Hanif asks BNP to Withdraw Strike Call

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Apr 23  The Awami League joint general secretary has alleged that the BNP is unleashing anarchy under the guise of enforcing general strike and urged the people to stay alert.

Mahbub-ul-Alam Hanif on Monday also urged the opposition to withdraw its Tuesday's shutdown call.

"I request the opposition to withdraw its general strike call (on Tuesday)," he told reporters at Awami League's Dhanmondi office on Monday, hours after BNP announced to continue enforcing its nationwide dawn-to-dusk lockdown for a third successive day over the alleged abduction of party leader M Ilias Ali.

Referring to the incidents of bomb explosions and arson attack on vehicles during the hartal, he said," Such anarchies must be stopped."

Former MP Ilias Ali and his car driver Ansar Ali went missing in the wee hours of Wednesday. Police recovered his car, abandoned with its doors open, from an alley at Mohakhali in the capital near his Banani house.

Hanif expressed his grief over the deaths at Biswanath and said, "The opposition party and its leader will have to take the responsibility for it."

BNP on Monday alleged that police shot two people dead on Monday at Biswanath upazila, the constituency of missing BNP leader M Ilias Ali, when people of the upazila clashed with law enforcers there. Law enforcers also arrested several BNP leaders and activist across the country

The ruling party leader said, "We are deeply concerned over Ilias Ali going missing. We are not leaving any stone unturned to locate him."

Questioning the opposition's repeated lockdowns in the country, he asked," What is the benefit of calling hartal harming the country's economy?"

"BNP is causing damage to the future generation as the Higher Secondary Certificate examinations are in progress," Hanif said.  

118% Increase in Electricity Price!

BANGLADESH NEWS

I am a service holder with a fixed income and head a family of six members. My electricity consumption varies from 300 to 400 units per month depending on circumstances. I do not operate any A/C except normal electrical devices like fans, tube lights/CFL, refrigerator, etc. In January last, I paid an electricity bill of Tk.1, 196/- for 305 units (@Tk.3.92 per unit). But in March, 2012, I received an electric bill amounting Tk.3, 453/- for 406 units (@Tk.8.51 per unit! ) which means an increase of 118% in unit price! The government claims that it has nominally increased electricity price and will increase it further to offset the subsidy! Will you call a 118% increase within two months a nominal increase? Is there nobody to look after such unjust course of arbitrary price increase by BPDB? What role the Energy Regulatory Commission plays by their so-called public hearings? I would like to draw your kind attention to make some investigative reporting on the subject for the benefit of the people of fixed income like me.

BNP Meets to Decide Next Action

DHAKA NEWS

The BNP's standing committee started a meeting Monday evening to set the next course of action to protest the disappearance of its leader M Ilias Ali.

Ilias, a former lawmaker and BNP's organising secretary (Sylhet Division), and his driver went missing around midnight of April 17.

The meeting of the party’s highest decision making body began around 8:50pm with BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia in the chair at her Gulshan office. The meeting was still going on at 10:00pm when the report was filed.

The main opposition BNP and its allies have already called hartal for Tuesday after enforcing general strike on Sunday and Monday.

They also held protest rallies in front of BNP's Nayapaltan central office demanding 'forced disappearance' of the two.

The BNP claimed that government agencies had picked up Ilias and his driver.

On Wednesday, police found Ilias's private car abandoned near his Banani residence in the capital and that day BNP called a dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday.

Sohel Taj Resigns From Parliament

BANGLADESH NEWS

Former state minister for home Tanjim Ahmad Sohel Taj relinquished his membership of parliament on Monday.

Abu Kawsar, assistant personal secretary of Sohel Taj, submitted the resignation letter to the speaker’s office around 10.25 in the morning.

Md Shamim, an official of the speaker’s office, received the letter from the APS.

This is for the first time in the country’s history a ruling party lawmaker resigned from his post.

In the letter, Taj said, “My constituency is Gazipur-4 (Kapasia). I am submitting my resignation letter to you (speaker) under section 67 (2) of Bangladesh Constitution.”

His resignation came almost three years after he resigned from the post of state minister for home.

Taj, the only son of the country's first prime minister Tajuddin Ahmad, resigned as the state minister for home on May 31, 2009, five months after the ruling Awami League-led grand alliance government assumed office.

He sent his resignation letter to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on June 1 according to the Constitution.

But no gazette notification was issued on his resignation.

 Taj recently demanded that the government issues a gazette notification in this regard, as he thinks his dignity and image of the government as well as the prime minister have been tarnished for not doing so.

Corruption Engulfs Railway: Quader

DHAKA NEWS

Communications Minister Obaidul Quader said on Monday that a vicious cycle of anomalies has engulfed Bangladesh Railways.

“If the cycle remains unbroken, the embattled sector will collapse,” Quader, who is now discharging additional duty of railways ministry, told reporters at Rail Bhaban in the capital around 1:15pm.

He was briefing the newsmen after a meeting with railway officials from all over the country.

Quader said he have received a number of complaints regarding the anomalies. “A high profile investigation committee will be formed to probe the irregularities after the prime minister returns from Doha,” he said.

Asked whether he can break the vicious cycle of corruption, the minister replied, “Well, if I get sufficient time to work on this.”

Quader has been given the additional charge of the ministry following the removal of Suranjit Sengupta from the ministry.

"I need further investigation into this matter to dip into the issues of internal corruption in the railways," he added.

Selima Rahman, 14 others Held in City

DHAKA NEWS

At least 15 BNP leaders and activists including BNP Vice-chairman Selima Rahman were detained during the countrywide daylong shutdown for second straight day on Monday.

Ten BNP women activists including BNP leader Selima Rahman were picked up from capital's Gulshan area when they brought out a procession there.

Police also detained three people from in front of BNP's main office in Nayapaltan and two from Central Shaheed Minar premises.

No major incident of violence was reported in the capital or elsewhere in the country when the opposition and its alliance-called hartal passed seven hours.

Meanwhile, unknown perpetrators hurled a cocktail in front of Bangladesh Bank around 11:30am in Motijheel and another cocktail went off in Fakirerpool area around 9:00am. None was injured in the incidents.

Unknown criminals torched a minibus in the city's Chankharpool area around 7:30am while a BRTC bus was vandalised in Motijheel, the commercial hub of the capital.

On the other hand, several BNP lawmakers including MK Anwar, Shahid Uddin Chowdhury Anne and Syeda Asifa Ashrafi Papia brought out a procession and held two rallies on the parliament premises in the morning.

During the first rally held around 9:30am, MK Anwar claimed that M Ilias Ali has been disappeared for raising his voice against various national issues.

In Mohakhali, Bangladesh Chhatra League activists along with law enforcers chased and dispersed a procession brought out by Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal activists of Titumir College unit at Wireless Gate around 9:20am.

In the meantime, activists of ruling Awami League's student organisation Bangladesh Chhatra League brought out an anti-hartal procession holding books and notebooks high demanding an end to the hartal that impedes academic activities countrywide.

Opposition activists could not take to the street in front of its Nayapaltan main office in the capital due to police obstruction.

Police, like the recent hartal days, virtually cordoned off the BNP’s main office since 6:00am, the starting time of hartal.

The main opposition BNP and its allies announced the hartal on Sunday after wrapping up a 24 hours hartal on Ilias issue.

Huge contingents of law enforcers are seen patrolling the streets at all key points of the city to maintain law and order during the hartal hours.

Exceptionally a number of passenger buses, CNG-run three-wheelers and motorcycles are seen plying on the main city streets while private cars stay off the roads.

Rickshaws are found dominating the main thoroughfares of the city which is usual in hartal days.

No long-route buses left the city terminal since the morning. The train and launch services however remain normal.

All educational institutions, business establishments, most shops and shopping malls besides the major thoroughfares remained closed. However, the government offices remain opened.

Meanwhile, the government postponed today's Higher Secondary Certificate (HSC) and its equivalent examinations due to the hartal.

The incidents of minor violence reported from Sylhet, Chittagong, Rajshahi, Bogra and Sirajganj.

CHITTAGONG

At least 19 people including Monwara Begum Moni, a ward councillor of Chittagong City Corporation, was picked up in the port city.

The arrestees include nine Jatiyatabadi Mahila Dal activists.

Police picked up the women activists from Ispahani intersection around 10:30am while the remaining was detained from Kalamia Bazar of the city.

RAJSHAHI

At least 16 people including a police constable were injured in separate clashes in Rajshahi city, our Rajshahi correspondent reports.

Pro-hartal activists also set fire to a CNG-run three-wheeler at Meher-chandi area of the city around 7:00am.

The incident of chase and counter-chase took place in Ambagan area of the city when police charged truncheons and fired tear gas canisters to disperse a rally led by city BNP unit President Mizanur Rahman Minu around 8:00am.

Police arrested three BNP activists from the spot.

At least 15 BNP men were injured when law enforcers charged batons and beat them indiscriminately while they were returning to the Rajshahi College after holding a rally in support of the hartal.

BOGRA

Bogra police Sunday night arrested 14 BNP activists for their alleged involvement with pro-hartal activities, reports our correspondent.

Md Arifur Rahman Mandol, Assistant Superintendent of Police (circle A) of Bogra however denied the allegation saying that the arrest was made for their involved with several criminal cases in compliance with a court order.

Bogra district BNP organising secretary Md Shaha Alam  that police arrested the activities from several areas of Shibganj upazila.

Meanwhile, Shibgonj police said one Shakul Miha and three other BNP activists were arrested for their alleged link with torching a rice-laden truck during Sunday's hartal hours in the upazila.

SIRAJGANJ

Police picked up Al-Amin Hossain, organising secretary of Jubo Dal Sirajganj district unit, and Abdur Razzak, a BNP activist, when they were picketing at Jublibagan in the town and Shialkot in Sadar upazila respectively in the morning.

BACKGROUND

M Ilias Ali, a former lawmaker and now Sylhet Division organising secretary of the party, and his driver went missing around midnight of April 17.

On Wednesday, police found Ilias's private car abandoned near his Banani residence in the capital and that day BNP called a dawn-to-dusk hartal for Sunday.

Sunday’s countrywide hartal was observed without any major incidents.

3 Buses Torched in City

DHAKA NEWS

Pro-hartal activists set fire to three buses at different parts of the capital on Monday evening.

The torching incidents took place hours after the main opposition party called a fresh nationwide daylong hartal for Tuesday for getting back its missing leader M Ilias Ali and his driver.

Police say a police bus parked near BNP's Nayapaltan head office was torched around 7:30pm, hours into the announcement of a fresh hartal for Tuesday.

Habibur Rahman, a sub-inspector of Paltan Police Station, that police had requisitioned the bus for carrying their men.

A second incident of torching took place around 8:30pm when the activists set ablaze a bus of Gulistan-Chiriakhana route near Matsya Bhaban around an hour later.

At about 9:30pm, a bus was set on fire at Abdullahpur in Uttara.

Nesarul Arif, deputy police commissioner (Uttara Division),  criminals in guise of passengers torched the bus in front of Ekushey Restaurant.

BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir announced the general strike around an hour before the ending of their second day's hartal on Monday.

Former lawmaker and BNP Organising Secretary (Sylhet Division) M Ilias Ali along with his driver remain missing since Tuesday night.

The main opposition BNP claimed that government agencies have picked them up to make them disappear.

Two Shot Dead in Sylhet Clash

SYLHET NEWS

Two people were shot dead during a clash between pro-hartal activists and police at Biswanath upazila town in Sylhet Sunday afternoon.

One of victims was identified as Monwar Hossain, 30, son of Abbas Ali of Rajnagar village and a student of Biswanath Degree College.

Abdul Hai, Biswanath upazila general secretary of BNP, claimed that Monwar was an activist of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, a student body backed by the main opposition party.

Police found the bullet-hit body of Monwar near the local upazila parisad office around 3:15pm, Md Shakhawat Hossain, Sylhet superintendent of police,

Another young man, who could not be identified immediately, succumbed to his bullet wounds at MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital, reports our Sylhet correspondent.

Three police personnel including Chand Miah, officer-in-charge of Biswanath Police Station, were also seriously injured during the clash in Biswanath, the constituency of M Ilias Ali who remain missing since April 17 night.

The injured police personnel were also rushed to the MAG Osmani Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

SP Shakhawat said situation almost went out of control at about 2:30pm when police attempted to intercept a procession while entering Biswanath upazila headquarters.

The opposition leaders and activists brought out the procession in support of a daylong nationwide hartal called by the BNP for a second consecutive day for getting back its missing leader M Ilias Ali and his driver.

The lawmen fired several hundred tear shells and blank shots as the agitators pelted bricks. The law enforcers became confined inside the police station building after failing to control the situation.

The angry activists vandalised the upazila parisad building, set fire to the official jeep of upazila nirbahi officer and five motor bikes kept in front of the office premises.

'Corp Governance Decisive in Wooing FDI'

DHAKA NEWS

Dhaka, Apr 21 Corporate governance should be practised not only for the sake of companies but also for society, feels head of Global Corporate Governance Forum Philip Armstrong.

"The board of a company that follows corporate governance is not only sensitive to shareholders but also to society," Armstrong told the  in an exclusive interview.

The Forum is a multi-donor trust fund co-founded by the World Bank Group and the OECD to promote global, regional and local initiatives. The initiatives aim to improve the institutional framework and practices of corporate governance in developing and emerging markets.

A company, according to Armstrong, has many stakeholders and a well-governed board understands market, competitors, customers and is very sensitive to rules and regulation.

"It understands its duties and responsibilities very well."

Mid-income country

The Global Corporate Governance Forum chief believes Bangladesh is poised to become a middle-income country by 2021 and it needs corporate governance ever than before to reach the target.

"The country needs investment to grow and one good solution is foreign direct investment or raising funds in the international market and for both the cases, Bangladesh needs corporate governance," Armstrong said.

"FDI is sensitive to market and reputation and there is more chance to get the investment where business environment is more corporate governance friendly," he added.

"I am not saying corporate governance is the only factor of FDI but is one of the important determinants of business decision," the expert said.

Attracting capital is very competitive as many countries especially in Asia are competing for it and Bangladesh needs to do more to attract it and establishing corporate governance can be a decisive factor, he added.

He said Bangladeshi companies must meet international standards to raise fund from global market, where interest rates are low, as it would have to compete with other global companies.

"If a local company wants to raise fund from London or New York market, then the investors will compare the company with other British or US companies," he explained.

"The more the Bangladeshi company follows and practices corporate governance, the more there is chance to raise fund at lower interest."

Cost of corruption

Armstrong said the cost of corruption is huge and it has few benefits than the cost incurred.

"It ultimately put a heavy burden on the whole country," he said, "Public and private sectors should sit together to find out a mechanism to fight it."

"It can't be eliminated overnight."

He said Siemens in Germany or Worldcom or Enron in the US are good examples.

"The government must have the ability to try corrupt people so that a check and balance is established."

He, however, said private sector should also assist the government.

Role of IFC

International Finance Corporation, Armstrong said, was working with the government, institutions and firms to establish corporate governance in Bangladesh.

"The IFC consults with the government about rules and regulations of corporate governance and share other countries' experiences, which can be replicated," he said.

"It also engages itself with different institutions to explain the importance of corporate governance to different firms."

"These institutions can be think-tank or universities or any other organisations."

In the third level, IFC directly works with individual firms to help them establish corporate governance, said Armstrong.      

Sunday's HSC Exams Postponed

SYLHET NEWS

Dhaka, Apr 21  Authorities have postponed HSC and equivalent exams scheduled for Sunday in view of countrywide shutdown called by BNP.

An education ministry statement on Monday said that the decision was taken at a meeting of the inter-board coordination committee.

It also said that the future exams of Higher Secondary Certificate will be held as scheduled from Monday.

Sunday's exams under the eight general education boards have been rescheduled for May 22. The tests under the Madrasah board will now be held on May 9 and those under the vocational board have been rescheduled for May 2.

HSC exams kicked off on Apr 1. A total of 0.93 million students are taking part in the exams being held.

Opposition BNP has called a countrywide hartal for Sunday protesting the disappearance of its organising secretary M Ilias Ali.

BNP also enforced a day-long shutdown in four districts of Sylhet on Thursday on the same issue. The HSC exams under Sylhet board and equivalent exams across the country under the vocational board were also halted.

Ilias Ali has been missing since he left his Banani residence on Tuesday night. The police found his car abandoned in front of a school from Mohakhali area in wee hours on Wednesday.

BNP chairperson Khaleda Zia alleged that RAB 'abducted' Ilias. However, the law enforcers denied the allegation and said that Ilias was not in their custody.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina, however, said that Ilias has gone into 'hiding' and BNP is staging a drama over it.