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The workers of seven state-owned jute mills in the Khulna-Jessore region demonstrated in their mills’ premises on Thursday from 10am to 12 pm, demanding payment of all their overdue wages and festival bonuses before Eid.
   The workers of four state-owned jute mills — Alim Jute Mills and Eastern Jute Mills of the Atra Industrial belt in Khulna, and Jessore Jute Industries and Carpeting Jute Mills of Nawapara industrial belt in Jessore —demonstrated under the banner of ‘Pat, Suta o
   Bastrakal Sramik Karmachari Sangram Parishad’, while the workers of the remaining mills — Crescent Jute Mills, Platinum Jubilee Jute Mills and Star Jute Mills of Khalishpur industrial belt in Khulna city — demonstrated under the banner of the ‘State-Owned Jute Mills Labourers Development Committee’ to press home their demands.
   Their demands also include reviewal of the present labour laws, re-recruitment of the sacked workers during the labour unrest in the past, allocation of enough money to buy an adequate amount of raw jute, arrangements for smooth running of all the jute mills and re-opening of all the closed mills in the Khulna region.
   The agitating workers chanted slogans to press home their demands and blamed the governments for ignoring the jute sector and the state-owned jute mills.
   The rallies after the processions in the Alim, Eastern, Carpeting and JJI mills were addressed by the Parishad’s leaders: Md Shah Alam, Siddiqur Rahman, Nazrul Islam Farazi, Mahmud Hossain, Mujibur Rahman, Isdani Ali, Humayun Kabir, Abdus Salam, Khalilur Rahman, Mojammel Haque and Abdul Hamid Sardar.
   The speakers said that the workers who went on retirement and were sacked from their jobs even several years before are yet to be paid and they have been passing their days in inhuman conditions.
   Besides, the authorities are yet to pay the overdue weekly wages and monthly salaries of the workers of the mills and their children’s schooling is about to stop due to sheer poverty, they alleged.
   The workers’ leaders threatened tougher agitation programmes if their demands are not met before Eid.

Thirty-one more people have applied to the Anti-Corruption Commission seeking referral to the Truth and Accountability Commission for clemency in return for their illegal money.
   Earlier 79 applications were sent to the truth commission, which have so far received 110 applications for referral, said the commission’s director general Hanif Iqbal at his briefing on Thursday.
   The 31 applicants include a politician, policemen, land offices sub-registrars, and employees and officials of the forest department and the Local Government Engineering Department, he said, adding the applications are expected to be sent to the truth commission next week.
   Hanif also said the commission approved charges against former BNP lawmaker MA Hashem and former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s assistant private secretary AFM Bahauddin Nasim.
   He said the charges against Bahauddin would be pressed for amassing illegal wealth of Tk 22.82 lakh and hiding assets of Tk 3.61 lakh in his wealth statement submitted to the commission and against Hashem for amassing illegal wealth of Tk 17.11 crore.
   The commission lodged separate cases with the Ramna police against Bahauddin on November 21, 2007 and Hashem on December 5, 2007, he said.
   The commission will also press charges against Rajuk building inspector Amir Khursu, a also CBA leader, and his wife Parveen Akhter for amassing illegal wealth of Tk 88.45 lakh, said Hanif, adding the commission on Thursday approved three charge sheets to be submitted soon to the Dhaka chief metropolitan magistrate’s court, against the four people.
   The commission approved to two notices to be
   served to former Dhaka customs superintendent Nurul Amin and Bhola zila parishad assistant engineer Shahidul Alam seeking their wealth statement.

The chief adviser, Fakhruddin Ahmed, on Wednesday said his government was carrying out efforts to make business and investment procedures in the country simple and easier as well as introducing online services to this end to attract investors from home and abroad.
   The chief adviser made the remarks when a group of young Bangladeshi American business experts of Network of Young Bangladeshi American Professional and bdinvest.org called on him at his Intercontinental Barclay New York Hotel suite in the evening.
   The young professionals apprised the chief adviser about the NYBAP, which was established four years back with the main objective to introduce Bangladesh as a country where one can invest, exchange views and make suggestions. The NYBAP has 1,100 members.
   The chief adviser listened to their various suggestions in line with Bangladesh’s business
   procedures and potentiality and urged them to make concrete recommendations so that the government can focus on those.
   He told them about the formation of Bangladesh Better Business Forum last year aiming at government-private partnership that produced some good results.
   Interaction between BBBF, Board of Investment and non-resident Bangladeshis, business policy and online service in government institutions were also discussed.
   Fakhruddin told the young professionals that IT and financial service businesses had great potential in Bangladesh and the government was making an attractive IT policy.
   The government is putting everything on line, he said and mentioned that a number of government organisations, including Biman and DESA, had already been turned into public limited companies.
   He said trade inputs were now being released online for importers and exporters.
   The chief adviser also mentioned about the Right to Information Ordinance for providing information to the public.
   Fahim Ahmed, vice-president of Royal Bank of Scotland, Faisal Ahmed, an economist of International Monetary Fund, Haseeb Ahmed of JP Morgan Chase, Hasan Imam, managing director of Thomas Weisel Partners, Mashrib Zahid, senior analyst of Prime Capital, and Rasheq Rahman, vice-president of KBC Financial Products, among others of NYBAP, met with the chief adviser.
   Chief adviser’s press secretary Syed Fahim Munaim, who was at the meeting, later briefed the newsmen.
   Bangladesh ambassador to the USA M Humayun Kabir was also present at the meeting.

The Bangladesh Rifles on Thursday said it would end its operation Dal-Bhat from September 28.
   Taskforce commander of ‘Operation Dal Bhat’ Col M Mojibul Hoque told a press conference at the BDR Headquarters that they would end the operation because they wanted to concentrate on border security.
   Responding to a government decision to reign in the market amid unchecked price hike of daily commodities, the BDR began the operation on March 25 last year with 20 cut-price outlets. Later it was expanded.
   He said they launched the operation with ‘no-profit-no-loss’ basis.
   During the period, the BDR handled goods worth about Tk 400 crore, the commander said.
   The force from their cut-price shops sold 1.30 lakh tonnes of rice, 2,000 tonnes of pulse and 3.50 lakh litres of edible oil, including soybean. One lakh lower and mid-income people benefit everyday from the operation, he said.
   Explaining his experience, the commander said the government should give priority to the country’s agriculture sector to keep the prices of essentials within the reach of the commoners.
   ‘The government should not depend on foreign countries for food during food crisis,’ he said.
   Responding to a question, he said: ‘I don’t think the market will be unstable due to absence of the operation.
   There is a very little chance for the market to be unstable over next 3-4 months.’
   ‘If the government monitor the market situation with effective policies in place, it will be possible to keep prices under control,’ he added.
   Col Hoque also advised the government to take short and mid-term projects to ensure the interests of farmers.

Former state minister and Awami League leader Obaidul Quader is likely to leave Dhaka for Delhi tomorrow (Saturday) for medical treatment.
   His lawyer, AKM Amin Uddin Manik, submitted separate petitions to three special courts where the cases against Quader are under trial and sought time for his treatment.
   The courts on Thursday granted the petitions and fixed October 6 for the next hearing, which cleared the way for his leaving the country for treatment, said the lawyer. Quader will be admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Delhi for follow-up treatment and will hopefully return to Dhaka on October 5, he said.
   Earlier, the medical board of the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Hospital examined Quader and advised him to go to Apollo Hospital in Delhi for follow-up treatment for the metallic pellets which still remain in his body.
   Led by Professor AKM Anwar Ullah of the Neurology Department of the BSMMU, the four-member medical board also suggested a metallic-friendly MRI test the of cervical spine, which is only possible abroad, and asked him to take absolute bed rest for three weeks. Other members of the board are Professor Anisul Haque of the Neurology Department, Professor Moinuzzaman of the Physical Medicine Department and Professor Kanak Kanti Barua of Neurosurgery. The board was formed on September 7 after Quader’s admission into the hospital on his release from prison on bail on September 5.
   The main concerns are pain, weakness and wasting of the right upper and lower limbs which are progressive in nature, observed the board. The problems started when Obaidul Quader was injured by splinters in the deadly grenade attack on an Awami League rally on Bangabandhu Avenue on August 21, 2004.
   The High Court granted bail to Quader in all the five cases filed against him. Two of the cases have been stayed but three others are under trial.

The Anti-Corruption Commission on Thursday filed a suit against the former chief engineer of the Roads and Highways Department, Fazlul Haque, for amassing assets illegally and withholding information in his wealth statement.
   Fazlul’s wife Suraiya Haque, sons Sayeedul Haque, SM Fayezul Haque and Aminul Haque Shamim are also accused in the case filed by the ACC’s deputy assistant director, Aftab Uddin, with the Ramna police station.
   According to the First Information Report of the case, Fazlul and his family acquired assets worth Tk 14.16 crore, which is beyond his known sources of income, and withheld information about assets worth Tk 5.26 crore.
   The case against Fazlul, and his wife and sons who have been accused of abetting him, has been 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 Power Rules 2007.
   The ACC’s director-general (admin), Hanif Iqbal, told reporters at a briefing that the ACC had approved the case against Fazlul and his family.

Three suspected criminals were killed in ‘shootout’ with the Rapid Action Battalion and police in Faridpur and Jhenaidah early Thursday.
   Two of them, identified as Sabbir Hossain Jahangir, 40, and Babu Kasai, 38, of Alipur in Faridpur town, were killed in a gunfight with the battalion while the other, Raju alias Rajab, 35, of Chandpur village in Magura, was killed in an encounter with the police in Jhenaidah.
   Tipped off, a patrol team
   of the RAB raided the main entrance of an abandoned
   mill in Faridpur at about 3:05am when some criminals were holding a secret meeting there.
   As the battalion approached, the criminals opened fire prompting the law enforcers to fire back triggering a gunfight that continued for about 20 minutes.
   Later, the battalion with the help of the police recovered the bodies of Sabbir and Babu from the spot.
   They also seized a pistol with two bullets, one LG with eight bullets and a revolver from the spot.
   The bodies were sent to Faridpur Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examinations.
   In another incident, the police arrested Raju at Chaklapara in Jhenaidah Wednesday noon.
   Following his statement, the police went out with Raju early Thursday to recover firearms from a hideout.
   As the police reached a brick kiln at Charmuraridah village, Raju’s associates opened fire at the law enforcers prompting them to retaliate.
   At one stage, Raju received bullets and died on the spot.
   The police seized two shutter guns, two bombs and 14 bullets from the spot.

The foreign adviser, Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, called upon Commonwealth countries to focus on ensuring food security for its citizens.
   He said this while addressing the Special Commonwealth Heads of Government meeting, held at the United Nations Headquarters on Wednesday afternoon, said a press release.
   He said, ‘All Millennium Development Goals critically hinge on poverty and hunger, all other goals on health, education, supply of safe drinking water and women empowerment largely depended on defeating the scourge of hunger.’
   The foreign adviser suggested food exporting and importing Commonwealth countries to arrive at a ‘compact’ to address the issue more effectively.
   He mentioned that recently Bangladesh had proposed the setting up of a Food Bank and consequently the UN secretary general had established a Task Force in this connection. He urged upon the Commonwealth Secretariat to complement these efforts.
   The foreign adviser said, ‘The Commonwealth unites us in the spirit of solidarity, mutual respect and compassion. These values must be upheld at all costs.’
   ‘In order for our democratic societies to survive, we must ensure our citizens are fed and have equal access to opportunities. This is our collective responsibility,’ he added.

Credit union activists from around 20 countries visited a local microfinance institution and credit unions on Thursday to see how these function here and how the models could be replicated in their countries.
   More than 100 leaders of cooperative societies in Asia have been in the city to attend the 2008 Asian Credit Union Forum, which begins at the Sheraton Hotel today.
   The delegates went to ASA, a leading MFI and two credit unions — Sampreeti and Dhaka Credit — to learn about their operations in Bangladesh.
   ASA president Shafiqul Haque Chowdhury told the delegates that MFIs and cooperatives in Asia could share their experiences to improve services to the clients and achieve better results in poverty alleviation efforts.

Three pro-Awami league councillors have been elected panel mayors in Sylhet City Corporation on Thursday.
   Of the 33 councillors, 30 voted to elect the three including a woman.
   There were 13 candidates.
   ‘We failed to reach a consensus on the panel,’ mayor Badraddin Ahmed Kamran told the news agency.
   ‘So we arranged the voting. Md Shahjahan got 14 votes, Shahnara Begum 9 votes and Mokhlesur Rahman 12 votes to make the panel,’ the mayor said.
   The mayor, SCC secretary Harunur Rashid and chief executive officer Kazi Abdun Nur conducted the election.
   The city council at its first meeting sought to nominate the panel by consensus but failed after as many as 18 showed interests.
   Later a committee, assigned to find three names acceptable to all, reported its failure to the council meeting Thursday, forcing a vote.

The Democracywatch’s executive director, Taleya Rehman, in a statement on Thursday protested against the allegation that she and her organisation have a political bias just because Khaleda Zia had held a meeting in her house.
   ‘Since 16 September 2008, when Khaleda Zia, the chairperson of BNP, held a meeting at 15 Eskaton Garden Road, some people have launched an unjust campaign against me and Democracywatch, which is a leading election monitoring organisation in Bangladesh and the world,’ she said.
   ‘The meeting was held in the office of Shafik Rehman which is located in a completely different building at the same address.
   It is only polite and customary for a host and hostess to receive a guest, which we did. We then left her to hold the meeting and have iftar before leaving,’ she said.
   ‘This purely social act has been given a political colour. Democracywatch has been working as a completely neutral and professional election observer since its inception 13 years ago, in which time it has gained a good reputation. It is totally unjust to condemn an institution for a personal and social act of mine, and I vehemently protest against this campaign,’ she added.
   ‘We hear much talk about the empowerment and independence of women. But this present campaign against Democracywatch and me by the progressive elements is a setback for women’s emancipation,’ said Taleya.
   ‘The whole country is now clamouring for tolerance and peaceful existence of various political parties including a face-to-face meeting of the two top leaders.
   ‘Democracywatch congratulates this new and necessary move towards the peace and progress of Bangladesh,’ she concluded.