Miscellaneous Bangladesh News

[sunny747]

Originally Posted by Banglatiger84
In Pakistan, Musharraf is meetign with the exiled Benazir to make a deal. This after 7 years of exilign Benazir and promisign never to let her back. Reason? Musharraf wants to stay in power and Benazir still has an organzed support and party in Pakistan.

Ver good chance that the same will happen in Bangladesh after 5 years, where the military will cooperate with Hasina or some other corrupt politician to consolidate their own grab on power

bd is not pakistan.....we don't have religious fanatism.........bd will just do fine .....

[shujan]

http://youtube.com/watch?v=wOnOgnO-NAI

Selim describe bus burning incident which killed 11 people.

[cricket_dorshok]

deleted

[nsd3]

What happened? " DELETED" - SHUJAN BHAI - KI HOLO?

[shujan]

Originally Posted by nsd3
What happened? " DELETED" - SHUJAN BHAI - KI HOLO?

Bhai amar kono hat nei er modhe. Amar choritro phuler moto pobitro.

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by sunny747
bd is not pakistan.....we don't have religious fanatism.........bd will just do fine .....

Absolutely ... maybe some of home grown zealots - I'm not talking just the Razakar slash Al Bodor types here - subconsciously want us be like Pakistan, hence the invalid comparisons that ultimately expose nothing other than their own pathetic zealotry.

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Banglatiger84
In Pakistan, Musharraf is meetign with the exiled Benazir to make a deal. This after 7 years of exilign Benazir and promisign never to let her back. Reason? Musharraf wants to stay in power and Benazir still has an organzed support and party in Pakistan.

Ver good chance that the same will happen in Bangladesh after 5 years, where the military will cooperate with Hasina or some other corrupt politician to consolidate their own grab on power

There is a big difference between CTG and Musharraf's government. Musharraf came to power via coup and is known "military dictator". On the other had, CTG is a purely civilian government "backed" by the army. There is a big difference. Ofcourse the BAL and BNP will translate the "army backing" as "army controlled" to draw parallel with Ershad's time and other military regimes in the world.

It simply won't happen.

[Dhurr]

Originally Posted by Alien
Ofcourse the BAL and BNP will translate the "army backing" as "army controlled" to draw parallel with Ershad's time and other military regimes in the world.

who are these civilians running the show?

[Banglatiger84]

Originally Posted by Alien
There is a big difference between CTG and Musharraf's government. Musharraf came to power via coup and is known "military dictator". On the other had, CTG is a purely civilian government "backed" by the army. There is a big difference. Ofcourse the BAL and BNP will translate the "army backing" as "army controlled" to draw parallel with Ershad's time and other military regimes in the world.

It simply won't happen.

I personally am hoping for the best that the CTG wont go that way. However, the problem is that many CTG supporters are so blind that even if CTG becomes corrupt and ends up like Ershad's regime, you will find these supporters defending the corruption same way you see BAL supporters defending Hartals and oborodhs

[Banglatiger84]

Originally Posted by sunny747
bd is not pakistan.....we don't have religious fanatism.........bd will just do fine .....

That didnt stop democratic BANGLADESH under Khaleda and Hasina having as corrupt a govt as Pakistan's. Similarly, we may not have religious fanatics but we sure have political fanatics, who can be every bit as dangerous when they want to

[allrounder]

Hasina claims that she cannot be charged under the emergency powers rules act.

Hasina's lawyers said the emergency powers rules cannot cover the alleged incident that had taken place before the state of emergency was clamped. According to the writ petition, inclusion of the extortion case against Hasina in the emergency powers rules was illegal.

That mean all the others who are already sent to jail or held up in similar way can claim the same.

[Sohel]

Most of the corrupt Army Generals became BAL and BNP leaders after retirement. Food for thought, if thought is possible when it comes to dealing with the "A" word.

[Kabir]

A = Army?

If not, A = A**-***e?

[Special 1]

Originally Posted by allrounder
Hasina claims that she cannot be charged under the emergency powers rules act.

Hasina's lawyers said the emergency powers rules cannot cover the alleged incident that had taken place before the state of emergency was clamped. According to the writ petition, inclusion of the extortion case against Hasina in the emergency powers rules was illegal.

That mean all the others who are already sent to jail or held up in similar way can claim the same.

no. She filed the wirt because her chargesheet was made under regular law and she was alsoarrested under regular law which allows you to ask for bail. After she was arrested the ministry of internal affairs put the case under the emergency powers rules. That is what is being challenged in court as it was changed after the arrest andwas not the case from the beginning.m

[Puck]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
Most of the corrupt Army Generals became BAL and BNP leaders after retirement. Food for thought, if thought is possible when it comes to dealing with the "A" word.

i have a suggestion for a new party. all the retired army personnel should form a new political party. since the country seem to have been ruled by military dictators or commissions for most of its existence why not legalise it and make the army a political force?

[Alien]

Originally Posted by allrounder
Hasina claims that she cannot be charged under the emergency powers rules act.

I thought she (and her Harvard educated son with triple major) said that she cannot have a fair trial under a court ran by CTG. So why this claim now?

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Puck
i have a suggestion for a new party. all the retired army personnel should form a new political party. since the country seem to have been ruled by military dictators or commissions for most of its existence why not legalise it and make the army a political force?

The army has been a political force since Bengali officers and jawans mutinied against the Pakistani Army, EP and EPP and formed the majority of the 84,000 or so authentically registered Mukti Bahini.

[nsd3]

www.bdnews24.com/home.php shows that pakhi ural dilo abar dilo na. Bail granted but I guess still she can't get out as there is another case hanging around. Not sure what's going on.

[Banglatiger84]

Hasina granted bail according to Daily Star

[Puck]

Originally Posted by Sohel NR
The army has been a political force since Bengali officers and jawans mutinied against the Pakistani Army, EP and EPP and formed the majority of the 84,000 or so authentically registered Mukti Bahini.

all the more reasons for them to wield their guns and legitimise the formation of a political party!

[allrounder]

so now even BCB has an army guy running the show.

[Dhurr]

Call it what you want, try to put whatever spin you wanna put on it, but this is basically an army take-over. For those who are delusional enough to think it might work, look at recent history. It has worked nowhere in the world. No good comes off a military regime. So the chances of a benevolent army rule in Bangladesh are not very high. Can it happen? There is a low possibility. Can Bangladesh win a 3-test series against Australia in 2007? There is a low possibility. It could happen, but any reasonable human being knows the chances of it happening are low.

Look at the flip side. Let's say this attempted takeover falls through. Let's say AL, BNP or some variant thereof comes to power. All the politicized changes the army has made in the country would probably be overturned. The army would be seen as a politicized entity and hence a) not be trusted by any political government for a very long time, or worse yet, b) used as a tool by future political governments to keep their opponents at bay.

Do you still not see how wrong this is?

For a small country like Bangladesh that is surrounded by a nuclear-power on three sides and the sea on the other, keeping a large functional army is just a matter of show. If a war broke out, our military would be rendered useless. So why keep such a large military? Where the ordinary person cannot have three full meals a day or send their children to school, why are we spending a big chunk of our budget year after year on the military?

The politicians have been pandering to the army for years and now, they are paying the price for it. What is too bad is the ordinary citizen has to pay the price for it too.

[Sohel]

HC grants bail to Hasina
Asks govt not to try her under emergency rules; govt to appeal
Staff Correspondent

The High Court (HC) yesterday granted Sheikh Hasina bail in an extortion case and ordered the government not to have the case tried under the emergency power rules.

The ruling however does not mean the detained Awami League (AL) president will soon be released as meantime she has been shown arrested in another case.

In a courtroom packed full of people, the HC also asked the military-backed interim government to reply within two weeks why its approving the case to be under the emergency rules should not be declared illegal.

Despite the court order, the proceedings can continue in line with other sections of law, in this case, the penal code.

Hasina, also a former prime minister, was granted the ad interim bail in response to a writ petition she filed Sunday.

Submitted on her behalf by Barrister Rafique ul Huq, the petition challenged the legality of the government move to bring the Tk 3 crore extortion case against her under the emergency power rules.

Meanwhile, Law Adviser Barrister Mainul Hosein yesterday told news agency UNB that the government would appeal against the HC order.

The joint forces held Hasina on July 16 and later that day a magistrate's court sent her to a sub-jail on the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban complex.

The same day the home ministry issued an approval for the case to be taken under the Emergency Power Rules (EPR), 2007.The order was signed by Mohammad Mohsin, an additional secretary of the home ministry.

Earlier on June 13, Managing Director of Eastcoast Trading Pvt Ltd Azam J Chowdhury charged Hasina and Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim with extorting Tk 2.99 crore from him for the work of Siddhirganj Power Plant in Narayanganj.

On July 24, Gulshan police indicted her together with her sister Sheikh Rehana and cousin Sheikh Selim, the prime accused.

The hearing on the writ petition began at around 2:30pm. Barrister Rafique, counsel for the defence, argued that the case was arbitrarily placed under the emergency power rules, and there should be a stay on the proceedings.

More than 100 lawyers including former law minister Abdul Matin Khasru and Shahara Khatun were present during the hearing. Many AL leaders and workers including presidium member Motia Chowdhury thronged the court premises.

Many lawyers, journalists and AL men waited in the corridor as the courtroom was already crammed full.

Additional Attorney General Salauddin Ahmed said there was nothing wrong with the government's having the case under the EPR, and it all has been done appropriately.

In reply, the bench wanted to know on the basis of what an additional secretary concludes that a case is of public importance and should be tried under the emergency power rules. The investigation officer (IO) should be the one to know after inquiry if it is of public importance or not, it added.

The additional attorney general submitted that extortion is a grave offence and that is why the case merits to be tried under the emergency rules. Besides, he said, no one is above the law, be it Hasina or Khaleda.

The court said interpretation of a law is same for all but its application varies. For instance, it explained, if he [the additional attorney general] were held on charges of theft he would be given division in jail since he is a special person, but this won't be the case for someone from the streets.

At one point, the bench noted that filing a first information report (FIR) does not mean that a person is guilty of a crime. Rather, he or she is innocent until the charge is proved.

Responding to the additional attorney general's remark that the country has borne the ignominy of being labelled as the most corrupt because of the political leaders, the court said the politicians in general should not be pigeonholed as dishonest.

It also told the law officer that they blame the politicians for abusing power and say that the police operate following the dictates of the political parties. Now, the bench continued, it wonders how an additional secretary decides how a case should be run.

When he says that a case is of public importance, then it is quite understandable that a police official of a rank lower than his [the additional secretary] would come up with a charge sheet in the case, observed the court.

Ahmed said that the government has promulgated the emergency power rules for the good of the country. The court replied that it might be the rationale; but the rules are not being applied properly.

Opposing the prayer for bail, the state law officer said the proceedings should be allowed to continue, and if she's found not guilty, she would be freed.

On hearing both the sides, the court directed the government not to bring the case to trial under the EPR.

The secretary and additional secretary (law section-1) of the home ministry, and deputy inspector general of prison (Dhaka range) were made respondents in Hasina's petition.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Gulshan Police Station Obaidul Haque submitted the charge sheet under sections 385(extortion)/109 (abetment)/34 (criminal liability) of the penal code.

He did not include in those section 19J (1) of the Emergency Power Rules, 2007 though the home ministry on July 16 notified that the emergency rules shall apply to the charges considering "public importance" of the case.

In her petition, Hasina alleged that the approval has been given without lawful authority and with an ill intention. It deprives her of the right to seeking bail.

She also reasoned that there is no room for the government to come up with any such approval in her case as the charges were brought after April 8, the day the government incorporated in the emergency rules a provision allowing it to decide which of the cases filed up to April 8 are to be made bailable.

According to the petition, in no way the case against Hasina is of public importance as it concerns merely two individuals. Its inclusion in the EPR, 2007 even after expiry of the time stipulated in the provision clearly shows that the government is intent on detaining Hasina, no matter what it takes.

The April 8 provision came in response to criticism about its March 21 amendment that curtailed the defendants' right to seek bail and redress from any higher court until the case is disposed of at a trial court.

GOVT TO APPEAL

UNB adds: Mainul Hosein yesterday said, "I have heard about it. The attorney general has informed me that they would appeal against the judgment."

He said the government does not interfere in court proceedings as it believes that law will take its own course.

Asked about another extortion case in which Hasina has been shown arrested on Sunday, the adviser said, "It is a matter of the home ministry. We do not inquire about the cases pending at different courts."

We DO NOT have Martial Law, and the press is still free. Please get a grip and do not malign the process of reform underway for the sake of narrow partisan and family interests.

[Puck]

Originally Posted by Dhurr
Call it what you want, try to put whatever spin you wanna put on it, but this is basically an army take-over. For those who are delusional enough to think it might work, look at recent history. It has worked nowhere in the world. No good comes off a military regime. So the chances of a benevolent army rule in Bangladesh are not very high. Can it happen? There is a low possibility. Can Bangladesh win a 3-test series against Australia in 2007? There is a low possibility. It could happen, but any reasonable human being knows the chances of it happening are low.

Look at the flip side. Let's say this attempted takeover falls through. Let's say AL, BNP or some variant thereof comes to power. All the politicized changes the army has made in the country would probably be overturned. The army would be seen as a politicized entity and hence a) not be trusted by any political government for a very long time, or worse yet, b) used as a tool by future political governments to keep their opponents at bay.

Do you still not see how wrong this is?

For a small country like Bangladesh that is surrounded by a nuclear-power on three sides and the sea on the other, keeping a large functional army is just a matter of show. If a war broke out, our military would be rendered useless. So why keep such a large military? Where the ordinary person cannot have three full meals a day or send their children to school, why are we spending a big chunk of our budget year after year on the military?

The politicians have been pandering to the army for years and now, they are paying the price for it. What is too bad is the ordinary citizen has to pay the price for it too.

your analysis is ultimately quite correct but there are potential flaws in any attempt to implement what you have stated above. sohel had pointed out quite correctly how the army came to be. after any arms struggle, there would be an awful lot of arms and ammunitions in the hands of a disbanded freedom fighting force. there would have been many reasons to form a formal bangladeshi armed forces in 1972 but the most practical reason was one of control. so many incidents of petty crime and other disturbances had littered the daily lifes of communities, that it felt necessary to bring in all those elements in a legalised military force. this had actually worked as whatever violence transpired after the formation of the armed forces were large politically motivated, rather then through personal inclinations.

the army, in any civilised country combines an educated or aristocratic officer class and a largely uneducated infantry base. as a result of the political unheaval, the officer class in the bangladeshi army also contained many brave young participants from the freedom struggle of 1971, who had been promoted. so in a way, there wasn't the homogeneity of experience that you would see in the present indian, pakistani, british or us army. this gave rise to further strugges throughout the 70's and 80's between rival fractions. sometimes, these struggles were played out in the national political field.

as time goes by, the majority of those originally recruited officer class would reach the age of retirement. in fact, whatever happens politically, in the next 10-20 years you will see the rise of a much much stable officer class based on middle class and educated new recruits. they new men would not have experienced the internal struggles and even the catastropy of 1971. their experience would be shaped by a new, educated and politically aware world. we are only just a few years away from that stage of maturity.

in fact, if you compare the present situation with previous military takeovers, this feels much more civilised. there is even a political burnish added as the final gloss through the executive council comprising of civilians.

over the years there had been political attempts to cut down on the size of the army, reduce spending on the armed forces, curtail its influence by reducing the number of retired army officers allowed to enter civil service, but ultimately, those who wield the guns would not tolerate these changes. politicians had been deposed over these issues. the demicratically elected preident sattar suffered such a fate at the hands of general ershad.

however, as i said earlier, we need to be a little more patient. in years to come the armed forces would cease to wield as much power as it thus through its own internal cohesion. when that happens, we shall have a formal mandate to reduce the size of the army, create a new border force, national guard and perhaps a much stronger police force out of the remnants of the present structures.

[shujan]

A flood victim carries his TV through floodwaters in search for high land in Sirajgonj, 65 miles north of the capital Dhaka, Bangladesh, Monday, July 30, 2007. Bangladesh, a delta nation of 144 million people, is prone to floods during the annual monsoon season. (Photo: AP Photo/Pavel Rahman)

Hope he finds a higher ground!