Act fast to quell unrest Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina asks ministry to offer workers rice at lower price,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday asked the state minister for labour and employment to take action immediately to quell the ongoing labour unrest for a pay hike in Ashulia on the outskirts of the capital.

There is no trade union in the garment sector so it is very difficult to find someone who can represent the agitating garment workers in discussions to resolve the issues, the PM observed at the weekly cabinet meeting.

All the RMG units have been closed following violent clashes between workers and law-enforcers.

"We need to find out whether there is any international conspiracy behind the labour unrest," Hasina told her cabinet colleagues, adding that the unrest leading to the shutdown of RMGs would have an adverse impact on the country's economy.

She also directed the officials concerned to supply ready-made garment workers with rice at a low price.

Fair price cards will be issued to garment workers, allowing them to buy 20 kilograms of rice at Tk 24 per kg in a month from government-appointed dealers, food ministry officials said.

Talking to reporters after the meeting, Food and Disaster Management Minister Abdur Razzaque said the fair price cards would first be distributed among nearly five lakh workers of garment factories in Ashulia.

Later, the cards will be distributed among garment workers in other areas, said Razzaque.

However, a similar move proved to be futile two years back, apparently for factory owners' indifference to it.

The government and garment owners in 2009 agreed to introduce food rationing for workers. Estimating that around 25 lakh RMG workers would come under the programme, the government then put aside five lakh tonnes of rice to ensure rations on a regular basis.

Only a few owners complied with the deal and that too for a couple of months, food ministry officials said.

As per the agreement, owners of garment factories were supposed to distribute rice initially among 6.5 lakh workers at Tk 16 per kg. After the inauguration of the programme on August 27 that year, owners withdrew only 200 tonnes of rice which was distributed among 5,000 workers [20 kilogram each per month] for only two months.

Again in 2010, the government introduced fair price cards for low income people, but this time RMG workers were not included in the programme. So far, 70 lakh cards have been distributed among low income groups in Dhaka and some other districts.

Manik violated constitution Says Speaker in his ruling; observes disparaging remarks of a judge cannot upset relations between state's 3 organs; asks MPs to drop motion for his removal; leaves the matter to CJ,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Speaker Abdul Hamid yesterday said High Court Judge AHM Shamsuddin Choudhury Manik had violated the constitution by making derogatory remarks about parliament and the Speaker.

He, however, urged the lawmakers to withdraw their proposal for adopting a resolution seeking Justice Manik's removal and let the matter end there.

“I doubt if a conscientious person can make remarks like the ones an honourable High Court judge [Justice Manik] has made about parliament and me by violating Article 78 (1) of the constitution,” Hamid said in a ruling in parliament.

Article 78 (1) of the constitution says the validity of the proceedings in parliament shall not be questioned in any court.

Putting the onus on the chief justice, the Speaker said, “We will support whatever steps the chief justice may take with regard to such behaviour by a court. Hopefully, that will prevent a recurrence of such incidents.”

He added, “…I want to humbly say that improper behaviour of a judge cannot hamper the existing good relations among the three organs of the state. Being representatives of 16 crore people, we cannot evaluate the entire judiciary on the basis of one judge's conduct.”

Ruling alliance lawmakers supported the Speaker's ruling by thumping their desks.

During a court hearing on June 5, Justice Manik observed that the Speaker had committed an offence tantamount to sedition by commenting in parliament on an HC order.

He said the Speaker was completely ignorant of the apex court and the constitution.

Hamid on May 29 told the House that courts were neutral and independent. However, it looked odd when they took quick decisions to resolve their own problems while people wait for years to get justice.

He made the remarks following Awami League lawmaker Shahriar Alam's statement on the HC order that the Supreme Court be handed over its land that was under the control of the Roads and Highways Department.

The Speaker had said at the time that if people were aggrieved at court verdicts, the day would come when they would stand against the courts. “Likewise, if the government becomes autocratic, people will resist it and there are numerous instances of it.”

Hours after Justice Manik's remarks, some senior lawmakers of the ruling alliance said in parliament that the judge had violated the constitution by making the remarks about the Speaker.

They proposed adopting a resolution requesting the president to form a Supreme Judicial Council to remove the judge.

In his ruling yesterday, the Speaker said he respected the lawmakers' sentiment and supported their proposal.

However, he added, that considering the overall circumstances he thought it would not be proper to take such a stern step.

He also noted it was no way a face-off between parliament and the judiciary. “It was some discourteous comments and personal attack on parliament by one honourable judge. Therefore, it won't be wise to bring the entire judiciary into it. Besides, we all should keep in mind that this country of ours is not Pakistan. It's Bangladesh.”

Hamid said, “We had expected that the honourable judge would understand the entire matter and take proper steps to withdraw the comments that went beyond limits. But he did not do so.”

He said he was elected Speaker unanimously by lawmakers of the ruling and opposition parties.

“Questioning my knowledge and qualifications would call into question the qualifications of all lawmakers. The learned judge should have thought carefully about it before making the comments. He made unpleasant remarks on many other issues but I don't feel it necessary to mention those here.”

The Speaker hoped that his ruling would put to rest the debate on the issue.

Rohingyas coming in again BGB men offer lunch, dry food, water before sending them back,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

After three days of almost no intrusion attempts by Rohingyas, around 148 boat people from Myanmar tried to enter Bangladesh from Sunday night till yesterday afternoon.

A small group of seven attempted to flee into Teknaf from June 14 to early Sunday, while yesterday alone eight fishing boats full of 140 headed for Teknaf shores.

All the 140, except for a minor girl who claimed to be Bangladeshi, were male Rohingyas and they left their villages fearing “arrest by Myanmar army”.

Locals and officials, who breathed a sigh of relief thinking that Rohingyas had stopped escaping the neighbouring Myanmarese state of Rakhine to Bangladesh, became worried at this fresh influx bid.

The Rohingyas were sent back to Myanmar by boats with dry food and water. The girl was kept in BGB custody for identity verification.

The intruders came from the villages of Maungdaw, a town of the Western Rakhine state, bordering Teknaf upazila of southern Cox's Bazar district.

It was around 11:00am yesterday when the BGB and coast guard saw from the Shah Porir Dweep coast some five Rohingya boats bobbing in the river.

After the Rohingyas had ignored directives to go back, the forces brought them to the Shah Porir Dweep jetty. Another two groups of boat people, caught by the forces a few hours earlier, were also kept there.

Around 3:00pm, a small boat of seven Rohingyas trying to make an entry through the river was stopped by a coast guard team. This group, too, was taken to the jetty.

The BGB provided meal for all the intruders.

Some locals of Shah Porir Dweep also bought from a local store some dry food and bottles of mineral water for the Rohingyas.

The store owner, Nurul Absar, who also donated some dry food, told that the locals were helping the Rohingyas on humanitarian and religious grounds.

Absar, however, said providing shelter to Rohingyas in Bangladesh was not a good idea. “Myanmar is their [Rohingyas'] country; their government has to solve their problem.”

He said the countries that were concerned about Rohingyas should put pressure on Myanmar to resolve the crisis.

Also, two boats carrying eight Rohingyas were intercepted by guards in Sabrang and Naitong areas in the morning and all of them were pushed in the course of the day.

Local officials who keep themselves updated about the developments in the neighbouring country said there was a “cordon and search operation” at Maungdaw on Saturday and Sunday nights.

The Myanmar army arrested many male villagers from the town and those who were picked up were still traceless.

Lt Col Zahid Hassan, commanding officer of BGB 42 Battalion at Teknaf, told, “As they [Rohingyas] are aware of the hospitality of Bangladeshis, they prefer to come here instead of looking for safe places within Myanmar.”

Zahid said the BGB had fed the intruders on humanitarian grounds.

But some other officials in the force and local administration say if the other Rohingyas came to know about this hospitality they would prefer to come to Bangladesh.

About yesterday's intrusion attempts, Zahid talked to Myanmar border force Nasaka. “Nasaka claimed they didn't send the Rohingyas to Bangladesh forcefully.”

Things were different in 1991, during the second influx of Rohingyas as refugees, when the Myanmar government itself sent them forcefully.

Yesterday, one of the Rohingyas, identifying himself as Mir Ahmad, 25, claimed that on Sunday he along with his younger brother and two nephews fled his village at Bakghona of Maungdaw after Maghrib prayers fearing possible arrest.

They started on a boat with 15 others aboard from a nearby coast in the dark and escaped Nasaka vigilance, but were intercepted by the BGB.

He said Rohingya males of the village were being taken by some unknown people to unknown places in the last few days and none of them had returned home. Asked, Ahmad could not give any details.

Ahmad Shah, another intruder, said he had fled his village at Padongcha two days back and remained in hiding in a forest.

He got on a boat yesterday morning and tried to enter Teknaf but failed.

When the Rohingyas tried to come to Bangladesh yesterday morning, there were more then a hundred Bangladeshi boats in the Naf River near Shah Pori Dweep for fishing.

They rowed across as if theirs were fishing boats like any other.

Review of Charges Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam petition rejected,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Former Jamaat-e-Islami chief Ghulam Azam is facing trial for his role during the Liberation War, not for his political affiliation, observed the International Crimes Tribunal-1 while rejecting a petition on review of charges.

Ghulam Azam, considered by many as the symbol of war crimes during the Liberation War in 1971, was indicted on five charges based on 60 incidents of crimes against humanity on May 13.

"He is not being tried just only for his political affiliation; he is rather being tried for his role during the Liberation War and for killing innocent people," said Chairman of the Tribunal Justice Md Nizamul Huq before rejecting the petition.

Defence counsel Abdur Razzaq gave a submission for the review of charges on June 6.

Justice Nizamul Huq said the charges were duly framed against Ghulam Azam following rules and were clear enough. There is time to prove them wrong during the trial proceedings, so the petition is rejected, he added.

With this order there remains no bar to beginning the trial proceedings against the former Jamaat chief, said Prosecutor Zead Al Malum.

Earlier on June 10, the three-member tribunal following an opening statement given by the prosecution fixed June 24 for recording the statement of the first prosecution witness.

The International Crimes Tribunal-1 yesterday rejected another petition on transfer of the case.

The tribunal chief read out the order for about one and a half hours and mentioned some grounds for rejecting the petitions.

Defence counsel Abdur Razzaq gave a submission for transferring the case from the ICT-1 to the ICT-2 on June 5.

Razzaq submitted a newspaper report published on April 11, 1992 to the tribunal that read some lawyers in a rally demanded that the then government execute a verdict of hanging Ghulam Azam.

The verdict was passed by a people's court on March 26, 1992.

Ainjibi Somonnoy Parishad held a rally on April 10, 1992 and demanded that the government execute the verdict. Justice Nizamul Huq was present at the rally.

Since Justice Huq was present at the rally, the defence fear they might be "prejudiced" if he conducts the trial.

The tribunal yesterday said the defence did not mention how the case will be transferred rather submitted the reasons for the plea.

Justice Huq then mentioned section-11 (A) of the International Crimes (Tribunals) Act, 1973, which only allows the chief prosecutor to appeal for the transfer of a case.

The tribunal can also voluntarily transfer a case for the sake of expediting trial proceedings, according to the Act.

From this point, the petition is liable to be rejected, said the tribunal chief.

In case of fair trial, the tribunal also elaborated its view.

Ghulam Azam has been provided with all facilities and the tribunal has issued several orders to the jail authorities at times to supply him amenities according to the defence's demands, said Justice Huq.

Therefore, fear of unfair trial is not correct and the petition is hereby rejected, he added.

Neither Ghulam Azam nor Abdur Razzaq was present at the tribunal.

Earlier, war crimes accused BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury's defence counsel cross-examined prosecution witness Gouranga Singha.

Gouranga was mainly cross-examined for about one and a half hours on the surrounding area of Kundeswari village where Nutan Chandra Singha was allegedly killed by Salahuddin Quader during the War.

The proceeding of the case was adjourned until June 19.

'Bangladeshi girl' found on incoming boat Teknaf,

BANGLADESH NEWS

A girl who was among 19 boat people trying to enter Bangladesh on Sunday night claimed herself to be Bangladeshi, according to BGB.

Sharmila Akter Saida also said she lived at Halishahar in Chittagong with her family and had gone for treatment to a village at Maungdaw in Rakhine state of Myanmar just on the other side of the river Naf.

But the girl, aged around 12, couldn't tell exactly when and with whom she went to Maungdaw as this correspondent tried to talk to her, despite repeated requests from BGB not to.

She was under BGB custody at Shah Porir Dweep border outpost.

The other intruders were kept detained till 6:00pm yesterday on the island before being sent back to Maungdaw on a boat. They were Rohingyas, the BGB said.

What the girl could tell the officials was that a few days after reaching the Myanmarese village she started hearing about the sectarian violence. On Sunday evening, she fled with 18 others on a country boat.

A team of Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) intercepted the boat near Jaliapara coast of Shah Porir Dweep around 10:30pm Sunday.

According to BGB, Saida claimed to be a class-V student of Goribe Newaz Shishu Niketon at Halishahar in the port city.

One of the other 18, Ehsanul Hoque, 24, while talking to yesterday afternoon, claimed the girl went to his family house at Padongcha. His family has had long-term relations with her family, he said.

“We once stayed as neighbours at Teknaf and later our family shifted to Padongcha while Saida's to Chittagong. The girl went to our house a few days before the ethnic clashes broke out [over a week ago].”

He said he had been looking for a chance to flee as miscreants started kidnapping the males of his village and adjoining areas.

Ehsanul, his two elder brothers Jobber and Hamiduijjaman, their uncle Md Tarek and the girl left the village Sunday evening and got on a boat around 9:00pm from a nearby coast.

As their boat was about to reach the coast at Jaliapara of Shah Porir Dweep, the BGB team intercepted them, he said.claims of Saida and Ehsanul.

Lt Col Md Zahid Hasan, commanding officer of BGB 42 Battalion, said the girl gave the force the mobile phone number of one of her family members. The BGB was trying to make contact with the person.

“We didn't send the girl as she had no guardian with her. We will verify her claim and decide about her,” said the BGB official, adding that Rohingyas often manufactured false stories to intrude into Bangladesh.

Garment Worker Unrest Exporters in Dhaka threaten shutdown,Bangladesh

BANGLADESH NEWS

Garment owners yesterday threatened to shut down all their units in Dhaka and its adjacent areas should the labour unrest in the sector continue.

The warning came in the aftermath of the closure of more than 300 garment factories at Ashulia for an indefinite period from Sunday following a weeklong spate of street violence by the workers in the area demanding a pay raise.

Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) and Bangladesh Knitwear Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BKMEA) on Saturday announced the shutdown.

Yesterday, Syed Faizul Ahsan Shamim, managing director of the Gazipur-based Dotcom Sweater Ltd, handed over a token key to BGMEA President Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin at the association's office to express solidarity with the factory owners of Ashulia.

Shamim also submitted a memorandum to the BGMEA chief on behalf of garment owners in Dhaka, Gazipur, Tongi and Narayanganj, warning they would close their units if the impasse of Ashulia was not over soon.

“This means all the factory owners expressed solidarity and, if necessary, they will close down their factories,” Mohiuddin told reporters.

In the memorandum, Shamim demanded that the government stop “anarchy” at a time when the garment sector was passing through a critical time.

"Every day the factory owners of Ashulia are losing export orders owing to the impasse. They are losing buyers,” he said.

The image the Bangladeshi garment has earned over the last 30 years is now being tarnished, he added.

The BGMEA president at the press briefing said the business community across the country had already expressed solidarity with the association, and garment owners in Chittagong held a meeting on Sunday and extended their support for the shutdown decision.

“We will reopen our factories, but we need security, we need normalcy to return to the workplace. And we demand punishment of those involved in vandalism,” he said.

It may be mentioned that the weeklong labour unrest that erupted on June 11 in the Ashulia industrial belt left more than 200 garment factories vandalised, some 300 vehicles damaged and about 500 people, including law enforcers, injured.

“I do not see any hope of a reopening of factories soon as the government is yet to come up with any measure,” Mohiuddin said, adding that nobody should take the issue lightly as the garment sector was the lifeline of the country's economy.

Different ministries, departments and government agencies were discussing the matter, but not in an organised manner, he said.

The owners saw no immediate solution, he said, adding: “The biggest loss is the loss of buyers' confidence."

According to him, a few vested quarters are out to destroy the sector, the main foreign currency earner of the country. “The government must bring them to book.”

Asked, Additional Secretary of home ministry Kamaluddin Ahmed told that the Industrial Police were assigned to tackle the unrest.

He added it was for the labour and employment ministry to broker a deal between the owners and the workers.