PM calls for building global
partnership under UN
UNITED NEWS OF BANGLADESH, Dhaka
The prime minister, Khaleda Zia, sought collective will and concrete action for building a global partnership under the UN umbrella to realise the dream for a better future for the coming generations.
She noted that the international community was reminded of the challenges that they face today, ranging from poverty and deprivation to environmental degradation and extremism.
‘We need the UN more than ever to tackle various issues of global concern,’ the prime minister said, renewing the commitment of the people of Bangladesh and its government to the objectives and principles of its charter on the occasion of 60th anniversary of the world body.
In a message on the occasion of the United Nations Day that falls on Monday, she said the United Nations had been playing a commendable role in maintaining international peace and security, and advancing the cause of development.
‘Sixty years ago, the world body was created by visionary leaders as an entity to serve the humanity and to achieve a more secure, peaceful and prosperous world for us,’ Khaleda observed.
She said the world was encouraged that the international community reposed its trust in the United Nations during the just-held World Summit 2005, which came out with an outcome document providing a basis for strengthening and adapting the organisation to meet contemporary challenges.
The historic gathering of world leaders in New Work in September 2005 clearly reflects the importance attached to multilateralism and particularly to the United Nations in creating a more peaceful world, she added.
She mentioned that Bangladesh, since her joining the organisation as its 136th member, had been working very closely with the UN and its members towards establishment of an international order based on peace, equity and justice.
‘Our strict adherence to the principles and objectives of the UN Charter flows from our constitutional obligation.’
Govt has lost moral right to
stay in power: Hasina
UNITED NEWS OF BANGLADESH, Dhaka
The Awami League president and the leader of the opposition, Sheikh Hasina, on Sunday said the BNP-Jamaat alliance government had lost the moral right to stay in power as it had become a failed, corrupt and plundering regime.
‘People’s misery will increase as long as the alliance government remains in power.
The government that does
not work for the welfare of the people has no right to stay in power any longer,’ she told a wayside gathering in Munshiganj on her way to Tungipara.
Hasina urged the people to build a united resistance to end the ‘misrule of this corrupt government’.
Criticising the government for the price hike of essentials, she said the government did not bother at all about the price spiral of the commodities.
‘They don’t care about the countrymen… The main objective of this government is to plunder the country.’
Hasina also denounced the BNP-led alliance government for killing people without trial and patronising the terrorists and militants.
Expressing her deep concern about the people affected by ‘monga’ (a famine-like situation), Hasina said while people in the affected areas were limping towards death, the government had remained indifferent to the situation.
AL accuses govt of destroying agriculture
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The Awami League on Sunday accused the BNP-led alliance government of destroying the agricultural sector that has resulted in ‘the present food crisis in the country’.
The party leaders at a seminar also held the government responsible for monga (famine like situation) in the northern region, saying that they (government) had not taken any step in the past four years to face it.
The AL agricultural affairs sub-committee organised the seminar on ‘failure of the alliance government and crisis in the agriculture sector: things to be done’ at the National Press Club.
Agriculturist Dr Abdur Razzak MP, also the agricultural affairs secretary of the party, presented the keynote paper at the seminar with AL presidium member Matia Chowdhury, also the agriculture minister of the past Awami League government, in the chair.
Party leaders Abdur Razzak MP, Tofail Ahmed, M Anisuzzaman, Professor Abdus Sattar Mandal, Abdul Mannan and Mirza
Abdul Jalil and economist Atiur Rahman also addressed.
Alleging that the BNP-Jamaat alliance government through its agriculture sector mismanagement had turned Bangladesh back into a food deficient country, the AL leaders stressed the need for adopting a farsighted, farmer-friendly agricultural policy to overcome the situation.
Atiur said vast areas of the northern part were now hit by monga but the government was turning a blind eye to it.
‘If the government continues to do so, it would obviously result in a widespread famine in the entire region within one and a half months,’ he warned.
To face monga permanently, according to Atiur, there is no alternative to ensure proper water management and distribution of fertiliser, establishment of agro-based industries and to bring an end to corruption.
‘About 2.69 crore tonnes of food grains were produced during the past Awami League regime and it was more than the country’s demand, but the present government failed to maintain the trend,’ Dr Razzak said adding that the deficit had forced the government to import 39 lakh tonnes of food grains this year.
Govt urged to tackle monga
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Ganamukti O Jatiya Sampad Rakkha Sammilita Andolan, a combine of left political parties and organisations, on Sunday urged the government to take necessary steps to face the famine-like situation in the northern districts.
At a press conference at the Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal central office, the alliance leaders feared that monga might be turned into a longstanding famine due to an extensive damage to crops caused by the floods.
The leaders also announced an agitation programme to realise their nine-point charter of demands. They will hold a protest rally at Muktangan and lay siege to the disaster management and relief ministry on Tuesday.
They demanded that the government should continue relief operation in the monga-affected districts for the next three months, and disburse necessary farm loans among the farmers.
The famine-like situation was worse than what was reflected in the media, said Saiful Huq, a leader of the combine. ‘Poor people are selling their labour cheaper than usual rate,’ he said.
Govt okays import of urea
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
The government has approved in principle a proposal for importing 1.5 lakh tonnes of urea fertiliser to improve the buffer stock situation to meet domestic demand for the agri-inputs.
A meeting of the cabinet committee on purchase held on Sunday with the finance and planning minister, M Saifur Rahman, in the chair approved the proposal put forward by the state-run Bangladesh Chemical Industries Corporation to import urea at a cost of Tk 375 crore.
According to the agriculture ministry, the country has an annual demand of about 2.8 million tonnes of urea fertiliser against the domestic production of 1.8 million tonnes, a one-million shortfall in fertiliser to be fulfilled by imports.
Officials said the fertiliser would be imported from Indonesia, China, Saudi Arabia, and Ukraine within 60 days since the date of approval. The granular fertiliser would cost $ 293 per tonne and other kind of fertiliser $ 245 per tonne.
The corporation put forth the proposal for importing 1 lakh tonnes of granular and another 1 lakh tonnes of urea by floating tenders. The committee endorsed 1 lakh tonnes of granular urea, and 50,000 tonnes of other sort of urea.
Saifur said the stock situation with this import would be ‘healthy’ in view of the needs of the farmers.
Another proposal to import 1 lakh tonnes of urea fertiliser has been pending with the industries ministry which controls the corporation.
The corporation is learnt to have faced problem in getting the finance ministry’s nod for floating tenders because of the restriction on letter of credit for the public sector import to cope with the crisis in foreign exchange reserve.
It has planned to procure 9 lakh tonnes of urea, including an amount, purchased from the Karnaphuli Fertiliser Company, which was deemed as import.
Pirates loot 14 trawlers, abduct 7
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Barisal
Pirates looted 14 trawlers, abducted seven fishermen and crew and injured 17 at Meghna estuary under Tajumuddin in Bhola early Sunday.
Reports received from rescued victims said a pirates’ syndicate named Tiger Bahini led by Bashar looted property worth Tk 20 lakh from 14 fishing trawlers between late night and early in the morning on Sunday at Char Tajammul and Maheshkhali.
The pirates also hacked 17 crew and fishermen, and of them, condition of Kalam, Rahim, Mannan, was critical.
The pirates also threw 35 fishermen into the river, who were later rescued by other fishing boats. Eight crew were abducted along with eight trawlers belonging to Sekander Majhi, Rafiq Majhi, Alamgir Majhi, Alam Chowkider and others.
Jahangir Alam Matubbar, district superintendent of police in-charge, and Narayan Chandra Das, deputy commissioner in charge of Bhola, acknowledging the facts said the Tajumuddin police and coast guards were directed to move to the spot and take action against the pirates immediately.
Due to rough weather, operation of the law enforcing agencies was yet to be started till Sunday evening.
OC Rafiq placed on four-day remand
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
Former officer-in-charge of the Motijheel police station, AKM Rafiqul Islam, was placed on a four-day police remand on Sunday in connection with the killing of college student Kamrul Islam Momin.
The metropolitan magistrate, Abdur Rauf Khan, granted the remand as the Criminal Investigation Department produced him before the court on Sunday, seeking a five-day remand on Wednesday.
Sylhet imam placed on five-day remand
OUR CORRESPONDENT, Sylhet
Moulana Saifuddin, an imam of Bhangatikar mosque in Sylhet, who was arrested after the police had unearthed a bomb-making factory at the mosque quarter on October 19, was placed on a five-day remand.
The Kotwali police placed Saifuddin before a Sylhet court on Thursday and sought his seven-day remand, but the court after hearing on Sunday granted the five-day remand.
The police unearthed the bomb making factory on the basis of statement of Akhter Hossain, who was arrested in connection with the attack on the judge of the Divisional Speedy Trial Tribunal on 18 October.
The police had detained Saifuddin from the mosque and shown him arrested in the bomb-making factory recovery case.
An assistant superintendent of police of the Special Branch told New Age that the police and detective agencies were keeping close watch on the mosque quarters in the city.
The police also carried out drives in over 50 mosque quarters in the city and asked the authorities to give detailed information of the tenants, police sources said.
Mita taken on fresh remand
STAFF CORRESPONDENT, Chittagong
Samina Sarwar Chowdhury Mita, arrested in connection with the killing of Iqbal Bin Yakub, the Chittagong unit president of an Islami Oikya Jote faction, was on Sunday placed on a fresh three-day remand.
Mita, arrested from her Chatteswari Road residence in the city on October 19, was taken on the first spell of remand on October 20.
The police on Sunday produced her before the court of metropolitan magistrate, Akram Hossain, and prayed for her 10-day remand, but the court granted remand for three days.
Mita told journalists at the court premises that the police, during the remand, had tried to take her confessional statement.
SI sentenced to 21 years in jail
STAFF CORRESPONDENT
A Dhaka court on Sunday sentenced a police sub-inspector to 21 years’ rigorous imprisonment for keeping illegal arms during duty in the Tejgoan area in January 2002.
The special tribunal judge, Mofaqkharul Islam, handed down the verdict against SI Tariqul Islam in his absence.
Earlier, the court deferred the verdict for seven times in presence of the police. He was on bail from the Dhaka court.
A case was filed under arms act and the police submitted charge sheet, accusing him on August 8, 2002.
The court examined twelve witnesses out of the total 14.
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