What's new

News from Bangladesh-Updates and Discussion

We also made mistakes, repents Moudud
Staff Correspondent, bdnews24.com
Published: 2013-05-10 18:00:49.0 Updated: 2013-05-10 18:56:11.0

We also made mistakes, repents Moudud - bdnews24.com

Senior BNP leader Moudud Ahmed has asked the government to veer off ‘wrong paths’ saying the last BNP-led government is repenting of its own mistakes.

“We too were in power, made mistakes and now we repent. So, we’re urging the government to avoid wrong paths,” he said on Friday at a programme in Dhaka.

“You cannot quell the people’s aspirations with muscle. Time will come when guns won’t work,” he said.

The former Law Minister said the Awami League-led government would have to ‘repent in future’ of its ‘fascism’ and ‘vengeance’ like the BNP-Jamaat-e-Islami government ‘did’.

“They think they can run the country anyway it pleases them.”

Moudud, a BNP Standing Committee member, claimed the government had “killed many people” at the rally of the Hifazat-e Islam at Motijheel on the night of May 5.

He also criticised the government for ‘destroying congenial atmosphere for talks’.

“The government has led the country to such a position where there’s no atmosphere to hold dialogues. They have been practising politics of vengeance ever since they came to power,” he alleged.

An army-installed caretaker government took over in 2007, at the end of the BNP’s tenure, after the two leading political coalitions failed to reach an agreement.

With a landslide, the Awami League-led government came to power in 2009 and scrapped the caretaker government system through the 15th Amendment to the Constitution two years later.

The upcoming national election will be held under a partisan body as a result. The BNP-led opposition has been on the streets ever since claiming such election will not be free and fair.
 
.
At least 600 Bangladeshi peacekeepers will be added to the current strength of the United Nations peacekeepers.



The payment of the peacekeepers has been hiked by 6.75 percent, according to a UN communication.

Bangladesh has been directly benefited from both these decisions since it is the single largest providers of peacekeepers in UN missions.

At present, there are 8,826 Bangladeshi peacekeepers working in various troubled regions.

Bangladesh’s Permanent Envoy to the UN, AKA Momen informed bdnews24.com of the decisions on Friday night.

Momen, presiding over the current session, said a new UN mission will be introduced in Mali under resolution number 2100 of the Security Council. A total 12,640 peacekeepers will be appointed there -- 11,200 troops and 1,440 policemen.

“Already 7,500 have been recruited from various African nations and at least 600 troops will be taken from Bangladesh,” he said.

Bangladeshi peacekeepers have always been highly praised in UN missions and Dr Momen said it is the reason for the increase.

He said a proposal to hike the peacekeepers’ payment by 6.75 percent has also been accepted in the General Assembly. The decision is being implemented from last April.

Momen had been continuing diplomatic efforts to this end for over the past three years.

A total 112,776 peacekeepers from 116 countries are currently working in the UN’s 16 missions in four continents. Bangladesh has the highest number of 8,826 peacekeepers.

He said the salaries of other UN officials had increased by 57 percent since 1991. Momen said no one had paid attention to increasing the salaries of those who endanger their lives to secure peace.

According the decision, those working in ‘most dangerous’ places would get 10 percent extra payment.

In 2010, a proposal was given to hike the pays and perks of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers. Pakistan, Nigeria and Uruguay endorsed the proposal.

The following year, permanent envoys to five countries put forth the proposal in the G-77 summit and got support. However, it was cancelled on June 30 the same year as the proposal to hike the peacekeepers’ payments was not accepted.

Afterwards, $85 million dollars were increased on an ad-hoc basis for the peacekeepers the same year. In 2012, $60 million was increased on an ad-hoc basis.

United Nation’s Secretary General formed a high-level committee when he was requested to permanently hike the salaries. The committee had members from highest supplier of peacekeepers, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Nigeria, and Uruguay.

The committee proposed a hike in payment which was passed in the General Assembly on May 10.

source: UN increases Bangladeshi peacekeepers - bdnews24.com
 
.
Independent Body Should Investigate Protest Deaths - HRW

(New York) – The Bangladeshi authorities should immediately set up an independent commission to investigate the large numbers of deaths and injuries during the Hefazat-e-Islaam-led protests in Dhaka and elsewhere on May 5-6, 2013, Human Rights Watch said today.

The commission should also investigate violence that killed dozens in February, March, and April after protests and counter-protests broke out after the announcement of verdicts by the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

The exact number of deaths during the May 5-6 protest remains unclear, with figures ranging from the official government figure of 11 deaths to Hefazat’s estimate of thousands. Independent news sources put the figure at approximately 50 dead, with others succumbing to injuries later. The dead include several security personnel.

“Bangladesh will see a plethora of demonstrations this year in response to additional verdicts from the ICT and in the run-up to national elections,” said Brad Adams, Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “Without an independent investigation, accountability, and improved policing methods, we could see serial bloodbaths.”

Human Rights Watch said that political tensions are likely to increase as more war crimes verdicts are handed down at the ICT and as elections scheduled for late 2013 or early 2014 approach. Opposition parties, including Hefazat, have already announced several protests scheduled over the next week. A flashpoint could be the reaction to the May 9 death penalty handed down by the ICT against Mohamed Kamaruzzaman, a leading official of the Jamaat-e-Islami party. Past war crimes verdicts have been a catalyst for protests and violence throughout Bangladesh.

Human Rights Watch called on opposition parties such as the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jammat-e-Islami Party, as well as independent organizations such as Hefazat, to condemn and take steps to deter their supporters from carrying out unlawful attacks, including on law enforcement officers or members of the public with different political views.

Human Rights Watch called on the government to publicly order the security forces to follow the United Nations Basic Principles on the Use of Force and Firearms by Law Enforcement Officials, which state that security forces shall “apply non-violent means before resorting to the use of force and firearms,” and that “whenever the lawful use of force and firearms is unavoidable, law enforcement officials shall: (a) Exercise restraint in such use and act in proportion to the seriousness of the offence and the legitimate objective to be achieved; (b) Minimize damage and injury, and respect and preserve human life.”

Section 22 of the Basic Principles states that: “Governments and law enforcement agencies shall establish effective reporting and review procedures for all incidents…Governments and law enforcement agencies shall ensure that an effective review process is available and that independent administrative or prosecutorial authorities are in a position to exercise jurisdiction in appropriate circumstances. In cases of death and serious injury or other grave consequences, a detailed report shall be sent promptly to the competent authorities responsible for administrative review and judicial control.” Section 23 states that, “Persons affected by the use of force and firearms or their legal representatives shall have access to an independent process, including a judicial process. In the event of the death of such persons, this provision shall apply to their dependants accordingly.”

“The Bangladeshi government has a responsibility to victims, whether protesters, bystanders or police, to ensure that an effective investigation is carried out into each death,” Adams said.

Hefazat, the conservative Muslim group that draws support from thousands of religious seminaries, led a “siege of Dhaka” on May 5, with demonstrations taking place in other parts of the country. Human Rights Watch said that claims of “genocide” by Hefazat and other opposition parties are unfounded and have only served to heighten tensions.

“The toxic swirl of rumor and rhetoric surrounding the protest of May 5-6 will only get worse unless the government acts quickly in a transparent manner,” Adams said. “Given the lack of trust between various parties, it is imperative that these answers come from an independent and impartial body.”

Human Rights Watch expressed concern that Hefazat recruited boys from madrassahs to participate in the “siege.” Many of the boys were unaware of the risks of marching into Dhaka. Independent journalists told Human Rights Watch that after the protests were broken up by security forces, they encountered groups of boys who had never been to Dhaka before and were terrified by the experience of seeing dead bodies and large-scale violence. The boys asked journalists for directions to bus stations so they could go home. They were no longer accompanied by adults.

“Putting children in harm’s way is extremely irresponsible,” Adams said. “Hefazat can’t credibly claim that it didn’t understand the risks, particularly as many of its supporters engaged in attacks on police that were then met with an armed response.”

Human Rights Watch called on the government to ensure media and civil society are able to independently report on the protests. Two television stations that support opposition political parties, Islamic TV and Diganta TV, were taken off the air by the government on the night of May 5-6 and remain off the air at the time of writing. The stations were reporting live from the site of the protests. In April, the government shut down opposition newspaper Amar Desh and jailed its editor, Mahmdur Rahman, and other journalists. The government has also jailed some bloggers who had expressed atheist sentiments in their writings.

“The government’s claims to be the most open and democratic in Bangladesh’s history are undermined by censorship of critical voices,” Adams said. “The government can take reasonable steps to pre-empt incitement to violence, but it is not necessary to close TV stations to do this.”

Bangladesh: Independent Body Should Investigate Protest Deaths | Human Rights Watch
 
.
@Loki why you have moved the above news to this thread when all sort of political thread are in full swing there???
 
Last edited by a moderator:
.
@Loki why you have moved the above news to this thread when all sort of political thread are in full swing there???

That is because nobody was discussing it. What's the point of having an empty thread?
 
Last edited by a moderator:
.
Garment makers laud retailers’ fire safety plan | The Daily Star

WEDNESDAY, MAY 15, 2013
Garment makers laud retailers’ fire safety plan
Marks & Spencer, Tesco join others
Refayat Ullah Mirdha

With the 20-day rescue operation over on Monday, rescuers, army men and common people offer munajat seeking eternal peace of the departed souls at the site of the collapsed Rana Plaza at Savar yesterday. Photo: Rashed Shumon

Garment makers yesterday praised top retailers’ pledge to improve safety standards at Bangladesh factories as two more global brands joined in.

Marks & Spencer and Tesco were the latest two British retailers to sign the building and fire safety accord already backed by six other big buyers.

In a landmark move on Monday, H&M, Inditex, the Netherlands’ C&A, UK’s Primark, PVH, the parent company of Calvin Klein; and German retailer Tchibo signed a far-reaching and legally binding plan that requires them to help finance fire safety and building improvements in the factories they use in Bangladesh.

But two US retail giants — Wal-Mart and GAP — are yet to sign the accord.

The move will boost the image of the sector and pressure garment makers to comply with safety standards in business, said Atiqul Islam, president of Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA), the garment makers’ platform.

“Obviously, I welcome the move as the sector will be immensely benefited” and it will end frequent accidents at garment units, he said.

The retailers’ move will also drive out sub-standard and non-compliant factories, according to stakeholders of the sector.

The initiative came three weeks after the collapse of the nine-storey Rana Plaza, which killed 1,127 workers.

In a statement, Krishan Hundal, director of sourcing at Marks & Spencer, said, “We have a proven track record in Bangladesh; we believe our approach works and all our suppliers must adhere to our strict ethical standards as a condition of working with us.

“This includes regular fire, health and safety checks and we only source from single occupancy factories.”

Regarding the safety measures, the retailers are scheduled to publish a document today in Germany, which, they said, would create pressure on other retailers to do likewise.

The retailers called for an agreement for independent, rigorous factory safety inspections with public reports and mandatory repairs and renovations underwritten by them.

“In fact, if any garment maker follows the government-made rules properly, he does not need the retailers’ assistance for enhancing compliance,” said David Hasanat, managing director of Viyellatex Group.

It needs a plan of at least six years to get a complete safety solution in the garment sector, said Annisul Huq, a former BGMEA president.

The retailers should work in coordination with the government, BGMEA and garment makers, he said, adding, “Otherwise, there is a chance of double administration, which might rather create trouble.”

If the government, buyers and garment makers work together and find out a concrete solution, “I hope the garment business will be sustainable,” said immediate past BGMEA president Shafiul Islam Mohiuddin.

Li & Fung Ltd, supplier of dozens of major retailers, including Wal-Mart, said it continued to ruminate on the European pact, but declined to give details, according to Reuters.

Wal-Mart, meanwhile, has called on Bangladesh to stop production at one factory and inspect another where it spotted safety risks during its own checks, said Reuters.
 
.
Click the link below to see the now vacant land of Rana Plaza.

Govt to acquire Rana Plaza land | The Daily Star

Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Govt to acquire Rana Plaza land
To be used for rehabilitation of victim families
Staff Correspondent

On this soil at Savar stood the nine-storey Rana Plaza, which came crashing down three weeks ago, causing heavy casualties. The site looks like plain land yesterday, completely devoid of any life. Photo: Rashed Shumon

The government will acquire the land of the collapsed Rana Plaza, which came crashing down on April 24, and take up a long-term plan to rehabilitate the victims’ family members there.
Jahangir Kabir Nanak, state minister for local government, made these comments while talking to reporters at the collapsed Rana Plaza site after a prayer service for the victims.

Earlier in the day, the army turned control of the site over to the district administration a day after it ended a nearly three-week search for bodies among the rubble.

Declaring the site a reserved zone, the district administration yesterday put up a barbed-wire fence around it.
“The government will erect a memorial on the site in honour of the dead and injured in the deadliest building collapse in the country’s history,” Nanak told the newsmen. In reply to a question, Nanak said the government would ensure “exemplary punishment” to those responsible for the disaster, including the local pourashava mayor, engineers and building owner.

Lt Col Md Moin Uddin, commanding officer of the Third Engineering Battalion (Savar Cantonment), said the army had formally handed over the disaster site. The army will have a cell at the Savar Cantonment Executive Officer’s Office with whatever information it has on the disaster and rescue operation, said Moin.

Thousands of mourners gathered at the site of the wreckage at noon and attended the doa, arranged by the army, to pray for the souls of 1,127 people and recovery of the wounded.

Relatives of the missing garment workers still await their loved ones. Photo: Sk Enamul Haq

Meanwhile, hundreds of relatives of the missing workers staged a demonstration on the Dhaka-Aricha highway at 12:30 pm, demanding the bodies of their dear ones. They also called for the highest punishment to the building owner.

Victim shop owners and traders, at a human chain programme near the collapsed site yesterday, appealed to the prime minister for their proper rehabilitation and compensation.
“The shop was my only source of earning. I am totally ruined following the disaster but have not yet got any assurance of assistance,” said Shahinur Islam Parag, a cloth trader.

Around 150 traders, who had shops inside the plaza, embraced the same fate, he added.
Md Kamrul Hasan Mollah, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) of Savar, said the administration had begun preparing a fresh list of missing persons and till yesterday it had recorded the names of 211 people.

The victims’ family members have been requested to communicate with the UNO office for all kinds of information related to their missing relatives.

“We will also segregate the names related to genuine missing cases from the list prepared by the district administration and finally add them to the complete list to be checked by the BGMEA,” he added.

Asked why the authorities needed to prepare a further list of missing persons, he said, “The list that was hurriedly prepared by the district administration control room had some inconsistencies and it was also lacking in chronological order.”

After scrutiny, the final list will be sent to the Prime Minister’s Office through the deputy commissioner’s office.

Adhar Chandra High School playground, which witnessed heart-rending wailing of relatives of the missing workers for the last 20 days, wore a desolate look yesterday.

The school authorities were seen doing some clean-up work at the premises.

The army, which along with locals and the fire brigade had rescued 2,438 people from the rubble and recovered 1,115 bodies, declared the end of the operation through a press briefing at 8:30pm on Monday.
 
. .
(CNN) -- Hong Kong is facing an acute shortage of one the engines of its dynamic economy -- cheap domestic help.
More than 290,000 foreign domestic helpers -- mainly Indonesians, Filipinas and Thais - live and work in the special administrative region of Hong Kong, according to Hong Kong's Department of Immigration.
But fears that Indonesian plans to wind up the foreign export of its low-skilled workers by 2017 will lead to a shortage of cheap hired help has the city's employment agencies looking elsewhere in the region.
This week Hong Kong received its first batch of domestic helpers from Bangladesh, a country that agencies hope will provide a rich source of women willing to work in a foreign country for just $HK3,920 ($505) a month.
"There are not enough Filipino and Indonesian domestic helpers these days," said Teresa Liu Tsui-lan, the managing director of the Technic Employment Service Centre. "We have a good training course for them in Bangladesh over three months where they learn Cantonese and Chinese cooking.
"We think that employers will be able to accept that," she told CNN.
READ: Hong Kong maids lose residency fight
Hong Kong maids vow to fight court ruling Equality for Brazil's domestic workers Keeping world's highest hotel clean Why are Hong Kong dockworkers striking?
She said there was now a lot of competition from other countries -- mainly Singapore, Malaysia and Taiwan -- for Indonesian maids, making it harder for Hong Kong to recruit them.
"Even though the salary offered in Hong Kong is higher, these countries are a lot closer to Indonesia so it's easier for domestic helpers to return home when they need to," Liu said.
She said Indonesian maids were in demand as carers for the elderly because, with limited English skills, their Cantonese has a tendency to improve quickly.
Filipinas, by contrast, who often have high levels of English before they come to Hong Kong, normally rely on English to communicate with their Hong Kong employers, she said.
Another 75 Bangladeshi workers will arrive in Hong Kong over the next three months, followed by 150 to 200 every month after that.
There are currently just 71 Bangladeshi domestic helpers in Hong Kong, compared with 152,557 Indonesian and 149,009 Filipino domestic helpers in the city, according to 2012 figures from the Department of Immigration.
The Bangladeshi helpers said they paid an agency in Bangladesh about $HK13,000 - more than three times their monthly salary - to apply for the job in Hong Kong.
One of the helpers, Khadiza Akter, 24, who is married with a son, told a press conference in Hong Kong that she planned to work in the city for five years.
"My husband is a driver and I want to buy another car for him so that we can start our own business," she said. "I also want to give my son a better education."
READ: Indonesian migrant worker endured years of abuse
Indonesia's Manpower and Transmigration Minister Muhaimin Iskandar last year announced the country planned to stop sending domestic workers abroad from 2017. While the government has no authority to prevent people from seeking work abroad, he said workers would have to have a clearly defined position and working status before taking up a foreign job.
"The recipient country would have to recognize them as formal workers with certain rights, such as working hours, the right to holidays and leave as well as to a set salary," Iskandar told the Jakarta Globe.
While Hong Kong has strong laws in place to protect the legal minimum wage of $HK3,920 (U.S.$505) a month, domestic helpers are sometimes subject to abuses such as long working hours, sub-standard living and sleeping arrangements and employers that attempt to cut deals to pay below the legal minimum.
Indonesia slapped moratorium on domestic workers to Malaysia in 2009 after multiple cases of abuse there. While the country has since lifted the ban, it only resumed sending migrant workers after more than a year of protracted negotiations on protecting the rights of domestic workers in Malaysia.
Indonesia's economy has shown stellar growth in recent years, expanding 6.02% in the first quarter of 2013, according to figures from Indonesia's Bureau of Statistics. With jobs available domestically, analysts say many Indonesians were are electing to stay at home.
An Indonesian Business Forum held in Hong Kong recently outlined the thrust of government policy, which aims to boost the skill sets of Indonesian foreign workers, particularly those working in building and construction.
"In five years it will be a very different situation," Indonesian government economic advisor Professor Hermanto Siregar told the forum. "These changes are already happening in the likes of South Korea and Japan. There are many semi-skilled workers employed there now on much better wages than they would earn as domestic helpers."

CNN : Hong Kong calls on Bangladesh to fill domestic helper shortage
 
.
A wife of awami MP, being the VC of a college forcefully cut the long sleeves of girl students causing an uproar in the school premise. I think this also violates the constitution , even the awami made one. These awami facist morons have a thing for promoting immorality and f1lth. One wonders why full sleeved shirts of all things suddenly became a problem in a country like BD.

মন্ত্রী রাজুর স্ত্রীর ক্ষমতার দাপট : উদয়ন স্কুলের ৫০ ছাত্রীর স্কুল ড্রেসের হাতা কর্তন : অপসারণ দাবি অভিভাবকদের

ভুক্তভোগী শিক্ষার্থীরা জানান, নবম, দশম, একাদশ ও দ্বাদশ শ্রেণীর ৫০ জনের বেশি শিক্ষার্থীর ফুল হাতা শার্ট পরে এসেছে, এমন অভিযোগ তুলে স্কুলের ভাইস প্রিন্সিপাল মাহবুবা খানম কল্পনা কেঁচি দিয়ে ক্লাসে উপস্থিত ছেলেদের সামনেই মেয়েদের হাতা কেটে দেন। এ সময় অনেক শিক্ষার্থী ক্লাসের মধ্যই কান্নায় ভেঙে পড়ে।
এ নিয়ে ভুক্তভোগী শিক্ষার্থী ও অভিভাবকদের মধ্যে তীব্র ক্ষোভ বিরাজ করছে। এ ঘটনার পর থেকেই প্রিন্সিপাল ও ভাইস প্রিন্সিপালের শাস্তির দাবিতে তারা স্কুল প্রাঙ্গণে অবস্থান নিয়েছেন। স্কুলের গভর্নিং বডি গতকালের মধ্য যদি তাদের অপসারণের বিষয়ে কোনো সিদ্ধান্ত না নেন, তাহলে বৃহস্পতিবার থেকে নতুন কর্মসূচি ঘোষণা দেয়া হতে পারে বলে জানিয়েছেন অভিভাবকরা। অভিভাবক আবদুল আলিম মিয়া বলেন, স্কুল কর্তৃপক্ষ আগে কোনো ধরনের নোটিস বা নির্দেশনা না দিয়ে এ রকম সিদ্ধান্ত মেনে নেওয়া যায় না। শিক্ষার্থীরা ধর্মীয় কারণে হিজাব বা ফুল হাতা পরে আসতেই পারে। আমরা স্কুলের প্রিন্সিপাল ও ভাইস প্রিন্সিপালের পদত্যাগ দাবি করছি। তিনি বলেন, মন্ত্রীর স্ত্রী হওয়ার দাপট দেখিয়ে স্কুলের ভাইস প্রিন্সিপাল এ কর্মকাণ্ডের পাশাপাশি এর আগেও অনেক স্বৈরাচারী কর্মকাণ্ড করেছেন।

??????? ????? ??????? ??????? ???? : ???? ??????? ?? ??????? ????? ??????? ???? ????? : ?????? ???? ??????????
 
. .
I just wonder what is the mission of this Awami government. They are trying so very hard to destroy our moral, social and religious values. :tdown:

http://www.newsevent24.com/2013/06/04/সংবিধান-সমকামিদের-অধিকার/

tHE reason is very obvious. They want to pull you down to their level so that you never oppose their any activity.

A thief will not resist another thief, a corrupted man will not resist another corrupted man, but they will steal and do corruption together for more benefit.

By inducting secularism and gay-marriage in BD they want to pull BD down to level of India so that you never morally resist India and one day BD will not resist anything from India as if BD and India will become brothers.
 
.
UK curbs visas for Bangladesh
Syed Nahas Pasha, writes from London
Published: 2013-06-24 06:25:17.0 GMT Updated: 2013-06-24 06:25:17.0 GMT

UK curbs visas for Bangladesh - bdnews24.com

The United Kingdom will impose a £3,000 deposit for visa-seekers from Bangladesh and six other Asian and African countries.

"Sunday Times" says that under the pilot scheme, visa-seekers from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya will have to pay the £3,000 cash guarantee alongwith their visa application.

The amount will be confiscated if stay extends beyond the permitted duration, it said.

The British Home Office feels these seven countries posed ‘the most significant risk of visa abuse’, Indian daily The Hindu reported.

It cited Britain’s Home Secretary Theresa May as saying that her government’s policy was to make the immigration system ‘more selective’.
“This is the next step in making sure our immigration system is more selective, bringing down net migration from the hundreds of thousands to tens of thousands while still welcoming the brightest and the best to Britain … In the long run, we are interested in a system of bonds that deters overstaying and recovers costs if a foreign national has used our public services,” she said

However, the cash deposit will not ensure a visa. It would require fulfilling other requirements for it.

Last year, 296,000 Indians, 101,000 Nigerians, 53,000 Pakistanis, 14,000 Bangladeshis and 14,000 Sri Lankans were allowed six-month tourist visas.

The British Home Office did not specify how many of them had stayed on illegally.

But the growing feeling amongst its migrants is that the one-time imperial power is desperate to keep the country's color 'white' and prevent the black and the brown from growing in numbers.

Sunday Times report said the cash deposit will be taken from all visa applicants including those applying for student and work visas.

If found effective, the system will be regularised and made permanent, perhaps extended on visa-seekers from other countries.

However, European, North American and Oceania (Australia and New Zealand) nations will be exempted.

The British government issues almost 2.2 million visas per year.

Many lawmakers, both Labour and Conservative , have earlier recommended a tougher visa regime.
 
. . .
Back
Top Bottom