The New Nation - Internet Edition

Historic Plassey Day today

Staff Reporter

The 252nd anniversary of historic Plassey Tragedy Day will be observed today across the country.

The Battle of Plassey was fought between the forces of Nawab Sirajuddaula and the East India Company on June 23 in 1757. It lasted for about eight hours, in which the Nawab was defeated by the company forces because of the treachery of his leading general Mir Jafar.

Plassey's political consequences were far-reaching and devastating and hence, though a brief skirmish, it has become known as a battle. It laid the foundation of the British rule in the Bengal. For the English East India Company, Bengal was the catalyst from which the British expanded their territorial domain and subsequently built up the empire, which gradually engulfed most parts of India and ultimately many other parts of Asia as well.

Various socio-cultural organisations have arranged various programmes including discussion meetings to mark the day.

Jatiya Ganatantrik Party (JAGPA) organised a discussion meeting at the Photojournalists Association Auditorium yesterday where BNP Chairperson's Adviser Brig Gen (Retd) ASM Hannan Shah addressed as chief guest.

He said the Government has put the sovereignty of the country at stake by allowing India and Myanmar to grab 15,000 km of the country's maritime boundary.

There is a similarity between the current situation and the defeat in the Plassey battlefield, he said.

He demanded the release of BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia and sending of her two sons-Tarique Rahman and Arafat Rahman Koko- abroad for better treatment.

Presided over by JAGPA President Shafiul Alam Prodhan, the meeting was also addressed, among others, by Krishak Sramik Janata League leader Abdul Kader Siddiqui.

Extension of tax exemption for IT sector demanded

Staff Reporter

The body representing the IT businessmen urged the Government to extend income tax exemption period for software, call centres, data-entry and data-processing sectors from three to at least five years for boosting the sector.

Leaders of Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) at a press conference also demanded special budgetary allocation for the establishment of Software Technology Park (STP) in the city's Mohakhali with a view to develop the IT service sector.

BASIS, the national trade body representing the Software and IT Enabled Services (ITES), organised the event at its conference hall in the city's Kawran Bazar.

President of BASIS Habibullah N Khan and Secretary General Nahid Ahmed addressed the press conference, while former president Rafiqul Islam Rowly, Joint Secretary General Zeeshan Mahbub, Treasurer Farhana Anwar Rahman, Director Mubin Khan and former treasurer AKM Fahim Mashroor were present.

Habibullah said the proposed budget allowed three years income tax exemption period for the sectors, which was not adequate to attract foreign and local investors to come into the nascent sectors. That was why they demanded exemption for ten years first, he said.

"Now we demand at least five years tax exemption period," he added.

He also demanded enhancement of depreciation from 50 to 100 per cent for promoting investment in the sector, as edge equipment, hardware and software were becoming obsolete very fast due to rapid change of technology.

BASIS leaders called upon the government to bring digital content development and management, animation, website services, medical transcription, geographical information services, IT support and software maintenance services, Project management and implementation services, business process outsourcing, computer aided engineering and design and remote IT maintenance under the tax exemption.

Stressing the need for introduction of e-Governance for implementation of government declared development budget, BASIS leaders said special allocation for purchasing software and technology services should be included in the Annual Development Programmes.

BBBF meeting to discuss the issue today : Export credit guarantee facilities to SME sector

Syful Islam

The government is considering providing Export Credit Guarantee facilities to the Small and Medium Enterprises to encourage those in export trade, informed sources said.

A meeting of the Working Group on Business Entry and Operation of the Bangladesh Better Business Forum (BBBF) recently discussed the issue on how to extend the facility to the SME sector effectively.

The fourth meeting of the BBBF scheduled to be held today under the chairmanship of Chief Adviser Dr Fakhruddin Ahmed will take a decision on the issue.

At present the Export Credit Guarantee facility is offered to non-traditional goods to encourage export.

The Sadharan Bima Corporation has been operating Export Credit Guarantee Scheme since 1978 on 'no profit no loss' basis. Since inception of the scheme, 7,316 guarantees have been given to the non-traditional goods export.

The Sadharan Bima Corporation has so far earned Tk 34 crore as premium of the scheme and given Tk 24 crore as insurance claim. The unsettled claim of the schemes now stands at Tk 44 crore.

In recent days SME sector has been considered most effective sector that can help alleviate poverty. A report of the Bangladesh Bank said that development of SMEs can contribute a lot for poverty reduction.

The Bangladesh Bank annual report said higher growth of the SMEs can help cut poverty to a satisfactory level by eliminating various prejudices against labour intensive and creating jobs for the skilled manpower in the SME sector.

The report said, the key reasons behind the SMEs for not entering into large scale manufacturing industry are financial constraints, dismal state of utility services, technology and policy discriminations. On the other hand, bank and other financial institutions generally prefer large enterprise clients because of lower transition costs, and greater availability of collateral.

The SMEs also fall outside the reach of micro finance schemes, and thus are compelled to depend on formal sources of funds at much higher interest rates.

The BB report said that other interrelated problems like shortage of short and long term finance, lack of modern technology and lack of promotional support services are major obstacles in the way of development of the SMEs sector.

In Bangladesh the SMEs account for about 45 per cent of manufacturing value addition. They account for about 80 percent of industrial employment, about 90 per cent of total industrial units and about 25 per cent of total labour force. Their total contribution to export earnings varies from 75- 80 per cent based on the Economic Census 2001-2003.

The total number of SMEs is estimated at 79754 establishments, of which 93.6 per cent are small and 6.4 per cent are medium.

Ghost of JUBOK haunts in Barisal

Barisal Correspondent

At least five thousand field staff of 'JUBOK' in Barisal are facing socio-economic problem, especially the women, who have been divorced and sent back to their paternal homes, for their connection with the fraudulent organisation.

Source said Bangladesh Bank stopped the illegal banking operation of Jubo Unnoyon O Bikalpo Karmosongsthan Society (Society for youth development and alternative employment (JUBOK) for cheating clients of funds two years ago.

Sources of the staff and clients associations of JUBOK said at least 11 female staff were divorced and more than five hundred sent to their paternal homes by their husbands family, a large number of them have changed their addresses and went into hiding.

Some of them were even assaulted physically by the agitated clients after 'JUBOK' failed to return the depositors money.

One unmarried male field staff was forced to marry a divorcee with a child after he broke the promise to return her deposited money.

Halima Begum, a fourth class employee of a school at Amanatganj in the city said, "My husband sent a divorce letter to me after angry clients chased and assaulted him."

Field staff engaged in hunting for clients received commissions of Tk 500 for selling each unit of Tk 6,000 under a bonus scheme and Tk 2,000 for selling two or three years term deposits.

Later the payment of JUBOK became irregular and Bangladesh Bank receiving allegations ordered a return of the deposits to the clients by stopping this high profit rated illegal banking and financial activities of JUBOK.

Nevertheless, JUBOK failed to return the deposits of the clients as their asset value was less than their sold units.

Emergency OPEC meet in Jeddah: Bid to raise oil output

BBC Online

Calls for leading oil producers to raise production to try and bring down soaring prices have intensified at a crucial meeting in Saudi Arabia.

The US, UK and other consumers urged producers to boost supply, blaming lack of capacity for the recent price surge.

British Prime Minister Gordon Brown said more production was needed to ease price "uncertainty" and "volatility".

Saudi Arabia blamed speculation, not lack of supply, for surging prices but said it was willing to raise output.

The world's largest oil producer has already announced plans to lift daily quotas to 9.7 million barrels by the end of July, an increase of about 500,000 barrels since May.

But, in an effort to calm worries over supply shortages, it said it would be prepared to pump more "if demand for such quantities materializes and our customers tell us they are needed".

Saudi officials also indicated they could raise its oil "cushion" - the spare production capacity it maintains - above the current 12.5 million barrels per day planned for the end of 2009.

"We are very concerned for consumers in all countries," Saudi King Abdullah bin Abdul-Aziz told the meeting in Jeddah, convened after prices rose 40% this year to close to $140.

"And we declare our readiness to meet any additional needs."

King Abdullah proposed that members of the Opec producers body could contribute $1bn to a fund to help poorer countries deal with spiralling energy costs.

Saudi Arabia would also offer $500m in loans to countries struggling with fuel shortages to promote energy projects, he added.

The BBC's Paul Wood in Jeddah said the Saudi measures would be welcomed but that it would be naive to assume they would have an instant impact on prices.

The meeting, attended by energy ministers from more than 30 countries as well as senior executives from the world's largest oil companies, is taking place amid fears that recent record oil prices are helping tip the US and other major economies towards recession. It is happening against a backdrop of protests against rising fuel costs around the world.

Addressing the meeting, Brown called for a "new deal" on global energy supplies to benefit both consumers and producers. Better information was needed on the current state of global oil supplies and future demand, he said, while oil producers must diversify beyond oil by investing in other sources of energy, including renewable projects.

He also called for "enhanced co-operation" between governments to reduce the global economy's dependence on oil.

"I urge all oil producers to rigorously break down old barriers standing in the way of new strategic initiatives," he said.

"We can make progress in easing the challenges which are facing so many countries in the months ahead."

Protester at rally in Manila, the Philippines (20.06.08)

High fuel prices have sparked protests in several countries

US Energy Secretary Samuel Bodman said rising demand, especially from countries like China and India, was growing faster than supply and that this was pushing prices up.

"I believe that most of us agree on one thing: Prices are too high at present," he said.

"And unless we act, the situation will remain unsustainable."

Analysts say recent increases in output by Opec members are unlikely to have much of an effect on the price, given that the world's daily oil production is about 80 million barrels.

"We are going to have to live with higher prices," Jan Rudolph, an economist with Global Insight, told the BBC.

Efforts to control the price received a further blow this week, following militant attacks on Shell and Chevron facilities in Nigeria which cut the country's output by more than 300,000 barrels a day.

AL founding day today

Staff Reporter

The Awami League will hold a series of programmes in observance of its 59th founding anniversary day today.

The central leaders of the party will inaugurate the programme by placing wreaths at the portrait of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust at Dhanmondi at 8:00 AM.

Another group of central leaders will place wreaths at the graveyard of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Tungipara at the same time.

The Awami Muslim League, which turned into Bangladesh Awami League, was established in 1949 at the 'Rose Garden' in Dhaka city. Later the party led the countrymen to fight for the Bangla Language in 1952 and against the West Pakistani autocratic rulers in 1971 in the War of Independence.

Acting President of the party Zillur Rahman in a message on the eve of the occasion urged AL leaders and workers to translate the dreams of Independence into reality by changing the lot of common people.

Highlighting the history of Awami League, he said the party was always in the forefront of all democratic movements including the historic Language Movement.

Awami League led the War of Liberation in 1971 under the directive of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, he said adding, the party scored all achievements in the country.

The AL acting chief said that Bangabandhu concentrated on rebuilding the war-ravaged country after returning from the Pakistan jail on January 10, 1972 following the Independence. In only three and a half years, he said, Bangabandhu rehabilitated one crore refugees and two lakh oppressed women of the War of Liberation.

Under Bangabandhu's active and able leadership, Zillur Rahman said Bangladesh became members of the United Nations, Commonwealth and the OIC. Due to his dynamic leadership, he added, as many as 121 countries recognised Bangladesh.

After the barbaric killing of Bangabandhu and his family members on August 15, 1975, the acting AL chief said the front ranking leaders of the party-Syed Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Captain M Mansur Ali and AHM Quamaruzzaman were brutally killed inside the jail on November 3 the same year.

He said after two decades people voted Awami League to power in 1996. The historic Ganges Water Treaty and the Chittagong Hill Tracts Peace Treaty were signed during the tenure of Awami League, he added.

Zillur Rahman said the Awami League government had earned huge success in keeping the prices of essentials stable, attaining self-reliance in food, empowering womenfolk, ensuring health services, alleviating poverty, increasing foreign investment and developing the country's infrastructure.

The party will hold a discussion on June 25 at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh here at 3 PM.

Acting General Secretary of the party Syed Ashraful Islam has urged the AL leaders and workers and also people from all walks of life to observe the day in a befitting manner.

Nuclear deal with US: Indian coalition partners at loggerheads

AFP, New Delhi

The fate of India's government, torn between saving itself or a nuclear pact with Washington, will likely be decided this week with the spectre of early polls looming, analysts and leaders say.

Tensions between Premier Manmohan Singh's Congress-led government and the four-party leftwing alliance supporting it in parliament have been running high since last July over the deal clinched with Washington in 2006.

Last week the spat worsened, with Singh appearing ready to risk his minority government and implement the pact with the United States, despite fierce objections from the communists.

The agreement would give India access to civilian nuclear technology even though it has not signed global non-proliferation pacts.

On Friday, the leftists issued their strongest warning yet to the government, saying they would join hands with their arch rivals, the opposition Hindu nationalists, to bring it down if Singh went ahead with deal.

A government official who wished to remain unnamed said the premier and Congress party leader Sonia Gandhi would decide the deal's future before Singh visits Japan on July 7 for the G8 Summit, where he will meet US President George W. Bush.

Political analyst Rasheed Kidwai noted Sonia Gandhi "put a lot of effort into cobbling together this coalition" five years ago.

"She would not like to break off ties with any party or group in haste, she is not known to take decisions without thought," Kidwai said.

A senior Congress leader said the party was consulting all allies and would take a final decision by June 25 when a last round of talks with the Left is slated.

Syndicated columnist Neerja Chowdhury said the communists' moves were ideologically driven.

"The Left is opposed to a strategic partnership with the US-this is the diet on which their cadres have been brought up. If they go against this, their cadres will desert them," she said.

Meanwhile, efforts have been started by some small political groups within Singh's coalition "to find a position acceptable to both sides," said a leader from southern India, who did not wish to be named.

"We do not want to risk national polls right now with inflation at over 11 percent," the leader said.

Annual inflation jumped Friday to 11.05 percent from 8.75 percent a week earlier, and economists say the rate is headed higher due to record global crude oil prices.

"The high inflation drastically restricts the scope of any political heroics on the nuclear deal," commented the Times of India newspaper on Saturday.

National polls are due by May 2009, and Congress is seen as preferring to hold the elections over the winter when the weather is cooler.

Some in Singh's Congress party also oppose "sacrificing the government on an issue that's not going to fetch votes," said a Congress leader, who wished to remain unnamed.

"The nuclear deal is not an issue that will bring votes. But we are certain to lose because of high inflation. As I see it, prices are likely to come down only early next year," the leader said, a view echoed by many economists.

Singh has argued the deal is vital to India's energy security as the country already imports 70 percent of its crude needs and the figure is expected to rise as the economy grows.

According to 2007 Nobel peace laureate, R.K. Pachauri, the Pact is an important initiative that can secure the supply of nuclear fuel and advanced technology.

"There is an urgent need for all political parties to suppress their short-term political interests in favour of India's long-term national interest," he wrote in a piece published last week.

Police raid RUET halls as student factions clash

Sohel Rana from RU

Attacks, cases and counter cases by confronting student organizations and police raids on the halls have been vitiating the Rajshahi University of Engineering and Technology (RUET).

Some teachers of the university are allegedly involved in instigating students.

Police led by hall provosts launched separate raids at Shahidullah Hall, Ziaur Rahman Hall and Hamid Hall in hunt of BCL activists Saturday night. They, however, could not recover any firearm or arrest any body.

The RUET unit of Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), which earlier announced an indefinite strike on the campus from Monday, vowed to launch a tougher movement yesterday. BCL activists strongly protested the hall-raid and demanded stop harassment by police.

Earlier, on Thursday, armed cadres of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) attacked BCL activists living 20 of them injured. The JCD men torched and vandalised dozens of rooms of RUET hall belonging to BCL activists.

Former JCD general secretary of RUET unit Benzir Ahmed Tomal, a former student of Electrical department, yesterday filed a counter case with Motiher Police Station accusing 13 BCL activists for the attack.

The accused are-Arshad Pervej, Faisal, Rubel, Tuhin, Rony, Russell, Junayed, Al-Amin, Nazmul, Shishir, Niloy, Himel and Sajib.

Meanwhile, Rajshahi Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Ali Ahmed yesterday granted bail for seven BCL men, putting others to custody.

The RUET unit of BCL at a press conference placed six-point demands including immediate resignation of the university's Student Welfare Adviser Prof Sayed Abdul Mofiz, immediate arrest and punishment of the responsible JCD activists, cancellation of scheduled examinations of June 29 and July 06, and unconditional release of arrested BCL leaders.

They also called on Vice Chancellor Prof Anwarul Haque to press home their demands.

Earlier, BCL RUET unit called an indefinite students strike on the campus from Tuesday demanding 'proper action' against the responsible JCD activists who attacked on BCL men on Thursday.

The BCL activists said their programme would be withdrawn if the authorities meet their six-point demands by Monday.

24 Bangladeshis freed from Indian jail return home

Twenty-four Bangladeshis wait for clearance of the
Immigration Police at Benapole Border Check Post after they
were deported by Indian border security forces yesterday.
BanglarChokh

UNB, Benapole

Twenty-four people freed from Indian jail returned to Bangladesh on Sunday.

Members of the Bangladesh Rifles at Benapole received them from Indian Border Security Force (BSF) in the evening.

Indian police arrested them as they were smuggled out to India through different border points last year with promises of lucrative jobs, Bangladeshi police said.

Indian authorities later kept them in Kolkata Presidency Prison.

Of the victims, 11 are women while five were children.

Bangladesh National Women Lawyers Association (BNWLA) took steps to bring them back to the country.

BNWLA official Lovlu Mia received them at Benapole Port Police Station to send them back home.

Tarique suffers from broken spinal cord

UNB, Dhaka

Tarique Rahman, senior joint secretary general of BNP, has got his spinal cord broken, said Dr Idris Ali of the medical board yesterday.

Detained on charges of corruption since February last year Tarique is in prison cell of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU). The government has formed the medical board for his treatment.

Dr. Idris Ali told reporters that Tarique, son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is suffering from acute pain in waist and neck because of broken spinal cord.

Asked about the cause of breaking the spinal cord Dr Ali said, "We don't know exactly the reason … It can happen from falling down, accident or owing to slipping."

DIG (Prisons) Major Shamsul Haider Siddiqui, has rejected the allegation of physical torture in custody.

"There is no scope of torturing a detainee in prison," Major Siddiqui told UNB this evening. He said the jail authority has not yet got the medical report.

Terming the prison as correction centre, he said the jail authority always treated detainees with sympathy and humanity. The relation between prisoners and prison guards is very good in jail.

He said the jail authority want to ensure all detainees' healthy physical condition. That's why they admitted Tarique Rahman into the BSMMU on January 31.

Asked if Tarique's spinal cord was broken during police remand Major Siddiqui said, "I have no comment as I don't know about it."

Nine killed in Cox's Bazar road accident

UNB, Cox's Bazar

A Dhaka-bound passenger bus collided head on with a micro-bus in the district's Chokoria upazila, leaving at least nine people dead and 20 others injured on Sunday, police said.

The accident occurred at 12:30 pm on the Cox's Bazar-Chittagong highway when the bus reached Khutakhali area, 35 kilometres north of the coastal town, said the district's Superintendent of Police Bonoj Kumar Majumdar.

The microbus was traveling from Chokoria to Cox's Bazar town, he said, adding that all the passengers died were from the microbus.

The official said seven passengers died at the scene while another died after he was taken to nearby hospital. The injured were hospitalised, he said.

Altaf Chowdhury charge-sheeted

Court Correspondent

A charge sheet was yesterday submitted to a Dhaka Court against former Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury in a scam case.

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Deputy Director Md. Moniruzzaman Khan completed inquiry and submitted the charge sheet to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court of Dhaka. Twenty -eight persons were made witness in the case.

The case was filed with Ramna Thana of the city on December 18, last year. Altaf Hossain was accused of amassing wealth worth Taka 1,53,52,367 beyond his known sources of income and concealing facts about his wealth to the tune of Taka 55,60,250.