e_Paper, Tuesday, December 6, 2016

SECOND EDITION 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016 | Agrahayan 22, 1423, Rabiul Awwal 5, 1438 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 4, No 219 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10 

As border security is high near Teknaf 

in Chittagong and the Naf River, a 

new route has formed where the 

suppliers use the Bay of Bengal and 

enter Bangladesh through Barisal 

BARISAL 

After reaching 

Maungdaw, the 

yaba is transported 

to different places 

in Bangladesh 

MAUNGDAW 

SITTWE 

YABA TRADE ROUTE 

SHAN STATE 

About 45 yaba 

manufacturing 

factories operate in 

Myanmar's Shan 

state and most 

pills are 

manufactured here 

From Yangon, the pills are brought 

to Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine 

state, in brick sized packets. They 

are stored in different places in the 

capital before being transported 

to Maungdaw 

YANGON 

In Bangladesh, its long journey the yaba to 

first transported to Yangon 

pills are 

The Myanmar connection › 2 

Korail fire: Hundreds made homeless › 32 

Four youths including 2 NSU 

students go missing › 32 

Shariatpur 

Razakar 

leader Idris 

Ali to die › 3 

Sammy: I ask my players 

to play with passion › 25 

Nitol-Tata launches new 

Nano car › 13 

A tall man from Gopalganj and his burned dreams › 21 

Afsan Chowdhury writes on how urban plans always hit the poor hard

2 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6, 2016 

DT 

News 

The Myanmar connection 

• Morshed Ali Khan, back from 

Teknaf 

Up to 45 large yaba (methamphetamine) 

pill manufacturers in Myanmar 

are pouring millions of pieces 

of the deadly drug into Bangladesh, 

generating an unstoppable smuggling 

ring where hundreds of crores 

of taka is changing hands, sources 

in Border Guards Bangladesh and 

Rohingya refugees said. 

In the process, Myanmar security 

forces and also separatist groups 

fighting for independence in rebel-held 

areas in Myanmar are directly 

patronising the illicit trade of 

yaba pills. The extent of the smuggling 

is so deep rooted that it is now 

threatening to destroy the lives of 

millions of youths in the country, 

several official sources said. 

Our investigation reveals, on 

one side security forces and on 

Bangladesh side influential politically 

backed individuals from as 

far as Dhaka, Chittagong, Barisal 

and Khulna are controlling the immensely 

lucrative trade. In Teknaf 

and along the border with Myanmar, 

the trade has lured several hundred 

poor Bangladeshis as well as desperate 

Rohingya refugees, risking their 

lives regularly to do the courier job. 

Many of these couriers have over 

the years, risen from abject poverty 

and misery to become some of the 

wealthiest men in this southwestern 

region. Along the road to Shah 

Porir Dwip from Teknaf, one cannot 

miss the newly built mansions and 

bungalows bearing the testimony 

of a highly lucrative yaba economy. 

Stories of how a rickshaw-puller, 

a day-labourer, and ruling party 

thugs have amassed crores of taka, 

circulate openly in the tea stalls of 

Teknaf. Hundreds of latest posh 

Japanese cars have also flooded the 

roads of this rural town. 

“The start of yaba trade across 

the border started only a few years 

back and with it, fates of many people 

in Bangladesh have changed,” 

said manager of a hotel in Teknaf, requesting 

anonymity. “In the smuggling 

and distribution network, 

blessings of influential political leaders 

are there, and everyone in the 

region knows it for a fact,” he added. 

The yaba route goes back hundreds 

of kilometres away from 

Teknaf, in the eastern part of Myanmar 

borders with China, Thailand 

and Laos, top security officials 

working in the field for several years 

told this correspondent. In Shan, 

bordering Thailand and Laos, at 

least 45 yaba factories are operating. 

While yaba has a huge demand 

in China, Thailand and Laos, most 

of the pills are manufactured in 

these 45 factories. China and Thailand 

remain the biggest markets for 

these illegal pills. When it comes to 

Bangladesh from the factories the 

pills are first transported to nearly 

1,000km away to Yangon. Then 

the pills, in brick-size packets, are 

often “escorted” to Sittwe, the capital 

of Rakhaine state, 890km away. 

Once in Sittwe, the drugs are 

stored in different places for transporting 

to Maungdaw, across Bangladesh. 

Here enter the couriers, in 

tatters and in phases. 

According to BGB sources, from 

January to November 27, 2016, BGB 

2 Battalion alone seized 7,179,682 

yaba pills. At Tk300 per piece (the 

government-decided value of each 

pill), the price of the total haul this 

year stands at over Tk200 crore. 

BGB sources said the price of each 

pill in retail markets in the big cities 

is more than double their calculation. 

During the period BGB seizures 

interestingly peaked in November 

with 517,857,900 pills seized, when 

unrest broke out in the Rakhaine 

state, forcing thousands of Rohingyas 

to cross the border into Bangladesh. 

It is also during this period beginning 

from early October, the BGB 

and other security forces stepped 

up vigilance along the border. 

Interestingly, due to an embargo 

on Myanmar imposed by the 

International Chamber of Commerce, 

the formal border trade till 

today continues in dollars without 

requiring a Letter of Credit, although 

the ICC lifted the embargo 

in 2012. Yaba traders have cashed 

in with the loophole. In this case, 

over invoicing has been flourishing 

among the smugglers in collusion 

with some officials of the authorised 

banks to pay for yaba tablets 

and other narcotics through the 

safest channel, sources at Teknaf 

river port said. 

“Nowadays because of the reinforced 

security on the river Naf to 

prevent Rohingya intrusion, yaba 

smuggling has taken to the Bay of 

Bengal to reach as far as Barisal in 

addition to Cox’s Bazar and other 

destinations directly,” said the BGB 

official, adding that recently Bangladesh 

Navy, Coast Guard, and Rapid 

Action Battalion separately intercepted 

several sea-going trawlers to 

seize millions of yaba pills. 

At different refugee camps and 

slums, yaba is a rather well-known 

stimulant for a huge market in 

Bangladesh. A resident of Leda 

slum, Zahid is a rare Rohingya who 

had attended college back home. 

Zahid says for several years before 

crossing over, they all knew Myanmar 

security forces control manufacturing 

of yaba tablets. 

“Many poor Rohingyas were 

used by the Myanmar security forces 

to transport the drugs to Bangladesh, 

and many of them made 

good money working as transporters,” 

he said. • 

Morshed Ali Khan is a veteran conflict 

zone reporter who is operating as a 

freelancer for the Dhaka Tribune. 

Myanmar not 

attending 

GFMD summit 

• Jebun Nesa Alo 

Myanmar, the country currently in 

the global eye on account of the Rohingya 

oppression, will not attend 

the Global Forum on Migration Development 

(GFMD) summit scheduled 

to be held in Bangladesh from 

December 10 to 12. 

Representatives from 122 countries 

will attend the summit, the 

largest platform for developing migration 

rights as well as addressing 

refugee crises, but Myanmar will 

not be sending representatives. 

As the host of the global summit, 

Bangladesh invited Myanmar 

cordially as their attendance is 

highly significant amid the ongoing 

Rohingya crisis, but no response 

was received. The registration 

for attending the summit expired 

on November 25 but the country 

did not register, said a diplomatic 

source. Some countries were considered 

for registration as late as 

November 28, but Myanmar did 

not. No reason has been provided 

as to why they are not attending 

the summit. 

Bangladesh had postponed a 

secretary level meeting scheduled 

for November due to the reluctance 

of Myanmar. 

According to Bangladesh Ambassador 

to Myanmar Mohammad 

Sufiur Rahman, the Rohingya influx 

into Bangladesh has decreased 

since the visit of UN Secretary Kofi 

Annan to the Rakhine state. Sufiur 

Rahman made the statement at a 

meeting to brief the foreign minister, 

held yesterday . 

The UN Secretary began a 

fact-finding visit to Myanmar on 

December 2. The Myanmar Army 

has been accused of committing 

large-scale violence against the 

Muslim Rohingya ethnic minority, 

with the destruction of villages resulting 

in civilian casualties and an 

exodus of refugees into Bangladesh. 

Despite calling out to the international 

community to end the turbulent 

Rohingya crisis, Bangladesh did 

not receive the expected response, 

said a senior officer of foreign affairs. 

He said that the big parties, including 

China, USA, UK and the 

UN, did not play their expected 

roles with regard to the recent 

destruction in the Rakhine state. 

With the exception of some human 

rights agencies and the UNCHR, no 

one raised their voice or made an 

official statement. 

The USA is yet to respond to the 

recent religious crisis in Myanmar 

as the country is going through an 

administrative transition period, 

said a diplomatic source. 

Earlier, on November 24, Bangladesh 

sought support from the international 

community to resolve 

the Rohingya crisis. •

News 3 


Shariatpur Razakar leader Idris Ali to die 

DT 

• Ashif Islam Shaon 

The International Crimes Tribunal 

yesterday awarded death penalty 

to absconding Shariatpur razakar 

leader Idris Ali Sardar for crimes 

against humanity committed during 

the Liberation War in 1971. 

The three-member tribunal led 

by Justice Anwarul Haq delivered 

the verdict against the fugitive saying 

the execution can be carried out 

by hanging or shooting. 

All of the four charges were 

proved beyond doubt against Idris, 

67, and he was awarded death in 

two charges held by majority, imprisonment 

for life in one and seven-year 

jail term in another charge. 

The tribunal asked home ministry 

secretary and Inspector General 

of Police [IGP] to arrest the absconder, 

if necessary with the help of IN- 

TERPOL, to execute the sentence. 

However, he may challenge the 

verdict with Appellate Division of 

the Supreme Court if surrenders or 

gets caught within next 30 days. 

In November last year, prosecution 

submitted charge sheet against 

two razakars– Solaiman Mollah 

alias Soleman Moulvi and Idris Ali 

Sardar alias Gazi Idris but Solaiman 

in custody died under treatment at 

Dhaka Medical College Hospital. 

Razakar leader Idris Ali 

During the trial procedure, the 

tribunal recorded depositions of 13 

prosecution witnesses. 

The war crimes case was filed 

against them in Shariatpur in 2010. 

Involved with Jamaat-e-Islami, 

Idris hails from west Kashabhog 

village under Chitalia union of 

Palang upazila in Shariatpur while 

Solaiman from the same union’s 

Kashipur village. The duo collaborated 

with the Pakistani occupation 

forces during war at different areas 

of Shariatpur and Madaripur. 

Solaiman was a Jamaat leader in 

1970 and led the local razakar force 

and Peace Committee while Idris, 

a local leader of Jamaat’s then student 

wing Islami Chhatra Sangha, 

joined him at the force. 

Charges and sentences 

The first charge that earned Idris 

death was brought for genocide, murder, 

plundering and arson committed 

on May 22 in 1971 in the locality of 

Palong Police Station in Shariatpur. 

In that afternoon around 150 Pakistani 

army men, along with Idris, 

Solaiman and their razakar cohorts 

were on their way to village Kashabhog 

through Angaria bazaar launch 

ghat. There, being instigated by 

the duo, army shot a farmer Abdus 

Samad Sikder who along with his 

son Ismail Hossain Sikder was chasing 

cow towards their home. 

Injured Samad could run till his 

home to die there. The group followed 

him to attack his house and looted it. 

The gang then continued marching 

towards east and one the way 

shot dead one ironsmith Shamvu 

Nath Karmakar working in his 

shop. Therefore, they attacked Hindu 

populated village Madhyapara, 

plundering houses and setting 

them on fire as well as, at the same 

time, killing more than 200 Hindu 

people by firing shots indiscriminately. 

They came back to Madaripur 

army camp after the rampage. 

The incidents of genocide, murder, 

rape, persecution, abduction, 

confinement, torture, plundering 

and arson described in the second 

charge took place between July 

23 and 26, 1971, in the localities of 

Palong and the then Madaripur 

Sadar Police Stations. These too 

earned the razakar death. 

The charge says, on May 23 

morning about a hundred Pakistani 

army men accompanied by 

Solaiman Mollah, Idris and some 

other Razakars attacked a Hindu 

populated village Malopara [fishermen 

village] under Palong Police 

Station, plundering houses and 

then setting them on fire, besides 

indiscriminately killing 15/20 innocent 

men and 14/15 women after 

gathering them in front of the 

house of Jogomaya and also. 

The attackers were divided into 

two groups; one group remained at 

village Malopara to guard and torture 

the confined men and women. 

The other group attacked village 

Rudrakar; tried to vandalize a Hindu 

temple by firing shots that killed 

the ailing priest Chandra Mohan 

Chakraborty. Thereafter, they detained 

30/35 men and women, taking 

them to Pakistani army camp at 

AR Howlader Jute Mills, Madaripur. 

They raped the women of different 

ages for three days in turn. 

The third charge that earned him 

life in prison was for torturing and 

killing, in mid June of 1971, Lalit 

Mohan Kundu and Shuresh Goon 

who looked after the house of an 

Awami League leader. 

Fourth count says the duo and Pakistani 

army committed widespread 

systematic killings and destruction 

of Hindu religious people in the localities 

of Palong Police Station of the 

then Madaripur Sub-Division which 

forced Hindu people to leave the 

country facing ineffable harassment. 

Meanwhile our Shariatpur correspondent 

reports, plaintiff of the 

case, affected families and local 

freedom fighters including plaintiff 

of the case Abdus Salam Talukder 

yesterday expressed satisfaction 

and rejoiced over the death sentence 

of the razakar. 

Freedom fighter and General 

Secretary of Shariatpur Press Club 

Talukder said: “Most probably Idris 

Ali is now living abroad. The 

sentence has to be executed after 

finding him out and bringing back 

home. Only then members of the 

affected families will be satisfied.” 

Nobody was found at the home 

of Idris Ali at Kashabhog village under 

Angaria union of the district, after 

the verdict was delivered. • 

33 Rohingyas missing as 

boat capsizes off Myanmar 

• Abdul Aziz, Cox’s Bazar 

A boat packed with 35 Rohingya 

refugees capsized on the 

Myanmar side of the Naf river 

opposite Teknaf’s Jadimura 

yesterday morning. 

A local fisherman named 

Suman said he watched the 

boat sinking and rescued two 

people who were swimming 

towards the maritime boundary 

of Bangladesh. 

One of the survivors, Rehana 

Begum, confirmed the 

number of people on board 

and said they had been trying 

to enter Bangladesh. 

They were the latest group 

of Rohingya muslims who 

tried to cross into Bangladesh 

illegally after Myanmar troops 

launched a crackdown in Rakhine 

state in response to a 

militant attack on three border 

posts on October 9 that killed 

nine police officers. 

Lieutenant Colonel Abujar 

Al Jahid told the Dhaka Tribune 

that they had heard about 

the latest incident. 

BGB officers have been deployed 

to monitor the situation. 

Meanwhile, members of 

Border Guard Bangladesh 

(BGB) have pushed back 48 

Rohingyas who fled the country 

in the face of ongoing 

crackdown in Rakhain state by 

Myanmar troops. 

BGB personnel prevented 

the trespassing at different 

points of the Naf river early 

Monday. 

Teknaf 2 BGB Commander 

Lt Col Abujar Al Zahid said 

they sent back at least 48 Rohingyas 

boarded in four boats 

while they were trying to intrude 

into Bangladesh territory 

through three different 

points of the river. 

Hundreds of Rohingya 

Muslims tried to cross into 

Bangladesh illegally after 

Myanmar troops launched 

a crackdown in the Rakhine 

state in response to attacks 

on three border posts on October 

9 that killed nine police 

officers. 

Bangladesh has stepped 

up security along its border 

with Myanmar to prevent 

influx of Rohingyas fleeing 

violence in the Rakhine state 

that has killed at least 86 

people and displaced 30,000 

others. •

4 


DT 

News 

ONE MONTH INTO ATTACK ON SANTALS 

Santals determined to get their land back 

• Nure Alam Durjoy 

Despite having lost everything to 

the violent attack on the night of 

November 6, the evicted Santals of 

Gobindaganj upazila in Gaibandha 

still firmly believe that they will get 

their ancestral land back. 

“We will not let go of our right 

to our ancestral land,” said Bhupen 

Mardy, resident of Madarpur village, 

one of the villages affected by 

the drive. 

It has been a month since members 

of police and Rapid Action 

Battalion (RAB) evicted more than 

2,000 Santal families from 15 villages 

in the massive Shahebganj-Bagda 

farm area in Gobindaganj. 

Some Bangalis loyal to the local 

lawmaker also took part in the violent 

attack, looting and burning 

around 600 houses to the ground. 

The Santals along with some local 

Bangalis resisted the eviction 

drive, which resulted in clashes 

that killed at least three Santals 

and injured at least 30 people, including 

nine policemen. 

Since the eviction, thousands of 

Santal families have taken refuge in 

the neighbouring villages, living in 

makeshift huts, Bhupen told the Dhaka 

Tribune over phone yesterday. 

The authorities concerned have 

yet to take any steps to resolve the 

situation, he added, frustrated. 

Martha Tudu, sister of Dijen 

Tudu, one of the Santals who was 

severely injured by rubber bullets 

in the clash and was shown arrested 

by police while undergoing 

treatment, reiterated Bhupen’s 

statement. 

“Why should we give up our ancestral 

land when we have already 

lost three Santal men over it? We 

are not giving up our rights,” she 

told the Dhaka Tribune. 

Martha currently looks after her 

brother who is being treated at National 

Institute of Ophthalmology 

and Hospital in Dhaka. 

Dijen was injured in his left eye 

and has lost his vision. 

“We do not know if he will get 

his vision back. The condition of 

his left eye is affecting his vision in 

the right eye too,” Martha said. 

She further said the doctors had 

said it would take time for his left 

eye to heal. 

Dijen and two other Santal men, 

Bimal Kisku and Charan Soren, 

were shown arrested in a case filed 

by police and were put in handcuffs 

while they were undergoing 

treatment. 

The High Court later ordered police 

to take their handcuffs off. Later, 

they were granted bail as well. 

Bimal and Charan are also undergoing 

treatment at different 

hospitals. 

The land in question was originally 

owned by Santals along with 

some local Bangalis before then 

East Pakistan government acquired 

it in 1962 for Rangpur Sugar Mills 

Ltd to produce sugarcane. 

In 2014, it was discovered that 

the acquisition contract had been 

violated by the mill authorities. As 

the contract stated that any violation 

would transfer the land’s ownership 

back to the original owners, 

the Santals and Bangalis built their 

houses on 100 acres of the 1,842- 

acre land and started living there in 

July this year. 

The victims told the Dhaka Tribune 

that they had been encouraged 

to do so by Shakil Ahmed Bulbul, 

leader of the local unit of Bangladesh 

Chhatra League who was recently 

elected as the chairman of 

Sapmara Union Parishad, which is 

constituted by the affected villages, 

and Principal Abul Kalam Azad, 

Awami League lawmaker from 

Gobindaganj constituency. 

But on November 6, these two 

leaders were actively involved in 

driving out the Santals from the 

land, the Santals alleged. 

Both the leaders have refuted 

the allegations. 

Santals living in Madarpur told 

the Dhaka Tribune that the sugar 

mill authorities had installed a 

barbed-wire fence on the Madarpur 

side of the land. 

“The other sides are also being 

guarded by people from the sugar 

mill and police. There is a police 

camp too,” said a Santal man, requesting 

not to be named. 

The relief given to the affected 

Santals has also been less than adequate. 

“The government has provided 

reliefs twice to only 434 families. 

We demand compensations and 

financial supports from the government 

in addition to being relocated 

to our ancestral land,” said 

Philimon Baske, vice-president of 

Shahebganj-Baghda Farm Bhumi 

Uddhar Songram Committee. 

Earlier, Santal leaders told the 

Dhaka Tribune that local leaders of 

the ruling party were now threatening 

them with dire consequences if 

they did not give up their demands. 

Jatiya Adivasi Parishad President 

Rabindranath Saren, on 

Friday, said around 2,500 evicted 

families of Shahebganj-Bagda 

farm area were consistently being 

threatened by locals who are loyal 

to MP Azad. 

However, when contacted, 

Gobindaganj police station OC Subrata 

Kumar Sarker claimed the evicted 

Santals had no problems now. 

Rabindranath Saren said what 

happened on November 6 was 

nothing but “crimes against humanity.” 

He further said the only solution 

to the problem was returning the 

land to the Santals and the Bangalis 

whose ancestors owned it, as they 

would not ever agree to be rehabilitated 

anywhere else. • 

4 pass JU admission 

test by proxies 

• JU Correspondent 

Four admission seekers in Jahangirnagar 

University secured their 

positions in the merit list of the 

admission test for honours programme 

in three different units using 

proxies. 

The cheating was disclosed 

when they appeared for viva voce 

examinations in the university yesterday. 

Rakibul Islam from Boraigram 

of Natore and Tapu Saha from Bajitpur 

of Tangail obtained second 

and third position in C unit (Arts 

and Humanities) respectively, Md 

Hasnat Hasan Sharia Prachurja 

from Debiganj of Panchagar got 

fifth position in H unit (the Institution 

of Information Technology) 

and Rokibul Hasan from Burichang 

of Comilla was in the 177th position 

in E unit (Business Studies). 

Rakibul, Tapu and Rokibul were 

handed over to Ashulia police station, 

while Prachurja fled from the 

university, according to Sudipta Saha, 

chief security officer of the university, 

and Akkas Ali, acting director of IIT. 

According to the rules of the 

university, during a viva-voce examination, 

an examinee’s handwriting 

in answer sheet is checked. 

When the interviewers checked 

the examinees handwriting during 

the viva, it did not match with the 

handwriting of their answer sheets. 

At one stage of the teachers’ interrogation, 

three of them admitted 

that they used proxies. 

Tapu admitted that he gave Tk2 

lakh to one Raju of Tangail for attending 

the admission test on behalf 

of him. 

The cheating was 

disclosed when they 

appeared at viva 

examinations 

Ranjit Saha, father of Tapu, also admitted 

the fact. 

The teachers, who took viva of 

Prachurja on Sunday, also suspected 

him of using proxy. 

However, he was given a chance 

to take another one hour test yesterday, 

as he challenged the teachers’ 

allegation. But, he did not do 

well in the test. 

He was declared ineligible for 

admission temporarily and his result 

was sent to the admission test 

conduct committee for further investigation. 

Meanwhile, Prachurja fled the 

university, when the teachers went 

to some other room of the university, 

said Akkas. • 

Bangladesh Army chief 

Gen Abu Belal Muhammad 

Shafiul Huq meets with 

visiting Kuwaiti Defence 

Minister Lt Gen (retd) 

Sheikh Khaled al-Jarrah 

al-Sabah, above, and 

Kuwait Armed Forces 

Chief of General Staff Lt 

Gen Mohammad Khaled 

al-Khader yesterday 

ISPR

BANGLADESH BANK RESERVE HEIST 

BD to share only CID findings 

with Philippines 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

Bangladesh will share the findings of Bangladesh 

Bank (BB) heist investigation carried 

out by the Criminal Investigation Department 

(CID) of police with the Philippines, but the 

country will not share the probe report of 

former central bank governor Farashuddin 

Ahmed. 

“We will share the CID’s findings to help 

speed up recovery of the stolen $81 million, 

but we will not share the findings of Farashuddin’s 

report with the Philippines,” Law, Justice 

and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq 

told the Dhaka Tribune over phone yesterday. 

However, Philippine Finance Secretary 

Carlos Dominguez, during a meeting last week 

in Manila with a Bangladeshi delegation led 

by Anisul Huq, said Manila “strongly recommended” 

that Dhaka share the results of its 

investigation. 

CID sources said the investigation into 

the heist had seen no progress in the last few 

months as the law enforcers of several other 

countries were taking time to respond to the 

CID’s queries. 

“In October, officials of six countries sat in 

a meeting arranged by Bangladesh Police and 

Interpol in Singapore to discuss the muchhyped 

digital heist, but the outcome was not 

satisfactory,” said a CID official, requesting 

anonymity. 

“Prior to that meeting, the CID officers held 

two other meetings in the Philippines and the US 

with officials of 11 countries. The next meeting is 

likely to be held in Dhaka in December,” he added. 

Two days ago, Finance Minister AMA Muhith 

categorically rejected the idea of sharing 

the probe report of the heist with the Philippine 

authorities or the Rizal Commercial 

Banking Corp (RCBC), arguing that “it is an 

internal matter”. 

The hackers managed to transfer $81 million 

via an account at the New York Federal 

Reserve to four accounts using fake names at a 

branch of the RCBC in the Philippines. 

Most of the money was laundered through 

Philippine casinos and only about $15 million 

was recovered from a gaming junket operator 

and returned to Bangladesh. 

Bangladesh has said it wants the RCBC to 

compensate for its losses, but the bank refuses 

to pay and has said the Bangladeshi central 

bank was “negligent”. 

Law Minister Anisul Huq last week said the 

RCBC should shoulder the burden for accepting 

stolen funds. 

The RCBC was fined a record one billion 

pesos ($20 million) by the Philippine central 

bank for its failure to prevent the movement 

of the stolen Bangladesh money through its 

bank. 

Anisul said paying that fine was tantamount 

to accepting responsibility for the heist. • 

Child tortured over Tk60 

• Md Noor Uddin, Habiganj 

A minor boy was tortured for a debt of Tk60 at 

Chhoysree village in Chunarughat upazila of 

Habiganj yesterday. 

Sohel Mia, son of Lebas Ullah of the village, 

tied the 11-year old Ashik Mia of the same village 

to a stake of his house and beat him up, 

as Ashik could not pay off his debt to Sohel, 

according to locals. 

The boy, son of Manik Mia and a student 

of class three at a local government primary 

school, borrowed Tk100 from Sohel around a 

month ago. 

Ashik promised Sohel, aged 25 years, to pay 

it back in five phases. 

According to that, the boy paid Tk40 in two 

phases about two weeks ago. 

On the day, Sohel demanded the rest of the 

money but Ashik failed to meet the demand. 

Later, the villagers and local union parishad 

member Safikur Rahman Sapu rescued the boy. 

The child was treated locally. 

Abed Hasnat Chowdhury Sanju, local unioin 

parishad chairman, admitting the fact said 

the persons, who were involved in the incident, 

would be brought to book. 

Nirmalendu Chakrabarty, officer-in-charge 

of Chunarughat police station, said he heard 

about the incident from locals. 

“Action will be taken if we get any complaint,” 

the OC added. • 

News 5 


DT 

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Dhaka Tribune 

TEMPERATURE FORECAST FOR TODAY 

Dhaka 29 15 Chittagong 29 19 Rajshahi 29 15 Rangpur 29 13 Khulna 30 14 Barisal 30 16 Sylhet 30 12 

Cox’s Bazar 30 20 

DRY WEATHER 

TUESDAY, DECEMBER 6 

DHAKA 

TODAY 

TOMORROW 

SUN SETS 5:11PM 

SUN RISES 6:29AM 

YESTERDAY’S HIGH AND LOW 

32.2ºC 

12.8ºC 

Cox’s Bazar 

Srimangal 

Source: Accuweather/UNB 

PRAYER 

TIMES 

Fajr: 5:50am | Zohr: 1:15pm 

Asr: 4:00pm | Magrib: 5:22pm 

Esha: 7:00pm 

Source: Islamic Foundation

6 


DT 

Suspected 

robber killed 

in ‘gunfight’ 

• Nadim Hossain, Savar 

An alleged robber was killed in a 

gunfight with police at Jhaubada 

village, Dhamrai upazila, Savar in 

the early hours of Monday. 

The deceased was identified as 

Abu Hanif, 35, ringleader of a robbers’ 

gang. 

Officer-in-Charge of Dhamrai 

police station Dipak Kumar Saha 

told the Dhaka Tribune that when 

a group was taking preparation for 

committing robbery, a team of police 

conducted the drive at the village 

early in the morning. 

But sensing the presence of 

police, the robbers opened fire at 

them prompting a retaliation that 

triggered a gunfight that left Hanif 

bullet injured. 

He was taken to Dhamrai Upzila 

Health Complex where on duty 

doctor declared him dead. • 

News 

At last, Champa freed from the 

clutches of traffickers 

• Md Raihanul Islam Akand, 

Gazipur 

At last members of law enforcers 

on Sunday rescued Champa 

Begum, who was trafficked to 

Saudi Arabia two and half months 

back by human-trafficking 

syndicate. 

Law enforcers became active to 

rescue Champa, a garment worker, 

after a report titled ‘Bhaiya please 

save me’ was published in English 

daily the Dhaka Tribune on 

December 3. 

Officer-in-Charge of Sreepur police 

station Asaduzzaman said they 

arrested Mobarak after publication 

of the report over the helpless situation 

of Champa. 

“We also kept pressure on Mobarak 

to bring Champa back to 

the country from Saudi Arabia,” 

he said. 

Finding no alternative, Mobarak 

phoned the employer of Champa 

and asked them to send Champa 

back to the country. 

Champa, a ready-made garment 

worker at Keowa Uttarpara village 

under the upazila, was trafficked to 

Saudi Arabia and forced to engage 

in prostitution in Amintu area, 

Ryad, capital of Saudi Arabia. 

She was kept in a separate room 

there and tortured by Taslima, a 

Bangali woman, who was involved 

in the business. 

Champa said: “Taslima used to 

beat up me with iron-made chain, 

as I refuse to involve in prostitution.” 

“After a few days, some women 

at the building came to me and 

took care of mine,” she also said. 

Police said after arrest, Mobarak 

sent a message to his accomplishes 

in Saudi Arabia and asked them to 

send Champa back to Bangladesh. 

Later, they sent her in Bangladesh 

by a flight of Saudi Arabia. 

As soon as Champa landed at 

Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport, 

Dhaka, Mobarak received her 

according to the direction of the 

police. Later, police took custody 

of Champa at Mawna intersection. 

Family of Champa sensed her 

danger after a phone call. 

Recently, Al Amin, brother of 

Champa, phoned her and heard a 

shout which was saying: “Bhaiya 

[brother] please, save me.” 

Then, Champa’s family went to 

police and informed them about the 

matter. Although police arrested 

Mobarak on November 28, but later 

freed him for unknown reason. 

After the publication of the a 

report in the Dhaka Tribune, law 

enforcers became active and managed 

to rescue Champa. 

Accoring to family, Mobarak 

Hossain, 45, a resident in Kapasia 

allured Champa offering a lucrative 

job in Saudi Arabia. He then demanded 

Tk70,000 from her. 

Then, Champa, a divorcee, gave 

him Tk40,000 in advance and requested 

Mobarak to take the rest 

amount of the money after she 

goes to Saudi Arabia. 

On September 29, she left Dhaka 

for Saudi Arabia. Before her departure, 

Mobarak took signature of 

Nabi, brother of Champa, in a white 

paper saying that the signature was 

needed for Champa’s job. • 

Bangladesh Muktijoddha Sangsad, Rajshahi unit organises a sit-in in front Rajshahi University yesterday protesting the authorities’ decision not to allow freedom fighters’ 

grandchildren in the university admission test under government quota 

AZAHAR UDDIN 

Freedom fighter Azizar wins war, not poverty 

• Md Taieyb Ali Sarker, 

Nilphamari 

Like many remote villages across 

Bangladesh, residents of Bilashi 

village, Panchagarh stood against 

the brutality of Pakistani occupation 

forces and fought for the independence 

of their motherland 

during Liberation War in 1971. 

Though they were not so educated, 

the spirit of freedom in the country 

touched their heart and they 

joined war willingly risking lives. 

Azizar Rahman, son of Ahad Ali 

Prodhan, is one of them. He joined 

the war like other freedom fighters 

sacrificing happiness in the early 

stage of the war. 

He participated in the war which 

started under the leadership of 

Freedom Fighters’ Commander 

Alauddin Hawaladar in Tetulia, 

Bhozonpur, Jagdal, Islampur and 

Thukurbari under Sector 6. 

He became injured, as a bullet of 

the Pakistani army pierced his body. 

Though he could be able to recover 

from bullet injury, he cannot 

hear any sound clearly, as his ears 

got damaged. The area was freed 

on December 6, 1971. 

Like other freedom fighters, he 

got certificate as a freedom fighter 

from MAG Osmani, commander-in-chief 

of the Mukti Bahini during 

Liberation War. 

Though he got certificate defeating 

the Pakistani regime, he 

could not defeat the poverty. He 

had to sell all of his properties for 

poor financial condition. 

Now he is living on a piece of 

khas land near a canal in Domar 

under Nilphamari with his eight 

family members. 

The government published a 

new list of freedom fighters in 

2013, but Azizar was not there. 

Afterward, he went to door to 

door of authorities concerned to 

enlist his name in the new list. But 

he could not be listed that made 

him frustrated. 

“I have sacrificed all my personal 

comforts and pleasure for 

achieving independence of the 

country. But now I have to struggle 

to earn a piece of bread,” he said. 

“When the war began, I was 

only 20-year-old and my indomitable 

spirit and love for motherland 

made me fight against the Pakistani 

military. I want recognition 

Indian sent 

back thru 

Chuadanga 

border 

• Mehedi Hasan, Chuadanga 

The Border Guard Bangladesh 

handed over an Indian man, Shetab 

Ali, to Indian Border Security Force 

at border in Chuadanga yesterday. 

The border forces from both 

sides held a flag meeting in the 

presence of Darshana’s BGB commander 

and immigration official 

Sheikh Mahbubur Rahman and 

BSF’s commander SK Tara Datta 

when Shetab was handed over after 

almost two and a half years. 

Shetab is a resident of Fakirpara 

village under India’s Nadiya. 

Both BGB and police have 

confirmed that Shetab Ali has 

legally entered Bangladesh on 

June 15, 2014 through Joynagar 

check post. • 

as a freedom fighter,” he added. 

“A list of many people recently 

approved as freedom fighters eligible 

for pension and other benefits. 

But in spite of being a freedom 

fighter, I am deprived of all rights,” 

he also added. 

Domar Upazila Freedom Fighters’ 

Commander Md Nurunnabi 

said many freedom fighters could 

not be enlisted in the new list for 

changing political party. 

The district unit Freedom Fighters’ 

Commander said: “Azizar is 

gazetted freedom fighter. I hope he 

will be enrolled in the new list. •

News 7 


DT 

3 Jubo League activists shot dead 

Families of the victims claim RAB personnel picked them up 

• Bipul Sarkar Sunny, Dinajpur 

and Kamal Mridha, Natore 

The bullet-riddled bodies of three 

suspected criminals, including the 

kingpin of Natore’s Sabbir Bahini, 

were found in Kolabaria area under 

Ghoraghat upazila of Dinajpur yesterday. 

However, Natore unit Jubo 

League, the youth front of the ruling 

party Awami League claimed that 

Redwan Ahmed Sabbir, 25, son of 

Sona Mia, Abdullah, 25, son of Lutfor 

Rahman Lopu and Sohel, 27, son 

of Kalo Miah, were it’s activists. All 

of them were the resident of Natore. 

Officer-in-Charge of Ghoraghat 

police station Nuruzzaman Chowdhury 

said: “On information from 

locals, a team of police went to the 

spot in Kolabaria area in the morning 

and recovered the bodies.” 

Later, police sent the bodies to 

Dinajpur Medical College Hospital 

morgue for autopsies. 

Hamidul Alam, superintendent of 

Dinajpur Police, said some miscreants 

allegedly picked the three young 

men up in a microbus on Saturday 

and went to an unknown place. 

A general diary was lodged with 

Natore Sadar police station in this 

connection, he said. 

Police suspected that miscreants 

might have killed them over 

previous enmity, said the SP. 

Dinajpur SP Hamidul Alam said: 

“They might have been killed by a 

rival group.” 

Meanwhile, the family members 

of the deceased confirmed the identities 

of the trio and claimed that they 

had been killed by RAB personnel. 

Rukhsana Begum, mother of 

Sabbir, said some people identifying 

themselves as RAB personnel 

picked her son up on Saturday. 

Since, he remained missing. 

She claimed that the people, 

who picked up Sabbir, also showed 

their identity cards to them. 

Families of Abdullah and Sohel 

also claimed that they were also 

picked up by the RAB. 

They said they had contacted 

with district unit Jubo League over 

the matter, but could not get any 

trace of the victims. 

Natore District unit Jubo League 

at a press briefing demanded exemplary 

punishment of those involved 

in the killing. 

Assistant Superintendent of Police 

and also Commander of RAB 5, 

Natore said any team of RAB in Natore, 

Baghmara and Rajshahi had 

not arrested the trio. • 

NCC candidates get electoral symbols 

• Tanveer Hossain, 

Narayanganj 

The Election Commission (EC) has 

allocated symbols to the mayoral 

candidates in upcoming Narayanganj 

City Corporation (NCC) election. 

Returning Officer Nuruzzaman 

Talukder distributed the symbols 

among the candidates at Narayanganj 

Club on Monday morning. 

Awami League-backed mayoral 

candidate Selina Hayat Ivy was 

given “boat” while BNP-backed 

Advocate Sakhawat Hossain Khan 

got “sheaf of paddy”. 

Islami Oikya Jote-backed Ezharul 

Islam was given “minaret”, Advocate 

Mahbubur Rahman Ismail 

of Bangladesh Biplobi Workers 

Party “spade” and, Islami Andolon-backed 

Masum Billah was given 

“hand fan”. 

Besides, LDP’s Kamal Pradhan 

got “umbrella”, Kalyan Party’s 

Rashed Ferdous got “wrist watch”. 

EC will distribute symbols 

among 156 councilor and 39 female 

councilor candidates till 5pm today. 

The NCC is set to hold its second 

mayoral election on December 22 

since gaining the city corporation 

status, with both ruling Awami 

League (AL) and its archrival BNP 

throwing their hats in the ring for 

Sabbir Abdullah Sohel 

Selina Hayat Ivy, the ruling Awami League mayoral candidate in upcoming Narayanganj City Corporation, is seen addressing a 

meeting held with the leaders at AL district office yesterday 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

the race. 

Ivy to wipe out thugs from 

N’ganj if elected, 

Shakhawat hopes for a fair election 

Selina Hayat Ivy said the Prime 

Minister sanctioned her (Ivy) 

the symbol ‘boat’ realizing the 

pulse of the entire Narayanganj 

dwellers. 

She hoped that people of the 

city would go for ‘boat’ in the upcoming 

NCC polls on December 22. 

She said this while talking to 

journalists after receiving the symbol 

from the returning officer’s office 

at Narayanganj Club Limited 

yesterday morning. 

Ivy said: “My slogan for this 

election is “No fear no worry, the 

city will be peaceful’. There will be 

no thugs in Narayanganj.” 

Shakhawat Hossain Khan, the 

BNP-backed mayoral candidate 

for NCC polls, alleged that his 

counterpart was frequently 

violating the electoral code of 

conduct. 

After receiving his electoral 

symbol ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ from the 

returning officer’s office he said 

existing city corporation officials 

were campaigning for Ivy and 

which is a clear violation of electoral 

system. 

Nevertheless, he said he would 

rely on the election commission 

as well as on government to experience 

a fair election unlike the 

previous elections held under this 

commission. 

“If people can cast their vote 

fairly on December 22, they will 

lead ‘ Sheaf of Paddy’ to an overwhelming 

victory, he added. • 

Shortage of 

executive 

magistrate 

hinders market 

monitoring 

• Anwar Hussain, Chittagong 

Chittagong district administration 

is failing to conduct regular market 

monitoring drives for checking 

price hike of essentials and food 

adulteration in the port city due to 

inadequate number of executive 

magistrates. 

According to Chittagong district 

administration sources said now 

only six executive magistrates are 

struggling with their regular duties 

while others 14 magistrates are receiving 

training. 

Though authorities are suffering 

from shortage of executive magistrates, 

consumer rights activists 

in the port city demanded regular 

monitoring over the market to keep 

prices of essentials under control 

and to check food adulteration. 

On demands of activists, Md 

Shamsul Arefin, deputy commissioner 

of Chittagong, at a seminar 

held on October 25 on Consumers’ 

Right Protection, assured city dwellers 

that the market monitoring drives 

would be intensified further. 

During a recent visit to different 

kitchen markets of the city, magistrates 

found that very few grocers 

were displaying mandatory price 

chart. On the other hand, a few 

number displayed their price chart 

at the corner far from the sight of 

the buyers. 

During the drive, the executive 

magistrates visited to 22 kitchen 

markets in the city and verbally 

warned the traders to display the 

price charts and preserve all purchase 

documents. 

As per the Consumers’ Right 

Protection Act-2009, if any person 

violates any obligation, imposed by 

any Act or rules, of displaying the 

price-list of goods by affixing it at 

a conspicuous place of his shop or 

organisation, he shall be punished 

with imprisonment for a term not 

exceeding one year, or with fine 

not exceeding Tk 50,000, or both. 

Venting his displeasure, SM Nazer 

Hossain, vice president of the 

CAB said that the market monitoring 

should continue on a regular basis. 

The rights activist suggested 

that as the local administration 

struggles with so many works 

Consumer Rights Protection Department 

and Bangladesh Standards 

and Testing Institution (BSTI) 

should play an important and enhance 

their activities. 

Masuqur Rahman, additional 

deputy commissioner (General) of 

Chittagong said: “We are conducting 

drives on a regular basis despite 

facing acute shortage of executive 

magistrates.” •

DT 

8 

World 


SOUTH ASIA 

12 dead, 75 injured in 

Pakistan hotel fire 

A fire at a luxury hotel in the Pakistani 

city of Karachi killed at least 

12 people on Monday and injuring 

dozens, media reported. The blaze 

broke out in a ground floor kitchen 

of the Regent Plaza hotel and 

trapped guests in upper floors. At 

least 75 people were injured, citing 

a senior doctor at the city’s biggest 

hospital. REUTERS 

INDIA 

Modi wins readers’ poll for 

Time’s Person of the Year 

Indian Prime Minister Narendra 

Modi won an online poll of readers 

for Time magazine’s ‘Person of the 

Year’ in 2016. Modi won with 18% 

of the vote when the poll closed 

Sunday at midnight. He placed well 

ahead of his closest contenders, 

including US President Barack 

Obama, US President-elect Donald 

Trump and Wikileaks founder 

Julian Assange. TOI 

CHINA 

China urges India not to 

complicate border dispute 

China called on India on Monday not 

to do anything to complicate their 

border dispute after a senior exiled 

Tibetan religious leader visited a 

sensitive border region controlled 

by India but claimed by China. The 

Karmapa Lama, Tibetan Buddhism’s 

third-most-senior figure who fled 

into exile in India in 2000, last week 

went to Tawang in the Indian state 

of Arunachal Pradesh. REUTERS 

ASIA PACIFIC 

Australia to charge power 

generators for pollution 

Australia will consider making 

electrical power companies pay for 

greenhouse gas pollution they create, 

three years after the government 

scrapped the national carbon tax, a 

Cabinet minister said Monday. The 

conservative government rejected all 

polluter-pays options in 2014 when 

it repealed Australia’s 3-year-old 

carbon tax levied against the nation’s 

biggest industrial polluters. AP 

MIDDLE EAST 

Islamic State announces 

new spokesman 

IS identified a new media spokesman 

for the group for the first time 

on Monday in an audio message 

released online. The recording 

appeared on Al Furqan, a media 

organisation linked to IS, giving 

the new spokesman’s name as 

Abi al-Hassan al-Muhajer. The US 

confirmed in September that IS’s 

previous spokesman, Abu Mohammad 

al-Adnani, had been killed on 

August 30 in Syria. REUTERS 

Supporters on edge as Tamil Nadu 

CM Jayalalithaa on life support 

• Reuters, Chennai 

The life of the leader of the Indian 

state of Tamil Nadu hung in the 

balance on Monday after she went 

into cardiac arrest, drawing large 

crowds to the hospital where doctors 

were fighting to save the hugely 

popular former actress. 

Jayalalithaa Jayaraman went 

into cardiac arrest on Sunday 

night, the Apollo Hospital in the 

state capital Chennai said, her condition 

deteriorating sharply after 

her admission with a severe respiratory 

ailment in September. 

On Monday, the hospital said 

she remained critical and on life 

support systems as authorities in 

the southern state increased security 

around Chennai to prevent her 

worried supporters from creating 

public disorder. 

Popularly known as “Amma”, 

or “Mother” in the Tamil language, 

the 68-year-old was introduced to 

politics by her cinema screen partner, 

MG Ramachandran, another 

actor-turned politician, and went 

on to serve as chief minister of Tamil 

Nadu five times. 

Jayalalithaa remains hugely 

popular despite being jailed more 

than once for corruption. 

The reclusive leader has run her 

party with an iron hand with no 

clear line of succession to govern 

a state that is home to major auto 

and IT outsourcing firms. 

During her latest illness, her 

picture was put in a chair at the 

head of the table at state cabinet 

meetings. 

About 2,000 policemen were 

deployed around the hospital in 

case emotional crowds of devoted 

supporters reacted strongly to 

further developments. Supporters 

have been known to commit suicide 

in reaction to bad news. 

“Nothing can kill Amma,” said 

one man holding a picture of the 

leader outside the hospital. 

C R Saraswathi, a spokesman of 

her AIADMK party, said the chief 

minister was doing well, even 

though the hospital said she was 

on life support. 

Her ministers have on occasions 

been seen to prostrate themselves 

at her feet. 

O P Panneerselvam, a cabinet 

colleague, has stood in for Jayalalithaa 

in the past, but he has 

repeatedly made it clear he is not 

replacing her and pointedly refused 

to sit in her chair at cabinet 

meetings. 

“There is no second line of defence 

here, and these are emotive 

times. There is a chance of violence,” 

said T R Ramachandran, 

an independent expert on Tamil 

Nadu politics. • 

FACTBOX 

Can UK’s EU divorce be reversed once it’s triggered? 

• Tribune International Desk 

Britain’s Supreme Court began hearing 

a landmark case Monday that will decide 

who has the power to trigger the 

UK’s exit from the European Union — 

the government or Parliament. 

British government lawyers have 

argued that once the formal divorce 

talks on leaving the European Union 

are triggered there is no going back, 

but EU leaders have suggested Britain 

could still change its mind. 

So who is right? The answer could 

have a significant impact on the course 

of Brexit and a court case being heard 

by the Supreme Court on Monday. 

Prime Minister Theresa May has repeatedly 

said that “Brexit means Brexit” 

and that Britain will invoke Article 50 

of the EU’s Lisbon Treaty by the end of 

March. 

But Article 50 does not say whether 

it can be revoked once it is invoked and 

the lack of clarity means that if lawyers 

ask for clarification the question would 

Supporters hold a photograph of Tamil Nadu state leader Jayalalithaa Jayaram as they offer prayers for her well being at a 

temple in Mumbai on December 5 

AFP 

have to go to the Luxembourg-based 

European Court of Justice, the EU’s 

highest court. 

What does Britain say? 

Attorney General Jeremy Wright, the British 

government’s top lawyer, told the High 

Court on October 17: “We do not argue 

that an Article 50 notice can be revoked. 

“We invite the court to proceed in this 

case on the basis that a notification under 

Article 50 (2) is irrevocable,” he said. 

Prime Minister Theresa May’s spokeswoman 

said the case is about constitutional 

law in the United Kingdom and not 

about a dispute over EU law so it will be 

decided in the Supreme Court. 

On November 30, May’s spokeswoman 

said it would not go to the European 

Court of Justice: “It’s not within 

scope, it’s not an issue for the European 

Court to rule on.” 

What does the EU say? 

European Council President Donald Tusk 

has said that Britain might ultimately decide 

not to leave the European Union as 

the EU will not offer London softer terms 

than a damaging hard Brexit. 

Tusk said his legal view was that if 

Britain unilaterally withdrew its request 

to leave before the two years were up, 

then it could stay in the Union. 

Tusk said he had not found any national 

leader who wanted Britain to quit 

and so London would find a welcome if 

it changed its mind. “If we have a chance 

to reverse this negative process, we will 

find allies,” he said. “I have no doubt.” 

The man who helped draft Article 

50, John Kerr, a former British ambassador 

to the EU, said that Britain could 

still change is mind. 

What do the lawyers say? 

In England’s High Court, lawyers for a 

group of claimants who challenged the 

government to allow parliament to decide 

when and how to trigger Article 50 

said that it was irrevocable. The government’s 

lawyers agreed. Lawyers for 

both sides asked the court to assume 

that it was irrevocable. 

In its final judgement, the High 

Court’s judges said that once notice of 

leaving was given then it will “inevitably 

result in the complete withdrawal 

of the United Kingdom”. 

Ahead of the Supreme Court hearing, 

lawyers for both sides have argued 

that Article 50 is irreversible and both 

sides said it was irrelevant to the outcome 

of the case. 

Government lawyers argue in their 

summary that once Article 50 is given, 

the UK will eventually withdraw from 

the EU. They note that it was common 

ground between the parties that Article 

50 is irrevocable and cannot be 

given conditionally. 

Other lawyers have argued that 

once the notification under Article 50 

of the EU treaty is made, it can be rescinded 

and that the European Court 

of Justice could be consulted by the Supreme 

Court if there is uncertainty. • 

Source: REUTERS

World 

North Dakota pipeline protesters 

vow to stay despite victory 


Protesters celebrated a major victory 

in their push to reroute the 

Dakota Access oil pipeline away 

from a tribal water source but 

pledged to remain camped on federal 

land in North Dakota anyway, 

despite Monday’s government 

deadline to leave. 

Hundreds of people at the 

Oceti Sakowin, or Seven Council 

Fires, encampment cheered and 

chanted “mni wichoni” — “water 

is life” in Lakota Sioux — after the 

Army Corps of Engineers refused 

Sunday to grant the company permission 

to extend the pipeline beneath 

a Missouri River reservoir. 

The Standing Rock Sioux tribe 

and its supporters argue that extending 

the project beneath Lake 

Oahe would threaten the tribe’s 

water source and cultural sites. 

The segment is the last major 

sticking point for the four-state, 

$3.8bn project. 

The decision came after 

months of protests from Native 

Americans and climate activists, 

who argued that the 1,885-km Dakota 

Access Pipeline would damage 

sacred lands and could contaminate 

the tribe’s water source. 

The mood has been upbeat 

since the rejection was announced 

on Sunday afternoon at the Oceti 

Sakowin camp in Cannon Ball, 

North Dakota. Activists were seen 

hugging and letting out war cries 

in response to the news. 

Still, with the incoming administration 

of President-elect Donald 

Trump supportive of the project, 

activists worried a reversal of the 

decision could be in the offing. 

The pipeline, owned by Texas-based 

Energy Transfer Partners 

LP, is complete except for a onemile 

segment to run under Lake 

Oahe. That stretch required an 

easement from federal authorities. 

The US Army Corps of Engineers 

said it will analyse possible 

alternate routes, although any 

other route is also likely to cross 

the Missouri River. 

Fight may be a ‘long haul’ 

Standing Rock Chairman Dave 

Archambault II, in a statement, 

said he hoped Energy Transfer 

Partners (ETP), North Dakota Governor 

Jack Dalrymple and Trump 

would respect the decision. 

“When it comes to infrastructure 

development in Indian 

Country and with respect to treaty 

lands, we must strive to work 

together to reach decisions that 

reflect the multifaceted considerations 

of tribes,” he said. 

In November, ETP moved equipment 

to the edge of the Missouri 

River to prepare for drilling, and later 

asked a federal court to disregard 

the Army Corps, and declare that 

the company could finish the line. 

That ruling is still pending. 

Several veterans recently arrived 

in camp told Reuters they thought 

Sunday’s decision, which came just 

as Oceti Sakowin has seen an influx 

of service members, was a tactic to 

convince protesters to leave. • 

Trump names former rival Carson as housing secretary 

• AFP, Washington, DC 

US President-elect Donald Trump 

on Monday chose Ben Carson, the 

mild-mannered retired neurosurgeon 

who challenged him for the 

Republican nomination, to turn 

around troubled US inner cities 

as secretary of housing and urban 

development. 

Carson, an African American 

who is a religious conservative, 

has no background in housing 

policy but has cited his poor childhood 

in Detroit as a qualification 

for the job. 

He is the first black selected by 

Trump for his team. 

“Ben Carson has a brilliant 

mind and is passionate about 

strengthening communities and 

families within those communities,” 

Trump said in a statement. 

“We have talked at length about 

my urban renewal agenda and our 

message of economic revival, very 

much including our inner cities.” 

Carson said: “I feel that I can 

make a significant contribution 

People celebrate in Oceti Sakowin camp as ‘water protectors’ continue to demonstrate against plans to pass the Dakota 

Access pipeline near the Standing Rock Indian Reservation, near Cannon Ball, North Dakota on December 4 REUTERS 

particularly by strengthening communities 

that are most in need. 

“We have much work to do in 

enhancing every aspect of our nation 

and ensuring that our nation’s 

housing needs are met.” 

“I grew up in the inner city,” 

Carson told Fox News last month. 

“And have spent a lot of time 

there. And have dealt with a lot of 

patients from that area.” 

Carson briefly led the Republican 

presidential pack during the 

primaries, offering voters an unruffled, 

slow-talking persona that 

contrasted sharply with high-decibel 

slugfest around him. 

His bid, which initially gained 

support among Christian conservatives, 

ultimately fizzled as 

he stumbled presenting concrete 

policies and answering questions 

about key issues. 

The Seventh Day Adventist 

had presented himself as an alternative 

to the bombastic Trump, 

preaching tolerance and compromise 

but sometimes unleashing 

blunt rhetoric. These included 

This file photo taken on March 11, 2016 shows Donald Trump shaking hands with 

former presidential candidate Ben Carson in Palm Beach, Florida 

AFP 

many references to Nazi Germany, 

such as his suggestion that Jews 

would have fared better in the 

Holocaust had they been armed. 

Trump mercilessly mocked 

him on the campaign trail, accusing 

Carson of having a “pathological” 

temper. 

Carson nevertheless endorsed 

the real estate billionaire after 

withdrawing from the race in 

March, describing his former rival 

as “a very intelligent man who 

cares deeply about America.” 

He took Trump on a neighbourhood 

tour of his Detroit 

hometown in September at a 

time when the nominee was 

looking to boost his image with 

African-American voters. 

And he came to Trump’s defence 

following the release of 

a 2005 audiotape in which he 

bragged about groping women. • 

9 


DT 

USA 

Death toll in Oakland 

warehouse fire rises to 36 

The death toll from a fire at a 

California warehouse crowded 

with dance party revelers rose 

to 36 Monday as fire officials 

announced they had suspended 

work because the structure was at 

risk of collapsing. Alameda County 

Deputy Sheriff Tya Modeste said 

11 of the 36 bodies recovered so far 

at the site in Oakland have been 

positively identified. Previously, 

the toll had stood at 33. AFP 

THE AMERICAS 

Jailed Venezuela 

dissidents launch hunger 

strike 

Jailed Venezuelan opposition leaders 

have launched a hunger strike 

to demand the government release 

political prisoners and allow a vote 

to settle the country’s economic 

and political crisis. The 14 prisoners 

accused President Nicolas 

Maduro’s socialist government of 

breaking promises made during 

fragile Vatican-backed negotiations 

with the opposition. AFP 

UK 

UK moves to change WTO 

terms after Brexit vote 

Britain is beginning work on becoming 

an independent member of the 

World Trade Organisation (WTO) 

after Brexit, using the EU’s current 

terms as the template, International 

Trade Secretary Liam Fox said Monday. 

Britain is currently represented 

in the 164-member body through 

its membership of the European 

Union, but when it leaves the bloc it 

will need to establish its own terms, 

or schedules. AFP 

EUROPE 

Greek unions call general 

strike 

Greece’s biggest labour unions have 

called a general strike for Thursday, 

to protest further tax hikes and 

labour reforms demanded by the 

country’s bailout creditors. Ferry 

crews have also extended for another 

two days a four-day walkout over 

planned tax hikes and pension cuts. 

Greece has implemented waves 

of spending cuts, tax hikes and 

reforms at the behest of its bailout 

creditors since 2010. REUTERS 

AFRICA 

Clashes in DR Congo leave 

23 dead 

23 people died in weekend clashes 

in DR Congo’s central Tshikapa 

region between police and local 

militia, the deputy governor of Kasai 

province said Monday. Fighting 

from Friday to Sunday between 

police and troops and members of 

a local militia left 13 dead and 14 

injured among security forces and 

killed 10 militia fighters. AFP

10 


DT 

World 

ANALYSIS 

Europe suffers Italian blow but 

bigger tests loom 

• Reuters, Berlin 

The resounding “no” from Italian 

voters to Prime Minister Matteo 

Renzi’s referendum on constitutional 

reform was not a rejection of 

the European Union and its single 

currency, as jubilant populists from 

across the bloc claimed on Monday. 

But the vote, which pushes Renzi 

out of office, does represent a significant 

setback for Europe at a time 

when its leaders are scrambling to 

mount a credible response to Brexit, 

the election of Donald Trump in 

the United States and their stubborn 

economic woes at home. 

In one fell swoop, it adds another 

country to the list of EU members 

that are likely to be pre-occupied by 

domestic politics in 2017, a year in 

which the Dutch, French, Germans, 

and possibly the British, will go to 

the polls. 

And it sends a warning to other 

European reformers like Francois 

Fillon, the conservative frontrunner 

for the French presidency, who 

has promised no less than five referendums 

to push through his domestic 

agenda if he is elected next 

spring. 

More immediately, despite the 

relatively calm reaction of financial 

markets on Monday, the vote 

will deepen concerns about Italy’s 

Austrians’ pro-EU views scupper far-right bid for presidency 

• Reuters, Vienna 

Austrians’ desire to stay anchored 

in the European Union outweighed 

concerns over immigration and security 

and helped former Greens 

leader Alexander Van der Bellen defeat 

his far-right rival Norbert Hofer 

in Sunday’s presidential election. 

Van der Bellen, whose win 

bucks a trend of populist victories 

across Western democracies, had 

put Britain’s decision to leave the 

EU at the centre of his own campaign, 

warning voters not to “play 

with this fire”. 

“I will be a pro-European president 

of Austria open to the world,” 

Van der Bellen, 72, said in his victory 

speech. 

Hofer, whose Freedom Party 

(FPO) is anti-immigrant and eurosceptic, 

had suggested at one 

point in the campaign that Austrians 

could vote within months on 

whether to follow Britain out of 

the EU, though he later rowed back 

from the comments. 

Austria’s economy is closely 

integrated with the rest of the 

EU, the destination last year of 

under-funded banking sector and 

the economic prospects of the euro 

zone’s third biggest member state. 

That, in turn, could complicate 

the calculus for the European Central 

Bank, which meets on Thursday 

to decide on the future of its controversial 

bond purchase programme. 

Brexit parallel 

Renzi, seen by his European partners 

as an anchor of stability in a 

country where political upheaval 

has been the norm for decades, 

won just over 40% of the vote in the 

referendum, a far worse result than 

polls had predicted. 

His defeat comes only days after 

deeply unpopular French President 

Francois Hollande, also a leftist, 

bowed to political realities and announced 

he would not seek a second 

term. 

Renzi’s departure could lead to 

early elections in Italy next year. It 

increases the risks of the anti-euro 

5-Star Movement gaining power, 

although the prospect of that remains 

slim. 

“The Italians rejected Renzi and 

the EU,” Marine Le Pen of France’s 

far-right National Front said on 

Twitter. 

“This vote looks to me to be more 

about the euro than constitutional 

change,” added Nigel Farage of the 

ALEXANDER VAN DER BELLEN 

Wins Austria’s presidential election 

Aged 72 

1944 

Born in Vienna after his parents 

fled Stalinism 

1980s 

Economics professor. Enters 

politics, joining the Social 

Democrats then the Greens 

1997-2008 

Green Party leader 

2012 

Resigns from party leadership 

April 2016 

Independent candidate for the 

presidency. Wins 21% of votes 

in 1 st round 

May 2016 

Wins 2 nd round against far-right 

candidate by just 30,000 votes. 

Dec 4, 2016 

2 nd -round rerun. 

Emerges victorious against Norbert 

Hofer of the hardline Freedom Party 

Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi gestures during a media conference after the 

referendum at Chigi palace in Rome on December 5 

REUTERS 

UK Independence Party (UKIP). 

But unlike Britain, polls show 

that a solid majority of Italian voters 

are in favour of both the EU and 

the euro. They were encouraged to 

vote “no” by all of the major parties 

in Italy outside of Renzi’s Partito 

Democratico (PD). 

Crunch time 

That won’t cushion the impact for 

Europe, whose leaders have promised 

to unveil their post-Brexit vision 

for the EU in the Italian capital 

next March, the 60th anniversary 

of the bloc’s founding Rome treaty. 

Who will host that summit is now 

an open question. 

The same month, Dutch voters 

will go to the polls and British Prime 

Minister Theresa May is expected to 

invoke Article 50 of the EU treaty, 

triggering a tight two-year countdown 

to Brexit – a timeline made all 

the more challenging by Europe’s 

heavy election calendar. • 

about 70 percent of its exports, 

worth some €91bn. 

“Austria, as a small and open 

economy, profits more than average 

from free trade and its integration 

into the European market,” said 

Georg Kapsch, head of Austria’s 

Chamber of Industry, when congratulating 

Van der Bellen on his 

victory. 

A SORA survey published shortly 

after Britain’s vote to leave the EU in 

June showed about 70% of Austrians 

would have voted to “remain” in 

the bloc, which it joined in 1994. 

Two-thirds of Van der Bellen’s 

Italy’s 5-Star party 

ready to govern 

• Reuters, Rome 

Italy’s opposition 5-Star Movement, 

which wants to pull the nation out 

of the euro, declared itself ready for 

government on Monday after Prime 

Minister Matteo Renzi suffered a big 

defeat in a constitutional referendum 

and said he would resign. 

“Democracy has won,” the movement’s 

founder, Beppe Grillo, wrote 

on his blog after partial vote results 

suggested Renzi’s proposal to reshape 

Italian democracy had been 

defeated by as much as 20 points in 

an exceptionally high turnout. 

5-Star campaigned hard for the 

‘No’ vote which prevailed in Sunday’s 

referendum by a far bigger 

margin than polls predicted. 

Grillo called for immediate elections 

and said that from next week 

the party would begin putting together 

a policy platform and a cabinet 

team so that Italians would have 

all the information they needed to 

put the party into power. 

That prospect would raise concern 

among Europe’s mainstream 

politicians and financial markets, 

who fear the maverick party’s inexperience 

and its proposal to hold a 

referendum on Italy’s membership 

of the euro currency. 

5-Star is running neck-and-neck 

with Renzi’s Democratic Party, according 

to opinion polls, and would 

be a clear favourite to win a national 

election under the two-round electoral 

system pushed through by 

Renzi last year. • 

Austrian presidential candidate Alexander Van der Bellen reacts at an election party in Vienna on December 4 

REUTERS 

supporters backed him because 

they thought he would represent 

them best abroad and because he 

supports the EU, a SORA survey 

conducted on December 1-4 found. 

This compared with 36% of Hofer 

voters who saw their man as a good 

representative abroad, SORA said. •

World 

11 


DT 

US ELECTION 

Focus of recount effort shifts to Michigan, Pennsylvania 


Presidential candidate Jill Stein’s 

fight to force ballot recounts in 

three states focuses Monday on 

Pennsylvania, where her Green 

Party is seeking an emergency 

federal court order for a statewide 

recount, and Michigan, where a 

federal judge has ordered a hand 

recount to begin, reports the Associated 

Press. 

The recount is underway in Wisconsin. 

President-elect Donald Trump 

narrowly defeated Democratic candidate 

Hillary Clinton in all three 

states. The recounts were not expected 

to change enough votes to 

overturn the result of the election. 

Stein says her intent is to verify 

the accuracy of the vote. She has 

suggested, with no evidence, that 

votes cast were susceptible to computer 

hacking. 

She has also scheduled a rally 

and news conference for Monday 

morning outside Trump Tower in 

New York. 

Here’s what’s going on in each 

state and in Nevada, where a partial 

recount of the race was requested 

by independent presidential candidate 

Roque De La Fuente: 

Wisconsin 

The recount began Thursday and 

continued over the weekend, with 

little change so far in the unofficial 

results as reported on election 

night. A federal lawsuit was filed 

late last week by a Trump voter and 

two super PACs seeking to stop the 

recount. 

The judge rejected a request 

to halt the recount while the lawsuit 

is pending and scheduled a 

hearing for Friday. State and local 

election officials have all said 

they don’t expect Clinton to surpass 

Trump in Wisconsin, where 

he won by about 22,000 votes. 

Michigan 

A federal judge late Sunday night 

in Detroit ordered a statewide hand 

recount of roughly 4.8m ballots to 

start by noon Monday. Trump won 

the state by about 10,700 votes, or 

two-tenths of a percentage point, 

over Clinton. 

Stein argued that a law is unconstitutional 

that requires a break of 

at least two business days after the 

Board of Canvassers’ final action 

on a recount request. Judge Mark 

Goldsmith found that Stein had 

“shown the likelihood of irreparable 

harm” if the count was delayed 

even by two days and rejected the 

state’s arguments about the cost to 

taxpayers. 

Trump defeated Clinton by 

10,704 votes, or two-tenths of a percentage 

point, in Michigan. Stein 

received about 1 percent of the vote. 

Republican Attorney General Bill 

Schuette, the Trump campaign and 

super PACs have filed separate lawsuits 

asking state courts to prevent 

the recount, arguing that Stein, as 

the fourth-place finisher, is not “aggrieved” 

because she has no chance 

of winning in a recount. 

Pennsylvania 

The Green Party said Saturday it will 

seek help in federal court to force a 

statewide recount — a move that 

came hours after the party dropped 

a case set to be argued Monday 

in state courts. An updated count 

Friday by state election officials 

showed Trump’s lead shrinking to 

49,000 from 71,000 over Clinton, 

out of 6 million votes cast, as more 

counties finish counting overseas 

ballots and settled provisional ballot 

challenges. That is still shy of 

Pennsylvania’s 0.5% trigger for an 

automatic statewide recount. Stein 

drew less than 1 percent of the votes 

cast. Final counts are outstanding 

in some counties, but there are not 

enough uncounted votes to change 

the outcome, officials say. • 

Ballots from the 2016 US presidential election are recounted in Madison, Wisconsin 

REUTERS

DT 

12 

Business 


CAPITAL MARKET SNAPSHOT: MONDAY 

DSE Broad Index 4,836.3 0.3% ▲ Index 1,151.6 0.2% ▲ 30 Index 1,784.4 0.1% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 8,077.9 10.1% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 269.8 18.6% ▲ 

CSE All Share Index 14,899.7 0.3% ▲ 30 Index 13,284.6 0.0% ▲ Selected Index 9,056.2 0.3% ▲ Turnover in Mn Tk 490.6 10.1% ▲ Turnover in Mn Vol 20.0 21.1% ▲ 

Rooppur Plant’s main phase proposal 

to be placed at Ecnec today 

• Asif Showkat Kallol 

Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant construction 

(main phase) proposal 

will be placed at the Executive 

Committee of the National Economic 

Council (Ecnec) meeting today 

for approval, said officials. 

Approval will be required to get 

Russian fund to implement the 

project at a cost of Tk1,13,092.91 

crore. The Ministry of Science and 

Technology will place the proposal. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

will preside over the meeting. 

Science and technology ministry 

officials said after approval of 

the project by Ecnec, the government 

is expected to receive $500m 

from Russian joint-stock company 

Atomstroyexport as export credit. 

Bangladesh government will 

have to pay 10% advance which is 

equal to Tk800 crore before getting 

credit, officials, however, said. 

The project work already got 

underway and is expected to end 

in December, 2025. This is being set 

up at Rooppur in Ishwardi, Pabna. 

The project work includes land 

acquisition, construction of office 

buildings, school, college, dormitory, 

hospital, shopping mall, football 

stadium, swimming pool, fire 

service station and laboratory. 

The total workforce of the project 

will be 2,199. A number of 106 

vehicles will be required, according 

to the proposal. 

According to the summary of 

the conditions, the main phase 

of the plant needs to be approved 

from the Planning Commission 

within next one month and authorities 

concerned will be responsible 

Dhaka, Budapest to exchange 

business delegates in 4 months 

• Tribune Business Desk 

Bangladesh and Hungary will exchange 

visits by high-level business 

delegations within four months to 

find out trade and investment opportunities 

between the two countries 

as a sequel to Prime Minister 

Sheikh Hasina’s tour to Budapest, 

BSS reports. 

“A high-level buying and investment 

business delegation from 

Bangladesh will go to Hungary within 

three months and a Hungarian 

business delegation will visit Bangladesh 

within four months,” said 

Federation of Bangladesh Chambers 

of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) 

President Abdul Matlub Ahmad. 

Matlub also expected that the 

Hungarian prime minister would visit 

Bangladesh with a business delegation 

as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

invited him to visit Bangladesh for 

further strengthening of friendly relations 

between the two countries. 

“We can find out potential sectors 

to go for joint venture investment,” 

he added. 

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, 

accompanied by LGRD and Cooperatives 

Minister Khandkar Mosharraf 

Hossain, Water Resources Minister 

Anisul Islam Mahmud and a 

high-level business delegation, visited 

Hungary from November 27 to 30. 

Terming Hungary the new horizon 

of potentials for the country, 

Matlub said during the visit Hungary 

proposed Bangladesh for export 

of its products by opening a warehouse 

there as Hungary has border 

with seven countries. 

“Bangladesh can easily take the 

opportunities as Hungary has border 

with Slovakia, Ukraine, Romania, 

Serbia, Croatia, Slovenia and 

Austria,” he added. 

Mentioning the 15-20 million 

dollar business relations between 

the two countries as insufficient, 

the apex trade body chief said: 

“Our trade volume is low as we did 

never go to Hungary. We cordially 

thank Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina 

for taking us (businessmen) to 

Hungary for the first time.” 

Matlub said the two countries 

signed three memorandums of understanding 

in presence of the Bangladesh 

and Hungarian premiers. 

“We can establish relations 

with Hungary in various sectors,” 

he said, adding that Bangladesh 

and Hungary have agreed to work 

on new areas, including water resource 

management, agriculture 

apart from environment for expansion 

of trade and investment. 

He said FBCCI and the Hungary 

Chamber of Commerce and Industry 

organised a Bangladesh and 

Hungary Business Forum with the 

participation of Bangladesh and 

Hungary business teams. • 

DHAKA TRIBUNE 

once any irregularity with the fund 

is committed. 

Bangladesh and Russia signed a 

financial deal of $11.38bn in Moscow 

recently to implement the country’s 

first-ever nuclear power plant. 

Last year, the Rosatom hinted 

that the cost might go up to $10bn. 

A couple of years ago the government 

had estimated that the plant 

would cost between $2bn and $3bn. 

Russia will provide all assistance 

for setting up the plant, including 

providing the fuel and taking back 

the used fuel. Bangladesh is seeking 

90% of the project financing from 

Russia. The loan will be repaid in 28 

years with a 10-year grace period. • 

Stocks inch up 

with higher 

turnover 


Stocks registered a marginal rise 

yesterday with a higher turnover. 

The market started on positive 

note in the morning and the momentum 

continued till close of the 

session. 

The Dhaka Stock Exchange 

benchmark index, DSEX, gained 

14 points to 0.3% to settle at 4,836, 

which is 14 months high. 

The blue chip DS30 index edged 

1 point up to 1,784 and the DSE Shariah 

Index DSES rose only 2 points 

to 1,151. 

The Chittagong Stock Exchange 

selective category index, CSCX, 

rose over 24 points to 9,056. 

The volume of trade continued 

to increase significantly as the DSE 

turnover stood at Tk807 crore, up 

more than 18% over the previous 

session. 

This was primarily driven by engineering 

sector that accounted for 

over 20% of the total trade value. 

Among the best performing 

sectors, engineering sector gained 

the highest about 1%, followed by 

telecommunications 0.7%, power 

0.5%, pharmaceuticals 0.3% and 

banks 0.2%. 

On the other hand, food & allied 

remained flat while non-banking financial 

institutions had the largest 

fall of 0.7%. •

Business 13 

Nitol-Tata launches new Nano car 

• Adil Sakhawat 

Indian-based Tata Motors and its 

local sales agent Nitol Motors have 

jointly launched a brand new model 

small car styled “GenX Nano Automatic” 

at a comparatively cheaper 

price in Bangladesh. 

Although the price of the newly 

launched Nano car was fixed 

initially at around Tk9 lakh, Nitol-Niloy 

Group Chairman Abdul 

Matlub Ahmad, has, however, 

announced that aspirant buyers 

can avail the car at a cost of only 

around Tk8 lakh till January 2017. 

He was addressing the new 

Nano car launching ceremony held 

at a city hotel yesterday. Ahmad, 

also the FBCCI Chairman, made the 

announcement following a request 

from Industries Minister Amir 

Hossain Amu who attended the 

launching ceremony as chief guest. 

The companies rolled out the 

car GenX Nano Automatic at a time 

when the demand for small cars 

is increasing here in Dhaka due to 

rapid urbanisation and increasing 

demand for private vehicles by the 

mid-income families. 

The new Nano car comes with 

‘Sports’ mode for enhanced acceleration 

and creep feature for heavy 

traffic maneuverability and parking 

ease. It also have Electric Power 

Assisted Steering (ePAS), designed 

for light steering, for easy maneuvering 

in tight parking and driving 

situations in cities. 

The car features rich hatchback 

for the trendy, youthful, bold and 

stylish customer. The GenX Nano 

comes with a 24 litre fuel tank and 

has fuel efficiency of 21.9 Kilometre 

per Litre. 

‘Italian instability 

is not start of 

euro zone crisis’ 

• Reuters 

Political instability in Italy makes 

life more difficult for Italy and the 

whole euro zone, but is not the 

start of new euro zone crisis, the 

chairman of euro zone finance 

ministers Jeroen Dijsselbloem said 

yesterday. 

Italian Prime Minister Matteo 

Renzi said he would resign after his 

government lost a constitutional 

referendum last Sunday, throwing 

the country, which has bad loan 

problems in its banking sector, into 

political turmoil. 

“I don’t believe it is (the start of 

a new crisis). There is no reason for 

that. Political instability makes it 

more complicated for Italy and the 

euro zone. But it is a new reality we 

have to work with,” Dijsselbloem 

told reporters on entering a meeting 

of euro zone ministers. • 

Industries Minister Amir Hossain Amu, Nitol-Tata Group Chairman Abdul Matlub Ahmad at the launching ceremony of the 

Nitol-Tata new Nano car ‘GenX nano Automatic’ in a Dhaka hotel yesterday 

MEHEDI HASAN 

“The New car can deliver the 

most relevant city car features 

like the Automatic feature, Power 

Steering, the Hatch access, Bluetooth 

connectivity and so on,” said 

the organisers. 

Addressing the launching ceremony, 

Nitol-Niloy Group Chairman 

Abdul Matlub Ahmed said: “The 

car has been brought here in Dhaka 

especially for the city dwellers 

considering the traffic condition of 

the city.” 

He also requested the Industries 

Minister Amir Hossain Amu 

to declare this new branded car as 

a national car of Bangladesh and to 

provide opportunity to manufacture 

Tata car under the state-run 

Pragoti Industries Limited. 

In reply, the minister said: “You 

can manufacture the car in Bangladesh 

under Pragoti as we want to 

be a manufacturing country rather 

than importing one.” 

Johnny Oomen, head of international 

business, Passenger Vehicle, 

Tata Motors said: “The Nano has so far 

received a good response in the Bangladeshi 

market and with the GenX 

Nano Automatic, we are now offering 

our customers a contemporary smart, 

stylish, efficient, and a practical city 

car which has strong potential in the 

compact hatch segment.” 

Adesh Swaika, deputy high 

commissioner of Indian High Commission 

in Dhaka said: “It is an ideal 

car for this Dhaka city considering 

its traffic congestion situation.” 

“It will be another option for 

both countries to take its bilateral 

trade to another level. I hope to see 

more Nano on Bangladeshi roads,” 

he added. 

Tata Motors Limited is the India’s 

largest automobile company, 

with consolidated revenues of 

INR 2,75,561 crore (US$41.6 billion) 

in 2015-16. On the other hand, Nitol-Niloy 

Group comes from marketing 

Tata commercial vehicles in 

Bangladesh, including buses, trucks, 

passenger version pickup trucks, 

maxi and construction equipment. 

Since 1991, it commenced assembly 

and building body of Tata vehicles. • 

DT 


Emirates offers 30% discounts on business, 

economy class tickets on Bangladesh route 


EMIRATES 

The Emirates Airlines passengers 

will enjoy up to 30% discount 

on airfares for both business and 

economy class travel from Bangladesh 

to various destinations from 

December 1, 2016 to June 29, 2017. 

The airlines came up with the 

announcement recently. The passengers 

have to book their tickets 

by December 8, 2016. 

“We are really happy to announce 

the special fares to our 

valued Bangladeshi travellers for 

whom Emirates has always been a 

carrier of choice” said Khalid Ali J 

Hassan, Emirates area manager for 

Bangladesh. 

“This incredible offer coincides 

with the celebration of 30th anniversary 

of Emirates’ operations in 

Bangladesh. It is an opportunity for 

us to thank our Bangladeshi passengers 

and hope they will avail the offer 

and enjoy our unique hospitality 

on board and at the ground as well.” 

Under the offer all inclusive 

Economy Class return fare to Europe 

starts from US$790 while business 

class fare from US$2,575. The 

fare to USA ranges from US$925 to 

US$3,310. 

For detailed information and 

Oil tops $55 

for first time in 

16 months 

• Reuters 

Brent crude oil prices rose above 

$55 a barrel yesterday, trading at 

a fresh 16-month high, on rising 

prospects of a tightening market 

after Opec members agreed on a 

landmark deal to cut production 

last week. 

Monday’s gains take the rally 

since the agreement was struck on 

Wednesday to 19% for Brent, the 

highest in almost eight years, and 

16% for US crude. 

Brent crude oil futures LCOc1, 

the global benchmark used to trade 

oil, soared to their highest since 

July 2015 to $55.33 a barrel. It last 

traded at $55.05 a barrel, up 59 

cents, or 1.1%, at 1133 GMT. 

WTI crude oil CLc1 traded up 44 

cents, or 0.8%, at $52.12 a barrel. 

“Opec sentiment continues 

to support oil markets. Speculative 

short positions are still at elevated 

levels and as more traders 

unwind these positions they could 

trigger more support for oil prices,” 

said Hans van Cleef, senior energy 

economist at ABN Amro in Amsterdam. 

After members of the Organization 

of the Petroleum Exporting 

Countries last week agreed to 

curb production by a combined 1.2 

million barrels per day (bpd) from 

January, all eyes have now turned 

to a meeting this weekend between 

OPEC and non-OPEC producers to 

expand the deal. 

Non-Opec producers are expected 

to agree to add an output cut of 

600,000 barrels per day (bpd) at a 

meeting in Vienna on Dec 10. • 

booking of the tickets passengers 

can contact the Emirates offices in 

Dhaka, Chittagong and Sylhet, or 

their travel agents, or visit www. 

emirates.com/bd. 

Emirates presently operates 

thrice daily from Dhaka, and via 

Dubai it offers convenient connections 

to over 150 destinations in six 

continents. 

Passengers from the port city 

and Sylhet are offered complimentary 

air conditioned bus services to 

and from Dhaka. 

In addition to incredible savings, 

Emirates passengers on board can 

enjoy access to over 2,500 movies 

including those from Bangladesh, 

TV shows, music and games on 

board the flight. 

Passengers are served regionally 

themed dishes prepared by welltrained 

and experienced chefs of 

Emirates in-flight kitchen. •

14 


DT 

Business 

Eurozone business growth hits fastest this year 

• Reuters 

Euro zone business activity grew 

at its quickest pace this year in November 

and firms, which benefited 

from a weaker euro, raised prices 

faster than at any time in five years, 

a survey found yesterday. 

Policymakers at the European 

Central Bank this week are expected 

to announce a six-month 

extension to their asset purchase 

program to try to boost inflation, 

further denting the currency and 

offering support to exporters. 

IHS Markit’s final composite 

Purchasing Managers’ Index for 

the euro zone was 53.9 in November, 

below a 54.1 flash estimate but 

beating October’s 53.3 and its highest 

since December. 

The index has been above the 

50 mark that divides growth from 

contraction since mid-2013. 

“The composite PMI was revised 

down slightly but it’s still 

consistent with a pickup in euro 

zone GDP growth which is quite 

positive,” said Stephen Brown at 

Capital Economics. 

Adding to the more upbeat picture, 

retail sales rose more than 

expected in October, official data 

showed earlier. 

The PMI for the dominant services 

industry jumped to 53.8 from 

52.8, below the flash 54.1 but its 

highest level this year. Manufacturers 

enjoyed their best month since 

the start of 2014 in November, a sister 

survey showed last week. 

With activity picking up, the 

PMI points to fourth quarter economic 

growth of 0.4% , IHS Markit 

said, matching the prediction in a 

Reuters poll on Friday. 

Activity in the German services 

sector hit a six-month high in November, 

supporting overall solid 

growth in the private sector and 

adding to signs that Europe’s largest 

economy has rebounded in the 

current quarter. 

France’s recovery extended into 

a fifth month, and growth accelerated 

in both Spain and Italy. 

New orders also jumped, suggesting 

the pickup may continue 

through to the end of the year. The 

new orders index for the service industry 

climbed to a 10-month high 

of 53.5 from 52.6. 

Years of ultra-loose monetary 

policy have so far failed to get inflation 

anywhere near the ECB’s 

close-to-2-percent target but pressures 

are mounting slowly. The 

composite output price index rose 

to 50.6 from 50.0, its highest since 

August 2011. 

“It has been rising but it’s not 

consistent with a rise in core inflation 

so we still think that the 

ECB will extend purchases when it 

meets on Thursday,” Brown said. •

Business 15 

DT 


Fed official stands by 

Wall Street reforms 

• Reuters 

The United States “absolutely must” complete unfinished work 

ending the too-big-to-fail bank problem that helped plunge the 

global economy into recession eight years ago, an influential Federal 

Reserve policymaker said. 

In remarks that appeared to pre-empt President-elect Donald 

Trump, who has promised to roll back Wall Street regulations, 

New York Fed President William Dudley said much progress has 

been made making the financial system “less prone to panics.” 

“Still,” he said in prepared remarks, “there is more to do before 

we can say that we have ended ‘too big to fail.’ This is work 

that we absolutely must complete.” • 

CORPORATE NEWS 

First Security Islami Bank Ltd has recently opened an agent banking 

outlet at Bakra Bazar, Jhikargasa in Jessore, said a press release. The 

bank’s managing director, Syed Waseque Md Ali inaugurated the outlet 

National Bank Limited and Global Money Transfer Brand Xpress Money 

have jointly kicked off a thirty-five daylong remittance campaign, 

said a press release. The bank’s acting managing director, Choudhury 

Moshtaq Ahmed and Zakaria Mahamud, country relationship manager 

of Xpress Money Bangladesh have inaugurated the campaign 

Prime Bank has recently signed a participation agreement with 

Bangladesh Bank for availing long term financing facility under 

Green Transformation Fund, said a press release. Deputy dovernor 

of Bangladesh Bank, SK Sur Chowdhury and Ahmed Kamal Khan 

Chowdhury, MD of Prime Bank was present on the occasion 

United Commercial Bank (UCB) Limited has recently signed an 

agreement with National Credit and Commerce Bank Limited for 

distributing inward foreign remittance of Placid Express USA, said a 

press release. MD of UCB, Muhammed Ali and Golam Hafiz Ahmed, MD 

of NCC Bank have signed the agreement at the presence of AKM Fazlul 

Hoq, MD of Placid Express

18 


DT 

Biz Info 

| partnership | | performance | 

ULAB collaborates with McGill– CCCI 

Western classical music at 

Red Shift 

University of Liberal Arts 

Bangladesh (ULAB) in 

collaboration with McGill– CCCI 

organised an International 

Skype Conference titled, 

“Cross-Country Conference 

with McGill: Relevance of 

Language in the Global Market 

Featuring a Multinational Panel” 

on December 02 (Montréal)/ 

December 03 (Bangladesh) to 

help students assimilate with 

the standards and cultures 

by interacting with diverse 

individuals from foreign 

backgrounds. The program was 

initiated and chaired by Tanzia 

Siddiqua, lecturer, Department 

of English and Humanities and 

adviser, Language Club with 

the participants being trained 

by Dr Shamsad Mortuza, head 

of Department of English and 

Humanities. The McGill panel 

was chaired by Iqbal Mahmud 

Hussain, a speaker of English, 

French, and Arabic with 

participants Kamilla Fabiana – a 

speaker of English, French, and 

Portugese; Liliana Sun - a speaker 

of English, French, Mandarin 

Chinese; and Christe lKaram - a 

speaker of English, and French. 

The session which saw a 

controlled conversation about the 

relevance of their corresponding 

degrees in accordance with 

the foreign market helped the 

ULAB participants assess their 

career criteria. The participants 

had the opportunity to discuss 

language(s) in relation to 

English Literature, ELT/TESOL, 

Psycholinguistics, Business 

Studies, Engineering, Media 

Studies and Journalism, and 

varied other cultural dimensions 

to add to the cultural-fusion that 

showcased the more charismatic 

qualities of Bangladeshi students 

in an international light. In order 

to maintain optimal and hasslefree 

technical connectivity, the 

conference was arranged through 

Skype which added to the 

concept of digital platform for the 

students of Bangladesh.• 

After the feast of Indian classical 

music, Red Shift invites everyone 

to turn to a session of western 

classical music, titled “Con Fuoco 

(with fire!),” performed by Hugh 

Stevenson (Piano) and Razef Khan 

(Cello). 

Hugh and Razef will present 

yet another concert of the magical 

combination of sounds provided 

by the piano and cello. The 

program will range from music 

of the greatest composers such 

as Bach and Beethoven to more 

regional composers like Manuel 

de la Fala. Versatility will be a 

feature of the concert, contrasting 

authentic classical elegance with 

more lively tunes. There will 

also be piano solo performances 

from Hugh while Razef will be 

interpreting music on his cello 

from a Baroque master to 20th 

century Jazz compositions. The 

evening will be an exceptional and 

rare opportunity to listen to high 

quality Western music in Dhaka. 

Date and Time: Saturday 

December 10, 2016 at 6.30 PM 

(sharp) 

Entry: Tk.600 available at Red 

Shift/Radius or online Tk. 660 

at www.imdhaka.com or www. 

jetechao.com (Limited seating so 

please book early) 

For more, contact: Red Shift 

Coffee Lounge, Radius Centre, 

5th Floor, Bay’s Galleria, 57 

Gulshan Avenue, Gulshan, 

Dhaka. Telephone 8833471-3 or 

01730054403(Shiuly). 

Opening hours: Sat-Thurs 10 AM- 

11 PM. Fri : 3 PM-11 PM 

Website: www.radiuscentre.com.bd 

Facebook: www.facebook.com/ 

redshiftcoffee • 

| singing | 

Procharon and Max Secure sign agreement 

| product | 

Toshiba launches four new printers 

Max Secure has recently signed 

an agreement with creative 

advertising agency, Procharon 

Communication Ltd. regarding 

the branding, digital promotions 

and advertising activities. On 

behalf of Procharon, Shaheen 

Rahman, managing director, 

Monirul Hassan, director, Bahlul 

Ibn Rahman, assistant general 

manager, Lutfor Rahman, 

manger, operations, Malek Dinar, 

art director, Salma – E – Akhtar, 

assistant brand manager, Adittya 

Barua, brand communication 

executive were present at 

the signing. Max Secure was 

represented by Md Bazlul Haque, 

chairman, Fahad Bin Mahmood, 

managing director and other high 

officials present at the event. • 

Rezaul Karim, CEO & Director, International Office Machines Limited, Takeshi 

Kimura, General Manager, Toshiba TEC Singapore, Philip Wu, Regional Manager, 

Toshiba TEC Singapore, Raymond Phua, Solution Manager, Toshiba TEC Singapore, 

Azhar Ali, Managing Director, International Office Machines Limited, Asma Begum, 

Sr. Marketing Communication Manager, International Office Machines Limited, 

Shahnaz Begum, Sr. Service Manager, International Office Machines Limited 

R ecently, Toshiba TEC Corporation 

and International Office Machines 

Limited have introduced the 

addition of three new e-STUDIO 

series to its multifunction printers 

(MFPs) line. The new MFP lineup 

includes one colour MFP and one 

monochrome series (3 models) all 

of which feature a new platform 

design with the basic body colour 

changed from ivory to modern 

sophisticated black. •

Auto Connect 

19 


DT 

Top five hybrid supercars today 

Under the hood of each lies a vicious engine with concourse torque and state-of-the-art electric 

counterparts; cutting-edge devices that, in some cases, combine for 1,500 hp and a top speed of 

248 mph. Driving the future, these rechargeable racers leave all doubters in the dust 

• Tahsin Momin 

Porsche 918 Spyder 

This is the rarest, fastest, quickest, and most 

ground-breaking Porsche ever produced. 

The hybrid supercar develops nearly 900HP 

from a 4.6-litre V8 gasoline engine and two 

electric motors. They catapult the machine 

- initially in silence, until the V8 kicks in - 

to speeds that are inappropriate for public 

roads. But the extreme performance is not 

the car’s only attribute. In fact, the 918 

Spyder is docile at dawdling speeds, and it 

is as comfortable as any other sports car out 

there. 

Koenigsegg Regera 

Part supercar, part electric vehicle, and 

part robot, the Koenigsegg Regera is a truly 

unique offering in the luxury-car landscape. 

bound to rip a hole through time. Promotion 

in the form of Weeknd and Daft Punk’s hit 

“Starboy” will only help the makers achieve 

such immortality. 

The signature Koenigsegg V8 internal 

combustion engine offers 1,100HP, but the 

car also employs a 700 hp electric system. 

The company claims that the only supercar 

that could be faster around a circuit would 

be another Koenigsegg. 

Ferrari LaFerrari 

This one is the 963HP mid-engine V12 

successor to the Enzo. Why the seemingly 

redundant name? Ferrari’s chairman, Luca 

di Montezemolo, claims the car is the purest 

expression of Ferrari - so giving it a name 

that translates to just “the Ferrari” makes 

sense. 

Made of four different types of carbon 

fibre, the sleek body features butterfly-style 

doors and was designed entirely in-house 

by Ferrari’s chief designer, Flavio Manzoni. 

It is a big departure for Ferrari, which has 

generally relied primarily on Pininfarina for 

all its design work but my God, doesn’t it 

look staggering? 

McLaren P1 

The McLaren P1 is perhaps, the most talkedabout 

supercar in recent times. The P1 is 

the spiritual successor to the once-groundbreaking 

F1, which is already 20 years 

old but is still competitive with modern 

day supercars. It might seem as though 

designers were issued a blank check when 

creating a car like the P1, that they do not 

have to abide by any rules or limits. And 

judging by its looks, this 904HP monster is 

Lamborghini Asterion 

This year, Lamborghini unveiled something 

that took the automotive world by 

surprise - a plug-in hybrid. Officially 

named as “Lamborghini Asterion LPI- 

910-4,” this 910 hp green-eyed monster is 

currently just a preproduction technology 

demonstration but we can certainly expect 

to see something similar in a not-too-distant 

future. The Asterion’s 5.2-litre 610HP midmounted 

V10 engine is paired with three 

electric motors that supplies an additional 

300HP. With this type of power at its 

disposal, Lamborghini claims the Asterion 

can hit 60mph from a standstill in under 3 

seconds and that, it can reach 78mph solely 

on electric power. •

DT 

20 

Editorial 


TODAY 

A tall man from 

Gopalganj and his 

burned dreams 

The poor must be cleaned from prime 

land, the poor must be cleared from the 

footpaths, the poor must be driven out 

from their derelict homes so that the 

rich run Bangladesh can party 

PAGE 21 

Could Mamata be 

the Asterix to BJP 

and the army? 

Early in her tenure as chief minister, she 

told The Washington Post that the CPM 

and Naxalites were planning to kill her 

with the help of the ISI 

PAGE 22 

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU 

A comprehensive housing solution 

The world’s most 

persistent habit 

It’s not exactly a turn on. But you can’t 

stop it from happening. But, at least, 

you can stop it from becoming a legal 

sin 

PAGE 23 

Be heard 

Write to Dhaka Tribune 

FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, 

Shukrabad, Dhaka-1207 

Send us your Op-Ed articles: 

opinion.dt@dhakatribune.com 

www.dhakatribune.com 

Join our Facebook community: 

https://www.facebook.com/ 

DhakaTribune. 

The views expressed in opinion 

articles are those of the authors 

alone and they are not the 

official view of Dhaka Tribune 

or its publisher. 

The recent fire at Korail, which burned down at least 500 houses, 

brings to light the fact that Bangladesh has a slum problem. 

Not only was this the second fire at Korail this year, made worse 

by an incompetent fire brigade, unsafe housing has aggravated the 

situation further. 

Here lies the root of the problem. 

Slums in Dhaka are inhabitable. With dilapidated buildings, lack of proper 

sanitation and waste management, and extremely unhygienic conditions, 

slums like Korail are places no one should have to live in. 

The solution to this problem is low-income public housing. 

These people continue to suffer despite repeated incidents such as these. 

The government needs to come forward and commit to proper public housing 

that caters to the needs of the urban poor. 

It is a crying shame that this solution has not yet been considered seriously. 

The Korail slum-dwellers continue to be victims to the city’s growing need 

for urbanisation and development. The Gulshan-Banani lake, which provided 

cheap commutes for Korail’s inhabitants via rafts, has already been declared 

out of bounds by the authorities. 

What use is growth when the most marginalised sections of our society 

continue to suffer? 

The government’s plans to build a high-tech IT village in the area is a good 

opportunity for them to both develop its plan, and provide Korail’s inhabitants 

with affordable housing. If half of the land was used to build an IT park, a 

developer could easily build affordable housing for the poor in the other half. 

Multi-storied complexes, as opposed to the general one-storied nature of 

slums, can house more people on less land, and are therefore the efficient 

solution. 

The tragedy is that solutions exist, and yet they have been routinely 

ignored. It is high time the government paid heed to the struggle of Dhaka’s 

slum-dwellers and put this solution forward in practice. 

The tragedy is that 

solutions exist, and 

yet they have been 

routinely ignored

Opinion 21 

A tall man from Gopalganj 

and his burned dreams 

Of course, it is the poor who are being evicted and expelled 

DT 


Is this the price of development? 

MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU 

The poor must be cleaned from prime land, the poor must be cleared 

from the footpaths, the poor must be driven out from their derelict 

homes so that the rich run Bangladesh can party without a sense of 

disgust that Gulshan and Korail share such horrific proximity 

• Afsan Chowdhury 

Of all the symbolic scenes 

we could hope to see, 

the fire at the Korail 

slum on December 4 was 

the most appropriate. The war of 

1971 was fought by all, but victory 

belongs to a small band of the 

ruling rich. 

The scene of desperate men, 

women, and children, fleeing the 

flames first and then returning 

to the inferno to save whatever 

they could says it all. This is what 

Bangladesh has become. 

Gulshan had to be saved by all 

means after the terror attack but, 

in this campaign, Korail, abode 

of the urban poor, had to be done 

away with as part of the wider 

anti-poor plan of the municipality. 

The slum was victimised 

and livelihood made extremely 

difficult. Fires, the second time 

in a year, are too frequent to be 

accidental. 

This accusation may not be 

true, but the trend is difficult for 

many to ignore. 

Yes, an IT Park is also planned 

for the area so Korail has to be 

cleared. The government has 

floated several plans but, like all 

GOB plans, it serves the rich and 

when it comes to the poor, they 

generally fail. 

The impotence of the national 

political cluster can be best 

understood by the continuous 

existence of the BGMEA building, 

endorsed by both our PMs. 

It’s illegal, stands in the flood 

plain, and the Supreme Court 

Appellate Division has ordered 

its demise, but it stands with the 

insolence that comes from money 

and power. 

The rich have the power to defy 

the Supreme Court but the slums 

must go in a series of inexplicable 

fires. 

The Korail fire is a symbol of the 

betrayal of the spirit of the 1971 

war. The poor had the largest role 

in it, and it’s the poor who are now 

being evicted and expelled. 

The poor must be cleaned from 

prime land, the poor must be 

cleared from the footpaths, the 

poor must be driven out from their 

derelict homes so that the rich 

run Bangladesh can party without 

a sense of disgust that Gulshan 

and Korail share such horrific 

proximity. 

This may not have been what 

a tall man from Gopalganj had 

imagined a free Bangladesh to be. 

But the tall man now above 

should clean his glasses and see 

the cinders of his dream hidden by 

the shadows of the skyscrapers of 

the hyper rich who encroach, not 

just on land, but on a collective but 

dead dream called Bangladesh. 

It’s only fitting that Korail go up 

in flames as December, the month 

of victory comes, to remind us all 

whose victory December 16 really 

was. • 

Afsan Chowdhury is a journalist and 

researcher.

22 


DT 

Opinion 

Could Mamata Banerjee be the 

Asterix to BJP and the army? 

Didi is a street fighter through and through 

Mamata vs BJP, or Asterix vs the Romans 

• Sandip Roy 

The year is 2016 AD. 

Bharat is almost entirely 

occupied by the Lotus 

Party and with every 

election, more so. Well, not 

entirely … one small corner of 

indomitable Bongs still holds out 

against the Lotus Eaters. And life is 

not easy for the Delhi legionnaires 

who garrison the fortified camps 

of Vidyasagar Setu toll plaza, Palsit 

toll plaza, and Murshidabad toll 

plaza ... 

A few of the Bongs, well, just 

one really. 

Mamata Banerjee, the hero 

of these adventures. A shrewd 

cunning little warrior; all perilous 

missions are immediately 

entrusted to her. She gets her 

superhuman strength from puffed 

rice … 

Mamata Banerjee vs the 

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) 

acquired even more of an “Asterix 

vs the Romans” feel last night, 

when the Trinamool Congress 

(TMC) said the army had been 

stationed at toll plazas in Bengal 

without the state government 

knowing. 

To add to the drama, the chief 

minister stayed overnight at 

Nabanna, the government 

headquarters, tweeting: “Until 

and unless the army stationed 

in front of Nabanno, the Bengal 

state government secretariat, 

is withdrawn, I will be staying 

at my Secretariat to guard our 

democracy.” 

Soon TMC was wondering 

if the centre had imposed a 

“general emergency” along with a 

“financial emergency.” “It is worse 

than an emergency,” declared the 

ever-dramatic chief minister. 

Ordinary people can make little 

sense of it all. And the frontpages 

of newspapers in Kolkata reflect 

that confusion. Still leading with 

demonetisation, the curious case 

BIGSTOCK 

of the army showing up in Kolkata 

was on the front pages, but mostly 

as a second lead. 

“Mamata locks horns with 

army,” says The Telegraph. “CM 

sees red over army ‘surveillance’,” 

says The Times of India. 

“Why is the army at toll plazas? 

Mamata hunkers down till late 

at night at Nabanna,” says the 

Ananda Bazar Patrika. But it’s not 

the stop-the-press above-the-fold 

story. The media reckon that its 

readers, bouncing from empty 

ATM to empty ATM and freaking 

out over rumours about gold 

jewellery raids, have other issues 

on their mind these days than 

threats to federalism. 

Part of the problem is that no 

one is sure what’s going on. The 

army says it’s “routine exercise 

in all NE states” and only about 

checking innocuous parameters 

like “load-bearing capacity.” 

Banerjee has tweeted at @ 

easterncomd saying: “We have 

great respect for you, but please 

please don’t mislead the people.” 

Then she added that more 

army deployment is happening in 

Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar, Howrah, 

Hooghly etc. Observers say what’s 

routine in Nagaland and Mizoram 

is not routine in Bengal, despite 

that tweet from the Eastern 

Command. 

The problem for Banerjee 

is, only a few days before this, 

her party was implying possible 

sinister motivations in the 

technical delay that had her 

IndiGo flight from Patna circling 

in the air. 

That issue caused an outcry in 

parliament recently with several 

opposition leaders, including some 

from sworn enemy Communist 

Party of India (Marxist) backing 

her up. 

Congress leader Mallikarjun 

Kharge said the issue was serious 

as the Bengal chief minister 

was fighting demonetisation. 

The civil aviation minister said 

Early in her tenure as chief minister, she told The Washington Post that 

the CPM and Naxalites were planning to kill her with the help of the 

ISI, and that plot was being financed by North Korea, Venezuela, and 

Hungary. That was in response to a question about overreacting to a 

cartoon about her 

the Directorate General of Civil 

Aviation had ordered an inquiry. 

A TMC source told The Telegraph: 

“Whether there was sabotage or 

not, the conspiracy theory is not 

absurd at all. In any case, it will be 

put to good use to mount pressure 

on the centre in parliament.” 

Banerjee is at her feistiest 

when she sees threats, real and 

imagined, around every corner. 

For example, during the 2014 

assembly election campaign in 

Bengal, Mamata Banerjee checked 

into a hotel in Malda and had to 

escape her room after thick smoke 

engulfed it. Though some said it 

was her air conditioner that had 

short circuited, her aide Mukul 

Roy cried conspiracy and held the 

Election Commission responsible 

since law and order in the state 

was under their control. 

Banerjee too talked about a 

“murder plot” at her next few 

rallies in Malda and Birbhum. 

“Those who do not want the 

state’s welfare have joined hands 

and made an attempt on my life. 

They intended to kill me and pass 

it off as a short-circuit accident. 

It’s easy to call it a short circuit,” 

she told a rally in Naihati. 

Early in her tenure as chief 

minister, she told The Washington 

Post that the CPM and Naxalites 

were planning to kill her with the 

help of the ISI, and that plot was 

being financed by North Korea, 

Venezuela, and Hungary. That was 

in response to a question about 

overreacting to a cartoon about 

her. The latest “emergency” story 

is thus quintessentially Mamata 

Banerjee. 

Didi is a street fighter through 

and through, and at her strongest 

when she is jousting against a Big 

Brother. She is vociferous in claiming 

victimhood and discrimination 

in terms of funds. 

She has done that against the 

United Progressive Alliance and 

the National Democratic Alliance, 

and is now claiming the centre is 

discriminating against her state 

when it comes to cash disbursement. 

The BJP wants to present 

Banerjee’s anger as the 

desperation of a political party 

sitting on ill-gotten gains in cash. 

But Banerjee wants to turn the 

story on its head into one of a big 

bully picking on the little guy. Now 

the army has unfortunately been 

dragged into this tug-o-war. 

But with Banerjee leading 

the opposition charge against 

demonetisation, she hopes 

this story will only add to her 

importance. What happens to 

Bengal today can happen to 

Odisha or Bihar tomorrow. 

The problem for Banerjee is 

that against the backdrop of her 

previous claims, even a serious 

issue of state-centre power 

relations and federalism looks like 

a petty battle of one-upmanship 

and the settling of political scores. 

But here’s the flip side. Just 

because you are paranoid does not 

mean they are not out to get you. • 

Sandip Roy is an Indian journalist. He 

can be contacted on Twitter @sandipr. 

This article previously appeared in 

newslaundry.com.

Opinion 

23 


DT 

The world’s most persistent habit 

Banning porn will get us nowhere 

THE 

WORLD IN 

PARENTHESES 

• SN Rasul 

As we speak, heads are 

turning within this 

government to take away 

that most cherished 

privilege of the modern male: 

Pornography. Before feathers are 

ruffled, let me admit: World, listen! 

Women watch porn too. Just … 

not as much. And not with such 

vigour. 

Generalisations: That great 

argument supporter. And for this 

argument, the hunched figure of 

the young adult male in front of 

his computer screen with eyes 

bulging out of his eyes ogling some 

nude form of a woman improved 

by thousands of dollars’ worth of 

surgery is a generalisation that will 

come in handy. 

We have been that figure, we 

have imagined that figure, we have 

reviled that figure, and we have 

pitied that figure. We have taken 

that figure and turned it into the 

epitome of solitude and shame, 

simultaneously hidden and shown 

it in all its pathetic glory. 

And that figure, lonely, alone, 

frustrated, reaching both a sexual 

and emotional climax, is the very 

reason pornography exists, and 

will continue to exist. Much like 

the world’s oldest profession, this 

will perhaps be the world’s most 

persistent habit. Millions of hands 

joined together in mutual … selfflagellation? 

Or no? 

The government has other 

ideas. Tarana Halim and Co are on 

their way to, at first, recognising 

what these sites are, which contain 

“raw porn.” I have, subsequently, 

tried to decipher the term. Do 

they mean hardcore? Do they 

mean sites which feature only 

pornography and nothing else? 

Do they mean some fetishised 

combination of cuisine and sex? 

Either way, colour me intrigued. 

Is this a good idea? I understand 

that, with religion being an 

issue, whichever one you wish to 

subscribe to, tackling the issue 

of sex is tricky. What to do when 

premarital sex is such a no-no 

in religious canon and there’s 

an entire, multi-billion dollar 

industry built on just that (and 

much worse because … money?) 

and your sons and daughters have 

such easy access to it? 

Won’t their nascent minds give 

in to the hedonistic decadent 

influences of the West, and won’t 

anarchy be the name of the 

game in their supple little minds, 

and won’t their moral codes be 

completely destroyed, and won’t 

teenage orgies (three? four? five? 

More the merrier, we say!) be the 

norm, that it will so inevitably 

become if pornography is allowed 

to take root in this country? 

The simple answer: No. 

Let us assume that these are 

bad things (ie anarchy, orgies, 

hedonism). The kind of freedom 

that allows for these kinds of 

behaviour to fester, let alone 

become the norm, is not the kind 

of freedom that Bangladesh can 

even boast to have. Every guy 

who has had a girl over while his 

parents are out will know the stare 

of that one security guard with the 

slightly orange-tinted beard. 

Our country is not conducive to 

the kind of free-spirited decadence 

that older generations or other 

classes of people might be afraid 

of. 

And take a look at Pakistan: 

Theocratic, oppressive, 

conservative. Also: Boasts as 

being the country with the highest 

number of porn-related searches. 

Also also: One of the 10 worst 

countries when it comes to rape. 

No one is saying that 

pornography prevents rape. But 

what aspect of oppression and 

censorship do people find so 

It’s not exactly a turn on. But you can’t stop it from happening. But, at 

least, you can stop it from becoming a legal sin 

hard to understand? If someone 

from the government showed 

correlations between the banning 

of pornography and reduced 

crime, or happier populaces, or 

more economic growth, anything, 

really, I would gladly concede: You 

go, girl. You have a point. 

But that is not the case. 

Oppression leads to reaction. 

The more sexually repressed 

a populace, the more chances 

of reactionary behaviour such 

as sexual assault and rape. The 

harder it gets to access these sites, 

the easier it is for opportunists to 

provide alternatives to a bulging 

need amongst the populace. 

How will young men learn 

about consent, about mutual 

agreement, when the government 

intervenes and tells them: a) You 

can’t touch this unless you’re 

Is it a crime to be hunched over the computer surfing porn? 

married to this, and b) you can’t 

see this until you’re married to this 

either? 

What happens to the urges? 

What happens to that “growing” 

pain that points upward in shame? 

What happens when, after years 

and years of sexual frustration, a 

young man “bursts”? 

I do not mean to provide 

excuses for rape. Repressive, 

oppressive government or not. 

Understanding these things, 

being open to newness, or the 

very radical idea that women are 

occasionally useful for something 

other than as a sperm receptor, 

can only be brought about through 

education. 

And that education requires 

handling the issue head on. Grab it 

by the tail and yank it. Put it up on 

the big screen. This is sex. We all 

want it, we all have it, do it, have 

weird thoughts about it. In fact, 

most of the time, it’s all that we 

think about. 

Just do it good (also, well, 

but you can be forgiven for not 

keeping up here). Hurt no one. 

Don’t impregnate a teenager. 

No means no. Yes means yes 

sometimes. Be safe. Be kind. Be 

thoughtful. Have fun. Be happy. 

It’s just sex. And when you’re in 

your room all by yourself, imagine, 

without sexualising, billions of 

similar hunched figures doing the 

exact same thing. 

It’s not exactly a turn on. But 

you can’t stop it from happening. 

But, at least, you can stop it from 

becoming a legal sin. • 

SN Rasul is a Sub-Editor at the Dhaka 

Tribune. Follow him @snrasul. 

BIGSTOCK

DT 

24 

Sport 


TOP STORIES 

‘I ask my players to 

play with passion’ 

Dhaka Tribune managed to catch 

up with the former Windies 

captain for an interview where he 

talked about his personal career 

and BPL 4 experience, including 

captaining the side to the last four. 

Here are the excerpts PAGE 25 

Dhaka derby takes 

centre-stage 

Leaders Abahani Limited will take 

on their fiercest arch-rival, the 

struggling Mohammedan Sporting 

Club in the season’s second and 

last Dhaka derby at Sheikh Fazlul 

Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj 

today. PAGE 26 

Rubel replaces 

Shahid for prep camp 

Right-arm fast bowler Rubel 

Hossain has come in place of the 

injured Mohammad Shahid as a 

like-for-like replacement in the 

22-member Bangladesh national 

squad ahead of their preparatory 

camp. PAGE 27 

Nice regain threepoint 

lead 

Nice restored their three-point 

lead at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-0 

win over Toulouse after producing 

another impressive performance 

on Sunday, despite the absence of 

the injured Italian striker Mario 

Balotelli. PAGE 28 

Dhaka Dynamites captain Shakib al Hasan talks with Chittagong Vikings coach Mohammad Salahuddin (L) while Khulna Titans players prepare for training at Sher-e- 

Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur yesterday 

MD MANIK 

BPL 4 final berth at stake as Dhaka, 

Khulna brace for re-match 

• Ali Shahriyar Bappa 

PLAYOFFS LINE-UP 

ELIMINATOR 

Chittagong Vikings v Rajshahi Kings, 

1pm 

QUALIFIER 1 

Dhaka Dynamites v Khulna Titans, 

5:45pm 

Both the games will be held at SBNS, 

Mirpur 

Chittagong Vikings will face Rajshahi 

Kings in today’s Bangladesh 

Premier League Twenty20 

2017-17 season Eliminator in the 

afternoon while table-toppers 

Dhaka Dynamites will take on second-placed 

Khulna Titans in Qualifier 

1 in the evening in Mirpur’s 

Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket 

Stadium. 

Chittagong lost their last two 

round robin matches against Dhaka 

and Rajshahi respectively. The 

star-studded Chittagong team will 

surely want to return to winning 

ways as there will be no second 

opportunity now. 

Chittagong captain Tamim 

Iqbal is in red-hot form and will 

surely try to hold onto the momentum 

in the business stage of 

the competition. 

“I have always tried to contribute 

something. So far it (tournament) 

has been good for me. But 

this is the main stage. This stage’s 

performance will prove more valuable. 

So I will try to perform well. 

But I do not want to give pressure 

to any particular player. I hope 

everyone will play their role well 

to manage a win,” Tamim said. 

Big-hitter Chris Gayle has not 

played according to his merit in 

the tournament so far. But Tamim 

believes there is nothing to be 

worried about and that Gayle will 

play his natural game in the next 

match. 

“Probably he has not played 

well enough but that’s good to 

me. I know if he can play an innings 

like usually he did in the 

past, then he can swing a match 

to a one-sided affair. So from this 

aspect, he did not play that type of 

innings yet, so there is a chance of 

that special innings coming very 

soon,” Tamim explained. 

On the other hand, Rajshahi 

captain Darren Sammy said they 

have not played their best cricket 

but still managed to qualify. But 

the time has come for them to lift 

their game and play some fascinating 

cricket which Rajshahi are 

very much capable of. 

“We are a good team. The 

Kings have the quality to go further. 

I don’t think we have played 

our best cricket yet. In so many 

matches our top-order did not 

click. If we play well in the coming 

matches and execute our plan 

well then we can post challenges 

to any cricket team,” Sammy said. 

Meanwhile, ahead of Qualifier 

1, Dhaka rested key players in 

their last match against Khulna 

on Sunday. But they will try play 

their strongest possible squad today. 

That means West Indies pair 

Dwayne Bravo and Andre Russell 

will return to the squad. 

In contrast, Khulna produced a 

dominant batting display against 

Dhaka to clinch the playoffs spot. 

Captain Mahumudullah will once 

again be their key man with both 

bat and ball. 

Khulna have no big stars in 

their team like the others. But 

still, they have played consistent 

cricket and clinched a playoff 

spot and Khulna coach Stuart Law 

thinks hard work is the reason behind 

their success. 

“It’s great you know, we have 

come in this tournament as an 

underdog, no real superstars. 

Now we have certainly taken big 

scalps on the way. To beat Dhaka 

twice on the way is a great effort. 

Lots of people are saying we have 

been really lucky. But we have 

worked really hard to become 

lucky. And hard work does pay 

off,” Law said. •

Sammy: I ask my players 

to play with passion 

Darren Sammy, the two-time World Twenty20 winning captain of the West Indies, is now 

in Dhaka playing in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League T20’s fourth edition. He is also 

the skipper of Rajshahi Kings. Rajshahi have played well under his leadership and sealed 

their place in the playoffs. Be it with the bat or ball, Sammy has showed his brilliance for 

Rajshahi while his captaincy has also been impressive for his side. He has stood tall on several 

occasions, rescuing his side from sure trouble. Ali Shahriyar Bappa of Dhaka Tribune 

managed to catch up with the former Windies captain for an interview where he talked about 

his personal career and BPL 4 experience, including captaining the side to the last four. 

Here are the excerpts: 

You are a two-time world cup 

winning captain. What is your 

captaincy motto? 

I am quite relaxed as a captain. 

What I ask for is to play with passion. 

I want never-say-die attitude. 

My rule is simple - don’t give up no 

matter what happens. Make sure 

you give everything for the team. I 

do study the opposition. As a captain 

I want to make every single 

player feel that they are important 

in the team. 

You have played in the Caribbean 

Premier League, the Big Bash and 

the Pakistan Super League. How 

do you rate BPL as a tournament? 

BPL has been very exciting and 

competitive this year. I have enjoyed 

it and my team has enjoyed 

it. So I think all the other players 

have enjoyed it too. I think it’s a 

tournament that will grow from 

strength to strength and would 

see young talent of Bangladesh exposed. 

What impact can the BPL have on 

young players? 

Bangladesh have some good talents. 

Sport 25 

Team review: Barisal fade away after good start 

• Ali Shahriyar Bappa 

Barisal Bulls have finished last in 

the points table with only four wins 

out of their 12 games in the ongoing 

fourth edition of the Bangladesh 

Premier League Twenty20. Barisal 

selected Dav Whatmore as their 

coach for the tournament. And the 

experienced Mushfiqur Rahim was 

selected as skipper. Whatmore had 

previously worked as the coach of 

Bangladesh. He has vast knowledge 

regarding Bangladesh cricket. The 

Whatmore-Mushfiqur combination 

initially brought success for Barisal 

but did not last long at the end. 

Barisal started their campaign 

losing to Dhaka Dynamytes on 

November 8. But they came back 

strong winning three matches in a 

row. Their win against Chittgaong 

Vikings perhaps was their performance 

of the tournament. At one 

stage, Chittagong, batting first, 

In this tournament, quite a few local 

players have performed well. 

It’s good for Bangladesh cricket that 

youngsters can share the dressing 

room with players like Kumar Sangakkara 

or Chris Gayle and learn from 

them. You see a 17-year old (Afif 

Hossain) got the debut for Rajshahi 

and achieved best T20 figure. That’s 

the depth of Bangladesh cricket. 

That’s a good thing when you have 

good young players coming through 

from a tournament like the BPL. 

Besides Afif, which other Rajshahi 

players have impressed you the 

most? 

Sabbir [Rahman]. Mominul 

[Haque] is already established. 

He has an average of more than 

40 in Test matches. Young [Mehedi 

Hasan] Miraz with the ball and 

also a very capable batsman. And 

through the different teams, there 

are young players coming through. 

It’s up to Bangladesh to nurture 

those talents. After the BPL, make 

sure they will be looked after, from 

the under-19s to the club level. And 

from a tournament like this, that’s 

what you hope for. 

were 112 for no loss after 12 overs. 

But from that position, Barisal 

fought back brilliantly, restricting 

Chittagong to 163 and eventually 

winning the match by six wickets. 

Opening batsman Dawid Malan 

and No 3 batsman Shahriar Nafees 

formed a 150-run partnership - the 

highest in the tournament so far – 

sealing a win for Barisal at the end. 

But after such a good start, Barisal 

lost their way and suffered 

consecutive defeats in their next 

six matches. It is mainly their bowling 

and fielding which let them 

down. Sloppy fielding in key moments 

cost them in a few matches. 

Barisal won their penultimate 

match of the round robin stage 

against Rajshahi Kings and kept 

alives their slim chances of qualifying 

for the playoffs. But in their 

last match, Barisal lost to Rangpur 

Riders and finished their campaign 

on a low note. 

How can young players benefit 

from a tournament like this? 

The young players can learn from 

the senior guys or international 

players they meet in the dressing 

room. And for us, the overseas 

players, we want to leave an 

impact in this tournament. Yes, 

sometimes it’s all about winning 

the cup, but more importantly, if 

you could have an impact in young 

players by passing the knowledge 

of the game, it will always be a 

good thing. 

Who is your favorite cricketer? 

Brian Lara. 

What are the best things that you 

have witnessed about Bangladesh 

cricket? 

It’s the people here. They are very 

friendly. And the crowds are very 

passionate during the match. 

What is the biggest challenge of 

your career? 

I think taking over the West Indies 

cricket captaincy was the biggest 

challenge so far in my career. • 

Local players 

Mushfiq was the best Barisal batsman 

throughout the tournament, 

scoring 341 runs with an average 

of 37.88 and strike rate of 134.78. 

Shahriar also played brilliantly in 

the first phase but later lost his 

form. In the process, Barisal’s batting 

struggled a bit as the team were 

over-reliant on Mushfiq. Shahriar 

scored 292 runs in 12 matches. 

Apart from Mushfiq and Shahriar, 

no other local batsmen, including 

Nadif Chowdhury and opener 

Shamsur Rahman, played well. 

Amid high expectations, Barisal 

picked young pacer Abu Haider 

Rony in the players draft’. Rony 

was arguably the best bowler for 

Comilla Victorians last year, helping 

his side to clinch the title with 

his death-over bowling. But Rony 

has failed to repeat his heroics and 

was unable to produce any significant 

performance. The tall left-arm 

paceman played seven matches 

for Barisal and picked up only four 

wickets with an average of 53.45. 

Another pacer Al Amin Hossian 

also failed to rise to the occasion 

and gave birth to controversies 

with his off-field activities. The 

right-arm pacer picked five wickets 

from as many matches. Only Taijul 

Islam performed notably with his 

left-arm, taking 12 wickets. 

Foreign players 

English batsman Malan played 

some good knocks and finished the 

tournament with 240 runs with an 

average of 30. Sri Lankan all-rounder 

Thisara Perera scored 163 runs in 

his 11 innings and picked up nine 

wickets. Barisal expected a little 

bit more from the Lankan with the 

bat as he is known for his big-hitting 

ability. West Indies all-rounder 

Rayad Emrit took nine wickets 

from as many matches. Lankan 

DT 


MD MANIK 

pair Jeevan MEndis and Dilshan 

Munaweera did not perform according 

to expectations with the 

former scoring 146 runs from eight 

matches and the latter making 44 

runs in six matches. • 

BATTING 

Inns Runs HS Ave SR 

Mushfiq 12 341 81* 37.8 134.78 

Nafees 12 292 65 29.2 108.14 

Malan 9 240 78* 30.0 133.33 

Perera 11 163 34* 27.1 131.45 

Mendis 8 146 57 18.2 108.14 

BOWLING 

Player Inns Wkts BBI Ave Econ 

Taijul 12 10 3/18 27.60 6.41 

Emrit 9 9 3/27 29.00 7.90 

Perera 10 9 2/26 29.22 8.48 

Kamrul 8 7 2/29 24.85 7.90 

Al-Amin 5 5 3/35 33.40 9.27

DT 

26 


Sport 

Dhaka derby takes centre-stage 

• Tribune Report 

Leaders Abahani Limited will take 

on their fiercest arch-rival, the 

struggling Mohammedan Sporting 

Club in the season’s second and 

last Dhaka derby at Sheikh Fazlul 

Haque Moni Stadium in Gopalganj 

today. 

Abahani are enjoying one of 

their finest seasons in recent times. 

The Sky Blues are close to lifting 

their fifth professional league title 

and with only four rounds left, today’s 

derby against the Black and 

Whites could prove to be crucial in 

their bid to end the premier league 

trophy drought. 

Mohammedan, who failed to 

win any league title in the last decade, 

have been going through one 

of their most awful seasons recently, 

struggling at the bottom half of 

the points table. They were completely 

outplayed by the Sky Blues 

in the first phase, conceding a 3-0 

thrashing. 

Abahani’s Austro-Hungarian 

coach George Kottan has only one 

realistic competitor left in the title 

race heading into final stretch 

of the league. Chittagong Abahani 

are second but if Abahani continue 

their winning streak against Mohammedan, 

they will move five 

points clear of their namesake with 

four matches to go. 

The rivalry between the two traditional 

clubs has somewhat lost its 

glory and has been failing to attract 

crowd like before. The current circumstances, 

including the players’ 

quality and squad strength, have 

enabled Abahani to outclass their rival 

more often than not in the recent 

past. The current gap between the 

two clubs in the points table is 22. 

Nigerian striker Sunday Chizoba 

has been in terrific form, slamming 

18 goals so far in the league, 

four more than anyone else. But 

Abahani’s best performer throughout 

the season is unarguably their 

new-signing, English midfielder 

Lee Andrew Tuck. Both scored 

against Mohammedan in the first 

phase two and a half months ago. 

Abahani also have the most number 

of representatives in the national 

team while Mohammedan’s 

squad is a bit weak compared to the 

previous seasons, with no players 

featuring for Bangladesh. 

The two sides have faced each 

other 18 times in professional league 

history with Abahani winning six 

times and Mohammedan turning 

out victorious in four with eight encounters 

ending in a draw. Mohammedan 

only tasted their first win in 

five matches the last time they featured 

in the top-flight a couple of 

days ago while Abahani are the only 

side remaining in the 12-team league 

who are still unbeaten. 

Currently, Abahani have 39 

points from 17 matches while the 

port city outfit are only two points 

behind having played a game more. 

Mohammedan, on the other 

hand, are placed 10th with only 17 

points from as many matches. 

This will be the first time in the 

history of the league that Abahani 

and Mohammedan will play each 

other in Gopalganj. 

Baishakhi TV will telecast the 

match live at 3pm. • 

5 KEY MOMENTS FROM BPL’S 3RD PHASE IN DHAKA 

• Mazhar Uddin 

When the second and penultimate 

phase of the Bangladesh Premier 

League Twenty20’s fourth edition 

came to an end in Chittagong, the 

Dhaka fans were eagerly waiting for 

the third and final phase – the business 

stage of the competition. 

And, the franchises and players did 

not disappoint, playing some high-octane 

cricket to capture the imagination 

of the supporters. 

Dhaka Tribune takes a look back at 

the five most talked about incidents 

from the third phase, held in Dhaka’s 

Mirpur Sher-e-Bangla National 

Stadium. 

Sabbir-Shahzad fight 

The intense battle between Rajshahi 

Kings’ Sabbir Rahman and Rangpur 

Riders’ Afghanistan cricketer Mohammad 

Shahzad is one of the most talked 

about moments of the Dhaka phase. 

During Rajshahi’s innings, Sabbir and 

Shahzad got engaged in a heated conversation 

and the on-field umpire had to 

intervene. The situation turned ugly at 

one stage when Rangpur came to chase 

their target. Shahzad poked Sabbir with 

his bat while heading towards the dressing 

room after being dismissed. Replays 

showed that there was definite contact, 

following which Sabbir crouched down 

for a few minutes as the rest of the team 

celebrated Shahzad’s wicket. Sabbir was 

running past Shahzad when the bat was 

extended. The Rajshahi players walked 

towards the Rangpur dressing-room 

while Shahzad was making his way to 

the dressing room. Shahzad briefly 

turned around before slowly entering 

the dressing room. It was no surprise 

therefore when both the players were 

penalised after the incident. Shahzad 

was initially suspended for two games 

and fined 30 percent of his match fee. 

The franchise duly pleaded guilty and as 

a result, Shahzad’s suspension was reduced 

by half. Sabbir on the other hand 

was fined 30 percent of his match fee as 

both the players admitted their guilt. 

Afif’s five-for 

Prior to Saturday’s match between 

Chittagong Vikings and Rajshahi 

in Mirpur’s Sher-e-Bangla National 

Stadium, hardly anyone had heard of 

Afif Hossain, the 17-year old cricketer 

from Khulna. The young off-spinner 

displayed sheer brilliance, eventually 

ending up with magical bowling figure 

of 5/21 from his four overs. In the 

process, the youngster created a host 

of records, including registering the 

best bowling figure in the ongoing BPL 

4. What’s more, he is the youngest 

cricketer in T20 history to bag five 

wickets, surpassing Pakistan’s Ziaul 

Haque. Afif, a former student of BKSP 

and currently the vice-captain of the 

Bangladesh under-19 team, is chiefly 

a left-handed batsman with the 

reputation of being a hard-hitter. The 

youngster picked up the huge wicket 

of West Indies hard hitter Chris Gayle 

as he helped Rajshahi to reach the 

playoffs. He is undoubtedly a bright 

prospect of Bangladesh cricket. 

Tamim’s brilliant form 

Dashing opening batsman Tamim Iqbal 

has been in terrific touch throughout 

the tournament. Tamim guided 

Chittagong more often than not and 

it was largely because of their skipper 

that the port city outfit made it to the 

playoffs. The 27-year old smashed 

five fifties, including three in the 

Dhaka phase, and is now the leading 

run-scorer of the competition with 

425 runs in 12 games at an average of 

42.50. Despite the presence of Gayle, 

the in-form Afghan all-rounder Mohammad 

Nabi and Pakistan’s Shoiab 

Malik in the line-up, Tamim has led 

from the front and inspired his side to 

gain some much needed momentum 

after struggling at the beginning. Yet 

again, Chittaging will bank on their 

captain consistent when they take on 

Rajshahi King in the do-or-die Eliminator 

today. 

Gayle-Afridi battle 

It was a full house at the home of 

cricket in Mirpur during the evening 

match between Rangpur and Chittagong. 

One of the reasons behind the 

gathering of the packed crowd might 

have been due to the clash between 

the two biggest hitters of world cricket 

– Shahid Afridi and Gayle. Afridi is playing 

for Rangpur while Gayle is featuring 

for Chittagong. The mouthwatering 

battle was initiated when Gayle hit two 

huge sixes off Afridi. Afridi though had 

the last laugh as he dismissed Gayle off 

the very next ball. Gayle tried to hit his 

third six in a row only to top-edge the 

delivery onto the hands of Anwar Ali at 

short mid-wicket. 

Disappointing Comilla 

There were a lot of expectations 

on defending champions Comilla 

Victorians, who were looking to 

defend their title under the captaincy 

of Mashrafe bin Mortaza. However, 

the holders gave a poor account of 

themselves, having failed to settle 

on their playing XI throughout the 

competition. They began the Dhaka 

phase with four straight losses before 

moving to Chittagong for the second 

phase where they lost two and won 

one. They began the third and final 

phase in Dhaka with a loss but ended 

their campaign on a high, registering 

four wins in a row. No doubt the 

Comilla fans, team management, 

owners, and the players themselves, 

will eye a much better campaign in 

the fifth edition. • 

MOST RUNS 

Player Inns Runs HS Ave SR 50 4s 6s 

Tamim (Chittagong) 12 425 75 42.50 116.43 5 47 11 

Mahmudullah (Khulna) 12 369 62 36.90 122.59 2 28 14 

Shahzad (Rangpur) 11 350 80* 38.88 110.06 2 36 11 

Mushfiqur (Barisal) 12 341 81* 37.88 134.78 2 25 10 

MN Samuels (Comilla) 8 334 69* 66.80 116.78 3 27 10 

MOST WICKETS 

Player Inns Overs Wkts BBI Ave Econ SR 4 

Nabi (Chittagong) 12 41.0 18 4/24 14.16 6.21 13.6 1 

Shafiul Islam (Khulna) 11 41.3 18 4/17 18.05 7.83 13.8 2 

Afridi (Rangpur) 11 40.0 17 4/12 14.94 6.35 14.1 1 

DJ Bravo (Dhaka) 11 39.0 17 3/27 17.94 7.82 13.7 0 

Junaid Khan (Khulna) 12 44.4 16 4/23 17.00 6.08 16.7 1 

POINTS TABLE 

TEAMS M W L PTS 

Dhaka 12 8 4 16 

Khulna 12 7 5 14 

Chittagong 12 6 6 12 

Rajshahi 12 6 6 12 

Rangpur 12 6 6 12 

Comilla 12 5 7 10 

Barisal 12 4 8 8

Sport 27 

DT 


QUICK BYTES 

Victory Day 

T20 begins in 

Munshiganj 

The Victory Day Twenty20, 

organised by Munshiganj Zila Krira 

Sangstha, got underway yesterday 

with the home side, Sadar Upazila, 

defeating Tongibari Upazila XI by 

19 runs. Sunny of Munshiganj Sadar 

Upazila was adjudged player of the 

match. A total of six teams are taking 

part in the tournament, inaugurated 

by Dhaka divisional commissioner 

Helal Uddin Ahmed. Shaila Farzana, 

Munshiganj district commissioner, 

was the special guest on the opening 

day of the tournament. 

TRIBUNE REPORT 

Saif Sporting, T&T 

Club share spoils 

The second phase of the Marcel 

Bangladesh Championship League 

kicked off with leaders Saif Sporting 

Club and Motijheel’s T&T Club playing 

out a 1-1 draw at Bangabandhu 

National Stadium yesterday. Milon 

Barman gave T&T Club the breakthrough 

in the 18th minute before 

Matin Mia equalised the margin four 

minutes later. This Saif Sporting’s 

first season in the second tier after 

being formed earlier this year. They 

finished the first phase jointly at the 

top of the points table alongside Fakirapool 

Young Men’s Club but with 

their point yesterday, they now have 

the solo lead with 14 points. T&T Club 

remained second bottom with six 

points from eight matches. 

TRIBUNE REPORT 

DAY’S WATCH 

CRICKET 

SONY SIX 

Bangladesh Premier League 

1:00PM 

Eliminator 

Rajshahi Kings v Chittagong Vikings 

5:45PM 

Qualifier 1 

Dhaka Dynamites v Khulna Titans 

STAR SPORTS 2 

9:15AM 

New Zealand Tour of Australia 

2nd ODI 

FOOTBALL 

TEN 1 

1:45AM 

UEFA Champions League 

Manchester City v Celtic 

TEN 2 

7:00PM 

UEFA Youth League 

Manchester City v Celtic FC 

1:45AM 


Basel v Arsenal 

TEN 3 

1:45AM 


Barcelona v Mgladbach 

Roma’s midfielder from Belgium Radja Nainggolan (L) controls the ball before scoring against Lazio during their Italian Serie A 

match at the Olympic stadium in Rome on Sunday 

AFP 

Rubel replaces Shahid for 

preparatory camp 


Fast bowler Rubel Hossain has come in 

place of the injured Mohammad Shahid as a 

like-for-like replacement in the 22-member 

Bangladesh squad ahead of their preparatory 

camp. 

Shahid injured his right knee while fielding 

in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier 

League Twenty20’s fourth edition for Dhaka 

Dynamites against Comilla Victorians on 

November 26. 

He was replaced by Rubel who was left 

out from the Tigers’ latest squad in the bilateral 

home series against England after a 

disappointing performance in the Afghanistan 

ODIs. 

However, Rubel came into contention as 

he is currently enjoying a good time with the 

leather in BPL 4 for Rangpur Riders, picking 

up 15 wickets in 12 matches at an average of 

21.06. 

The 22 members of the Bangladesh 

squad will travel to Sydney, Australia in two 

groups this Friday and Saturday. There, they 

will train for a week before flying off to New 

Zealand on December 18. 

Squad 

Mashrafe bin Mortaza, Tamim Iqbal, Shakib 

al Hasan, Mushfiqur Rahim, Mahmudullah, 

Imrul Kayes, Mominul Haque, Sabbir Rahman, 

Soumya Sarkar, Mosaddek Hossain, 

Nurul Hasan, Mehedi Hasan Miraz, Shuvagata 

Hom, Nazmul Hossain Shanto, Taijul 

Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Taskin Ahmed, 

Shafiul Islam, Shubasish Roy, Rubel Hossain, 

Ebadat Hossain and Tanvir Haider 

Standby 

Shahriar Nafees, Abdul Mazid, Liton Kumar 

Das, Mosharraf Hossain, Kamrul Islam Rabbi, 

Al Amin Hossain, Alauddin Babu and Nasir 

Hossain. • 

Roma down 

Lazio in derby 

• AFP, Milan 

Second-half goals from Kevin Strootman 

and Radja Nainggolan 

kept the local bragging rights with 

Roma for the fourth year running 

thanks to a controversial 2-0 derby 

win at Lazio on Sunday. 

With only one point separating 

the sides, the biggest “Derby della 

Capitale” in years was played out 

in a half-empty stadium as Roma’s 

hardline ultras continued to protest 

strict security measures. 

But after a contentious first half, 

Roma made light of their relative 

lack of support with an improved 

second-half performance that saw 

Strootman then Nainggolan strike 

within 13 minutes of each other. • 

SERIE A 

AC Milan 2-1 Crotone 

Pasalic 41, Lapadula 86 Falcinelli 26 

Lazio 0-2 Roma 

Strootman 64, Nainggolan 77 

Pescara 1-1 Cagliari 

Caprari 90+2 Borriello 24 

Sampdoria 2-0 Torino 

Barreto 51, Schick 90+5 

Sassuolo 3-0 Empoli 

Pellegrini 22-P, Ricci 36-P, Ragusa 53 

Fiorentina 2-1 Palermo 

Bernardeschi 33-P, Jajalo 49 

Babacar 90+3 

POINTS TABLE 

Team P W D L GD Pts 

Juventus 15 12 0 3 19 36 

Roma 15 10 2 3 19 32 

AC Milan 15 10 2 3 8 32 

Napoli 15 8 4 3 12 28 

Lazio 15 8 4 3 11 28 

Rahmatganj held by 

Feni Soccer 


Rahmatganj MFS continued to lose points in the Bangladesh 

Premier League as they were held by Feni Soccer 

Club 1-1 in the last match at the Gopalganj venue - Sheikh 

Fazlul Haque Moni Stadium – yesterday. 

Following a barren opening half, Didarul Alam put the 

Old Dhaka outfit ahead 10 minutes into the second half. 

The delight however, didn’t last long as Nigerian midfielder 

Uche Felix cancelled out the lead six minutes later. 

Despite no wins in four matches, Rahmatganj remained 

fourth in the points table with 27 points from 18 matches 

while the point did the Feni outfit a huge favour in their 

fight to avoid relegation. With 14 points, Feni moved 

up a place to 11th from the bottom of the table, having 

played the same number of matches as Rahmatganj. Uttar 

Baridhara also have the same number of points but an inferior 

goal-difference means they are bottom. 

Rahmatganj surprised every club in the league when 

they finished the first phase at the top of the table. But 

Kamal Babu’s side have failed to carry on their consistent 

run in the second phase. They won six out of 11 matches 

in the first phase but managed only one victory in seven 

games in the second phase. •

DT 

28 


Nice regain 

three-point lead 

• Reuters, Paris 

Nice restored their three-point lead 

at the top of Ligue 1 with a 3-0 win 

over Toulouse after producing another 

impressive performance on 

Sunday. 

Despite the absence of the injured 

Mario Balotelli, the hosts 

scored twice in quick succession in 

the first half through Alassane Plea 

and Younes Belhanda before Jean 

Michel Seri put the result beyond 

doubt after the break. 

Nice have 39 points from 16 

games, three ahead of free-scoring 

Monaco who hammered Bastia 5-0 

on Saturday. 

Champions Paris St Germain are 

four points off the pace after losing 

3-0 at Montpellier on Saturday, 

their first defeat by three goals in 

more than five years. PSG host Nice 

next Sunday. 

Olympique Lyonnais slipped to 

sixth on 25 points after their game 

at Metz was abandoned on Saturday 

when firecrackers were thrown 

at visiting keeper Anthony Lopes. 

Toulouse are eighth on 22 

points, one ahead of 10th-placed 

Olympique de Marseille. • 

Sport 

Napoli, Benfica, Besiktas battle for last 16 slots 

• AFP, Paris 

As Paris Saint-Germain joust with 

Arsenal for top spot in their group, 

Napoli, Benfica and Besiktas will 

battle it out today for last 16 Champions 

League slots. 

The Group B trio all have 

everything to play for in their final 

pool games as the only one of the 

eight first phase groups where no 

side has yet secured a berth. 

Portugal’s Benfica, European 

champions back in 1961 and 1962 

in their halcyon days but who have 

underachieved since, should have 

secured their passage on matchday 

five but threw away a three-goal 

lead at Besiktas. 

That Turkish comeback, rekindling 

memories of Liverpool’s historic 

2005 Istanbul triumph, has 

left the group outcome on a knifeedge 

with Besiktas knowing that 

a win at eliminated Dynamo Kiev 

FIXTURES 

GROUP A 

Basel v Arsenal 

Paris SG v Ludogorets 

GROUP B 

Benfica v Napoli 

Dynamo Kiev v Besiktas 

GROUP C 

Man City v Celtic 

Barcelona v M’gladbach 

GROUP D 

Bayern Munich v Atletico Madrid 

PSV Eindhoven v Rostov 

will send them through. 

In contrast, the final round of 

games pits Benfica against a Napoli 

side who beat them 4-2 back on 

matchday two in Italy - while Besiktas 

were dropping home points 

against Kiev. 

The Turkish side’s subsequent 

win in Italy threw the group wide 

open and the 14-time national 

champions’ refusal to surrender 

against Benfica means they now 

fancy their chances. 

Besiktas will hope that their best 

previous showing - a 1987 European 

Cup quarter-final appearance 

- will not prove a poor omen. Back 

then, they lost 7-0 on aggregate - to 

Kiev. The winner of Benfica-Napoli 

in Lisbon will qualify as group 

winners, while a draw would be 

enough to send the latter through 

given their head-to-head edge. If 

Besiktas lose, both will progress 

regardless. 

Whereas Benfica warmed up for 

the game by losing their unbeaten 

record in Portugal in slumping to 

unheralded Maritimo at the weekend, 

Napoli broke back into the top 

four in Serie A when Slovakia midfielder 

Marek Hamsik moved to 

within 11 goals of Diego Maradona’s 

record haul of 115 goals for the club 

after scoring in Friday’s 3-0 romp 

over Inter Milan. 

Beyond the tightest group of the 

season, the final round of games 

is all about securing pole position 

and a theoretically softer second 

round draw. 

It’s been tight at the top 

throughout in Group A where there 

is nothing to choose between Arsenal 

and PSG, both through and level 

on points ahead of final games 

at Basel and home to Ludogorets, 

both winless makeweights. 

Atletico Madrid won Group D 

by a distance and are the only club 

in the competition with a perfect 

record as they prepare to do the 

double over runners-up Bayern 

Munich. 

Rostov will look to avoid defeat 

at PSV Eindhoven and see their adventures 

carry on albeit in the Europa 

League. • 

LIGUE 1 

Rennes 2-0 Saint-Etienne 

Ntep 54, Grosicki 90+2 

Marseille 3-0 Nancy 

Thauvin 46, Gomis 80, Njie 90+3 

Nice 3-0 Toulouse 

Plea 23, Belhanda 26, Seri 65 

POINTS TABLE 

Team P W D L GD Pts 

Nice 16 12 3 1 20 39 

Monaco 16 11 3 2 33 36 

Paris SG 16 11 2 3 19 35 

Rennes 16 8 3 5 -1 27 

Guingamp 16 7 5 4 6 26 

Bayern Munich’s Philipp Lahm, Jerome Boateng, Robert Lewandowski, Holger Badstuber, Arjen Robben and Mats Hummels (L-R) warm up during a training session in 

Munich, Germany ahead of their UEFA Champions League Group D match against Atletico Madrid today 

REUTERS 

FIVE THINGS WE LEARNED FROM THE PREMIER LEAGUE GAMEWEEK 14 

Man City need to regain 

composure 

It is saying something when the 

calmest person in the vicinity of a 

touchline shoving match is Diego 

Costa, but that was the situation 

Manchester City found themselves 

in at the end of their ill-tempered 

3-1 home defeat by Chelsea. City 

dominated the game, took the lead 

and might have had three penalties, 

but Chelsea’s clinical counter-attacking 

- and a healthy dose of good fortune 

- ensured it was Antonio Conte’s side 

who prevailed, safeguarding their 

position at the league summit. City’s 

frustrations told in stoppage time 

when Sergio Aguero’s brainless lunge 

on David Luiz and Fernandinho’s 

angry shove on Cesc Fabregas earned 

both players red cards that will keep 

them out for four and three games 

respectively, obliging the fiery 

Costa to assume the unfamiliar role 

of peacemaker. City manager Pep 

Guardiola apologised for his side’s 

behaviour and most now make sure 

his players get the defeat - and the 

nervous tension it engendered - out of 

their systems as quickly as possible. 

Liverpool tripped up by Achilles 

heel 

If ever a game highlighted Liverpool’s 

Achilles heel is their defence and endangers 

their title hopes this one will be 

it. Credit to substitute Ryan Fraser and 

his Bournemouth team-mates for the 

gutsy fightback but an absent left-back 

in James Milner twice allowed them 

to get behind the defence and led to 

goals. The positive is that even without 

Philippe Coutinho Liverpool are as 

entertaining and ruthless up front 

though Reds boss Jurgen Klopp may 

rue taking Sadio Mane off as early as he 

did after his team conceded three goals 

in the last 14 minutes of their stunning 

4-3 defeat. 

Sanchez swaggers for stylish 

Gunners 

When Alexis Sanchez posed for a 

selfie with a group of ball-boys after his 

hat-trick in Arsenal’s 5-1 win at West 

Ham on Saturday, it was the closest 

anyone connected to the Hammers had 

managed to get to the Chile forward all 

evening. Sanchez was at his majestic 

best with a 14-minute treble in the 

second half, leaving West Ham boss 

Slaven Bilic to admit he felt humiliated. 

The former Barcelona star underlined 

his value to Arsenal by setting up Mesut 

Ozil’s opener in opportunistic style, 

then scored in the 72nd, 80th and 

86th minute, the last of the hat-trick a 

fittingly show-stopping number as he 

deftly clipped the ball over West Ham 

goalkeeper Darren Randolph. 

Fellaini blunder adds to Mourinho 

woe 

Just when Jose Mourinho must have 

thought Manchester United’s luck was 

turning for the better, the Old Trafford 

chief was undone by his decision to 

turn to the error-prone Marouane 

Fellaini in Sunday’s 1-1 draw at Everton. 

United had taken a first half lead 

through Zlatan Ibrahimovic when the 

Swede punished a mistake by Everton 

goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg 

and enjoyed more good fortune when 

Marcos Rojo escaped a red card for a 

terrible tackle. Yet United were still 

frustrated in the 89th minute when 

Fellaini, who had only just been sent on 

by Mourinho, gave away the penalty 

that Leighton Baines converted to 

rescue a point. 

Leicester headed in wrong 

direction 

A ‘relegation six-pointer’ for the 

champions this early in the season is 

worrying indeed and losing 2-1 to a 

Sunderland side that takes the ordinary 

out of extraordinary makes Leicester 

look like they have returned to the 

strugglers of old. The Foxes have made 

the worst start to a season of any 

Premier League champion with only 13 

points from a possible 42 and are just 

two points above the drop zone. The 

problems run deep from Jamie Vardy’s 

goal drought to Riyad Mahrez being 

totally out of sorts and new players 

such as Ahmed Musa taking a long time 

to settle. •

Downtime 

29 


DT 

CROSSWORD 

CODE-CRACKER 

ACROSS 

1 Male sheep (3) 

3 Daybreak (4) 

6 Summit (4) 

7 Wager (3) 

9 Young horse (4) 

10 Lyric poem (3) 

11 Uncommon (4) 

13 Letting contract (5) 

16 Niggard (5) 

18 Small arachnid (4) 

19 Ovum (3) 

20 Partly open (4) 

21 Make brown (3) 

23 Undulation (4) 

24 Pay attention (4) 

25 Unwell (3) 

DOWN 

1 Insurgent (5) 

2 Tool (3) 

4 Drug-yielding plant (4) 

5 No score (3) 

6 Fragrance (5) 

8 Characteristic (5) 

9 Gratis (4) 

12 Advantage (5) 

14 Eastern ruler (4) 

15 Row (5) 

17 Of the kidneys (5) 

18 Labyrinth (4) 

20 Tree (3) 

22 Boring tool (3) 

How to solve: Each number in our 

CODE-CRACKER grid represents a 

different letter of the alphabet. For 

example, today 4 represents A so fill A 

every time the figure 4 appears. 

You have two letters in the control 

grid to start you off. Enter them in the 

appropriate squares in the main grid, 

then use your knowledge of words to 

work out which letters go in the missing 

squares. 

Some letters of the alphabet may not 

be used. 

As you get the letters, fill in the other 

squares with the same number in the 

main grid, and the control grid. Check 

off the list of alphabetical letters as you 

identify them. 

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ 

CALVIN AND HOBBES 

SUDOKU 

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the 

numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must 

contain all nine digits with no number repeating. 

PEANUTS 

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS 

CODE-CRACKER 

CROSSWORD 

DILBERT 

SUDOKU

30 


DT 

Showtime 

The Poison Thorn flies to Ukraine 

• Showtime Desk 

Bangladeshi documentary film, 

Bishkanta (The Poison Thorn), 

based on the 1971 rape survivors 

has been invited to participate at 

the Equality Film Festival, taking 

place from December 8-11 in Kiev, 

Ukraine. The festival program 

includes screenings of feature and 

documentary films, not previously 

presented in Ukraine. 

The Equality festival has been 

established as the platform where 

culture, creativity and social 

activism can meet and connect 

in a variety of combinations. It is 

an annual event in the Ukraine, 

that can unite diverse people in 

their fight against prejudice and 

discrimination. 

The film is directed by Farzana 

Boby and produced by Rubaiyat 

Hossain, and revolves around the 

narratives of three rape survivors 

of the Liberation War of 1971. Their 

voices have been resurrected from 

the agony of silence. This film 

portrays how the pain and stigma 

of rape kept haunting them long 

after liberation, even though the 

war had ended, and another one 

had begun in their personal lives. 

Women who fought and survived 

rape, are still struggling to gain a 

respectable existence in society. 

They are Birangonas – war heroines 

– yet they have to fight everyday 

for social approval. Ranjita Mandal 

blames patriarchy; Halima Khatun 

accuses the state, Rama Choudhury 

negates the idea of violence. They 

speak to break a silence after forty 

three years, and through their 

voices, a new part of our history 

and identity comes into light. 

Bishkanta (The Poison Thorn) is 

a production of Khona Talkies. • 

Kaif – Sharma duo 

DW started broadcasting in highdefinition 

in Bangladesh 


After Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer 

Singh and Mira Rajput and Shahid 

Kapoor‘s fantastic episode, Karan 

Johar is now at fire with his show 

Koffee With Karan. Now, he is ready 

to rock again, with two leading 

ladies of Bollywood, who are 

none other than Katrina Kaif and 

Anushka Sharma. 

The two actresses reportedly 

bonded well during the making 

of Jab Tak Hai Jaan. They are also 

very close to Dharma Productions 

as well. So it was quite obvious to 

Starting from December 1, 

audiences across Asia can tune 

in to English-language television 

from Deutsche Welle (DW) in 

crystal-clear high definition 

(HD) quality. The HD channel 

will run parallel to DW’s 

standard definition (SD) channel. 

Tobias Grote-Beverborg, DW 

Distribution Executive South 

Asia, unveiled Deutsche Welle 

HD for Asian viewers at Hotel 


have them together, on the show 

with Karan anyday. Katrina Kaif 

and Anushka Sharma are all set to 

be guests on the show. Still no one 

has forgotten the explosive Deepika 

Padukone and Sonam Kapoor 

episode. It’s definitely time to get 

another episode, that is high on 

female energy, full of fun and fire, 

with Karan once again. • 

Tobias Grote-Beverborg, DW Distribution Executive South Asia unveils Deutsche Welle HD for Asian viewers at Hotel 

Westin in Capital. He has been the Distribution Executive for South Asia since May 2009. Before handling the distribution 

in South Asia, he was the Chief-Duty-Editor for Deutsche Welle’s services in Asia. There, he was in charge of Deutsche 

Welle’s content in Bengali, Hindi, Urdu and English. 

Westin in the capital, recently. 

The DW HD channel will 

include the same schedule of 

quality programming on the 

same Asia Sat 7 satellite, with 

a new frequency, and will be 

unencrypted (free-to-air). The 

former SD channel will continue 

to be broadcast as before. 

At the opening ceremony, 

Beverborg said, “DW continues 

to deliver the best experience for 

our audience in Bangladesh and 

HD is an essential part of this.” 

The move to HD is a big part of 

DW’s new strategy to increase its 

presence in Bangladesh and, to 

expand its audience. 

Deutsche Welle (DW) is 

Germany’s international 

broadcaster and a trusted source 

of reliable, news and information, 

with content in 30 languages. The 

flagship channel DW provides 

analysis and insights to viewers 

around the globe, reporting on 

important issues in English 24/7. 

With continuous news, special 

features, and talk shows covering 

everything from business, science 

and politics to culture and sports, 

DW brings people closer to what 

matters most – made in Germany, 

made for minds. •

Showtime 

Shabana Azmi visits Dhaka 

31 


WHAT TO WATCH 

DT 


Veteran Indian actress Shabana 

Azmi, recently visited Dhaka to 

take part in a private university 

graduation ceremony. The five 

times Indian National Film 

Awards winner joined the 11th 

Convocation of Brac University, 

held on December 5, in the capital. 

In the graduation ceremony, 

the legendary actress delivered 

a speech to the recent graduates. 

The actress said in her speech that, 

“One can not measure success by 

comparing only job and payment. 

Anyone can have as much money 

as he/she wants. However, to what 

extent you are successful in life 

could only be measured in a way 

that what citizen you are to the 

world. A physician can sing, write 

or paint as well which represents 

his/her personality. An example 

of success is how you involve 

creativity in the world.” 

In the ceremony, Azmi recited a 

poem of her father Kaifi Azmi, an 

Indian Urdu poet who will always 

be remembered for bringing 

Urdu literature to Indian motion 

pictures. 

“I always count on the younger 

generation. All you have to do is 

think about your dreams and how 

you wish to see the world in your 

dreams. And from now on work 

accordingly your dreams,” she 

added. 

Azmi, a social and women’s 

rights activist and a governing 

body member of Brac 

International, attended the 

convocation in that connection. • 

Real Steel 

Star Movies 9:30pm 

In the near future, robot 

boxing is a top sport. A 

struggling promoter feels 

he’s found a champion in a 

discarded robot. 

Cast: Hugh Jackman, 

Evangeline Lilly, Dakota 

Goyo 

Mission: Impossible – Rogue 

Nation 

HBO 9:30pm 

Ethan and team take on their 

most impossible mission yet, 

eradicating the Syndicate 

- an International rogue 

organization as highly skilled 

as they are, committed to 

destroying the IMF. 

Cast: Tom Cruise, Rebecca 

Ferguson, Jeremy Renner 

‘Last Tango in Paris’ rape scene revelation sparks outrage 


Marlon Brando and Maria 

Schneider starring - Last Tango in 

Paris - is making headlines again, 

44 years after the controversial 

film released. In a recently 

surfaced 2013 video, the director 

Bernardo Bertolucci admitted 

that the infamous rape scene in 

the much-lauded 1972 film was 

not consensual. 

In a Q&A filmed at La 

Cinémathèque française in Paris, 

Bertolucci, 73, admitted that he 

and actor Marlon Brando, who 

was 48 at the time, came up with 

the idea to use a stick of butter to 

rape Maria Schneider onscreen 

the morning of the shoot. 

“[I] wanted her reaction as a 

girl, not as an actress,” Bertolucci 

said. “I wanted her to react 

humiliated.” 

In 2007, Schneider, who was 58 

when she died in 2011, mentioned 

the fact that both Bertolucci and 

Brando had pressured her to go 

along with the idea. She was 19 at 

the time. 

“I should have called my agent 

or had my lawyer come to the set 

because you can’t force someone 

to do something that isn’t in the 

script, but at the time, I didn’t 

know that,” she once told the 

Daily Mail. 

The director’s revelation 

renewed outrage over what 

happened to Maria Schneider on the 

set. Jessica Chastain tweeted, “To 

all the people that love this filmyou’re 

watching a 19yr old get raped 

by a 48yr old man. The director 

planned her attack. I feel sick.” 

Chris Evans also joined the 

outrage saying, “Wow. I will never 

look at this film, Bertolucci or 

Brando the same way again. This 

is beyond disgusting. I feel rage.” 

Anna Kendrick weighed in that 

she “used to get eye-rolls” when 

she brought the incident up to 

people previously and that she 

was “glad at least it will be taken 

seriously now.”• 

Lethal Weapon 2 

WB 5:28pm 

Riggs and Murtaugh are on 

the trail of South African 

diplomats who are using 

their immunity to engage in 

criminal activities. 

Cast: Mel Gibson, Danny 

Glover, Joe Pesci 

National Treasure: Book of 

Secrets 

Zee Studio 7:05pm 

Benjamin Gates must follow 

a clue left in John Wilkes 

Booth’s diary to prove his 

ancestor’s innocence in the 

assassination of Abraham 

Lincoln. 

Cast: Nicolas Cage, Diane 

Kruger, Juston Bartha 

WALL-E 

Movies Now 9:30pm 

In the distant future, a 

small waste-collecting robot 

inadvertently embarks on 

a space journey that will 

ultimately decide the fate of 

mankind. 

Cast: Ben Burtt, Elissa 

Knight, Jeff Garlin

32 


DT 

EUROPE SUFFERS ITALIAN BLOW 

BUT BIGGER TESTS LOOM PAGE 10 

Back Page 

OIL TOPS $55 FOR 

FIRST TIME PAGE 13 

THE POISON THORN 

FLIES TO UKRAINE PAGE 30 

Korail fire: Hundreds made homeless 

• SM Najmus Sakib 

Since the fire razed almost 500 

homes in Korail slum on Sunday 

making hundreds of people homeless, 

many of them are now squatting 

near their burnt down homes, 

sleeping on the ground without a 

roof over their head. 

Rohima Begum, 55, a resident 

of the slum for 15 years lost 

everything in the fire. 

She spent the right sleeping next 

to what used to be her home on a 

cold December right with just the 

clothes on her back having to rely 

on the kindness of strangers for 

survival now. 

“We slept on the ground that 

was wet from fog and dew last 

night,” she said. 

For the last two days the victims 

of the fire have been living under 

makeshift tents and food provided 

by NGOs and some locals. 

Volunteer working there said 

only about 100 blankets have arrived 

so far and the pledges made 

by the government and NGOs have 

yet to pour in. 

Shahenur Banu, said she had 

lost all of her belongings including 

Tk3 lakh in cash, 15 house, 3 refrigerator, 

a computer, an oven which 

were her source of income. 

Her physically disabled son also 

lost a tea stall and a makeshift shop 

Artistes with borders 

NEWS 

ANALYSIS 

• Tanim Ahmed 

The government has bowed to pressure and 

agreed to ban the advertising of Bangladeshi 

products on foreign television channels. 

The rationale is presumably that if foreign TV 

channels receive advertisement revenue from 

local manufacturers then the local TV channels 

lose out on what might have been spent on advertisements 

in those outlets. 

This demand was part of a five-point charter 

that a platform of television artistes, Federation 

of Television Professionals’ Organisation 

(FTPO), put forward with a deadline of December 

31. 

Now that local products are banned from 

being advertised on foreign channels that are 

geared towards Bangladeshi markets, the local 

manufacturers might also raise a similar demand 

in reverse - a ban on the advertising of foreign 

goods on local channels. They could argue that 

Charred remains of a part of Korail slum after it was burnt in a fire on Sunday 

in the fire. 

The victims fear that the aid 

provided by the government and 

NGO will never arrive as influential 

locals might steal them. 

Local said fire started at 2:30pm 

and the fire fighting crew reached 

the spot at 2:50pm and was put out 

at 4:20pm. They said most of them 

could not save their belongings as 

they could not take boats ashore. 

Imran Hossain who ran mess 

boarded a boat with 28 tenants, 

RAJIB DHAR 

mostly rickshaw puller, auto driver, 

footpath vendors and garment 

workers are not living in one single 

wet congested room without a 

roof. 

Shamim Hossain, research 

manager of Urban Development 

Programme at Brac said, they sent 

their team to the spot shortly after 

the incident and provided them 

with first aid. 

“We (city dwellers) could not 

give them due respect (slum dwellers) 

although they are contributing 

so much to the economy and our 

lives.” 

The Korail slum the largest slum 

in the city with around 300,000 of 

residents. The slum sit on a land 

owned by Bangladesh Telecommunications 

Company Limited (BTCL) 

has avoided several eviction attempts 

by authorities over the years. 

This was the second fire that 

engulfed Korail slum this year, the 

first one was in March. • 

foreign products, with their substantially higher 

advertisement budgets, are driving rates high 

and depriving local products from much needed 

airtime. 

Therefore, they could argue that companies 

like Samsung and Nestle should not be allowed 

airtime on local channels if Pran is not allowed 

airtime on foreign channels. 

No doubt it would be a lame argument. No 

one is raising the issue of the quality and popularity 

of TV shows. 

While Zee Bangla and Star Jalsha, both Bangla 

channels, have caught the hearts of Bangladeshi 

households with their serials, Bangladeshi producers 

and artistes have failed to do that. 

Even as the television artistes continue their 

campaign against popular shows and local commercials 

on foreign channels, they have hardly 

made any demand to help them raise their quality 

of production. There has been hardly any talk 

about the pathetic standards of most of the local 

television channels. 

It appears to completely escape the TV professionals 

that their shows are not popular. That 

people flock around the television to watch soap 

serials produced in West Bengal does not appear 

to worry them at all. They are only bent on depriving 

advertisers from the mileage instead of 

upping their game. They are bent on depriving 

people from popular shows instead of producing 

shows that beat the foreign ones. 

This must be a rare instance that media artistes 

who are often the harbinger of openness 

and liberty are demonstrating such a constricted 

and narrow vision that pushes for banning others 

just so that they do not feel threatened. 

If the demands of TV artistes were to be 

translated into another industry - publishing, 

for example - it would mean that Bangladeshi 

writers were pushing 

for a ban on translations. 

They would 

also be moving for a 

ban on all advertisement 

of Bangladeshi 

products on foreign 

websites, meaning 

that people would be 

barred from advertising 

through Google 

and Facebook. 

It is needless to 

explain such obtuse 

folly. • 

Four youths 

including 2 

NSU students 

go missing 

• Kamrul Hasan 

Four youths aged between 22 and 

25 including two students of NSU 

have been missing since December 

1 from Banani where they were last 

sighted dining at a restaurant. 

Safayet Hossain, Zayen Hossain 

Khan Pavel, Sujon, and Mehedi 

were last seen at a restaurant next 

to a Northern University campus 

in Banani. Safayet and Pavel are 

enrolled at North South University 

(NSU). Sujon is known to have been 

working at a private firm in Banani. 

No solid information has been 

discovered about Mehedi. 

The police say Safayet and Pavel 

went to eat at Northern Cafe in 

Banani on December 1 evening. 

They were joined by Sujon. After 

their meal, the three friends left and 

have not seen since. Only after the 

investigation began it was found 

that Mehedi, one of their friends, 

was also missing. 

Their families reported not receiving 

any phone calls demanding 

ransom, which makes the incident 

seem less likely as a kidnapping. 

Banani Inspector (Investigations) 

Waheduzzaman told the Dhaka 

Tribune that police began looking 

into the matter after the GD was 

filed by Pavel’s father on December 

4. Police had checked with other 

law enforcement agencies to see if 

they were being detained. 

“As things stand currently, we 

cannot call them criminals at this 

juncture,” Inspector Waheduzzaman 

said. 

Pavel is a student at the Electrical 

and Electronic Engineering 

department of NSU. Safayet was a 

student of NSU too but he took a 

break from his studies to help out 

his father with the family business 

in Puran Dhaka. • 

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial Office: FR Tower, 

8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com

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