Main Page «
Front Page «
Metro «
Business «
International «
Sports «
Editorial «
Op-Ed «
Home «
Timeout «
Letters «

Archive «
Launch Supplement «
Special Supplements «

Foreign exchange earning from tourists and other arrivals to Bangladesh in first four months of 2008 increased by 13.58 per cent over the same period last year.
   January saw the biggest 33.55 jump in earnings from holidaymakers and business tourists over the year-ago period on the back of a surge in arrivals after the devastating cyclone Sidr on November 15, 2007, tourism officials and operators said.
   Earnings from tourism totalled Tk 232.15 crore in the January-April period this year, up from Tk 204.43 crore of the same period last year.
   Tour operators attributed the growth to less or no hassle at the airport during the emergency rules, while tourism promotion officials took credit for it, saying their strengthened campaigns lured more globetrotters into Bangladesh.
   Foreigners spent Tk 74.93 crore in foreign currencies in January 2008, compared with Tk 56.11 crore of the year-ago period.
   The March figure was, however, down by 6.25 per cent from February earnings from foreign tourist arrivals.
   Incomes from tourism were Tk 52.78 crore in March and Tk 45.94 crore in April, marking gradual declines from January peak.
   Tourist arrivals marked significant rises over the years with about 2.89 lakh foreigners travelling to Bangladesh in 2007, up from about 2 lakh in 2006 and 2.07 lakh in 2005.
   The increase was 135 per cent to 39,345 persons in January 2008, compared with January 2007 arrivals, officials said.
   ‘Increased number of aid workers and journalists toured Bangladesh during the weeks after the cyclone Sidr. Many of them had longer stay like for 15 or 30 days,’ an official said, analysing the tourist growth trend in the Sidr aftermaths.
   A significant number of Chinese and Thai nationals also entered Bangladesh for jobs, especially in mobile phone companies, contributing to the growth in arrivals during the period, hospitality industry sources said.
   If the planned ‘China town’ is built in the Dhaka city outskirts, more Chinese citizens will be arriving in Bangladesh in future for business purpose, they said.
   ‘Arrivals of foreign tourists in the country increased as the airport and immigration department are now free from harassment,’ said MA Muhaimin Saleh, president of Association of Travel Agents Bangladesh.
   Bangladesh Parjatan Corporation chairman Shafique Alam Mehedi told New Age on Monday that the state-run promotion agency arranged several tourism fairs in different parts of the country throughout the year to attract more tourists.
   Foreign diplomats stationed in Bangladesh were invited to those fairs so that they could project the country positively, he said.
   Worldwide tourists’ movement reached 898 million in 2007, according to the World Tourism Organisation, which forecast that by 2010, international tourist arrivals would reach 1 billion annually.

Political parties should make united efforts to restore the environment for democratisation of the society and the state, said speakers at a discussion on Monday.
   Colonel Taher Sangsad organised the discussion on ‘the crisis of democracy in Bangladesh’ at the Teachers-Students Centre of Dhaka University marking the 32nd anniversary of death of Colonel Abu Taher Bir Uttam.
   Taher, commander of Sector 11 during the war of independence in 1971, was one of the organisers of the mass-sepoy uprising in November, 1975, and was executed after a court martial on July 21, 1976.
   Participating in the discussion, Workers Party’s president Rashed Khan Menon warned that conspiracies were on to impose ‘a controlled political system’ in Bangladesh. ‘All secular political parties must realise the gravity of the situation’, he said.
   ‘Conspiracies are on to impose a controlled political system here by holding elections under the state of emergency… Attempts are being made to hold local government polls before the national elections to create a support base for the incumbents at the grassroots level’, he said.
   Bangladesher Samajtantrik Dal’s convener Khalequzzaman called on all to work together to build up a mass movement for far-reaching changes in political, economic and social sectors.
   Communist Party of Bangladesh’s general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim asked all to make united efforts to stop plunder of national wealth. ‘Struggle for restoration of democracy will not succeed unless we are able to stop plunder of national wealth’, he said and warned progressive-democratic forces of the rise of communal forces.
   Taher Sangsad president Kamal Lohani chaired the session. Taher’s younger brother and Dhaka University Teachers Association general secretary Anwar Hossain presented the keynote paper. Anwar Hossain stressed the need for building up a united movement of all pro-liberation forces to overcome the present crisis and restore democracy.
   New Age editor Nurul Kabir said that democracy in its true sense never existed in Bangladesh. But there has always been struggle for democracy.
   ‘Under the state of emergency, there was no scope for protests’, he said.
   He said the most important thing at the moment was to make political efforts to get rid of the emergency to restore the environment for democratisation of the society and the state.

The Anti-Corruption Commission chairman, Hasan Mashhud Chowdhury, on Monday vowed to ratchet up activities to fight corruption after withdrawal of the state of emergency.
   ‘The anti-graft drive was not designed on the basis of the state of emergency. The ACC will go tougher on graft after the emergency is withdrawn,’ ACC chairman told reporters in Panchagarh after a meeting with government officials on institutionalised efforts to curb corruption.
   The ACC chief also said the activities of national anti-corruption taskforces might slow due to withdrawal of the state of emergency.
   Mashhud underscored the need for growing moral consciousness among government employees against corruption.
   The ACC chief became angry after magistrate Moshiur Rahman, attached with the Panchagarh deputy commissioner’s office, called for a pay rise for government employees at the meeting.
   Mashhud reprimanded the magistrate for his demand and said that more wages might not erase corruption from society.
   ‘Graft cannot be decriminalised on an excuse of low salary.
   ‘I don’t believe people will stay away from corruption if their salaries are raised,’ said the former army chief.
   The ACC chairman said corruption could not be rooted out but could be brought down to a tolerable level.
   ‘If abuse of power and exchange of bribe can be stopped, corruption will be nearly gone.’
   Pointing to a recent report of the Transparency International Bangladesh, the ACC chief said government officials were directly involved with graft.
   Mashhud told reporters that the ACC was currently dealing with 1,272 cases. Of them, the ACC itself filed 500 cases.
   A UNB report from Thakurgaon adds: The ACC chairman said Monday people in rural areas still had to give
   bribe like in previous times, despite a countrywide crusade being carried on by his watchdog body.
   ‘Bribery has not decreased at district and upazila levels as yet,’ said Mashhud while addressing a meeting of district and upazila corruption prevention committees at the local circuit house.
   He stressed the need for creating mass awareness to get the result of the movement against corruption.
   ‘The country cannot be freed from corruption through awarding punishment to a few.’
   Billing the TIB report on corruption as true, Mashhud said the drive for prevention of corruption would be meaningful only when rural people would start to get service without bribe and harassment.
   ‘The wall of corruption is much strong. It is not so easy to break the wall, but, breaches can be caused to it,’ the ACC chief said.

The River Padma crossed its danger level at Bhagyakul on Monday flowing six centimetres above and it may cross the danger mark at Goalanda this morning, as the river had been rising upstream, officials in the Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre said Monday.
   The river was now flowing at 6.06 metres at Bhagyakul, the FFWC officials told the news agency, adding the trend of the river showed it might rise by 10 to 15cm further in next two days as reports from Farakka point, upstream in India, indicated.
   They said there was no immediate threat of severe flooding.
   The Padma normally goes in spate in early August, they added.
   Another major river, the Brahmaputra-Jamuna, too was on the rise, swelling by 2 to 4cm. But the rate of its rise was slow and it may come down slowing down further, the FFWC officials added allaying fears about both the majors going in spate, spilling over their banks for a severe flooding.
   At Noonkhawa, where the river enters Bangladesh it was flowing Monday one and a half metres below its danger level of 27.25 metres, rising by 2cm only. Further downstream at Sirajganj the river was flowing well below its danger level.
   Of the other rivers, only Kobadak at Jhikargacha was flowing 6cm above its danger level. The Kangsha at Jariajanjail, Netrakona was flowing 1cm above its red mark.
   The Teesta at Dalia was flowing 6cm below its danger level. The Surma at Sunamganj was flowing 13cm below its danger level.

The Anti-Corruption Commission is set to file a case against former BNP lawmaker M Elias Ali and his wife for amassing illegal wealth and hiding information about it.
   Speaking at a regular briefing of the commission, ACC director general (admin) Colonel Hanif Iqbal said the anti-graft watchdog had approved the filing of the case.
   A first information report will be filed against former Elias and his wife Tahsina Rushdi for acquiring wealth worth Tk 3.32 crore beyond their known sources of income and concealment of information of assets worth Tk 91.7 lakh.
   The case will be filed under sections 26(2) and 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004, section 109 of
   the Penal Code and section 15 of the Emergency Powers Rules, 2007.
   Hanif also told the briefing that the commission had approved the submission of charge sheets in four cases.
   Former managing director of Rupantorita Prakritik Gas Company Limited Fazle Elahi will be charge-sheeted in the case filed against him for corruption relating to appointment of operation and maintenance contractor through abuse of power. He was also accused of failing to realise Tk 25.38 lakh paid to the contractor, Trident Agency.
   Agriculturist Jabed Iqbal, a former official of Department of Agricultural Extension, and Tariqur Rahman Prince, son-in-law of former law adviser Justice Fazlul Haque, will be charge-sheeted in separate cases filed for failing to submit their wealth statements in due time.
   The ACC will submit charge-sheet in a case against former principal officer of Agrani Bank Mohammad Ullah (now suspended) and three others on charge of misappropriation of Tk 30 lakh.

The High Court on Monday commuted the sentence on Azam Reza from death to life term imprisonment for killing his wife Jayanti Reza.
   The High Court bench of Justice AKM Fazlur Rahman and Justice ATM Fazle Kabir pronounced the judgement after a six-day hearing in the death reference and appeal against the verdict in murder case.
   In the judgement, the High Court observed that Azam was not a professional killer and he did not kill his wife in a pre-planned way rather the killing was committed as a consequence of marital discord.
   The body of Jayanti, a teacher of Australian International School, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in their Banani house on January 9, 2004.
   In the verdict, the Speedy Trial Tribunal-4 observed that Azam tortured Jayanti to death as he considered her an obstacle to his affair with television star Afsana Mimi. The High Court on July 14 started hearing the death reference and appeal against the verdict in Jayanti Reza murder case. Speedy trial tribunal on January 17, 2005 sentenced Azam Reza to death.
   Advocate Khandaker Mahbub Hossain defended Azam while deputy attorney general Nahid Mahtab appeared for the state.

The three-day ninth congress of the Communist Party of Bangladesh begins in Dhaka on August 7.
   As part of the preparations for the congress the party is holding its district and upazila unit conferences and has completed conferences in 43 districts, 273 upazilas and 1,061 other units, a party press release said on Monday.
   The party held its eighth congress in May, 2003 in Dhaka and the ninth congress was scheduled in 2007, but it was delayed due to the state of emergency.
   From the congress rostrum, the CPB will call on the left-democratic forces to strengthen the left alternative political forces out of the spheres of the two major political parties – Awami League and BNP.

The body of late poet Samudra Gupta will be kept in the Central Shaheed Minar from 11 am to 12-30 am today for people to show their last respects.
   The body will be brought to the Dhaka University mosque after johar prayers for the namaz-e-janaja. He will be laid to rest at the Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard in Mirpur, a press release of the Sammilita Sangskritik Jote said. Samudra Gupta died in an Indian hospital on Saturday.

Novelist Mahmudul Haque died of cardiac arrest in his residence at Lalbagh in the city early Monday. He was 68. He is survived by a son and a daughter.
   He was buried at the Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard at Mirpur after namj-e-janaza afterasr prayers. The body was earlier kept on the Bangla Academy premises for some time so that people could pay their last respects to the writer.
   He received the Bangla Academy Award in 1977.
   His works included Anur Patshala, Nirapad Tandra, Jiban Amar Bon, Kalo Baraf Chikkor Kabul, Khelaghar, Mathir Jahaj and Pratidin Ekti Rumal.
   Different organisations, including the Bangla Academy, expressed profound shock at the death of Mahmud.

Two operatives of the ultra-left party Nakshal Bahini were killed allegedly over factional feud at Sonakandore village in Santhia upazila of Pabna Sunday night.
   The deceased were Jahangir Hossain, 32, a regional leader of the utra-left outfit and Masudur Rahman, 30, an activist of the party - both of the same upazila.
   The police, quoting locals, said the assailants had hacked to death the two operatives of the ultra-left party when they along with their associates were playing at cards at a vendor’s shop in Sonakandore village at about 9:00 pm.
   ‘How the killing took place could not be known as the locals here remained tight-lipped,’ said Md. Abdur Rashid, sub-inspector of the Santhia police station.
   The police and locals said the deceased were criminals and accused in a number of cases.
   ‘They were ultra-left party men.  The murder might have occurred over an internal feud of the party,’ the superintendent of police, AFM Masum Rabbani, told New Age over phone.
   The police recovered the bodies and sent those to the Pabna General Hospital for post-mortem examin-ations.

Traffic on the busy Mohakhali-Gulshan road remained suspended for about an hour from 10:15am due to the melee that ensued over the students’ claim of charging extra by a bus operator.
   Witnesses said a student had picked an altercation with the ticket seller of an Ekushey Paribahan counter in front of the college at about 10:00am.
   Shortly after, several hundred students came out of their campus and started damaging vehicles at Amtali point in Mohakhali.
   The assistants of drivers resisted the students locking into the clash that left at least 10 injured, the police said.
   The Gulshan police rushed to the scene and requested the students to go back to the campus.
   As the students did not responded positively, the law enforcers resorted to baton charge to disperse them. The students then pelted brick chips and stone pieces on the bats and damaged about a dozen of vehicles, they said.
   The Gulshan police said they had held a meeting with the college principal.
   ‘Law enforcers are still in front of the college to avoid further clash,’ sub-inspector Aminur Rashid of Gulshan police said. No case was filed till 9:30pm.

Export-oriented companies, including the ready-made garment sector in Bangladesh, may lose existing access to global markets after 2010 if they do not comply with international standards of social responsibility, said trade experts on Monday.
   Maintaining social responsibility standards is also a precondition for finding new export opportunities, they said.
   To be set by the International Standardisation Organisation, ISO 26000 on social responsibility will come into force in 2010. If exporting companies do not conform, many global buyers will forego their products, they said.
   ‘Any country that wants to survive in the international market must embrace social responsibilities,’ the British high commissioner, Stephen Evans, said. The ISO will hold a global conference in Santiago, Chile, in September. The Monday’s conference was held at BSTI. Industries secretary Sheikh Enayetullah, BSTI director general Md Azmal Hossain and Rodney Reed of Reed Consulting Limited also addressed the conference.