The New Nation - Internet Edition

Army withdrawn, asked to return to barracks: Restriction on poll campaign, media goes

Troops deployed to the different parts of the
country after promulgation of the state of emergency ordered
to return to the barracks yesterday. FocusBangla

Staff Reporter

The government yesterday ordered withdrawal of the members of armed forces, deployed across the country 22 months ago in aid of the civil administration after the 1/11 changeover.

The order came out with a government announcement to relax the emergency power rules (EPR) as the country prepares to hold parliamentary elections scheduled for December 18.

President Prof Dr Iajuddin Ahmed yesterday ordered pullout of troops from emergency duties at field level.

According to Bangabhaban spokesman, the President, who is also supreme commander of the armed forces, approved a government proposal for withdrawal of the members of armed forces deployed across the country in aid to civil administration at the field level.

The developments came as the Chief Election Commissioner on Sunday announced the polls schedules for the December 18 parliamentary elections, hours after the High Court cleared ways for the polls in a verdict, dismissing writ petitions challenging the EC gazette on the delimitation of parliamentary constituencies.

Members of armed forces rolled into the streets on January 19 last year to assist civil administration after the emergency was declared on January 11 to cool down political turmoil over an stalled parliamentary elections slated for January 22 last year.

Side by side, the government, issued a gazette notification relaxing the state of emergency to pave the way for carrying out election campaigns including holding rallies and bringing out processions for the coming general elections and upazila polls subject to the conditions of the recently amended Representation of People Order (RPO).

"Subject to the compliance of the rules stated in the RPO and regulations framed under that law, the election campaign related processions and meetings can be held in constituencies of the general elections and in relevant cases, the upazila polls," the gazette read.

Home Adviser of the caretaker government Maj Gen (Retd) MA Matin told reporters that the order would be carried out "with immediate effect".

Asked whether troops were being withdrawn from field level, he replied in the affirmative saying that it would be done soon.

"A gazette is coming. You (journalists) will see it," the Adviser said.

He said, "From now on there will be no restrictions on election-related activities in the country."

Matin hoped that the relaxation of the emergency rules wouldn't again cause deterioration of the law-and-order situation. I'm sure about it," he added.

It may be mentioned that Army Chief General Moeen U Ahmed assured the UN Secretary General, Ban Ki-moon in Dhaka on Sunday that the military would not interfere in the election but would help authorities to conduct it freely and peacefully.

Americans set to make historic choice for new president

Barack Obama and John McCain at last moment's
campaign

Agencies, Washington

Voters go to the polls on Tuesday to make their choice of candidate in what most analysts agree is the most important US presidential election in at least 40 years.

With the US economy in the worst shape since the Great Depression of the 1930s, and the country engaged in two wars, Americans will choose between two men with powerful but strikingly different life stories, as well as significant differences in social and political philosophies, and their views of how best to deal with the rest of the world.

Most US political pundits have virtually written off Republican presidential nominee John McCain, as polls show Democratic nominee Barack Obama ahead both nationally and in key battleground states where the election will be decided. But some say it is premature to count McCain out.

McCain was written off in the summer of 2007, when his poll numbers plunged in the wake of the unpopular Iraq war, which he supported. But with his support of the White House-backed US troop surge in Iraq, the Arizona senator staged a remarkable comeback, and in the end, prevailed over a crowded field of contenders to claim his party's nomination in the quest to succeed fellow Republican President George W. Bush.

Some polls show McCain tightening his contest with Obama in such key swing states as Florida, Virginia, Ohio, and Pennsylvania, where the election will ultimately be decided.

But Obama remained ahead in most polls, even if his margin had shrunk. And, perhaps most significantly, Obama expanded the political playing field by successfully pulling well ahead in formerly reliable Republican states in the West - Colorado, New Mexico, and Nevada - making it tough for McCain to win even if the Arizona senator succeeds in keeping the contest close. US history is not on McCain's side. The last time a US presidential candidate who was far down in the polls late in the campaign managed to pull out a shocking victory was 1948, when incumbent Democratic President Harry Truman defeated Republican Thomas Dewey. But in that election, Truman was not as far behind in as many states as polls show McCain has been in the closing weeks of an election effort that began nearly two years ago.

Another daunting challenge for McCain is that Americans throughout US history have consistently voted against the incumbent political party in a presidential election in which the prevailing issue is a failing US economy. That fact is the central reason polls show Obama with double-digit leads in many states hard hit by the Wall Street meltdown, rising US jobless numbers, and a mortgage crisis that has many Americans in real danger of losing their homes.

And that is not the end of McCain's political problems; his decision to select Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his running mate, while widely credited with giving him a big boost in the polls last August at the conclusion of the Republican National Convention, backfired on him. As voters learned more about Palin, with polls showing a majority believing she is unqualified to be president should the 72-year-old McCain pass away while in office, many Republican insiders have concluded she was a drag on the ticket, helping pull McCain down in the long run.

Then there are the intangibles, which will only be clarified after the election. One is the enthusiasm factor. Polls have consistently shown that Democrats this year are more excited about their ticket -- Obama and his vice presidential selection, veteran US Senator Joe Biden -- and more motivated to not only vote but get others to vote, than are the Republicans.

One reason for that is that Obama, a 47-year-old freshman Illinois senator who aims to become the first African-American US president, has run a virtually flawless campaign that utilized the Internet, text messaging, and other high-tech tools to register hundreds of thousands of first-time young voters.

However, the US youth vote has been notorious for not turning out in as great numbers as senior citizens and middle-age voters do. If that shift changes dramatically in 2008, Obama will likely be unstoppable. And while it remains to be seen who will benefit from a high voter turnout, this has been a record year for early voting, with long lines in Florida and Ohio, among other states that permit early balloting.

All in all, voter interest in this election appears to be at an all-time high.

But there is one issue that gives pause to those who might be tempted to see the basketball-playing Obama as poised for a slam-dunk victory: Race.

Significant numbers of Americans have a history of telling pollsters that they have no problem voting for a black candidate, then, when alone in the polling station, voting for the white candidate.

This phenomenon is known as the "Bradley effect," because in 1982, Los Angeles Mayor Tom Bradley was well ahead in the polls against a white Republican opponent in the California governor's race. Bradley ended up losing by 2 percentage points. And there are several other examples where black candidates won -- a New York mayor and a Virginia governor -- but their margin of victory was only 1 or 2 points, even though polls showed them ahead by 9 points or more prior to the elections.

Many analysts believe the "Bradley effect" is dated, and that far fewer Americans are concerned about race in 2008, especially during tough economic times. But questions about this topic will not be settled until after the election.

Beyond the issues are the candidates themselves, who are worlds apart culturally and philosophically.

Barack Hussein Obama was named after his Kenyan father, Barack Obama Sr. His mother, Ann Dunham, was a Kansas-born American. Obama's parents met while attending the University of Hawaii at Manoa, where his father was enrolled as a foreign student.

Barack was born in Hawaii. His parents separated when he was 2 years old and later divorced. His father went on to Harvard University to pursue Ph.D. studies, then returned to Kenya, where he died in an auto accident in 1982. Obama's mother married another foreign student, Lolo Soetoro, and the family moved to Soetoro's home country of Indonesia in 1967. Obama attended local non-religious schools from ages 6 to 10. He then returned to Honolulu, Hawaii, to live with his maternal grandparents, Madelyn and Stanley Dunham, while attending private school from the fifth grade until his graduation in 1979.

Obama went on to become the first African-American president of the Harvard Law Review, then settled in South Chicago, where he worked as a community organizer, and met his future wife, Michelle. They have two young daughters.

John Sidney McCain III is the son and grandson of distinguished US Navy admirals. He attended college at the US Naval Academy, and launched a 22-year career as a naval aviator upon his graduation. The most well-known part of his life story centers on his being shot down in 1967 while on a bombing mission over Hanoi during the Vietnam War, then being held as a prisoner of war for more than five years.

McCain retired from the Navy in 1981, and was subsequently elected US senator from Arizona, a position he has held for 26 years.

McCain has a total of seven children from two wives, and four grandchildren. He and his wife, Cindy, have seven homes, but their primary residence is listed as Phoenix.

Philosophically, McCain is considered a conservative, although he has earned the label of "maverick" because he has a history of bucking his own Republican Party on key issues, including illegal immigration, taxes, campaign finance reform, and torture of US-held terrorism suspects.

Race to White House

New Nation Update

The race going into its final hours, both the candidates had desperate schedules and hectic time addressing meetings in the swing states on Monday. Obama, ahead in national and many battle-ground state polls started his day with late morning rally in Jacksonville before heading to Virginia and North Carolina. Backed by a record breaking-fundraising operation, Obama went into offensive all across the country, specially focusing on Ohio. In Cleveland, Ohio he told a crowd of 80,000 who had gathered to hear him and the singer Bruce Springsteen, that he was 'feeling good. The crowds seem to grow and everybody has got a smile on their face.' Obama leads John McCain in six of eight key battle-ground states one day before the election and holds a 7-point edge over McCain among likely US voters, nationally.

McCain remained defiant. He told a mid-night rally in Miami, 'The Mac is back. And We're going to win the election.' He dashed through seven states on the final day speaking before supporters. McCain attacked Obama on the economy in his Wall Street Journal article charging' Senator Obama wants to raise taxes and restrict trade. The last time America did that it led to the Great Depression."

Breaking with tradition, both candidates planned to campaign on Election Day. McCain's scheduled campaign stops in Colorado and New Mexico while Obama was set to attend a rally in Indiana before returning to Chicago to speak before a massive gathering. Both camps are keenly aware of the need to get voters out in the states that polls suggest remain in the balance.

Myanmar asked to stop oil search in Bangladesh waters: Sovereignty to be protected at any cost

Staff Reporter

Myanmar Ambassador U Phae Thann Oo was summoned to the foreign office yesterday again to lodge Dhaka's strong protest against continuing Yangon's survey for oil and gas by intruding into country's maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal.

The Ambassador was told that Dhaka would mount diplomatic efforts to resolve the dispute over Yangon's oil and gas exploration in the Bay.

Bangladesh emphasised the need for immediately stopping the survey and resolve the dispute before the situation aggravates and goes beyond control.

Foreign office made it clear that Bangladesh would protect its sovereignty and interests at any cost.

After the meeting with the Myanmar Ambassador, Adviser for Foreign Affairs Dr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury told reporters that Foreign Secretary Touhid Hossain would be sent to Myanmar tomorrow (Wednesday) as special envoy to resolve the dispute through diplomatic efforts.

Terming Myanmar a friendly country, the Adviser hoped that Yangon would take necessary measures to take back its ships with a view to resolving the dispute.

"We're sending the special envoy to lodge our protest at the highest level of Myanmar so the situation does not go beyond control…We're sending him (foreign secretary) to protect our interest," he said.

Iftekhar said several Myanmar vessels intruded into Bangladesh territorial water for hydrocarbon exploration near deep sea bloc 8-13 claimed by Bangladesh. But Myanmar claims those are within their territorial water.

He said all steps would be taken to protect the sovereignty and territory of Bangladesh. "We want to put an end to this situation forthwith. We want to resolve the matter diplomatically," he said.

The Adviser noted that Bangladesh is a peace-loving nation. "We don't want to go for any confrontation as Myanmar is our friendly neighbour," he said.

He said Bangladesh and Myanmar would hold talks here on delimitation of boundaries between the two countries on December 16 and 17. A deputy minister from Myanmar will lead his country's delegation as Yangon attaches importance to the meeting.

A private news agency reported earlier that Dhaka had sent a naval vessel to patrol the area, but the Foreign Adviser could not confirm or deny this.

Earlier on Sunday the Myanmar Ambassador was summoned to the foreign office in Dhaka to receive Dhaka's strong protest against the intrusion of Yangon's vessels in the deep-sea block 08-13.

Meanwhile, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury chaired a high-level inter-ministerial meeting at the Foreign Ministry on follow-up actions in the aftermath of the visit of General Maung Aye, Senior Vice General of Myanmar and his delegation of seven cabinet ministers.

The meeting reviewed the progress in areas such as border trade, rice purchase, contract farming, road building and boundary delimitation issues.

AL begins sale of nomination forms from tomorrow

Staff Reporter

Awami League (AL) Presidium, the apex policymaking body of the party, yesterday decided to sell nomination forms from November 5 to November 7 at the party's central office at Bangabandhu Avenue to choose aspirants candidates.

The form will be available between 10am to 5pm.

The presidium has unanimously welcomed the announcement of schedule for general election. At the same time they reiterated the demand for the deferment of the upazila election.

In an interview to BBC Party chief Sheikh Hasina also called for the deferment of the upazila elections.

Accorfing to the party decision each nominee will have to deposit Tk 7,500 for collecting and submitting the nomination form, AL acting general secretary Syed Ashraful Islam said after the meeting.

The meeting started at acting president Zillur Rahman's Gulshan residence at 10am with Zillur in the chair and continued till 10:45am.

Presidium members Syeda Sajeda Chowdhury, Amir Hossain Amu, Abdur Razzak, Tofail Ahmed, Suranjit Sengupta, Motia Chowdhury, Mohiuddin Khan Alamgir, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim and Ashraful were present at the meeting.

The meeting also decided to hold party's Central Working Committee meeting at 10am at the party Dhanmondi's office today to discuss preparations to welcome Sheikh Hasina on her return home and election issues.

Later, an extended meeting will be held at the same venue at the same day. The members of Dhaka City AL, all associate organisations and leaders from Dhaka and adjoining districts will attend the meeting.

Ashraful said, "The state of emergency must be withdrawn before the election. The election will be tainted, if it is held undera state of emergency."

Demanding deferment of the Upazila election to a 'logical' time he said, "If the process of both the elections continues simultaneously there is a possibility that both elections will be hindered and foiled."

He also believes that the arch political rival BNP will go to the election. "I don't see any sign of BNP not going to the polls. They will make the right decision and go to election," he noted.

Preparation for polls on: 4-party yet to decide

Staff Reporter

BNP Secretary General Khandker Delwar Hossain said yesterday the leaders of four-party alliance will decide whether to go to the general elections or not.

"BNP along with other four-parties of the alliance want to participate in the elections. But the government has not fulfilled any of our seven- point demand that we have put forward for the sake of free and fair election," he told journalist at his NAM flat.

He made the comments following the dismissal of three separate writ petitions by the High Court challenging the EC's gazette on the redrawing of parliamentary constituencies that allowed the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Dr ATM Shamsul Huda for declaring the election schedule on Sunday.

When asked why the leader of the Four-party alliance refrained from making any comments soon after the Election Commission (EC) announced the election schedules for the parliamentary and Upazila polls on Sunday, Delwar said they (four parties) would discuss the whole matter and take decision.

"We are looking into the whole matter under the present circumstances and will take decision in consultation with the alliance," he added.

Replying to a question whether BNP is ready for elections, the Secretary General of the BNP said, "We are ready for elections and discussing organisational and electoral issues with the party leaders and activists every day".

He, however, said the atmosphere for election is yet to come.

"Creating a level playing field is prerequisite for participation of all political parties in the election", he mentioned.

"The UN secretary general Ban Ki-moon's comment during his to Bangladesh that a level playing ground is necessary for the parties for conducting a free and fair election. We also want the same," Delwar said.

It is mentioned that the secretaries general of the four-party alliance held a meeting on Sunday evening at the BNP Secretary General's NAM flat. The meeting was adjourned for another day and did not take any decision.

BNP and other component parties of the alliance had earlier urged the Election Commission (EC) not to declare the election schedule. But the EC's declaration of election schedule has prompted the alliance to sit for an urgent meeting that ended without any decision.

Jamaat to get EC registration

Staff Reporter

The Election Commission (EC) has decided to complete the registration formalities of political parties by November 10 by scrutinising the submitted papers and field-level information.

It has also taken a positive decision on the registration of Bangladesh Jamaat-e- Islami. It is considering giving registration to some 20-25 out of 107 political parties which applied for registration, sources from EC said.

"About 20-25 political parties will get registration with the EC after necessary and final scrutiny," said Nurul Islam Khan, joint secretary and technical committee head for scrutinising the party registration of EC told journalists at commission secretariat.

When asked why the EC wants to limit the registered political parties figure within 25, he said the response of the field level investigation could not accurately come to the committee.

"We are careful so that no political party is excluded from registration for a lack of our sincerity," he added.

"The EC thinks about giving registration to 20-25 of some 107 political parties who have applied, after carefully scrutinising their papers," Khan mentioned.

Replying to a question on Jamaat' registration he said, " There would be no necessity of holding any further hearing in this regard".

He said the EC has finalised the registration for14 political parties that include Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Bangladesh Awami League and Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami. He informed that registration is also under processing for Islami Oikya Jote and Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal (JSD-Rab).

Meanwhile a Jamaat delegation led by its law affairs secretary Adv Jasimuddin Sarker had a meeting with Chief Election Commissioner Dr ATM Shamsul Huda at his office yesterday.

Election Commissioners M Sohul Hussain and Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain, EC Secretary M Humayun Kabir and EC technical committee head

NI Khan were present.

Emerging from the meeting Jasimuddin told journalists that the commission has assured them of getting the registration, as there was no legal bar found against Jamaat.

"The EC informed us that we are getting the registration. The commission would send the registration certificate to the party office following the rules," he added.

Melamine found in 3 Chinese milk powder brands

Staff Reporter

Presence of toxic melamine was found in three Chinese brands of milk powder out of 8 suspected brands after re-examination both locally and abroad, Health and Family Welfare Adviser Dr AMM Shawkat Ali told a press conference yesterday.

The melamine contaminated brands are Yashili-1, Yashili-2 and Sweet Baby-2. The government will ban the sale of these three brands of Chinese made milk powder.

The Health Adviser said the presence of toxic melamine in the three brands of milk powder was proved in test in the UN food agency FAO's Bangkok laboratory.

Shawkat Ali said the test report would be placed before the court and the government would act in accordance with the court order.

Commerce Adviser Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman also addressed the press conference held at the Health Ministry.

Earlier, the High Court had ordered a ban on the sale and display of eight brands of milk powder across the country, as preliminary tests at the Department of Chemistry of the University of Dhaka found that all the eight brands of milk contained melamine ranging from 40 milligram (mg) per kg to 450mg per kg which is beyond permissible level.

However, the Government sent the milk powders abroad for re-examination following the dispute from the multinational companies that market milk powder in Bangladesh. They claimed that none of the eight brands contaminated melamine.

The Health Adviser said Yashili-1 contain 67.33-mg melamine per kilogram while Yashily-2 0.28 mg and Sweet Baby-2 0.20 mg per kg.

"The powder milk of eight brands was examined in a total of six laboratories here and abroad," the Adviser informed.

Khaleda must be voter in 10 days

Bdnews24.com, Dhaka

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia needs to enrol as voter before Nov 13, the last day for nomination, if she wishes to run in the election, an official said yesterday.

"Khaleda Zia will have to be a voter before Nov 13 if she wants to be a candidate in line with the present electoral law," deputy secretary at the Election Commission Secretariat Mihir Sarwar Morshed told bdnews24.com.

He, however, said the commission can enlist one in the voter list through special powers after the deadline is over. Earlier, parliament speaker Jamiruddin Sircar recently said the constitution did not make it mandatory to be a voter to run in the election.

Election commissioner Muhammed Sohul Hussain had also said Khaleda could register as a voter any time she wished.

Deputy election commissioner for Dhaka Division Biswas Lutfur Rahman told bdnews24.com on Sunday night the BNP chief had said she would be a voter but did not say when and in which address.

Chief election commissioner ATM Shamsul Huda in his address to the nation on Sunday said the candidate must be a voter of any constituency to contest national elections.

None other than the candidate of a registered party and independent candidates could take part in the polls, the chief election commissioner said.

Lutfur Rahman said their officers were in touch with Khaleda and that they would take steps as soon as she gave her consent to be a voter.

The former prime minister had been approached three to four times earlier to become a voter.

Her rival, Awami League president Sheikh Hasina became voter in June in the special jail.

Trust Bank denies money laundering

Staff Reporter

Trust Bank Limited yesterday informed that there was no case of misappropriation or laundering of the Bank's money by any chairman or director since its inception.

In a press release issued by the Company Secretary yesterday, the Bank made it clear that as per the demarcation of power between the Board of Directors and the management as provided by the Bangladesh Bank, directors cannot take part in the operation activity of the Bank.

Hence, the question of misappropriation or laundering of the Bank's money by the chairman does not arise, the press release said.

The press release was issued in the wake of questions raised about the role of a former chairman of the Bank, Lt Gen (Retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury.

It said the factual position is that Trust Bank suffered a loss of TK.23.07 crore in its foreign exchange dealing operation during January 2002 to July 2003. Launching of foreign exchange dealing operation was approved by the Board of Directors in September 2001 while Lt Gen (Retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury became Chairman of the Bank in July 2002.

The operation of foreign exchange dealing commenced in January 2002 and had in incurred loss right form the beginning of the said operation. However, the then Managing Director of the Bank did not disclose the loss to the Board of Directors and the Bank's annual accounts of 2002 were prepared without showing the loss, it mentioned.

According to the press release, the making venture continued till July 2003 but was kept hidden by the then Managing Director from the Board until the occurring of loss was detected in early August 2003 after Bangladesh Bank conducted an inspection of the Bank's foreign exchange operation and asked for explanation from the Bank's Management regarding un-reconciled balances of Bank's overseas foreign currency accounts (usually NOSTRO accounts). Thus, the Board of Directors came to know about huge loss, which accounted toTK.23.07 crore.

The press release stated that the Board then immediately suspended the then Managing Directors and terminated his service contract with necessary approval of the Bangladesh Bank. The Management also took disciplinary action against the former employees.

It also referred that as per decision of the Board of Directors, headed by Lt Gen (Retd) Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, the management filed criminal case in the court of chief metropolitan magistrate, Dhaka, against the former Managing Director Mr Zahid Hossain Chowdhury and two other former officers of the Bank for concealment of the facts and for breach of trust.

The Bank also filed money suit in the Court of 1st Joint District Judge, Dhaka for recovery of the Bank's money. The criminal case is pending in the Appellate Division, and the other case is pending in the trial court, it revealed.

The press release noted that the Bank recognises the loss as a purely transactional loss like any other business loss and the Bank's annual accounts of 2002 were rectified later on. That form the form above facts, supported by documents and court records, it is clear that there was no case of money laundering or misappropriation of Bank's money.