Miscellaneous Bangladesh News

[Sohel]

Originally Posted by Banglatiger84
Word of mouth is that the army have received a "donation" of 25 crore taka for the Army Golf Club.

Wondering whether the country need 25 crores to be spent on a golf club of all things.....

Gen. Moeen is a decent man but part of a problem is that many army members are more ambitious than him. They feel the army should be the richest members of society, and would love Bangladesh to be like Pakistan or Burma where the military is deeply embedded in every sector...

And still more FUD* straight from the sewers ... or is it just FUD-esque or FUD-ish this time? Let's try to do better next time ...

* Not the Female urination device or the Mexican brand of cold cuts and hot dogs.

[Fazal]

... on the other hand just closing the eyes or just holding the nose and hoping that FUD doesn't exist doen't make it go away. FUD or no FUD...the best way is to deal with with that.

[Fazal]

Azam Chy now says he did not file case against Hasina
Staff Correspondent

Industrialist Azam J Chowdhury yesterday told the press that he did not file any case "directly" against former prime minister and Awami League chief Sheikh Hasina.
"What I did [say in the case] has been distorted and has not come to the public properly," Azam told newsmen at a local hotel following the Annual Business Conference of Prime Bank of which he is the chairman.
Azam said he filed the case against Sheikh Selim. Referring to the Tk 2.99 crore extortion, he said Selim had taken the money saying he was taking the money for the prime minister who had asked him to do so.
"Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman is the father of the nation and his daughter Sheikh Hasina is a former prime minister...A prime minister is a respected person. Why should I file a case against her directly?" Azam said.
"There has been a wrong perception about this case," he added.
Azam J Chowdhury filed the case on June 13 last year, accusing Hasina and her cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim of taking Tk 2.99 crore as extortion from him for awarding a 210MW power project contract. Azam is the local agent of a Russian company that won the contract......

theDailyStar

My Reaction....

What does it mean? Does it mean the rumor is right that Hasina will be relaesed as a packaged deal?.... the same kind of so called "win-win" deal they came up with the DU Teacher Student case?

That again tells us, you cannot build a house in flimsy fundation, eventually it doesn't last. It needs to be built in solid fundation. A "beer" case here, 'wine' bottle there... an extortion case here, and relief sharee case there .... a few bullet here and a 'relief biscuit' case there is not going to take us anywhere. In we need to punish the wrong doers, we need to bring solid cases... other wise ... its all wastage of public money and faith....

[One World]

Here is a news from Jai Jai Din which caught my eye, if it is possible then can be a historic boost towards deprived energy sector.



Jai Jai Din Report

[Bancan]

Now this is a breaking news.

Volunteers are searching part of the south of Bangladesh to find dogs they believe are responsible for killing endangered turtles, officials say. Experts say eggs laid on beaches by rare Olive Ridley turtles are being eaten by the dogs near the coastal town of Cox's Bazar.
They also say that the turtles are being killed after becoming caught up in fishermen's nets.
Olive Ridleys are well known for nesting on beaches in the region.
Experts say that in Bangladesh, that makes their eggs and hatchlings vulnerable to packs of hungry stray dogs that roam many of the country's built-up areas.
Poison
Hundreds of turtles that normally live deep in the sea come ashore from September to March to lay their eggs and bury them in the sand.
Their nesting zones along the Bay of Bengal are declared protected areas in Bangladesh and India.

Read the rest here
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/7205512.stm

[Mohiul]

One more Bangladeshi make us proud as a nation. Just gone through the following news on bdnews24 this morning. Atique Rahman receives UN 'Champion of the Earth 2008' award

[Alien]

Originally Posted by Zobair
BTW, is it just me or has New Age became rabidly anti-CG?! They have tearing into the CG and their "misdeeds" day in and day out. Its quite pathetic.

That's because the CG is undemocratic, not people-elected. They have absolutely no right to be in power and should hold a free-fair election as soon as possible to restore democracy at whatever cost.

[ialbd]

felt like putting this news somewhere:

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=21050

poor BMW dealer....

[Alien]

Originally Posted by ialbd
felt like putting this news somewhere:

http://www.thedailystar.net/story.php?nid=21050

poor BMW dealer....

Fell sorry for those who run this niche market. Like everything, the anti-corruption drive also it's side effect.

On a different note, this CG is focusing too much on anti-corruption. While it's pretty much our only ticket to revamp this sorry country, it's not the sole problem. There are many areas that aren't reporting much improvement. Road and transport is still the same, Biman looks like it got worse, ferries still sink every now and then. And population is soaring like anything.

If govt can do something to reduce the population growth, then every problem will solve on its own pretty much.

[Nasif]

Originally Posted by Alien
If govt can do something to reduce the population growth, then every problem will solve on its own pretty much.

Bangladesh is a model for UN for reducing population growth rate in developing countries. If one thing Bangladesh has done well in last 30 years, is checking the growth rate. No matter how corrupt the govt. were during this period, all of them strongly worked on promoting birth control. It is still work in progress, but this is a positive that we can feel good about.

Watch this video, lecture of Dr. Hans and see how BD improved regarding population:






Wiki:

Bangladesh's population growth was among the highest in the world in the 1960s and 1970s, when the count grew from 50 to 90 million, but with the promotion of birth control in the 1980s, the growth rate slowed. The total fertility rate is now 3.1 children per woman, compared with 6.2 three decades ago. The population is relatively young, with the 0–25 age group comprising 60%, while 3% are 65 or older.

USAID: http://www.usaid.gov/bd/programs/pop.html

Facts About Population
& Health

• Bangladesh is the 7th most populous country in the world.¹
• The population is approximately 140 million in a land area of 55,598 square miles. Population density is 2,639 per square mile.¹
• The annual population growth rate is 1.9%.¹
• ¹World Bank Development Indicators Database, April 2006.

Current Conditions: Population & Health, Dramatic Improvements in Health

Twenty years ago, many experts claimed the nation's conservative culture and low standard of living would be insurmountable obstacles to family planning and child survival programs in Bangladesh. However, over the past three decades health indicators have improved dramatically.

Recent preliminary findings from the 2004 Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey (BDHS) show that fertility has declined in Bangladesh after a decade long plateau. Overall, fertility has declined dramatically since the early 1970s from 6.3 children per woman to 3.4 in the early 1990s, remaining stable during most of the 1990s. The recent decline in fertility from 3.3 in 1999 to 3.0 in 2004 is modest but encouraging for policy makers and program managers. Contraceptive use continues to increase in Bangladesh with 58 percent of married couples now using a contraceptive method compared to 54 percent four years ago.


There has been a significant increase in use of antenatal care among pregnant women, from 33% in 2000 to 49% in 2004. Now, almost half of pregnant women receive at least one antenatal care visit from a trained health provider. Despite the rise in antenatal care, only one in four women receive three or more antenatal visits during her pregnancy, and a vast majority of women give birth without a trained birth attendant.


Over the last 3 decades, mortality rates of children under the age of five have declined due to reductions in both infant and child mortality. However, in recent years infant mortality has not changed due to stagnation of the neonatal death rate, which now accounts for two-thirds of all infant deaths. Reducing neonatal mortality has become an emerging challenge for Bangladesh.

[shaad]

To emphasize what Nasif and Hans Rosling are saying, I'd suggest playing with Hans's program, gapminder, itself on http://www.gapminder.org/world.

In particular, check Bangladesh, and try combinations of the following axes:

• Children per woman (fertility rate)
• Contraceptive use amongst adult women, %
• Children per woman (fertility rate)

Try out other measures in the axes too, check other nations to see how we compare wuth them, and see what correlations you can draw.

[nsd3]

The govt might put forward the following 5 conditions for dialogue with political parties. Nos 3, 4, and 5 were in the dream list for many Bangladeshis, I think. What do you guys think on these? It appears that CTG is preparing for the end of interim period rule with something solid in hand. Not sure what may happen if the political parties don't agree with these. Let's hope for the best.

Source: Shomokal.

[ialbd]

for those who can view bangla:
http://www.ittefaq.com/content/2008/02/03/news0350.htm

http://www.prothom-alo.com/index.new...hp?nid=MTM3ODQ=

assets worth 2100 crore taka..... I am still in a trance, trying to figure out how much money/asset that is....

[shaad]

Originally Posted by ialbd
for those who can view bangla:
http://www.ittefaq.com/content/2008/02/03/news0350.htm

an asset of 2100 crore taka..... I am still in a trance, trying to figure out how much money/asset that is....

Could someone post a screencap or summary please? My browser doesn't render Ittefaq's bangla fonts.

Thanks.

[nsd3]

Originally Posted by shaad
Could someone post a screencap or summary please? My browser doesn't render Ittefaq's bangla fonts.

Thanks.

I think the news in DS is the same as the above links:

Graft makes former Titas staff filthy rich
Tk 4,000 salaried man amassed Tk 2,100cr
Staff Correspondent

Abdul Kader Mollah

The story of former Titas Gas sales assistant Abdul Kader Mollah would probably beat all incidents so far known about amassing wealth through illegal means. Believe it or not, as an employee drawing only Tk 4,000 in salary when at career's peak, Mollah accumulated wealth worth over Tk 2,100 crore.

He has 15 industries, 13 flats, 29 vehicles, a five-storey building, a one-storey house, a farmhouse and 45 acres of land and a balance of Tk 18.53 crore.

The startling story was unfolded as a special taskforce of National Coordination Committee (NCC) against Corruption and Serious Crimes started digging into institutional crimes at Titas Gas Transmission and Distribution Co Ltd recently.

People have heard about meter readers turning millionaires, but Mollah's story is another testimony to serious corrupt practices at government institutions, especially Titas Gas, Wasa, Rajuk, BTTB and PDB.

Recent newspaper reports said another 130 officials and employees of Titas Gas are ready to return wealth worth over Tk 400 crore.

In his wealth statement, Mollah, whose name is on the list of corruption suspects, told the NCC taskforce of having wealth worth Tk 208 crore. But according to the taskforce, it would not be less than Tk 2,100 crore.

Kader Mollah even boasts about his business acumen: "Do you think I have stolen this money? This money comes from my business," he told reporters.

He claimed that he owns only five industries as "only the running industries should be counted".

The taskforce will send Mollah's wealth statement to the Anti-Corruption Commission.

Kader Mollah joined Titas Gas as an ordinary employee in 1985 and retired voluntarily after 12 years as a sales assistant. During his service at Titas, he developed good relationship with a BNP-backed CBA (collective bargaining agent) leader and ended up as a close aide to him.

Although Mollah was a sales assistant, his colleagues said he used to work as a supervisor using his influence.

Through his connections with dishonest officials, Mollah built close contacts with many industries. He used to provide these industries with illegal gas connections and played a role in reducing their gas bills, thus earning huge money in return.

Much of his income at the time would also come from controlling transfers and postings of Titas staffs, said sources.

With money pouring in, Mollah dreamt of setting up industries.

Mollah's former colleagues said none of his industries came under the enquiries conducted by Titas during the whole tenure of the BNP-led four-party alliance government.

After his voluntary retirement in 1997, Mollah was mostly involved with commercial activities of Titas directly and indirectly, said sources.

Hailing from Panchkandi of Narsingdi, Mollah has a three-storey house at Tinishpur in Narsingdi town. He plans to build a swimming pool on the third floor of his house near the municipal stadium.

The taskforce asked Mollah for his wealth statement on October 25 and later from his family. On November 4, Mollah submitted the wealth accounts of his mother Noorjahan Begum, wife Nasima Begum, daughters Kona, Deena and Aduri, son-in-law Sharif Hossain Jahangir, adopted daughter Salma Akter Runa, brother Chan Mia Mollah, his wife Mazida Akter and another brother A Rahim.

Mollah has 15 industries in the names of himself, his wife and other family members.

These include Thermex Textile, Aduri Apparels, Thermex Cotton Spinning, Thermex Melange Spinning Mills, Thermex Home Fabrics Ltd, Thermex Knit Yarn, Thermex Blended Yarn, Thermex Group, Thermex Denim, Aduri Knit Composite, Aduri Washing and Printing, Aduri CNG Refuelling and Filling Station, Gazipur Gas Company, Padma Enterprise and Nakshi Textile Dyeing and Printing Industries Ltd.

In his wealth statement, he showed movable and immovable property worth Tk 58.78 crore in his name and in shares. These properties are actually worth Tk 85.54 crore.

Although his wife has been shown to have properties worth Tk 49.88 crore, those are worth Tk 92.61 crore. Properties in the name of his daughter Kona have been shown to be worth Tk 35.35 crore, Deena's Tk 35.33 crore, and Aduri's 6.78 lakh.

Mollah has a 5,536-squarefeet flat at Naya Paltan, a 1,800-sft flat at Shantinagar, a 2,899-sft flat at Dhanmondi, a 1,640-sft flat at Siddheshwari and a 1,450-sft flat at Kakrail in the capital.

He claimed that the price of one square foot of the flat at 30/A, VIP Road in Naya Paltan would be Tk 1,554. It was, however, learnt that its highest selling price was Tk 4,000.

Mollah has flats at Chamelibagh, Dhanmondi, Purana Paltan, Bailey Road, Gulshan and Banani in the names of his wife, daughters and other family members. There is a five-storey building on Sangeeta Road in Narsingdi in his wife's name.

Kader Mollah has 29 different kinds of cars, microbuses and lorries, which he showed to be worth Tk 4.59 crore although those should cost Tk 13.77 crore.

Talking on curbing corruption at Titas, Special Assistant to the chief adviser Dr M Tamim yesterday said, "There should be stricter provisions for punishment and that have to be implemented properly."

He said the incidents of such corruption and irregularities should be tried under the Gas Act, a law under making.

[zahid]

Some rich Sales Assistant!

[Banglatiger84]

Originally Posted by nsd3
I think the news in DS is the same as the above links:

Graft makes former Titas staff filthy rich
Tk 4,000 salaried man amassed Tk 2,100cr
Staff Correspondent


The story of former Titas Gas sales assistant Abdul Kader Mollah would probably beat all incidents so far known about amassing wealth through illegal means. Believe it or not, as an employee drawing only Tk 4,000 in salary when at career's peak, Mollah accumulated wealth worth over Tk 2,100 crore.

He has 15 industries, 13 flats, 29 vehicles, a five-storey building, a one-storey house, a farmhouse and 45 acres of land and a balance of Tk 18.53 crore.
.

and to think that buying 2 flats and having a balance of 1-2 crores will take many of us 10+ years of hard work earning 50 times the salary this guy had.

There's something in his smile I dont like

[Kabir]

Originally Posted by Banglatiger84
There's something in his smile I dont like

I agree. Isn't it a bit ticklish?

[Tigers_eye]

Through his connections with dishonest officials, Mollah built close contacts with many industries. He used to provide these industries with illegal gas connections and played a role in reducing their gas bills, thus earning huge money in return.

Much of his income at the time would also come from controlling transfers and postings of Titas staffs, said sources.

he made 2100 crore himself. How much his associates made? How much the BNP allied bosses made? How much the industries didn't pay Titas? How much did Titas loss?

System loss. lol.

[Murad]

Originally Posted by Tigers_eye
he made 2100 crore himself. How much his associates made? How much the BNP allied bosses made? System loss. lol.

Some answers to your questions:

3 more kotipoti who worked for Titas


The lady is wife of the President of the Labor Party of BNP.

Read it from Ittefaq

[amar11432]

On the brighter note...

Bangladesh set to emerge as new shipbuilding hub
FE Report

Ship building industry in Bangladesh is set to emerge as new export leader after two ship builders said Monday they have already grabbed order worth over $250 million last year.

Meghnaghat-based Ananda Shipyards said it signed agreements worth around $180 million while Chittagong-based Western Marine put its total orders to more than $70 million.

"It's a huge leap forward for us. If the trend continues, ship building in Bangladesh will be the second largest exporter after garments in 2015," chairman of Ananda Shipbuilders Abdullahel Bari said.

"If we can grab one per cent of the global order for small ships, the amount will be worth $4.0 billion. The global market for small ships is now about $400 billion," said Shakhawat Hossain, managing director of Western Marine.

Their comments follow what the experts said an epoch-making year for the country's ship building industry, which earlier had been languished in building smaller launches and tankers for local operators.

Experts said the country has become a new destination for companies seeking construction of small ocean-going vessels as traditional shipbuilding nations such as South Korea and China now focus on building large ships.

Even Vietnam, which is relatively new in ship building, is no longer interested to build small ships weighing upto 25,000 dead weight tonnes.

"They want to build bigger vessels because it is relatively cheaper and requires fewer people," Hossain said, adding their reluctance has made India and Indonesia the new destinations for small shipbuilding.

The focus on Bangladesh came in April last year when Ananda signed deals worth around $100 million with two German shipping companies to build eight vessels with capacity for 325 containers by June 2010.

"As far as I know this was the single biggest export order for the country. The contract sealed our name as a new ship building country in the global map," Bari, a former professor of naval engineering, said.

The Export Promotion Bureau (EPB) said it does not have any data on the size of export orders by individual exporters.

The company then went on to sign two more deals worth $82 million in October and December last year. Bari said later this month his company would sign deal with another German company to build four ships, each worth $17.5 million.

"We are now investing about Tk 1.10 billion to set up two dry docks in our shipyard. We hope by early next year when the docks will be built, we can take order worth $500 million," Bari said.

Western Marine, which was inspired by professor Bari's venture has also had a remarkable year in 2007 during which it signed deal worth over $80 million including the construction of five multipurpose cargo vessel for a Danish owner, each weighing 4100 tonnes.

The company, which has set up a modern slipway on the bank of the river Karnaphuli, has also signed a letter of intent with two foreign companies to construct 14 small vessels at a cost of around $150 million.

It hopes a full agreement with the two companies can be signed later this month.

"To be frank, we are now swamped with orders. But with the existing capacity, we can only build vessels worth around $100 million a year," Hossain said.

The sudden explosion of orders came after vigorous inspection by the shipping companies in the two shipyards. The shipyards had to upgrade their infrastructure to meet international standards the shipping companies were looking for.

"They're now convinced we can build ships and deliver them on time. We have also enough skilled workforce," said Bari, adding he planned to double his 700-strong workforce to fill the order.

"Ship building is in our blood. We have been doing it for thousands of years. Even today, majority of the workers in Singapore and Dubai shipyards are from Bangladesh," Hossain said.

According to the industry estimates, more than 100,000 Bangladeshis are now employed in Singapore, Korea and Dubai shipyards. "Some of them are now well-placed in mid-management," Hossain, who worked in top shipyard, said.

The country has also been known for its small shipbuilding industry, which churns out dozens of launches every year. Most of the nearly 3,000 launches, oil tankers and cargo ships that ply in Bangladesh waterways were made there.

Experts said it was only a matter of time before Bangladesh emerges as a major hub for building small ocean-going ships.

"The country has always had enough skilled and cheap workforce. Now it has the know-how and facilities," said C.F. Zaman, Bangladesh head of worldwide ship inspection agency Germanischer Lloyd.

It was the Germanischer Lloyd, which prompted Ananda and Western Marine to look for international order, offering them technological help to construct ocean-going vessels.

Now after several years of hard-work and promotion, Zaman said, he was seeing the fruits of his labour.

"I can easily foresee local shipbuilding emerging as a billion-dollar industry in four to five years' time. It can easily be a global leader in the small-ship making industry."

At GL's insistence, three more shipyards, High-speed at Meghnaghat, Karnaphuli shipyard in Chittagong and Narayanganj dry-dock have started upgrading their infrastructure to build seafaring ships.

"These three companies have ready-made manpower and the skill to build ships. Together, they built hundreds of launches and tankers for local market. With some technological help and upgraded infrastructure, they will soon be able to build ocean going ships," Zaman said.

Ananda chief Bari and Western Marine's Hossain said the industry even had the potential to dwarf the country's garments sector, the biggest export earner, in the long run.

"It took us 25 years to earn $10 billion a year in the garments sector. The shipbuilders can do it in less than 10 years," Bari said.

[Fazal]

Shibir men run amok in Rangpur College
Star Online Report

Rangpur Carmichael College was closed indefinitely today as Islami Chhatra Shibir activists rampaged through the campus, torched the house of a teacher and a power substation, ransacked the college principal's house and vandalised several motor vehicles.



The Shibir workers roamed around the campus for nearly five hours since 10:00 in the morning and set fire to the house of Dr Hafizur Rahman, a professor of Mathematics and secretary of academic council at the college. They also ransacked the house of Dip Chandra Roy, the principal of the college, and vandalised his car, our Rangpur correspondent reports.



The mob vandalised at least ten automobiles and set a power substation on fire. They also ransacked the academic building, damaged the furniture in it and destroyed official records of the college.


At around 3:00pm in an emergency meeting presided over by Principal Dip Chandra Roy, the academic council of the college decided to suspend all classes of the college sine die and vacate all dormitories.


At the meeting, a number of teachers complained that a few teachers of the college have been aiding and abetting Shibir violence on the campus, said sources.


Principal Roy told The Daily Star, "Such violence on the campus is unprecedented and incidents of this sort did not take place here even during the Liberation War."

Male residents of the dormitories have been asked to leave the campus by 6:00pm today while females by 8:00pm the same day, he added.

According to eyewitnesses, several hundred rioting Shibir activists led by Emdad, Abdullah Al Mamun, Rezaul Karim Rana and Mohammad Tareque brought out a procession on the campus, demanding that Rangpur Carmichael College be upgraded to university.


Police intercepted the procession at Lalbagh as it came out of the campus and headed towards the office of the deputy commissioner. The activists at this point locked in a clash with the police, injuring six police personnel including Additional Superintendent of Police Asaduzzaman and SI Saidul Islam, and four pedestrians.

Police lobbed ten rounds of tear shells near Modern point to disperse the agitators.

The police later raided the dormitories of the college and arrested at least 60 students -- most of whom were activists of Islami Chhatra Shibir.


Five cases were filed against the agitators under Emergency Power Rules.
Expressing his resentment over the violence on the campus, Dr Rezaul Hoque, former principal of Rangpur Carmichael College, said, "The people of Rangpur want an autonomous and full-fledged university. They don't want Carmichael College to be upgraded to university."
.

So far so good that the police raided and filed cases. But what about the accused teachers who were aiding and abetting Shibir violence? Are they going to charge aganist them?

How about talking them to DGFI's black hole for some electric treatment? They they did that to DU teachers and students, shouldn't they do it now again? I am not endorsing any kind of tourture here, but then again not doing so will make the current government look like a hypocrite.

Ha ha ha... no way out.... fandey poria boga kandey re..... now what you do, Mr General?

We are waiting.... are you a ruthless General or a hypocrite? Tough choice.

[Tigers_eye]

shock treatment that is what I call for. This jalao porao events must stop before the election. Only stern and examplatory punishment can bring civil back in to the society.

[nsd3]

Originally Posted by Fazal
So far so good that the police raided and filed cases. But what about the accused teachers who were aiding and abetting Shibir violence? Are they going to charge aganist them?

How about talking them to DGFI's black hole for some electric treatment? They they did that to DU teachers and students, shouldn't they do it now again? I am not endorsing any kind of tourture here, but then again not doing so will make the current government look like a hypocrite.

Ha ha ha... no way out.... fandey poria boga kandey re..... now what you do, Mr General?

We are waiting.... are you a ruthless General or a hypocrite? Tough choice.

Any source to confirm the red bold portion of your comment above? I didn't hear that before ..... shotti naki?

[Tigers_eye]

Originally Posted by nsd3
..... shotti naki?

shock treatment to hoisai. Now on the DU teacher/student I do not know or can not confirm. But on babor, Yes!!

Kopaley manush shejda ditey ditey majkhanay dag falai dai. Ar babor'er dui choker uppor kopaley dui dag. +ve and -ve wire lagaisilo. Parmanent dag na. 10/15 boshor poray choley jethey parey. Depending on how fast his skin heals.