The New Nation - Internet Edition

OMS rice seized from open market: Four held, case filed

RAB personnel seized 166 sacks of rice from Madartek
area at the city outskirt. The rice was earmarked for sale
under OMS programme. Focus Bangla

Staff Reporter

Police seized 138 sacks of government rice for Open Market Sale (OMS) from Madartek road crossing under Sabujbagh in the city yesterday.

Source said on information police raided the godown and seized the rice in sacks. Police arrested the manager of the godown, Sharif Ahmad, from the spot. Sharif confessed to the police that someone had sold the rice from Tejgaon area Thursday night. Police also seized 50 sacks of Nazirshail rice and sealed the godown.

RAB also arrested the owner of the godown, Jashim, in this connection.

The officer in charge of Sabujbagh Police Station, Rauf Ahmed, told the New Nation that the government began sale of coarse rice at Tk 28 per kg from the OMS centers across the country from August 20 ahead of the holy Ramzan with the objective to keep the prices stable. But black marketers sold the rice in the open market in high rates of Tk 35 to Tk 38 per kg.

OMS dealers source said the daily allotment of 765 kg of rice each is too small compared to the large number of people who crowd their shops. The dealers were selling the rice in the open market at a high rate depriving the poor people and subverting government effort to provide rice to them in cheap rates.

One person can buy a maximum of 3 kg rice per day under the OMS programme, a ceiling that came as a disappointment to the people of lower income group.

A case was filed in this connection with Sabujbagh Police Station.

Khaleda has to choose parole or bail for release

Rafiqul Islam Azad

The issue of release of former prime minister and BNP Chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia is hanging over her decision, as to whether she prefers to be freed on parole or after getting bail in all four cases.

Sources said, Begum Zia has to apply for her release if she wants to get release on parole like another former prime minister and Awami League Chief Sheikh Hasina, now in USA for treatment.

Though a number of advisers of the Caretaker Government, including Adviser for Education and Commerce Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman and Adviser for Communications Maj Gen (Retd) Ghulam Quader, earlier told journalists that the procedure for the release of Begum Zia was at the final stage, the denial of Begum Zia to apply to this end is learnt to have delayed the process.

Sources said the government prefers that Begum Zia would apply to get her release on parole since it has no jurisdiction on the courts. If Begum Zia continues her denial in applying for the release, any of her relatives or lawyers has to apply on behalf of her.

Four graft cases, including GATCO and NIKO, have been pending against Khaleda Zia who was arrested on September 2 last year.

The government presumably wants unity between the two factions of the BNP for creating level-playing field between the two major parties in the country-BNP and Awami League-before the coming parliamentary elections to make it credible.

Begum Zia also has given directives to her party leaders to go ahead to bridge the gap between the party's rank and file.

Party sources said being instructed by party Chairperson some senior leaders have recently taken the fresh imitative for the unity.

As part of the measures, about 50 former BNP lawmakers sat twice at the residence of Shah Nurul Kabir Shahin in Gulshan in last few days.

The meetings discussed the unity process of the party and the way to free party chief Begum Zia and her son and party senior joint secretary general Tarique Rahman.

Shahin told this Correspondent that the next meeting of the party's former MPs is likely to be held at his residence on Sunday next.

"Former party lawmakers irrespective of reformist or pro-Khaleda, are attending the meetings willingly," he said hoping that they would be able to ensure freedom of their leaders.

When contacted, Begum Zia's lawyer Shimul Biswas told The New Nation that no decision has yet been taken to apply for the release of Begum Zia on behalf of her family or lawyers.

Netherlands defeats China for field hockey gold

The Netherlands team celebrate their win over China
in the women's gold medal hockey match at the Beijing 2008
Olympic Games August 22. NN photo

AP, Beijing

The Netherlands defeated China 2-0 to win the Olympic gold medal in women's field hockey Friday night.

The Netherlands earned silver medals at the 2004 games in Athens, but hadn't won gold since 1984.

The silver is China's first medal in women's field hockey. The sixth-ranked Chinese held their own against the world's top-ranked team, but lacked the skill to match the Dutch.

Argentina defeated Germany 3-1 to win the bronze medal and repeat its 2004 finish.

The championship match was scoreless at halftime, and featured several spectacular saves by Chinese goalkeeper Pan Fengzhen.

Netherlands finally scored in the 51st minute on a penalty corner. Naomi van As knocked in a rebound off Pan's stick to give her team a 1-0 lead.

Pak NA to decide judges’ fate : Sharif pulls back from threat

Nawaz Sharif

Agency, Islambad

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has agreed to let parliament debate how to reinstate judges sacked by former President Pervez Musharraf.

He had threatened to pull out of the coalition government unless it was agreed on Friday that all the sacked judges be restored.

Parliament will debate the issue next week. Pakistan's biggest party, the PPP, opposes Sharif on the issue.

They fear it could result in PPP leader Asif Zardari facing prosecution.

If former Supreme Court judges, including ex-Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry, are reinstated, they could overturn a controversial amnesty that Musharraf granted Zardari and his wife Benazir Bhutto last year that paved the way for them to return to the country.

Sharif pulled back from his threat to withdraw his PML-N party from the governing coalition after talks with other coalition parties in Islamabad.

The coalition parties will draw up a draft resolution over the weekend which will be introduced in parliament on Monday.

But Sharif is still hoping the resolution will result in Chaudhry and the other judges getting their jobs back.

"Wednesday should be the day for reinstatement of judges," he told journalists.

The other main disagreement within the coalition is over who should succeed Musharraf, following his resignation on Monday.

Most members of the biggest party in the coalition, the Pakistan People's Party (PPP), want to nominate Zardari as president. He took over as PPP leader after Ms Bhutto was assassinated in December.

The president is chosen by the two chambers of the national parliament and the country's four provincial elections. The election will be held on 6 September.

But Sharif, who leads the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), prefers what he calls a consensus president.

The coalition was elected in February but analysts say it has failed to find solutions to Pakistan's economic crisis and to the militants in its north-western tribal regions bordering Afghanistan.

The BBC's Charles Haviland in Islamabad says the politicians' squabbling is hindering any possible plan for tackling militant violence.

The Pakistani Taleban claimed responsibility for Thursday's suicide bombings on an ordnance factory in the town of Wah, near the capital Islamabad. It was the deadliest attack on a military site in Pakistan's history. The militant group promised more attacks in Pakistan's major urban conurbations unless the army withdrew from the tribal areas.

On Tuesday, 32 people were killed in a suicide attack on a hospital in the northern town of Dera Ismail Khan.

Musharraf, a key ally of President George Bush's "war on terror", stepped down this week after nine years in power to avoid being impeached.

He sacked about 60 Supreme Court judges during a state of emergency in November to prevent them from overturning his re-election as president.

Analysts say that although the PPP and PML-N worked together to hound Musharraf from office, there is a history of intense rivalry and mistrust between the two main parties.

The parties differ over the future of Musharraf, who has been replaced by a caretaker president, the speaker of the Senate.

Zardari's party has said it believes Musharraf may have immunity from prosecution.

But Sharif's party argues he should stand trial for, among other things, abrogating the constitution.

Police on alert after bomb attack

UNB, Dhaka

Police have been kept on alert after they came under bomb attack in the old part of the city on Thursday night.

"We've been asked to strengthen our vigilance and remain alert," a senior police official told UNB last night.

He said over 50 police check posts were set up in the old Dhaka from Friday evening.

On Thursday night, police constable Monwar Hossain received splinter wounds in his throat and chest as a bomb was hurled while on duty with a team. He is under treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Market review: Slight downtrend in kitchen market

Staff Reporter

The price of different varieties of rice, lentils and vegetable remained high in the city retail market yesterday while the month of Ramzan is only eight days ahead.

On the other hand the price of soybean and ata have slightly declined from its previous price.

Though the price of rice, lentils, and wheat have reduced notably in the international markets but so far it did not create any positive impact on the local markets, said market experts.

If this upward trend of commodity price is continued then the initiatives taken by the government to contain the price hike would not be possible before the start of Ramzan, said customers.

Increased prices of essential items are burning a hole in our pockets, they added. They called upon the government to take initiatives urgently for arresting the ever-growing prices of essential commodities.

They alleged that some unscrupulous businessmen were deliberately increasing the prices of commodities for making windfall profit despite the existence of sufficient supply of the necessary commodities to the markets.

They urged the government to start strict market monitoring before the beginning of Ramzan so that none could deceive the consumers.

The price of lentils and onion are yet to be reduced to a tolerable level despite sufficient supply in the market with strong stock backing.

Businessmen at Sham Bazar said, presently there is sufficient stock of lentils and onion in the local markets. Besides, every day thousands of tonnes of onion are being imported to the country from the neighbouring countries. Traders at Moulvi Bazar yesterday said, the prices of all varieties of soybean oil were reducing due to the reduction of price in the international market.

There is a little chance to further increase of soybean oil as we have taken initiatives to import sufficient crude oil before the start of Ramzan, they added.

On the other hand per sack of sugar containing 50 kg's has increased by Tk 200 yesterday in the wholesale market.

Rice of coarse variety was sold at Tk 34, minincate 40 to Tk 44, lata between Tk 37 to Tk 38, nazirshail at Tk 42 to Tk 44 yesterday.

Per packet of ata containing two kg was sold at Tk 75 that was Tk 78 and sugar at Tk 35 to Tk 36 which showed no change over the last some days.

Per kg of soybean was sold at Tk 112 yesterday, which was Tk 116 to Tk118 and super soybean at Tk 96 per kg that was Tk 100.

Local variety of onion was sold at Tk 32 to Tk 34 while imported ones between Tk 22 to Tk 24 yesterday.

One kg of Dano powdered milk was sold at Tk 560 and Diploma at Tk 505 which were at Tk 535 and Tk490 respectively.

Potato was sold at Tk 17 to Tk 18, papaya at Tk 14 to Tk 16, green chilli at Tk 60 and tomato at Tk 65 to Tk 70 per kg yesterday.

To ease the situation during Ramzan the government has reintroduced its Open Market Sale (OMS) of rice at Tk 28 per kg in the capital and other parts of the country.

Under the programme, one person can buy maximum 3 kg's of rice per day.

OMS dealers said the daily allotment of 765 kg of rice each is too small compared to the large number of people who crowd their shops.

Many of the dwellers in the capital do not know exactly where the OMS centres are located although they have come to know about the programme through television and newspapers.

Militant 'kingpin’ killed in Pabna 'crossfire’

Bdnews24.com, Pabna

RAB early yesterday killed an alleged militant leader in a 'shootout' at Ataikula in Pabna, an official said.

Jahurul Islam Mithhu, 32, son of Abdur Razzak of Swarogram under Ataikula Police Station, is the third militant chieftain to be liquidated in the last couple of months in the area gradually heating up with the militants flexing muscles afresh.

Rab-12 Pabna camp commander Flt Lt Ahmed Faisal said the Jahurul was the regional leader of the banned Purbo Banglar Communist Party (ML-Lal Pataka).

Faisal said after they were tipped off that members of the militant group had been holding a clandestine meeting at a place near Bhulbaria primary school, a RAB team had gone there at 4:30am.

He claimed the alleged terrorists opened fire on them and RAB retaliated, sparking a 20-minute gunbattle which left Jahurul killed on the spot.

A .22 bore revolver, a handmade gun and 10 rounds of ammunition had been retrieved from the rendezvous, the Rab officer said.

He said there were at least 12 cases including eight for murder against Jahurul with different Pabna police stations.

The body has been sent to Pabna sadar hospital for autopsy.

Fund shortage hits frozen food sector

Shamim Jahangir

The frozen food sector is going to face setback due to shortage of cash capital. In the view of this, the frozen food exporters have sought immediate government intervention to get soft bank loan to keep running the sector.

"We have now 140 members. Of them, only 30 to 35 members have continued their business in the sector. Rest of them have stopped their business due to financial constraints," Bangladesh Frozen Food Exporters Association (BFFEA) President Kazi Belayet Hossain yesterday said the New Nation.

"The export of frozen food items will drop by 20 to 30 per cent during the current fiscal if the government fails to ensure soft bank loan immediately," he feared.

The export value of the frozen food items was $534 million against the government target of $600 million last year (2007-08). It was 11 per cent less than the government target, according to Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) sources.

Frozen food item exporters have already sent a letter to seek the intervention of the Commerce Ministry on Wednesday last, Belayet said.

"It is difficult to continue up to the government export target as exporters face liquidity crisis. The sector needs soft bank loan to revive the sector," frozen food exporters said in the letter.

"We had faced liquidity crisis after the terrorist attack in USA in 2001. Then, the banks had provided the 'pledge loan' of Tk 1800 crore against the 20 per cent stock lot of the frozen food items. If the banks come forward to provide the loans, the export will increase this year," the exporters told the Commerce Ministry in their letter.

"The price of the frozen food items dropped by one US dollar per pound in recent time in the market. Besides, the production cost of per pound of frozen food items increased 30 to 40 cent. It is not possible for us to continue production if we fails to get bank loan," he pointed out.

"We needed three lakh tonnes of raw materials. But, we got only 50,000 to 52,000 tonnes of raw material as most of the farmers have stopped their production due to the liquidity crisis. For this reason, the frozen food items export declined last year," he elaborated.

According to EPB sources, the export earnings of the item was $495 million in the year 2006-07, $45.9 crore in 2005-06, $40 crore in 2004-05 respectively.

A total of 45 to 48 per cent of the item is exported to European Union, 35 to 38 per cent to USA and rest to Japan and others, sources said.

At least 37 frozen food processing units in Khulna and 21 units in Chittagong have earned Tk 2,500 to Tk 3,000 crore by exporting frozen foods in the country. The item contributes five per cent to our Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

AL demands JS polls in mid Oct

Staff reporter

Awami League leader Amir Hossain Amu yesterday urged the Caretaker Government to hold national elections in mid October instead of December and to draft the Representatives of Peoples Ordinance (RPO) in consultation with political parties.

Amu, a party Presidium Member, made the call while addressing leaders and activists of Bangladesh Mahila Awami League at a discussion marking the fourth anniversary of martyrdom of party leaders and activists at the central party office.

He also called on the government to create a congenial atmosphere so that all the political parties can participate in the national polls. He accused the BNP-Jamaat Government of granting the militants immunity to carry out series of grenade attacks in the country without fear.

"The anti-liberation forces who tried to declare Bangladesh as a fundamentalist country by killing Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and four national leaders, are trying to kill Sheikh Hasina to fulfill their dream, But the people of Bangladesh will resist their ill motive with strong hands," Amu pointed out.

He announced that AL would punish the culprits severely when voted to power, as neither the BNP-Jamaat government nor the Caretaker Government brought the masterminds of the August 21 grenade attack under trial rather they were trying to keep the criminals behind the screen.

He also wished the people, injured in the grenade attack, early recovery.

AL Presidium Member Tofail Ahmed expressed doubts about the national election as per roadmap, as the Caretaker Government did not so far follow the roadmap either in political dialogue, registration of political parties or completion of voter list.

He was critical of several conditions in the ordinance for registration of the political parties.

He also warned the government not to create any situation that pushes back the national elections and not to enact any ordinance, which the people of the country would never accept.

Expressing solidarity with Amu he also said that it was clear that the BNP-Jamaat government was directly involved in the grenade attack. That is why the four-party alliance government staged Joy Mia and Partha drama to hide the rogues.

"Pintu, a BNP leader, could not have dared to mastermind such massive explosion and mayhem without a green signal from the policymakers of the BNP-Jamaat Government. So they should be brought to trial," Tofail added.

Another Presidium Member Begum Matia Chowdhury criticised the government's for not taking stern action against the fundamentalists, who created anarchy in front of the Baitul Mokarram mosque under the state of emergency.

She assured the victims of the grenade attack that the real culprits would be punished, if AL was voted to power under the leadership of Sheikh Hasina.

Ashrafunnessa Mosharaf, President of Bangladesh Mahila Awami League, presided over the meeting while Advocate Sahara Khatun, Law Secretary and Dr Dipu Moni, secretary Women Affairs of AL central committee, Advocate Kamrul Islam, Acting General Secretary of Dhaka City AL, among others, spoke.

Increase ad budget govt urged

Staff Reproter

Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) has urged the government to increase its advertisement budget commensurate with the recent increase in advertisement rate.

At a general meeting of the association on Thursday NOAB noted with concern that although advertisement rate was increased recently in the wake of Wage Board Award, there was no indication yet of a corresponding increase in the rate of government advertisements and that of autonomous bodies. It also expressed apprehension that unless advertisement budget was increased the volume of advertisement and the number of insertions would decline from the current level. This would create financial burden for most newspapers, which are already facing huge problems due to sharp increase in production cost.

NOAB members noted with down for release of advertisement under the new public procurement regulation (PPR) would encourage corruption. The meeting drew attention of the government to this aspect of PPR and requested it to take suitable corrective measures in this regard.

The meeting also reiterated its earlier demand to arrange payment of advertisement bills of autonomous bodies like LGED, Water Development Board, etc. from their respective head offices instead of the present decentralised system, which is cumbersome and enmeshed in corruption.

NOAB took exception to the new condition attached to the duty-free import of newsprint and demanded its immediate withdrawal. It also pointed out that the system of issuing no-objection certificate by the ministry of Information for each consignment is unnecessary and too bureaucratic. NOAB felt that instead of consignment based certificate, a one-time certificate should be issued on annual basis. This will help newspapers to import newsprint at their convenience depending on market condition.

DU set to observe black day on Aug 23

bdnews24.com, Dhaka

The teachers, students and staff of Dhaka University will wear black badges on Saturday as a mark of protest in line with a decision of the Dhaka University Teachers' Association (DUTA) to observe August 23 as a 'black day'.

The gesture highlights the mass arrests of students and teachers of the premier university in the aftermath of a campus unrest in the second half of August 2007, the DUTA said in a press statement on Friday.

They will also hold a discussion at the Teacher-Student Centre at 4pm in the day.

The statement signed by DUTA general secretary professor Anwar Hossain said in line with a decision made in the last senate meeting to observe the day as a 'black day', an emergency meeting convened on August 20 under professor Sadrul Amin's stewardship decided the 'black day's programme. DU professors Md Anwar Hossain and Harun-ur-Rashid were arrested on Aug 23, 2007 following violent clashes that erupted over the demand for withdrawal of the army camp from the campus.

The DUTA president professor Sadrul Amin and professor Nimchandra Bhowmik and a number of students were arrested later.

Civic memorial meet on Anwar Zahid Aug 31

Staff Reporter

A civic condolence meeting in memory of eminent journalist and former minister Anwar Zahid will be held at 3pm on August 31 at the National Press Club in the city. The decision came on Thursday from a meeting of the Working Committee to organise the Civic Condolence Meeting.

Earlier, National Civic Condolence Committee in memory of Anwar Zahid was formed on August 16 shortly after Kulkhani of the late journalist. Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) justice Mohammad Abdur Rauf was chosen as convenor of the committee, while Prof Dr Mahbub Ullah as Joint convenor and Secretary General of National Democratic Party Alamgir Majumder as Member secretary.

Among the members of the committee are the Language Movement Veteran Abdul Matin, former Prime Minister Kazi Zafar Ahmed, former Deputy Prime Minister Prof Dr MA Matin, former Vice Chancellors of Dhaka University Prof Moniruzzaman Mia, Prof Emajuddin Ahmed and Dr Anwar Ullah Chowdhury, Vice Chancellor of South East University Dr Shamser Ali, former Adviser to the Caretaker government and journalist Mahbub-ul Alam, poet Al Mahmud, Editor of the monthly Madena Moulana Mohiuddin Khan, Journalists Gias Kamal Chowdhury, Ataus Samad, Alamgir Mohiuddin, Amanullah Kabir, Abul Asad, Gaziul Hasan Khan and Shawkat Mahmud, BNP Joint Secretary General Nazrul Islam Khan, Jama'at-e Islami Assistant Secretary General Kamaruzzaman, former ministers Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, Nazimuddin Al Azad, former president of FBCCI Mir Nasir Hossain, Shafiul Alam Pradhan, Comrade Nurul Haque Mahedi and NPP Chairman Shawkat Hossain Nilu.