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Only 1,766 out of some 80,000 complaints received so far from members of the public by the Anti-Corruption Commission since its inception on November 21, 2004 have been considered worth inquiring under the ongoing anti-graft drive.
   Since December 12, 2007, the ACC has scrutinised 79,633 complaints from the public, and 1,766 of those have been considered worthy of inquiry, which comes to a peanut 2.25 per cent of the barrage of complaints.
   The ACC director general (admin), Col Hanif Iqbal, informed the commission’ s regular briefing Thursday afternoon that among those complaints the anti-graft watchdog has already started working on 51.
   He said three committees set by the ACC started working on December 12 for scanning the huge number of public complaints received by the commission since its inception on November 21, 2004.
   Two committees scrutinised the complaints received from November 21, 2004 to December 12, 2007 while the third committee scrutinised the complaints received daily.
   Having worked for 177 working days, the three committees, as of August 31 this year, scrutinised a total of 79,633 complaints and registered them on computers.
   The two committees have scrutinised 57,156 complaints received from November 21, 2004 to December 12, 2007 while the third one scrutinised 25,477 received to date from December 12, 2007.
   Col Hanif Iqbal told the briefing that of the allegations received by the ACC, 60 per cent are on land and fake documents, 20 per cent under the purview of police cases and 15 per cent of the cases are related to trifles like family and social feuds.
   ‘Only five per cent of the complaints are within the schedule of the ACC,’ he said, adding that of those many complaints were not considered for inquiry, as there was lack of objectivity and they were regarded harassing and malicious.
   Approximately, Hanif said, it has been possible to bring only 2.25 per cent of the complaints under consideration for inquiry.
   Responding to a question, he said the commission would work on the complaints that fall within the schedule while the summaries of the remaining ones have been preserved on computers. In future, if a system is introduced enabling the ACC to disclose the complainants, it would be done so, he added.
   In reply to a question, Hanif said all the 1,766 individuals whose complaints have been considered for inquiry were communicated by the commission either by phone call or letter.
   Replying to a question, the ACC spokesperson said the applications from 48 individuals had already been sent to the Truth and Accountability Commission for considering clemency in return for their ill-gotten wealth.
   ‘The applications from another eight individuals are under consideration and they will be sent to the TAC next week,’ he added.
   About the case filed against three persons for allegedly taking bribe of Tk 29 lakh from ex-adviser Justice Fazlul Haque for relieving him of an ACC case, Hanif said if it was a bribery case, it would be under ACC schedule and if it was a cheating case, it would not be under the schedule of the commission.
   Asked about actions against ACC officials allegedly involved in the case of taking bribe from Justice Fazlul Haque, he said actions would be taken in accordance with the law and rules if the allegations against the ACC officials proved right.
   Responding to a questioner, the ACC director general said the commission’s activities relating to issuance of notices to corruption suspects did not get bogged down.
   ‘Recently, I have seen issuance of two notices, including one to Ishraq Hossain (Dhaka City Corporation mayor Sadeque Hossain Khoka’s son).’

The foreign affairs adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, met Kuwait’s prime minister Sheikh Nasser Al-Mohammad Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Thursday and sought assistance for the Padma bridge and the special economic zone for expatriate investments to be set up in Sylhet.
   Iftekhar said they had discussed a number of topics, both of international and bilateral significance.
   He praised the farsightedness of the Kuwaiti leadership that had pla-ced its economy on a firm footing.
   Iftekhar said, ‘I appreciated the assistance they have so far rendered Bangladesh and hoped for further Kuwaiti cooperation in two key future projects, the Padma bridge and the special economic zone for expatriate investments in Sylhet.’
   He said they had also discussed the situation of Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait and hoped measures would soon be put in place to address their problems.
   ‘We talked about a number of such steps,’ he said, adding Kuwait’s prime minister lauded the contribution of Bangladeshi workers to Kuwaiti economy.
   Also present at that meeting was Kuwait’s deputy prime minister and minister for foreign affairs Sheikh Muhammed Sabah Al-Salem Al-Sabah.
   Iftekhar later called on the Kuwaiti minister for social affairs and labour, Bader Fahed Ali Al-Duwailah, and discussed matters related to the problems of Bangladeshi workers in Kuwait.
   The adviser urged Kuwait’s social affairs and labour minister to withdraw the ban on the transfer of residency and new visas.
   The Kuwaiti minister assured Iftekhar such issues would be taken up with the interior ministry. ‘Where it involves the labour ministry, it will raise most favourable coordination,’ Ali Al-Duwailah said.
   Iftekhar said they had discussed speedy disposal of compensation cases.
   It has been announced by the speaker of Kuwait’s parliament that a special emergency session of the parliament would be summoned on September 10 to debate the issue of expatriate labour rights.

The Coast Guard on Thursday captured two land office employees at Dacope in Khulna on as they were taking bribe from a woman promising her to look into her problems.
   Coast Guard said they had captured Dacope upazila land office qanungo Mahfuzur Rahman and office assistant Habibur Rahman as they were taking Tk 6,000 in bribe from one Kanika Halder, wife of Bhabani Shankar of Batbunia, promising her to settle her land related problems.
   They said Kanika had earlier given the earlier paid money to the employees, but they again demanded money and Kanika informed the Coast Guard of the matter.
   The Dacope upazila nirbahi officer, Md Mohsin Ali, told New Age department action would be taken against the two employees.

The Anti-Corruption Commission is set to press charges against former Khulna City Corporation mayor and Awami League leader Kazi Aminul Haque in a case filed for amassing illegal wealth and hiding information about it.
   The ACC has approved the submission of charge sheet against the former KCC mayor, said the ACC director general (admin), Col Hanif Iqbal, at the commission’s regular briefing on Thursday.
   He informed that the commission also approved filing of a case against 13 individuals, including former Water Development Board chief engineer Azhar Ali, and submission of charge sheet against a sub-registrar.
   Former KCC mayor Kazi Aminul will be charge-sheeted in the case filed against him on March 5 this year for acquiring wealth worth Tk 55 lakh beyond known sources of income and concealment of information of wealth worth Tk 34 lakh.
   The charge sheet will be submitted under sections 26(2) and 27(1) of the Anti-Corruption Commission Act, 2004 and section 15 of the Emergency Powers Rules, 2007.
   A case will be filed against former WDB chief engineer Azhar Ali and 12 others for embezzlement of Tk 57.35 lakh by providing appointments to 123 unqualified persons in regular posts and giving contractual appointments to 92 unqualified individuals.

The politicians, academics and lawyers at an exchange of views on Thursday said that the extra-judicial killings in the name of crossfire should be stopped and the perpetrators should be brought to book.
   They proposed formation of a mass enquiry commission and a human rights protection committee for the trial of the perpetrators of the ‘crossfire’ incidents.
   The Democratic Left Alliance, a combine of the left leaning political parties, organised the programme tilled ‘The extra-judicial killings under crossfire and future of the law’ at the National Press Club.
   The alliance coordinator, Abdus Samad, read out the keynote paper at the programme.
   ‘We want the trial of all the killers under the existing law of the land,’ the keynote paper said.
   The mass enquiry commission might be formed with the law experts, human rights leaders and politicians, the keynote paper suggested.
   The convener of the National Committee to Protect, Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Port, Sheikh Md Shahidullah said in a civilised country every killing should come under trail. Getting trail is the basic democratic right of the people, he added.
   The member secretary of the national committee and Jahangirnagar University professor Anu Muhammad said of late the killings under crossfire had increased.
   Even some left political leaders like Mizanur Rahman Tutul fell victim to crossfire recently, Anu Muhammad added.
   He also criticised the two major parties the Awmi League and BNP for patronising the killings under crossfire.
   The BRAC University professor, Pias Karim said it was unfortunate that the state was patronising the crossfire killings.
   Dhaka University professor, Meghna Guhakhakurata favoured formation of the mass enquiry commission for holding the trial of the killings under crossfire.
   Lawyer Ruhul Quddus Babu said the political parties especially the left leaning parties should wage the movement against the crossfire killings by the Rapid Action Battalion or other law enforcers.
   Family members of some crossfire victims took part in the discussion moderated by DLA leader Zonayed Saki.

Educationists and artistes paid tribute to lyricist Mohammad Moniruzzaman, also a teacher of the Bangla department at Dhaka University, who died on Wednesday at the age of 73.
   His body was kept for an hour at Aparajeya Bangla for public viewing.
   The University Grant Commission chairman, Nazrul Islam, Dhaka University pro-vice-chancellor, Yousuf Haider, Professor Anisuzzaman, Nazrul researcher Rafiqul Islam, among others, placed flowers on the coffin of Maniruzzaman.
   After the namaz-e-janaza at the Dhaka University mosque, the body was taken to his hometown, Jessore, for burial.
   The president, Iajuddin Ahmed, expressed his shock at the death of the educationist and lyricist.
   In a condolence message on Thursday, he talked about Maniruzzaman’s work and said people would be recalling his contribution to education and culture.
   He prayed for the eternal peace of the departed soul and conveyed sympathy with the members of Moniruzzaman’s family.
   The Centre for Advanced Research in Humanities, Bangla Academy, and Sammilita Sangskritik Jote also expressed their shock at the death.
   He was honoured with awards such as Ekushey Padak, Bangla Academy Padak and Alaol Padak for his contribution to the Bangla language and literature.
   He wrote many songs against the backdrop of the war of independence. He died on his way to Bangladesh Medical College Hospital after he had fallen ill in his house at Uttara.
   Moniruzzaman, who wrote many popular songs of the 1960s — Amar desher matir gandhe bhare acche sara man, Tumi ki dekhechho kabhu jibaner parajay and Halud bato mendi bato, bato phuler mou — had suffered from old-age complications for some years. Born in Jessore on August 15, 1936, he joined Dhaka University as a lecturer in 1962.
   He is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.

Abdul Mubin and JBM Hasan have been appointed deputy attorneys general.
   An official announcement on Thursday said the president, Iajuddin Ahmed, gave the appointment on Wednesday.

The Dhaka City Corporation on Thursday opened the Motiul-Quader memorial monument near the High Court in the city.
   Motiul and Quader, activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Union, were killed on January 1, 1973 when the police opened fire targeting an anti-imperialist procession brought out protesting against US aggression in Vietnam.
   The DCC’s chief engineer Ashfaqul Islam inaugurated the memorial monument. Communist Party of Bangladesh president Manjurul Ahsan Khan, general secretary Mujahidul Islam Selim, central leader Ruhin Hossain Prince and artist Mrinal Haque, among others, were present at the opening ceremony. Mrinal Haque has built the monument.

The government has suspended the licence of a recruiting agency, M/s Marigold International, for one year on charge of irregularities in recruiting manpower abroad.
   Expatriates welfare and overseas employment ministry Thursday issued an office order in this regard, said a handout.

Two vegetables traders were killed in a road accident on the Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway at Bagherbazar in Gazipur Wednesday night.
   The deceased were Jahangir, 28, and Mainuddin, 30.
   According to the local sources, the accident occurred when a vegetables laden truck coming from Mymensingh fell into a roadside ditch leaving the vegetable traders dead on the spot and injuring two others critically.

The British premier, Gordon Brown, and secretary of state for foreign and commonwealth affairs, David Miliband, greeted all Muslims all over the world, including Bangladesh, on the holy month of Ramadan, said a British High Commission release on Thursday.
   ‘Ramadan teaches patience and humility, and reminds us of our shared moral universe, our obligation to others,’ said Brown.
   He said the message of empathy for the less fortunate is reflected in Ramadan by the daily fast. And Ramadan’s message of compassion and social justice spreads beyond Muslim communities — it speaks of shared values that unite us all.
   Brown said the hadith of the Prophet Muhammad (SM) emphasises the duty of caring for one another.
   ‘So during this special month, let us also celebrate the diversity that contributes to Britain’s strength,’ he said.
   He said Muslims make a huge contribution to Britain’s success — ‘…to our prosperity, our society and our culture. And of course, Ramadan is an opportune time to consider the contribution of Islam not just to Britain, but to the world. Islamic art, science, and philosophy have enriched our lives over many centuries.’
   ‘Finally, Ramadan is also a time to recall the Prophet’s (SM) message that the best richness is the richness of the soul. This speaks to me, as it speaks to so many others. I look forward to continuing positive the engagement with British Muslim communities across the UK,’ concluded Brown.

Bangladesh is replacing its three army and two air force contingent in United Nations Peacekeeping Mission in Congo.
   Under this programme the first batch of 122 member army team led by Commander BANBAT-6 Lt Colonel Saiful Alam left Dhaka by an UN chartered aircraft Wednesday night, said an ISPR press release Thursday.
   The replacement programme will be continued till 14 October 2008 and 1,333 Armed Forces personnel of Bangladesh in different ranks will go to Congo while 1,333 Armed Forces personnel will return home by ten flights after successful completion of their tenure.
   A seven-member media team left Dhaka for Congo by the same flight with the replacement contingent to observe different daily operational and administrative activities run by Bangladeshi peacekeepers.
   Besides, a seven-member BAF delegation led by assistant chief of air staff (admin) Air Commodore M Delwar Hossain also left Dhaka for Congo by the same flight to witness the activities of BAF peacekeepers there.