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Speakers urged journalists, while observing the first death anniversary of Manik Saha on Saturday, to promote more security of newsmen by engendering greater unity in the community.
   A group of journalists organised a seminar on the ‘Killing of Manik Saha and Risks of Journalism in the South-western Region’ at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity auditorium.
   The Communist Party of Bangladesh also organised a seminar and staged a commemoration rally at its central office to mark the death anniversary of Manik, special correspondent of New Age, who was bombed to death a year ago.
   Expressing deep concern over the security of journalists in the country, the seminar paper concluded with a question, ‘Will the journalists survive and continue journalism in the south-western region of the country?’
   The speakers demanded re-investigation of the journalists’ killings and withdrawal of corrupt officers from the investigation process.
   Speakers at the seminar and the rally said Manik had protested against all forms of crime and the terrorist forces killed him in retaliation.
   They said at least 13 journalists were killed in the region within a decade, and repression, threats or other kinds of intimidation are increasing at such a rate that the question arises whether the journalists will survive in that region.
   The incumbent and opposition political leaders, administration, illegal arms dealers, extortionists, other underworld gangs and ultra-fundamentalist militant forces of the region are all angry at the journalists and have threatened or harassed them.
   The seminar paper by Nikhil Bhodro and Sakila Ruma said there has been no progress in the investigation of Manik’s murder; rather the police have produced a faulty charge-sheet, which the journalists and relatives of Manik Saha have refused to accept.
   The administration, in all the cases of the killing of journalists, blamed the ultra-left terrorists but did not try to find out the real culprits.
   Failure of the administration to find out the causes of the killings and punish the culprits has inspired the miscreants to continue killing with impunity.
   The journalists in south-western region were so frustrated with the failure that they did not bother to raise before the government any demand after another newsman, Humayun Kabir Balu, had been killed on June 27, 2004.
   The president of the Dhaka University Teachers Association, AAMS Arefin Siddique, chaired the seminar.
   Abdur Rahim Khan, a former additional inspector general of police of Khulna division, Mujahidul Islam Selim, general secretary of the Communist Party of Bangladesh, journalists’ leader Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, Mojammel Hossain Monju and Altaf Mahmud, Jateen Sarker of Udichi also spoke.
   They urged the journalists to be united and resist the repression of their own community.
   The speakers blamed the government for not tracing out and identifying the real killers for its own self-interest.
   CPB presidium member, MM Akash, chaired the rally, while Selim, CPB central leader Ruhin Hossain Prince, Mahbub Alam and others spoke.

Different organisations observed the first death anniversary of Manik Saha, the Khulna based New Age senior staff correspondent, on Saturday through offering wreaths at the place where Manik was bombed to death.
   They also organised rallies and submitted memoranda to the Khulna district deputy commissioner, demanding arrest of and exemplary punishment for the killers of Manik.
   The Khulna Press Club at 11:00am placed garland where Manik was bombed to death and organised a rally on the press club premises at 12:00pm.
   The speakers expressed dissatisfaction as the killers were not punished even a year after the killing.
   Journalists brought out a mourning procession that paraded the main roads of the city and then submitted a memorandum to the Khulna deputy commissioner, demanding disclosure of the names of the masterminds of Manik killing.
   The Khulna Union of Journalists also placed wreath at the spot at 11:00am, brought out a mourning procession that paraded the main roads of the city at around 12:00am and submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner at about 12:15.
   The Journalist Manik Saha Smriti Parishad, a committee comprising different political, professional, social and cultural organisations, arranged a mass-rally at Shaheed Hadis Park at 3:00pm.
   Pradip Kumar Saha, brother of Manik Saha, addressed the mass rally on behalf of the family of Manik.
   The parishad also arranged a blood donation programme at Shaheed Hadis Park on at 10:00am and submitted a memorandum to the deputy commissioner at noon, demanding proper judgment of Manik murder case and naming a road in the Khulna city after Manik’s name.
   The Khulna district unit of the Bangladesh Students’ Union lighted one thousand lamps and took oath, touching fire, just after Friday at 12:1am. They put garland at the spot at 9:00am, brought out a mourning procession in the city bearing black badges and organised a rally at 12:00pm on their office premises.
   Family members of Manik Saha, Sammilita Sangskritic Jot, Udichi, Gano Shilpi Sangstha, Nagarik Forum, Arja Dharmasabha temple committee, Hindu Buddha Christian Oikkya Parishad, Khulna district and city unit of puja udjapan committee, Khulna district unit of Communist Party of Bangladesh, Trade Union Kendro, Bangladesh Krishak Samity, Bangladesh Juba Union, Bangladesh Students’ Union, Ratan Sen Public Library, Lall Baul Khelaghar Asar placed garland at the killing spot.
   The family of Manik Saha arranged a religious programme at Shibbari temple in the evening.
   Also a stringer of the BBC Bangla service and the former president of the Khulna Press Club, Manik was bombed to death on January 15, 2004 at around 1:15pm at Chhota Mirjapur, few yards off the press club, in the Khulna city on his way to his Ahsan Ahmed road residence.

Grassroots leaders of the ruling BNP have criticised party central leaders as they ‘do not keep relation with them after assuming power.’
   ‘We feel proud as the central leaders are now taking into account our views,’ said one of 1,800 union representatives from five southern districts in a conference of union representatives Saturday in Cox Bazar, 302km south-east of Dhaka.
   The party senior joint secretary general, Tarique Rahman, presided over the gathering, arranged to hear the grassroots leaders’ views as part of a countrywide political campaign to revamp the party.
   ‘You are the spokesmen for the government as well as the people of your areas. So you will have to make the people understand the success and limitations of the government as well as opposition ill-motives hindering government’s development activities,’ he told the local-level leaders.
   Tarique assured them of conveying the views to the party chairperson and the prime minister, Khaleda Zia.
   The daylong discussions boiled down to four core points: to continue the anti-terrorism drive, bring down the prices of fuel oils and fertilisers and to check the price hike of essentials and scrapping the ‘so-called’ CHT peace treaty.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Saturday asked the government to make compulsory the evening rounds of the professors, consultants and other physicians in government hospitals.
   The committee in a meeting at Sangsad Bhaban also suggested that at least eight-hour duty of a doctor be ensured in the hospitals, a parliament secretariat news release said.
   The meeting formed a sub-committee headed by Mosiur Rahman to monitor the activities of CMMU of the health ministry. Ziaul Haque Mollah, Qader Siddiq and
   Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu were made members of the sub-committee.
   The meeting was told that the health sector would get 10,803 new posts, including 3,176 medical officers, to reach basic health services to the doorsteps of the people.
   It was told that the National Nutrition Programme involving around Tk 640.96 crore is progressing fast with the financial support of the World Bank, CIDA and Netherlands government.
   Chairman of the committee Mosiur Rahman presided over the meeting, attended by committee members the health and family welfare minister, Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Ziaul Haque Mollah, Gazi Nazrul Islam, Qader Siddiq, M Amanullah, Nasiruddin Ahmed Pintu and MA Mannan.

The police superintendent of Chuadanga on Saturday closed 15 traffic policemen to the police lines on charges of extorting money from truck drivers carrying sacrificial animals before Eid-ul-Azha.
   The closed were traffic sergeants, Hemayet Uddin and Zakaria, havilders, Rafiqul and Nikhil Chandra and constables Matiur, Nabir, Rashid, Ekman, Zahid, Ayub, Kamrul, Hafiz, Wadud, Mizan and Nawshad Ali.
   The police sources said the closed policemen were replaced by personnel from the reserved police.