensus on several issues with the political parties during the pre-dialogue talks, which focused on the entire gamut of issues related to transition from the interim period.

He said the Chief Adviser would present the report at an advisory council meeting, scheduled Wednesday evening, so all advisers may be appraised of the issues raised in the pre-dialogue talks, Quader said.

Replying to a question, Ghulam Quader said the political parties and the Government agreed on a number of issues. "The Chief Adviser will make them clear in his speech," he said.

He, however, said both the Government and political parties have felt the necessity of reforms within the parties.

Earlier, Adviser for Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman told the reporters that the Chief Adviser would give an appropriate guideline about the election schedule and withdrawal of the Emergency Power Rules through his address to the nation.

Meanwhile, Chief Adviser's press secretary Syed Fahim Monaim said the advisers who had pre-dialogue consultations with political parties submitted a report on the outcome of the consultations to Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed yesterday.

He said the Chief Adviser received the report and will go through it.

Replying to a question, Fahim Monaim said the time of the Chief Adviser's address to the nation has not been finalised.

Barge-mounted plant: Next hearing against Hasina May 6

BSS, Dhaka

The trial court on Wednesday adjourned the hearing till May 6 against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and others of the barge-mounted power plant case.

Judge of the special court Firoz Alam set the new date after conclusion of Hasina's counsels' submission on the discharge petition seeking relief of the charge.

Earlier, the jail authority produced Hasina from the sub-jail and another accused Dr Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury from the central jail before the court.

The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) lodged the case with Tejgaon thana on September 2 last year, accusing Sheikh Hasina and six others for giving undue favour by misusing power to Wartsila Power Development Limited to install a barge-mounted power plant in Khulna by depriving the lowest bidder New England Power Company.

In the case, it was alleged that Sheikh Hasina took Taka three crore as kickbacks through eight pay orders for Bangabandhu Memorial Trust from Wartsila Power Development Limited to approve its proposal for installing the plant while Awami League was in power from 1996 to 2001.

Summit Group and United Group as the local agents took part in the bid on behalf of Wartsila Power Development Limited.

Former Secretary of the Ministry of Power, Energy and Mineral Resources Dr Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury, former Chairman of the Bangladesh Power Development Board (PDB) Nooruddin Mahmud Kamal, Chairman of the Summit Group Mohammad Aziz Khan and Director Mohammad Farid Khan, Chairman of the United Group Hasan Mahmud Raza and Director Abul Kalam Azad were accused in the case.

Later, curator of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum Syed Siddiqur Rahman was made a co-accused in the chargesheet.

Sheikh Hasina was arrested from her Dhanmondi residence on July 16 last year in an extortion charge.

Other accused persons except Dr Toufiq-e-Elahi Chowdhury are absconding.