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Boishakh 13, 1421Jamadius Sani 25, 1435Regd. No. DA 6238Vol 2, No 27

News5 The tender to procure equipment for the New Mooring Container Terminal of the Chittagong port will be oated by next month.

Nation6 Ukhira upazila of Coxs Bazar has virtually turned into a haven for human tra ckers because a sec-tion of interested groups can smuggle people o to Malaysia using the Badam-toli area.

International7 Russiawarned Kiev yes-terday that it would face justice for a bloody crime in easternUkraine, where Ukrainian forces killed up to ve pro-Russian rebels a day earlier.

Op-Ed11 I am one of those many who consider the so-called election of January 5 to be an utter farce, and the government legitimated by it to be little more than an autocracy whose absolutist tendencies get stronger by the passing day.

INSIDE

SATURDAY, APRIL 26, 2014 | www.dhakatribune.com | SECOND EDITION

9 | CAFFEINE MAY ACT AS MEMORY BOOSTER8 | SILK ROADSAVENUE T | SWEATING PRETTY 14 | BENFICA, SEVILLA STRIKE FIRST

Month Active SIMs

August 9.55*September 9.85October 9.83November 9.75December 9.71

2012

Month Active SIMs

January 11.48February 11.59March 11.52

2014

Month Active SIMs

January 9.73February 9.86March 9.99April 10.12May 10.29June 10.50July 10.69August 10.93September 11.07October 11.18November 11.27December 11.38

2013

SUBSCRIBER TRENDS IN MOBILE INDUSTRY

* Numbers in croreA H MAMUN/DT INFOGRAPHIC

Menendez: West wont buybloodstained clothes n Tribune Report Chairman of the US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Robert Menendez said western customers would not buy clothes that are stained with the blood of Bangladeshi workers.

The BGMEA and the Bangladeshi authorities must understand this sim-ple message, Menendez said in a state-ment issued on the rst anniversary of

the Rana Plaza tragedy.He also urged the Bangladesh gov-

ernment and the BGMEA to take im-mediate and concerted steps to end the suppression of edgling trade unions formed by garment workers.

If the BGMEA and the government of Bangladesh do not take immediate steps to end the suppression of edg-ling unions, it is only a matter of time before another large-scale tragedy hits

Bangladeshs garment industry and the made in Bangladesh brand is tarnished beyond repair, the US o cial said.

The senator said without the strong voice of an independent factory union, workers have no mechanism to ensure their own safety.

In the statement, Menendez said the International Labour Organisation has initiated its largest ever safe factories

PAGE 2 COLUMN 4

Mobile operators sees declinein the number of subscribersn Muhammad Zahidul IslamFollowing 15 consecutive months of growth, the countrys mobile phone operator industry has experienced a 0.56% decline in the number of sub-scribers in March, as one of the major operators saw a massive dip in its ac-tive users, although ve of its competi-tors performed well.

Robi, the second largest operator in terms of revenue, lost 16.75 lakh (6.54%) of its active subscribers in March, claimed a report published by

the countrys telecom regulators on Thursday.

The report by the Bangladesh Tele-communication Regulatory Commis-sion (BTRC) shows that at the end of March, Robis active subscribers came down from the previous months 2.56 crore to 2.39 crore; while the other ve operators managed to add a total of 10.69 lakh new active users during the same period.

The last time the number of sub-scribers saw a drop was in December 2012 after the regulators introduced

post-registration activation.Robi, however, said the number of

its subscribers had reduced in March as they had changed the calculation process for declaring a SIM (subscriber identity module) active.

It is just a number which will not impact Robi or the industry as a whole, Mahmudur Rahman, executive vice-president of Robi, told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

According to a guideline from the telecom watchdog, if any SIM is found

PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

US readies more sanctions as Ukraine costs rise for Moscown AgenciesUS President Barack Obama is expect-ed to press European allies to impose more sanctions if Russia steps up ac-tion in Ukraine, while a cut in its credit rating yesterday sent a strong remind-er to Moscow of the economic conse-quences of its involvement in the crisis.

Obama said he would seek to make sure key European leaders shared his view that Russia had failed to live up to the terms of a Ukraine peace accord in Geneva earlier this month, under which Russia, the United States, Ukraine and the European Union agreed to work to disarm illegal groups.

The Ukraine government launched further military operations against some of the pro-Russian separatists who have seized government buildings across eastern Ukraine, having killed up to ve rebels on Thursday.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lav-rov accused authorities in Kiev of wag-ing a war on their own people.

This is a bloody crime, and those who pushed the army to do that will pay, I am sure, and will face justice, Lavrov said.

Russia had also paid for the dispute, with heavy capital ight prompting credit rating agency Standard & Poors

PAGE 2 COLUMN 2

Tajuddin erased from history,says daughtern Tushar Hayat, ChittagongSharmeen Ahmed, daughter of Bangla-deshs founding prime minister Tajud-din Ahmed, has alleged that the coun-trys history in educational curriculum is to some extent individualistic, which has erased the name of Tajuddin.

Bangabandhu and Tajuddin were complimentary to each other, but the name of Tajuddin has been erased from history.

The name of the life and soul of the Liberation War has been erased from the history as the curriculum is to some ex-tent individualistic, she said while ad-dressing the publication ceremony of her book Tajuddin Ahmed: Leader and Father at a bookstore in the port city yesterday. PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

n Rabiul Islam andMohammad Jamil Khan

Members of several intelligence agen-cies have kept under constant close surveillance the writers and publishers of books providing wrong information on religions and history of the country in Qawmi madrasas.

Such writers and publishers were placed under surveillance on the instruc-tion of the Ministry of Home A airs.

The ministry has asked the Islamic Foundation to send information on these writers and publishers so that the gov-ernment can take action against them.

A high o cial of an intelligence agency yesterday told the Dhaka Trib-une that the instruction had also been sent to di erent ministries and depart-ments on April 20.

Besides, the Home Ministry has asked the National Board of Revenue to work with the Bangladesh Bank to trace the funding of militant groups.

A special committee formed by the Home Ministry to resist militancy will

hold its second special meeting shortly.The ministry has asked the NBR chair-

man, deputy governor of the Financial Intelligence Unit of Bangladesh Bank, and the chairperson of Bangladesh Tele-communication Regulatory Commission to be present at the meeting.

Asaduzzaman Khan, state minister for home, told the Dhaka Tribune that the intelligence agencies had been asked to closely monitor the activities of Qawmi and Alia madrasas.

The director general of the Islamic Foundation gave me some textbooks of Qawmi and Alia madrasa which includ-ed Jihadi statements, the state minis-ter said.

He said the steps had not been tak-en all on a sudden. It is a continuous process.

In the instruction issued on April 20, the Home Ministry asked the Ed-ucation Ministry to create awareness among students about militancy by holding discussions highlighting the negative impacts of Islamist militancy.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 6

Qawmi madrasas under scannerHome Ministry asks Islamic Foundation for info on writers of madrasa textbooks

The recently taken picture shows industrial waste from di erent factories in Savar being dumped into nearby canals that eventually ow into Turag River SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

CANAL OF POISON

News2 DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, April 26, 2014

German parliamentary team due todayn Tribune Report A seven-member delegation of the Ger-man Parliamentary Committee on Eco-nomic Cooperation and Development are coming to Bangladesh today on a ve-day visit.

The delegation will be headed by Dagmar Woehrl, who has been the chair of the committee since 2009.

The six other delegation members, who are also members of the German parliament, are: Juergen Klimke, Frank Heinrich, Stefan Rebmann, Gabi We-ber, Niema Movassat and Uwe Keker-itz, according to a press release.

Following the rst anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, the main purpose of this visit is to assess the situation in the RMG sector in Bangladesh and get

information about the initiatives taken so far to improve the health and safety standards for the factory workers.

The delegation will have meetings with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chowdhury, Minister for Commerce Tofail Ahmed and other political leaders as well.

The delegation will travel to Savar to visit the survivors of the collapse at the CRP, which receives funds from the Ger-man Development Cooperation. They will also visit a couple of factories to get an im-pression of the working conditions there.

The members of the parliament will also visit two projects that focus on the inclusion of street children and victims of acid attacks to demonstrate their solidarity with the vulnerable groups in need of support. l

Youth killed over cricket matchn Tribune Report A youth died yesterday after being hit by a cricket bat centring a feud over a cricket match in the capitals Kamran-girchar.

Deceased was identi ed as Moham-mad Rajib Hossain, 20, a welder by pro-fession and a resident of Hasananagar area of Kamrangirchar.

The victims father Abul Hossain said Razib went out of the home at around 4:30pm to play cricket in a nearby eld. Later, he was critically injured when a fellow player Jashim struck him hard on the back with a cricket bat when the two locked into a heated debate over a decision of the match.

We took him to Dhaka Medical Col-lege Hospital where on duty doctors declared him dead around 6:50pm, he added. l

Children and local residents play in the capitals Dhanmondi playground yesterday after DSCC authorities declared the ground open for all on Thursday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Mobile operators sees decline PAGE 1 COLUMN 3to receive or send no calls or SMS in 90 days, it will be counted as inactive.

This time we were strict on the guideline and that is why the number of our subscribers showed a decline, Mahmudur Rahman said.

He added that there was no reason to be worried as Robi had already in-formed the regulator about the issue.

However, the huge fall in Robis active subscribers also meant that the overall number of active subscribers declined to 11.52 crore from 11.58 crore at the end of February.

Sources at the Association of Mo-bile Telecom Operators of Bangladesh, however, said although the country had around 11.5 crore active subscrib-ers, the actual number of active users was around 7.5 crore, as some of the subscribers used multiple SIMs.

Saying the declining number might be considered as a disaster for the industry, BTRC Vice-Chairman Md Giashuddin Ahmed told the Dhaka Tribune yesterday that the regulator wanted to know what caused Robi to su er such a decline.

As a regulator, we also need to know the inside story, although we have received a clari cation from Robi, he added.

Sources inside Robi said this was not the biggest disaster of the operator in terms of subscribers.

BTRC statistics show that in Novem-ber 2009, Robi (then known as AKTel)

lost 21.2 lakh subscribers in a single month, which also caused the total mar-ket size to come down to 5.06 crore from the previous months 5.14 crore.

Meanwhile, the latest gures from the BTRC shows that at the end of the rst quarter of 2014, market leader Grameenphone had 4.87 crore active subscribers, including 4.70 lakh new ones in March.

Banglalink, the second largest op-erator in the country in terms of sub-scribers, managed to add 3.15 lakh new subscribers to take its total number of active subscribers to 2.94 crore.

Airtel added 46,000 new subscrib-ers to secure the fourth position with 84.08 lakh active subscribers at the end of March.

Teletalk, the only state-owned mo-bile operator, added 2.22 lakh new ac-tive subscribers in March to take its to-tal number of subscribers to 34.34 lakh.

Citycell, the oldest operator in the subcontinent, also added 16,000 sub-scribers to have a total of 14.14 lakh active subscribers.

Although the total number of mobile subscribers declined in March, the num-ber of mobile internet users increased.

At the end of February, the country had a total of 3.61 crore internet users, including 3.46 crore people accessing internet through their mobile phones; while at the end of March, the total number grew to 3.69 crore, including 3.53 crore mobile internet users. l

West wont buy bloodstained PAGE 1 COLUMN 6programme in Bangladesh and has coor-dinated safety inspections as well as com-pensation for the victims of Rana Plaza.

International retailers have tak-en important initial steps to address the safety of buildings and workers in Bangladesh, he added.

Loblaw satisfied with Rana Plaza responseCanadas largest retailer Loblaw Compa-nies Limited has said it is pleased with the unprecedented coordination between it and a small number of other retailers to account for the very real human and -nancial costs of the Rana Plaza collapse.

The company, which had some of its Joe Fresh clothing line manufactured at Rana Plaza, has also said it is proud to have been a contributing voice in the Rana Plaza response and its unfolding legacy related to factory safety.

This came in a statement issued by the Canadian company on the rst anniversa-ry of the Rana Plaza collapse in Savar.

We continue to believe that the econ-omy and manufacturing communities of Bangladesh bene t from our presence, attention and long-term commitment. Over the past twelve months, Loblaw has worked with individuals, the industry, the government, NGOs and the Interna-tional Labour Organisation to respond to the human tragedy of Rana Plaza and to improve the standards that will de ne and protect the safety of workers from

here forward, reads the statement. We have become a lead contrib-

utor in the nancial response to thistragedy, having committed $5 million for local relief and compensation, it adds.

Loblaw says in its view, the collec-tive industry response to the Rana Plaza collapse has taken too long and various necessary steps have yet to be taken.

Further, based on the initial com-pensation model calculated on a shared basis between government, in-dustry and brands Loblaw, as one of the top contributing organisations, is contributing more than its share.

ILO official terms it shameILO Deputy Director General for Field Operations and Partnerships Gilbert Fossoun Houngbo has said the delay in compensating the families of the Rana Plaza victims and survivors is a shame for all the stakeholders.

It is very hard, very di cult to speak here today and say that the vic-tims still cannot be adequately com-pensated. That will be a shame for all of us, he said while addressing a pro-gramme at Ruposhi Bangla Hotel in the capital on Thursday.

Stating that much has been done following the tragedy, the ILO o cial said: Now the factory inspections must be completed, compensation claims processed and the labour law implemented in full. l

US readies more sanctions PAGE 1 COLUMN 3to cut the countrys ratings yesterday. That in turn forced Russias central bank to raise its key interest rate to re-verse a drop in the rouble.

Lavrov said Moscow was commit-ted to implementing the Geneva agree-ment but accused Washington of dis-torting it with one-sided demands. However, Russias Defence Ministry said it was ready for unbiased and constructive talks with the United States to stabilise the situation.

Obama, who accuses Moscow of send-ing agents to coordinate the unrest in the east as it did before seizing Ukraines Crimea region in February, planned to call allies in Europe later in the day.

The window to change course is closing, US Secretary of State John Kerry warned Russia late on Thursday,

citing Obamas earlier comments that Washington was ready to impose new sanctions, on top of those imposed af-ter Crimea was annexed.

Kerry said Russia was using prop-aganda to hide what it was trying to do in eastern Ukraine - destabilise the region and undermine next months Ukrainian presidential elections - and decried its threatening movement of troops up to Ukraines border.

If Russia continues in this direction, it will not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake, Kerry said.

Russian President Vladimir Pu-tin has sco ed at the sanctions so far imposed, which have been limited to travel bans and overseas assets freezes on individuals.

Meanwhile, Ukraines Prime Min-ister Arseny Yatseniuk said Russia

wanted to start World War Three by occupying the country militarily and politically and creating a con ict that would spread to the rest of Europe.

Ukraine said Russian troops con-ducting exercises had approached to within 1 kilometre (1,100 yards) of its border and would treat any incursion as an invasion.

Ukrainian Special Forces launched a second phase of their operation in the east of the country on Friday by mounting a full blockade of the re-bel-held city of Slaviansk, an o cial on the presidential sta said.

One of its military helicopters was hit by rocket re and exploded while on the ground at an airport near the city, the Defence Ministry said.

Interior minister Arsen Avakov in-sisted every care was being taken to

avoid non-combatant casualties, after Moscow warned it may act if Kiev used the army against civilians.

In the meantime, Latvia yesterday welcomed American troops on its soil, part of a US force of 600 sent to the re-gion to reassure the Baltic States amid concern over Russias actions in Ukraine.

Today is a special day because this morning I met the heads of the armed forces at the Adazi military base and greeted the US military unit that ar-rived this morning for military train-ing, Latvian Prime Minister Laimdota Straujuma told reporters.

Some 150 troops from the 173rd Air-borne Brigade will be based at the Ada-zi base near capital Riga until at least the end of the year, according to the Latvian defence ministry.

Another company of soldiers arrived

in Poland on Wednesday, while around 150 others are each expected in Lithuania on Saturday and Estonia early next week.

Washington on Tuesday said it was sending the 600 troops to the region to increase its presence in the region and re-assure its NATO allies and partners.

In Ukraine, seven people were in-jured overnight at a pro-Ukrainian checkpoint near the Black Sea port of Odessa when an explosive device blew up, police said yesterday.

Residents have built several such checkpoints near the town aimed at stopping pro-Russian separatists en-tering from Moldovas breakaway ter-ritory of Transdniestria.

NATO warned last month of a pos-sible Russian military grab for Transd-niestria following its annexation of Crimea. l

Tajuddin erased from history PAGE 1 COLUMN 1Whenever we discuss the Liberation War, we jump to January 1972 from March 25, 1971. The history of the nine months of the Liberation War remains untouched. The actual history is un-known to many people because of this escapism, she said.

Shrmeen said there were many countries that had their founding fa-thers, such as the USA, instead of one father of the nation.

She said there were many con-troversies regarding the history ofthe countrys war of independence as there was an e ort to implementpolitical agenda in the name ofhistory.

There has been an e ort to raise controversy centring my book. I will request all to read the whole book in-stead of reading it partially and cause the controversy, she said.

Barrister Amirul Islam, an aide of Tajuddin Ahmed during the Lib-eration War, said authors of historywould be able to use the book asa reference as the writer had tried to manifest di erent issues withsincerity.

Former Chittagong mayor ABM Mo-hiuddin Chowdhury and economist Professor Mainul Islam also addressed the function.

Tajuddin Ahmed had served as the rst prime minister of Bangladesh and led the wartime provisional govern-ment in the absence of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

A close con dante of Bangabandhu, Tajuddin was the general secretary of the Awami League during late 1960s and early 70s.

He coordinated the partys elec-tion campaign for the 1970 gener-al election of Pakistan, in which theAwami League gained a historic major-ity in parliament to form the govern-ment.

After the liberation of Bangladesh, Tajuddin became the nance minister in the Mujib government in 1972.

After Bangabandhus assassina-tion in August 1975, he was arrest-ed and, along with three other top Awami League leaders, was executedby the members of the militaryin Dhaka Central Jail on November 4, 1975. l

Qawmi madrasas under scanner PAGE 1 COLUMN 2It told the education ministry secre-tary to submit the monthly report of the monitoring committee focusing if the national anthem is sung in the as-sembly and anti-militancy speech de-livered at Qawmi and Alia madrasas as instructed.

The Education Ministry was sug-gested modernising the madrasa edu-cation with real history of the 1971 Lib-eration War of Bangladesh.

The Religious A airs Ministry was also instructed to train Imams encour-aging them to deliver anti-militancy speech and arrange sermons about the evils of militancy before Juma prayers at mosques.

The Islamic Foundation DG was advised to hold anti-militancy rally in districts in coordination with teachers and students of schools, colleges and madrasas, and Imams of mosques.

The district administration and upazila nirbahi o cers will time to time monitor if anti-militancy sermon is delivered at mosques across the country.

They will send a monthly report to the Home Ministry.

The Information Ministry was too asked to make documentaries, short lms, advertisements and video clip-pings on the issue and send them to dif-ferent electronic media for screening. l

Land dispute clash leaves six injured in capitaln Mohammad Jamil Khan At least six people were injured, two of whom with bullets, in a land dispute clash at Dhakas Segunbagicha yesterday.

Police said the clash ensued over a land dispute while one of the clashing groups said it was over not giving bene- ts in return for lending money.

Injured Nazma Akter, 65, Razia Be-gum, 50, Rubina, 50, Ra a, 26, Imran, 30 and Rakib, 30, took treatment at the emergency ward of Dhaka Medical Col-lege Hospital.

Of them, Nazma and Razias condi-tions were critical as they received bul-let injuries as well as stab wounds.

Two years back, they lent Tk 20 mil-lion to Habubyr Rahman, owner of SH

Agro Ltd on the condition that they would be given Tk 6,00,000 per month, but he later refused to give that bene t.

Habibur even refused to give back what he had taken from us, he said.

When visiting the spot, it was how-ever learnt that Nazma had a dispute with Habibur over developing a piece of land beside Akram Tower.

Nazma got the work for developing it. And Habib was to give her all the money needed for it.

The dispute grew among them as Ha-bib refused to give money to Nazma as per her demand for developing the land.

Moreover, Habib was allegedly try-ing to give the work to another land estate rm contacting the land owner.

Meanwhile, Nazma had led a case

with police against Habib alleging that Habib staged a ring in front of her car showroom near FDC gate in a bid to threaten her for asking him to give back her money.

Nazmas son Osman said they were yesterday called by Habib at the latters o ce at Akram Tower in the citys Se-gunbagicha to make a settlement over the issues.

But as soon as we reached his of- ce, his men attacked us.

We have initially learnt that this dis-pute is over developing a tin shade house at Segunbagicha, Maruf Hossain Sardar, deputy commissioner of police of Ramna division told the Dhaka Tribune.

No case was led until Friday night, he said. l

BNP stresses workers safetyRa qul claims only Tk22 crore of Tk128 crore fund was disbursed among victimsn Mohammad Al-Masum MollaThe BNP yesterday demanded that all the new industries should obtain clear-ance certi cates before going into oper-ations to ensure security and safety of workers.

After Rana Plaza tragedy it has be-come important to ensure safety for readymade garment workers. We are demanding that a provision of obtain-ing all sorts of clearance certi cates be made obligatory before an indus-try goes into operation, Ra qul Islam Miah, a Standing Committee member of the party, said.

He also said: Congress members of the United States have called for ensur-ing the rights and safety of workers in Bangladesh and the BNP supported the call.

Addressing a discussion at the Na-tional Press Club organised by the Medical Technologist Association, the BNP leader said thousands of workers

became paralysed and many of them did not get any treatment.

We came to know from di erent media reports that Tk128 crore was deposited in the government fund and the prime minister has distributed only Tk22 crore among the victims as com-pensation. Where has the rest of the money gone?

Ra qul said they were not bringing any allegation of misappropriation, but if the compensation had been dis-bursed properly, the victims would not have to cry over compensation.

Criticising the government, the law-yer said there was no democracy in the country and there was no existence of an opposition party in parliament.

Even General Ershad who was di-rectly involved in the killing of General Monjur has been made a special envoy to the prime minister.

If such a person gets the govern-ments patronisation, then where is the rule of law? he said. l

3NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, April 26, 2014

Bangladeshi rights activist among Martin Ennals Award nalistsn Tribune ReportThe jury for this years Martin Ennals Award has announced three nalists, including a Bangladeshi, to receive the top rights prize.

Rights activist Adilur Rahman Khan, founder of Odhikar, has been nominated for the prize along with Cao Shunli, a Chinese civil society activist who died in detention in March after the jury decided on her nomination, Alejandra Ancheita, a Mexican land rights advocate, according to a press

release of the Human Rights Watch.The 10-member prize jury consisting

of international human rights groups made the announcement on Wednesday. Reed Brody, special counsel at the Human Rights Watch and a member of the Mar-tin Ennals jury, said: These three coura-geous activists have shown an extraordi-nary dedication to protecting the rights of their peopleCao Shunli tragically paid the ultimate price for her commitment.

The winner will be announced and the award will be presented on October 7 at a ceremony hosted by the city of Geneva.

The Martin Ennals Award for Human Rights Defenders is a unique collabo-ration among 10 of the worlds lead-ing human rights organisations to give protection to human rights defenders worldwide. The jury is composed of representatives from the Amnesty In-ternational, EWDE Germany, Front Line Defenders, Human Rights First, Human Rights Watch, HURIDOCS, Internation-al Commission of Jurists, International Federation for Human Rights, Interna-tional Service for Human Rights, and World Organisation Against Torture. l

One held with 28 gold barsn Kailash SarkarAn incoming passenger from Dubai was arrested at Shahjalal International Airport in the capital yesterday with 28 gold bars weighing around 3.24kg.

The arrested was identi ed as Mo-hammad Bahar, 40, of Comilla.

Moinul Khan, director general of the Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate (CIID), told the Dhaka Tri-bune that they arrested Bahar with the gold bars around 8:30 am shortly after

his arrival at Dhaka around 8:00 am by a ight of Emirates Airlines.

We had found the gold bars af-ter searching his shoes and di erent parts of his body while he was passing through immigration. Each of the gold bars weighs 116 grams, he said.

The detainee is one of the carriers of the smuggled gold, but according to his passport, he is a businessman by pro-fession, the o cial added.

He had frequently visited Dubai and di erent countries in the Mid-

east, the CIID chief said, adding that they were interrogating him to extract information as to whether anybody at the airport had links with smuggling.

CIID o cials said Bahar was hand-ed over to police after ling a case in connection with the seizure of the gold worth around Tk15 million.

Sources said over 70kg of gold was seized at Dhaka airport and di erent places of the capital while over 1,200kg of gold was seized at the countrys air-ports in last one year. l

Dilip Barua: Protest Mamatas stance on Teesta issuen Our Correspondent, NilphamariFormer industries minister Dilip Barua has recently said the people of Bangla-desh have to stand united to protest against Indias West Bengal Chief Min-ister Mamata Banerjees conspiracy against the Teesta water-sharing issue.

He said it was Bangladeshs legal right to have a fair share of the Teestas water.

The former minister made this speech at a meeting at a school prem-ises under the Dimla upazila of the dis-trict on April 24.

The Communist Party of Bangla-deshs Nilphamari district unit hosted the programme which was presided over by its Secretary Dr Mosta zur Rahman Sabuz.

In his address as the chief guest, Dil-

ip Barua said the Teestas water is the lifeblood of Bangladeshs economy and transportation in the northern regions.

He added that according to a deci-sion on Teesta water sharing in July, 1983, Bangladesh was supposed to get 36% of the water, India would get 39% and the remaining 25% would be pre-served, but this was violated.

On September 06, 2011, Indian

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh vis-ited Bangladesh and was supposed to strike a deal regarding the sharing of the Teestas water. The plan was foiled because of Mamata Banerjees conspir-acy, he said.

The meeting was attended by the partys politburo members Lutfar Rahman, Babul Biswas and Saimum Haque, as well as many others. l

Countrys second bone marrow transplant today First patient recovering quickly n Moniruzzaman UzzalInspired by the countrys rst-ever Bone Marrow Transplant (BMT) on a 52-year-old cancer patient on March 10, the doctors at the BMT unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital-2 are going to perform the second operation today.

A team of BMT experts, comprised of trained Bangladeshi doctors, nurses and technologists, and led by Professor Dr MA Khan, head of hematology de-partment and programme director of the BMT unit, will implant stem cells into the body of Alamgir Hossain, 51, a retired army sergeant. He is su ering from a form of blood cancer known as multiple myeloma.

It is understood that the rst BMT op-eration saw participation of a pool of na-tional and international experts but this time, the local experts (only two nurses from Massachusetts General Hospital of US) will perform the operation.

MA Khan told the Dhaka Tribune on Thursday morning that if the patients physical condition remained well, they would go for the second operation.

BMT experts told the Dhaka Tri-bune the transplant was a ve-step process, namely physical examination (to assess the patients general health condition), harvesting (the process of obtaining stem cells), condition-ing (preparing the patients body for the operation), transplanting the stem cells and recovery (during which the patient is monitored for any complica-tion or side e ect).

MA Khan said Alamgir was given chemotherapy on Wednesday and Thursday to prepare him for the opera-tion, adding that stem cell was collect-

ed from him a few days back. Dr Khan said they actually collect-

ed Alamgirs stem cells in October last year to perform the rst BMT operation on him.

The plan, however, was cancelled because he was not physically t at the time.

Alamgir, who hails from Kahalpur village in Bagerhat, was diagnosed with blood cancer in December 2009 and had been receiving treatment at Combined Military Hospital in the cap-ital.

Meanwhile, Omar Ali, the rst pa-tient to successfully undergo BMT op-eration in the country, has recently left the hospital. The 52-year-old, a senior o cer at Agrani Bank, has returned to his village home in Rangpur.

His physical condition is now ne. The number of white blood cells and platelets are coming to the normal gure and he is regaining his weight. Hopefully, he would join work within 2-3 months, Professor Khan said.

Omars wife Amena Begum also echoed the same view and told the Dhaka Tribune her husbands condi-tion was good.

Doctors advised him to follow a few instructions for the next three months and he is abiding by those. He was released on April 5 and I will take him there again on April 27, she said.

Dr Khan said they were planning for press coverage of Omar soon. It might be on April 29 but the date has not been xed yet.

On October 20 last year, former health minister Dr AFM Ruhal Haque inaugurated the ve-bed BMT unit and a high-tech BMT laboratory at DMCH at a cost of Tk200 crore. l

Ershad: Politicians being sold for moneyn Tribune ReportJatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad yes-terday claimed that countrys politi-cians, including himself, were being sold for money.

Nowadays there is no value of quali cation and money has taken the place of everything and we, the politi-cians, are selling ourselves, he said.

The former military ruler made the observations while speaking at the 20th national council of diploma engi-neers and the concluding ceremony of the 38th council at Diploma Engineers Institute in the capital.

I was a soldier, not a politician. I have entered politics to serve countrys people. I have changed the countrys scenario with construction of many roads and highways and bridges, he said, adding that but politicians now do not think about the country.

Referring to corruption in various sectors and irregularities in recruit-ments, he said: If such practices con-tinue, the citizens will not get e cient government servants. We should give up our bad habits for the sake of coun-trys interests, he said.

Bangladesh has potentials, but we are doing politics with this potentiality. We should avoid doing such politics for the countrys development, he added. l

Dutch minister seeks joint fundraising e orts for Rana Plaza victimsn UNB The European Union (EU) and Bangla-desh should work together to impress the international companies, including the European ones, to adequately con-tribute to the compensation fund for the Rana Plaza victims, said Dutch for-eign trade minister yesterday.

Minister for Foreign Trade and De-velopment Cooperation of the Nether-lands Lilianne Ploumen also appreciat-ed Bangladesh for the steps taken so far to improve the working conditions in the massive RMG sector.

We are encouraged to see the huge steps taken in the last one year to improve the working conditions in Bangladeshs RMG sector, but there is still some way to go, she said during her meeting with Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali at the Dutch Foreign Ministry in the morning.

She expressed her interest in fur-ther discussing the exact modalities for cooperation in this regard during her scheduled visit to Bangladesh in the end of May this year, said a Foreign Ministry media release.

Ploumen, who had visited Bangla-

desh following the Rana Plaza tragedy in June last year, said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas government did the right thing to press ahead with neces-sary reforms in the RMG sector to im-prove labour rights and safety.

The Dutch minister particularly ac-knowledged the raise in minimum wage in the RMG sector which she con-sidered to be a positive step forward.

The two ministers discussed the need for creating necessary comfort level for the RMG industry about the factory inspections being carried out to ensure safety standards.

They agreed that the RMG sector needs to be made sustainable and re-silient in the larger interest of Bangla-deshs poverty alleviation e orts and economic development. l

Obaidul: Work order for Padma Bridge by Junen Our Correspondent, PabnaCommunications Minister Obaidul Quader said the work order for Padma Bridge project will be issued by June this year and the government is plan-ning to build a Y-type bridge on the Aricha-Nagarbari route to act as a sec-ond Jamuna bridge, yesterday.

The government has already taken full preparations to start the construc-tion work of the Padma Bridge by June this year, he said while speaking to the press after visiting the construc-tion site of the Chatmohar-Handial road in Pabna.

Noting that the Bangladesh Army has been appointed as the local con-sultant while M Com International will work as the international con-sulting rm for Padma Bridge project, the minister further added that the government is highly alert about the transparency of the project.

He also said the government has given the international consulting rm ve months to kick start the construc-tion work of the project.

Apart from that, the communica-tions minister also assured that con-struction of a Y-type bridge on the Ari-cha-Nagarbari route on Jamuna River

is being taken into consideration. The government plans to build a

Y-type bridge here (Aricha-Nagarbari route) and it will be the second Jamu-na bridge of the country. If the bridge is installed, the distance between Dhaka and northern districts will be reduced. l

A young girl crosses a barren bed of a canal to collect water from a distant source at Keraniganj on the capitals outskirts yesterday RAJIB DHAR

Members of Bangladesh Garment Sramik Sanghati perform in a play staged at Shahbagh in the capital yesterday, demanding compensation for the Rana Plaza collapse victims and a safe working environment RAJIB DHAR

We are encouraged to see the huge steps taken to improve the working conditions in Bangladeshs RMG sector

Spotlight4 DHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, April 26, 2014

Revisiting Rana Plaza disaster in celluloid Curtain fell yesterday on Aftermath: Rana Plaza, a photography exhibition arranged to mark the rst anniversary of the countrys deadliest garment factory accident in Savar. The three-day exhibition, which opened at the TSC on Dhaka University campus on April 23, was an initiative of 60 photojournalists working with renowned national and international media outlets. The journalists said they arranged the exhibition to raise awareness of such manmade disaster among general people, garment factory owners, owners of other factories, workers and the government. They said through media they were urging the government to consider the idea of preparing a national archive of the photos or to place those in the national museum.

5NewsDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, April 26, 2014

PRAYER TIMES Fajar 4:14am Sunrise 5:32am Zohr 11:58am Asr 4:25pm Magrib 6:23pm Esha 7:42pm

Source: IslamicFinder.org

Source: Accuweather/UNB

POSSIBLE DRIZZLES

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A Y

Dhaka 40 27

Chittagong 35 26

Rajshahi 41 27

Rangpur 39 26

Khulna 40 25

Barisal 38 27

Sylhet 40 23

Coxs Bazar 34 26

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 6:25PM SUN RISES 5:27AM

YESTERDAYS HIGH AND LOW42.0C 22.0C

Chuadanga Rangpur

WEATHER

SATURDAY, APRIL 26

NEW MOORING CONTAINER TERMINAL

CPA to oat tender for procuring equipment n Tushar Hayat, ChittagongThe tender to procure equipment for the New Mooring Container Terminal of the Chittagong port will be oated by next month, as the terminal is expect-ed to be operational within the next one and a half years, the port authority chief said.

Rear Admiral Nizamuddin Ahmed, chairman of the Chittagong Port Au-thority (CPA), made the comment yes-terday while exchanging views with reporters on the occasion of the 127th anniversary of the port. He added that the prime minister has approved the CPAs proposal of procuring equipment worth around Tk1,300 crore.

Nizamuddin said ve foreign and lo-cal companies had responded to a pre-vious tender that invited operators for setting up equipment and running the

terminal, but the procedure could not be completed because of a case led with the court.

Now we have decided to set up the equipment on our own and appoint op-erators for just running the terminal, he added.

According to CPA sources, the Tk582 crore project was initiated in December 2007, and the tender invitation for ap-pointing an operator was made in Au-gust 2008.

The one-kilometre long terminal with ve jetties will have the capacity to handle 13 lakh TEUs (twenty equiv-alent units) of containers, while the portcan currently handle 18 lakh TEUs of containers each year.

Regarding the capital dredging of the river Karnaphuli, which is the life-line of the port, the CPA chairman said 79% of the work on the project has

been completed, but liquidity demur-rage has been slapped on the contrac-tor concerned since the time spent on project implementation was not satis-factory.

We have sought approval from the ministry to cancel the agreement with the contractor as they will not be able to implement the project within the re-vised timeframe, he added.

The CPA chairman also briefed jour-nalists about 13 ongoing projects at the port, as well as plans of taking on nine fresh projects for the development of the prime sea port.

Among others, Mohammed Alaud-din, additional secretary to Shipping Ministry, Commodore Mohammed Shahajahan, member (harbour and marine) of the CPA, and departmental chiefs of the port were present at the programme. l

Volunteer organisations employee beaten to death n Kailash SarkarAn employee of a volunteer organisa-tion succumbed to his injuries in the morning hours of yesterday after he was beaten up by some local goons in the capitals Bonoshree area on Thurs-day evening.

Ruhul Aminn Khan, 50, joint secre-tary of the volunteer service organisa-tion Dakshin Bangla Ekota Songha, suc-cumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at the Dhaka Medical College and Hospital around 5am. He was living with his family in South Bonoshree.

Quoting family members, police said Ruhul had been killed over a nan-cial dispute with some people from his previous work place, Fatema Founda-tion.

Assistant Organising Secretary of Dakshin Bangla Ekota Songha Moham-mad Rasel said: Rahul had defaulted on an amount of money at his earlier work place, Fatema Foundation. Some people from that organisation beat him up after an altercation at our o ce around 7pm.

A group of people of the Fatema Foun-dation stormed into the o ce of Dakkhin Bangla Ekota Songha and beat him up mer-cilessly, causing his death, he said.

Police have detained two of people in this regard. One of the arrested was identi ed as Ashiq, said Rasel.

Ruhuls brother-in-law Kamal Hos-sain said: Some 12 people, including Alauddin, Tawhid and Salauddin, at-tacked Ruhul Amin when he was at his o ce. l

Boishakh celebrated on Scholastica campusesn Tribune ReportA week-long celebration of Pahela Boishakh came to an end yesterday at Scholastica in the capital.

The festivities started on April 17 in all the campuses of the school, with colourful decora-tions, festoons, masks, traditional Boishakhi artwork and Boishakhi fair in each of the campuses.

Students, parents, teachers, management personnel and Scholastica Alumni members attended the celebration which started with Mongol Shobha Ja-

tra, a colourful rally, and was followed by cultural programmes and the fair

In the fair, there were stalls of di erent categories with a versa-tile range of items available for sale. There were Nagordola, the deshi version of Ferris Wheel, jumping castle, shooting bal-loons and other recreational ac-tivities, too.

The mouth-watering food stalls were the most crowded as visitors enjoyed the food. Cultur-al shows took place throughout the day every day. l

Auto-rickshaw driver found dead n CU Correspondent Police recovered the body of a CNG-run auto rickshaw driver hanging in the Canteen Gate area in the port city, yes-terday morning.

The deceased, Mohammed Jakir, 27, was the son of Hasan Ali, from Langdu in Rangamati, said police sources.

Sub-Inspector of Khulshi police sta-tion Jahid Hasan said locals saw the body hanging from a branch of a tree near an abandoned Banglow at the Railway O -cers Colony in the Jhawtola area and in-formed the police about the matter.

On receiving the information, police recovered the body around 9am and sent it to the Chittagong Medical Col-lege Hospital morgue for an autopsy, said the SI. l

Didar Boli takes it yet againn Tarek Mahmud, Chittagong Didarul Alam alias Didar Boli clinched the champions title of the 105th Jab-bar-er Boli Khela at Laldighi Maidan in Chittagong city yesterday.

He took just 15 seconds to overpower his rival Habibur Rahman of Narayan-ganjs Araihazar in the traditional wres-tling competition. It is the rst time Habibur was able to enter the nale.

Didar has so far achieved the cham-pions title ve times individually and six times jointly.

The tactics and mettle he showed in the game as always wowed the specta-tors of the competition that drew thou-sands of people from various parts in the country.

Didar had defeated Kay Hiapru Mar-ma of Bandarban while Habibur defeat-ed Mohammad Khorshed of Kutubdia

Island to compete in the nal bout yes-terday.

It was hard labour and regular prac-tice that has made him win the cham-pions titles, said Didar Boli, who hails from Ramu in Coxs Bazar and hoped that he would continue competing in this event in future.

Earlier in 2010, Didar was banned from participating in the event as he and another wrestler Marma Sing Tri-pura had shared the championship several times. But he was allowed to take part in the event last year and kept himself unbeaten.

The champion and the runner-up were given Tk 15,000 and Tk 10,000 re-spectively as prize money with trophies while the winners of the general bout got Tk 500 with crests each, organisers said.

Abdul Jabbar Smriti Kusti Pratijogi-ta O Baishakhi Mela Udjapan Parishad

Committee organised the 105th show of the three-day Baishakhi Mela which began on Thursday.

Chittagong City Corporation Mayor Manjur Alam was present at the event as the chief guest while agricultural development and media personality Channel-I Director and Head of News Shaikh Siraj inaugurated it.

A total 103 wrestlers of di erent ages from di erent parts of the country in-cluding Comilla, Brahmanbaria, Coxs Bazar and coastal areas of Chittagong, took part in the competition.

Mobile phone operator Banglalink sponsored the event.

During the competition, visitors scu ed with police, when Photojour-nalist Aminul Islam Munna of Dainik Azadi got injured as the police charged batons on the visitors when controlling the situation. l

Houses of Sramik League leaders relatives attackedn Our Correspondent, GazipurHouses of the relatives of a Sramik League leader were attacked following a clash between his followers and those of a Chhatra League leader in Gazipurs Sripur yesterday.

Earlier, on April 22, adherents of local Sramik League leader Solaiman Ripon clashed with those of Chhatra League leader Sohag Ilom over estab-lishing supremacy at Mawna.

This was followed by vandalism by So-hag and his accomplices at the houses of So-laiman and his relative Anis at Tepaibarhi.

In the wee hours of yesterday, an ar-son attack was also launched allegedly by Sohag and his followers at the house of Solaimans elder brother Abdur Rashid.

Four persons - Atabur Rahman, 60, Khademul Islam, Jewel, 28, Jasim, 36, were injured as they tried to douse the re at Abdur Rashids house.

Solaimans elder brother Abdur Rashid said he su ered a loss of Tk 6,00,000 in the blaze.

The house might have been set a re by somebody with hostility, said Tasharaf Hossain, an o cer at Mawna Fire Service and Civil Defence Station.

Neither side, however, led any case until yesterday.

We have led a case on our own as no case was led over the clash, attack and vandalism, said. l

Two participants wrestle during Jabbarer Boli Khela in Chittagong yesterday MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

Former and recovering drug addicts take part in a human chain on Kuakata beach yesterday DHAKA TRIBUNE

Students of Scholastica bring out a procession on the campus yesterday, marking Pahela Boishakh DHAKA TRIBUNE

Former drug addicts swear o addiction n Our Correspondent, BarisalFormer and recovering drug addicts took an oath to leave addiction behind forever at a reunion at the Kuakata sea beach in Patuakhali, yesterday.

Barisal Holy Care Drug Addiction Treatment Assistance and Rehabili-tation Centre organised the two-day reunion where di erent other organi-sations working in the same eld under Bangladesh Drug Addict Rehabilitation Society also participated.

The event, with its slogan No ad-diction in future, we have to run a long way in life, included exchanging views and experiences, a human chain, a ral-ly, ying lanterns, an oath taking cere-mony and a cultural function.

The participants also cleaned the

sea beach as part of the reunion.More than 100 rehabilitated and re-

covering addicts from di erent parts of the country attended the event.

Musta zur Rahman Sumon, con-vener, Sha kur Rahman Khokan, member secretary of the programme arrangement committee, Ruman Imti-az Tushar, president of Kuakata Press Club, Motaleb Sharif, president of Kuakata Hotel Motel Resort Associa-tion, and Abdul Barek Molla, former UP chairman, addressed the participants in di erent sessions, among others.

The speakers said recovery from drug addiction is never out of reach, no matter how hopeless the situation seems.

They urged everyone not to give up the recovery struggle, even if there is a history of failure. l

Seminar on autism held in Putrajaya n Tribune ReportSaima Wazed Hossain, the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, par-ticipated in an international seminar themed Autism is not a Tragedy, Ig-norance Is at Putrajaya, Malaysia as the special representative of the prime minister of Bangladesh.

Saima, also the chair of the Advisory Committee for Autism and Neuro-de-velopmental Disabilities in Bangla-desh, played a vital role in the two-day long (April 22-24) seminar jointly orga-nized by Permata, Autism Speaks, New York and the University of Kebansaan, Malaysia.

First ladies from Sudan, Singapore, Sri Lanka, Kyrgyz Republic, Albania and Morocco also joined the seminar.

Besides participating in the seminar, Autism specialist Saima held bilateral meetings with the Minister of Women and Health A airs of Malaysia. l

6 NationDHAKA TRIBUNE Saturday, April 26, 2014

Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology UniversityOf ce of the Director

Planning, Development & Works

Memo No: BSMRSTU/PD&W/301/2013-14 Date-22/04/2014

Invitation for Tender (IFT No-07/R)Sealed tenders are hereby invited from the bona de Suppliers/Importers or their authorized Local Agents/Distributors/Representatives for Supplying, Installing & Commissioning of Furniture for BSMRSTU, Gopalgonj:

1 Ministry/Division Ministry of Education (MoE)

2 Agency Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University Gopalganj-8100

3 Procuring Entity Name Director, Planning, Developments & Works, bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University.

4 Procuring Entity District Gopalganj

5 Invitation for Supply of Furniture.6 Invitation reference No BSMRSTU/PD&W/301/2013-147 Date 22/04/20148 Procurement Method Open Tendering Method (OTM)

9 Budget and Source of Funds GOB10 Tender package No GD(R)-23

11 Tender Publication Date Within 29/04/2014

12 Tender Selling Date 30/04/2014 to 20/05/2014 During Of ce hour.

13 Name and address of the of ce for receiving Tender document

Of ce of the Director, Planning, Development & Works, BSMRSTU, Gopalganj-8100

14 Last date and time of receiving tender

Date: 21/05/2014, Time: 01.00 PM (Tender may be submitted on or before 21/05/2014 through physically/post/courier service during of ce hours. No Tender Document will be received after deadline for submission).

15 Tender Opening Date and Time 21/05/2014 2.30PM16 Selling tender Document Of ce of the Director, Planning, Development & Works, BSMRSTU,

Gopalganj-8100

17 Eligibility of Tender (i) Up-to-date trade license(ii) Vat registration certi cate(iii) Up-to-date income tax clearance certi cate(iv) Experience certi cate in similar & general mentioned as TDS.(v) Bank solvency certi cate & Bank Statement as mentioned in TDS.(vi) Competency certi cate after sale service as motioned in the TDS & must follow

the other criteria mentioned in the TDS.(vii) Money receipt of purchasing tender document shall have to be submitted along

with tender documents.(viii) A Duplicate Copy shall be submitted along with Tender Document.

18 Brief Description of Goods or works Supply Installation & commissioning of Furniture.

19 Tender document price Tender Document can be purchased by submitting either Pay Order or Bank draft6amounting Tk. 4000/- in favor of Registrar, BSMRSTU, Gopalganj.

20 P. No Identi cation of Package Location Tender Security Completion time

GD(R)-23 Supply of Furniture BSMRSTU, Gopalganj

3.00% of quoted Amount

Within 30 days from the date of Work Order

Tender Security shall be in favor of Registrar, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University, Gopalganj.

21 Name of of cial inviting Tender Engineer S.M. Eskendar Ali

22 Designation of of cial inviting Tender & Address

Director (In-Charge), Planning, Development & Works. Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Science & Technology University, Gopalganj.

23 Contact details of Of cial Inviting Tender

Tel. No. 02-6682258, Fax-02-6682173, email- director.pdw@bsmrstu.edu.bd Website- www.bsmrstu.edu.bd (tender notice available in website)

24 Special instruction 1. Lowest rate will be evaluated package wise under packages.2. if it is not possible to receive & open the tender on the Scheduled date for

any unavoidable circumstances, the same will be received and opened on the following working date and same time and same place.

3. if the tenderer submits any false/incorrect/fake/fabricated/manipulated certi cate with tender document, tender security shall be forfeited without assigning any reason.

4. The Procuring entity reserves the right to accept to reject any or all tenders without assigning any reason whatsoever and also reserve the right to omit, increase and/or decrease the quantity of any item from the tender. The bidders must abide by the decision of authority. Tender form schedule of items of supply, tender notice and terms and condition etc. are integral part of the tender. The bidders should write the name of the package and the name of their rm on the envelope clearly, VAT, income Taxes, if any imposed by the govt. will be deducted from their bills as per govt rules.

Engineer S.M. Eskender Ali Director (In-Charge)GC-54/14(114) Planning Development & Works

Government of the Peoples Republic of BangladeshLocal Government Engineering Department

Of ce of the Executive EngineerDistrict: Rajshahi.

Tel: 0721-775553, Fax, 0721-770281 Email: egp.xen.raj@lged.gov.bd xen.rajshahi@lged.gov.bd

Memo No: LGED/XEN/RAJ/2014/1420 Date: 24.04.2014

e-Tender Notice Number: 33/2013-14

e-Tender is invited in the National e-GP System Portal (http://www.eprocure.gov.bd) for the procurement of the below Packages.

Sl No. ID Number Tender Documents last selling Date & Time

Tender Closing Date & Time

1 2 3 401 7838 21-05-2014 Time: 16.00 22-05-2014 Time: 13.0002 7837 28-05-2014 Time: 16.00 29-05-2014 Time: 13.00

These are an online Tender, where only e-Tender will be accept in the National e-GP Portal and no of ine/hard copies will be accepted.

To submit e-Tender, registration in the National e-GP System Portal (http://www.eprocure.gov.bd) is required.

Further informaiton and guidelines are available in the National e-GP System Portal and from help desk (helpdesk@eprocure.gov.bd)

(Md. Akhter Hossain) Executive Engineer LGED, RajshahiGC-55/14 (73) Ph: 0721-775553.

Ukhia becomes safe haven for human tra ckersn Our Correspondent, Coxs Bazar Ukhira upazila of Coxs Bazar has vir-tually turned into a haven for human tra ckers because a section of inter-ested groups can smuggle people o to Malaysia using the Badamtoli area as a meeting place for the human tra ck-ers, thanks to the constant indi erence of the district administration.

Previously, human tra ckers chose the nighttime for tra cking people, but now they do not care about timings as they have started sending aspiring migrant workers to Malaysia by boat from the spot, even in the daytime.

Local people are astonished at the negligence of the law enforcement agencies.

Most of the victims are from low-income groups and have been lured by unscrupulous middlemen who prom-ise to provide them with employment in Malaysia at a minimal cost.

Some reliable sources said at rst, several middlemen gather aspiring mi-

grant workers from di erent districts, including Dhaka, Chittagong, Narayan-ganj, Narsingdi, Mymensingh, Jessore, Barisal, Satkhira, Benapole, Rajshahi, Khulna, at the Badamtoli area, after taking money from them.

As the migration cost via the sea route is comparatively low, these peo-ple risk their lives to make it to their destination illegally.

The middlemen use small shing boats to carry the Malaysia-bound pas-sengers from the coastal Ukhia upazila and hand them over to another group with large engine-run boats near St Martins Island.

According to local sources, around 200 people of the Palang union under the Ukhia upazila are involved in the human tracking.

Local people said a syndicate com-prising Foyez Ahmed and Abul Kalam, in collaboration with local police, have been running the racket.

Local sources also alleged that brokers have to pay Tk1,000 to the

police and Tk500 to the local AwamiLeague leaders for each aspiring mi-grant worker.

Mobarak Hossen, a resident of the Badamtoli area, said, Every day we nd new people in our locality. Perhaps they are aspiring migrant workers.

He said almost everybody in the area knows who are involved with hu-man tracking in Badamtoli, but nobody dares to say anything as the human tra cking racket had good connec-tions with higher-ups.

When contacted, O cer-in-Charge of Ukhia police station Jahidul Kabir said they were conducting raids on a regular basis to stop human tracking through the sea routes.

When asked about their liaison with the human tra ckers, he said the al-legations against them were false and baseless.

He said, If we have liaisons with the human tra ckers, no case will be led against them, but you know that we often le cases against them. l

225MW power plant in Bhola to start production soonn Our Correspondent, BholaCommerce Minister Tofail Ahmed said, yesterday, the residents of Bhola will be rid of the load shedding soon as the gas-based 225-MW power plant in the Borhanuddin upazila will start produc-tion by November this year.

The gas-based plant will generate 150MW by November this year and the production will increase to 225MW by March, next year, the minister said while commissioning the gas-based 24MW power station.

One day there will be no electricity crisis in the district and electricity from Bholas power plants will be supplied to the national grid, the minister said.

The minister also said the govern-ment will take steps to repair the 34.5

gas-based rental power plant that was suspended from generating electricity because of technical glitches in Octo-ber, last year.

The present government has re-duced the power crisis by a large ex-tent, the minister said, adding that the government allocated Tk32 crore to prevent river erosion in Bhola.

In his speech, Power Secretary Manowarul Islam said Bangladesh will be able to generate 24,000MW of elec-tricity by 2021 and 40,000MW by 2030.

Venger Energy Resources Lim-ited Chairman Anisur Rahman Sinha attended the function as a special guest. Deputy Commissioner of Bhola,o cials from Power Development Board, and others, were present at the function. l

H eadmaster suspended over sexual abuse allegations in Patuakhali n Our Correspondent, BarisalThe school management committee of a primary school in the Kalapara upazila, Patuakhali, suspended the schools head-master until further notice over several complaints of sexual abuse made against him by the students and guardians.

Students of Badurtali Colony Govern-ment Primary School and their guardians met Abdus Salam Sardar, the commit-tees president, on Tuesday and demand-

ed the immediate removal of the head-master, Gazi Zahirul Islam, Salam said.

They also threatened to boycott the term examination if their demand was not met, the committee president added.

As many as 11 girls from Class V in the school alleged that Zahirul often used of-fensive language and called female stu-dents to his room after class in the name of tuition, where he sexually assaulted them.

Mazharul Islam, vice-president of the school management committee,

said the committee had an emergency meeting with other teachers of the school and investigated the allegations.

After nding some truth to the accusations, we verbally asked the headmaster to not come to work from Thursday until the education depart-ment resolved the matter, he said.

Ruhul Amin, primary education o cer in Kalapara, said his o ce would take ac-tion after receiving a written complaint.

But Zahirul denied all allegations. l

One held for kidnapping schoolboyn Our Correspondent, Natore

Police have arrested a man for kidnapping a class sev-en student at Baraigram upazila in Natore yesterday afternoon.

The arrestee is Johnny, son of Ruhul Amin of Ka-likapur village.

Banpara police camp In-Charge Krishna Mohon said: Johnny and his fol-lowers called Saimun Islam Shuvo to see his micro-scope on Wednesday after-noon.

Later, they detained him at an abandoned room in the area and tied up his hands, he said.

He said: Shuvo ran away through the window of the room when he was able to loosen the tie of his hands Friday afternoon when Johnny went out of the room.

Shuvo took shelter in a residence after running out from the room.

On informed, a team of Banpara police went to the spot and rescued the boy. Following his statements police arrested Johnny.

Krishna Mohon said: Johnny has stated that they had kidnapped Shu-vo to collect 40 thousand money from his parents. l

Man kills two sisters-in-lawin Sylhetn Our Correspondent, SylhetA man allegedly hacked his two sisters-in-law to death at Pantamai village in Goainghat upazila yesterday afternoon.

The deceased were identi ed as Hasina Begum, 40, wife of Aziruddin, and Maleka Begum, 38, wife of Jasmu Miah of the village.

Quoting locals, police said Mokan Miah, 45, son of late Askar Ali, had an altercation with his two sisters-in-law (wives of his two brothers) over plant-ing saplings on the bank of a river near their house around 1pm.

At one stage, he hacked Hasina and Maleka indiscriminately with a sharp weapon, leaving them dead on the spot.

Later, locals caught Mokan while trying to ee and handed him over to police. l

Abducted trader rescuedn Our Correspondent, SirajganjPolice have found a consumer elec-tronics trader in Sirajganj, still alive eight days after he was abducted.

Zillur Rahman, 31, was found un-conscious yesterday morning and was admitted to the Sirajganj Sadar Hospi-tal. He is the son of Abul Hossain of the Chongacha union in the sadar upazila.

Police said Abu Sadat said Zillur was kidnapped from his shop on April 17.

Police then began drives to try to rescue the trader and arrested suspect-ed criminal Zillur, 40, of Banbaria vil-lage under thr Salanga thana on April

22. He was put on a 1-day remand. Just a day later, locals informed po-

lice when they saw the abducted Zillur lying unconscious on the ground be-side the Chongacha graveyard.

SP Sadat said the trader and the accused Zillur have the same name and are friends. The 31-year-old took Tk2.5 lakh from the 40-year-old, saying he would send him abroad. He, howev-er, did not send his friend, the accused, abroad and did not return the money either. This is why the accused Zillur abducted and held the trader Zillur, in an attempt to get his money back, he claimed. l

Chandpurs rail link back after 31 hrs n Our Correspondent, Chandpur The railway communications on Chan-dpur-Chittagong route, which was sus-pended following a train derailment, has resumed after 31 hours early yesterday.

Mean while the communications be-tween Chandpur-Laksham and Chand-pur-Comilla were also suspended.

The train services resumed on the routes around 12:30am.

Railway sources said the communi-cation resumed when three relief trains from Laksham, Chittagong and Akhau-ra went to the spot. l

Farmers collect watermelons from a eld in Borua village of Gopalganj yesterday. Farmers of the district have witnessed bumper yield of watermelon this year DHAKA TRIBUNE

7Saturday, April 26, 2014DHAKA TRIBUNE World

Divided Israelis and Palestinians share skepticism over peace talksn Reuters, JerusalemAn Israeli decision to suspend snarled negotiations with the Palestinians has signaled the latest and perhaps the nal blow to two decades of a mostly fruitless peace process.

But the day after the US-led talks were frozen amid mutual recrimi-nation, no angry crowds gathered in the de-facto Palestinian capital Ra-mallah to urge a rethink and no pro-peace protesters thronged a sun- lled Tel Aviv.

Hopes for winning a stable future through political dialogue have large-ly evaporated on both sides in recent years, and focus has drifted to the more

immediate struggles of daily life.It comes as no surprise. From the

beginning I didnt think there would be a peace deal, said Jerusalem resident Guy Cohen, 40, a manager of infra-structure projects who spoke standing outside his car with his children buck-led up inside.

The peace process, politics, it nev-er even enters my mind on a day-to-day basis. Things like family, livelihood, sports, are more important. Politics is much lower down.

Mahmoud Idrissi, 28, a taxi driver in the adjacent West Bank city of Ramal-lah, seemed to agree.

I live my life and try to enjoy be-ing with my friends and family. Maybe

some day things will get better, but I dont see how, he said, chewing on sun ower seeds.

The politicians talk is empty, for-get it. Weve heard it all before, and nothing changes.

When the landmark Oslo Peace Accords were inked in 1993 and the Palestinians gained limited rule in Is-raeli-occupied lands, dialogue prom-ised to be the best way towards a lasting peace.

But the spread of Jewish settle-ments, periodic Palestinian uprisings and cyclical spasms of tit-for-tat vio-lence, have hardened hearts and in-spired fatalism.

Um Wadiya, a 50-year old Jerusa-

lemite clad in a traditional black robe and Muslim headscarf, grumbles at the spread of settlers in her neighbor-hood: Theres no future as long as theyre around. They control all the good things.

I do hope there will be peace some day, she adds. But its all in Gods hands.

Palestinians seek a state in Gaza, the occupied West Bank and East Je-rusalem - lands Israelcaptured in a 1967 war.

Israel says it is ready to live along-side a Palestinian state, but they dis-agree over its borders, seek guarantees for their security and want Palestinians to recognise them as a Jewish state. l

Tiny Marshall Islands to sue US, others over nuclear armsn AFP, The Hague The tiny Marshall Islands is dragging the United States and eight other nucle-ar-armed countries to the UN's highest court for failing to halt the nuclear arms race and rid the world of atomic weapons.

Representatives of the Marshall Is-lands, site of devastating nuclear tests in the mid-20th century, "yesterday led ... separate applications against nine states," the Hague-based International Court of Justice said in a statement on Friday.

China, North Korea, France, India, Israel, Pakistan, Russia, Britain and the United States are accused of "not ful ll-ing their obligations with respect to the cessation of the nuclear arms race at an early date and to nuclear disarmament."

The government based in the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro said by not stop-ping the nuclear arms race, the countries continued to breach their obligations un-der the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) even if the treaty has not been by signed by some like India and Pakistan.

The Marshall islands also included Israel, widely believed to be the sole if undeclared nuclear armed power in the Middle East.

Majuro's representatives said the Marshall Islands decided to sue the world's nuclear heavyweights as "it has a particular awareness of the dire con-sequences of nuclear weapons."

Last month the Marshall Islands marked 60 years since the devastat-ing hydrogen bomb test at Bikini Atoll, that vapourised an island and exposed thousands in the surrounding area to radioactive fallout.

The 15-megaton test on March 1, 1954, was part of the intense Cold War nuclear arms race and a thousand times more powerful than the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. The United States conduct-ed repeated tests between 1946 and 1958 in the Marshall Islands, Majuro's repre-sentatives said in papers led in court.

Last month Marshall Islands Presi-dent Christopher Loeak called on the US to resolve the "un nished business" of its nuclear testing legacy, saying compensa-tion provided by Washington "does not provide a fair and just settlement."

US ambassador Thomas Armbrust-er said the United States is continuing to work with the Marshall Islands to provide health care and environmental monitoring of several a ected islands. l

ICC prosecutor to open initial probe on Ukrainen AFP, The Hague The International Criminal Court's chief prosecutor has opened a initial probe into crimes committed before and during the fall of Ukraine's oust-ed president Viktor Yanukovych, the court said on Friday.

If the court launches a full probe, it would be the rst outside the African continent, where governments have often accused the ICC of targeting only their leaders.

"The prosecutor of the ICC, Fatou Bensouda, has decided to open a pre-liminary investigation into the situation in the Ukraine to establish whether... the criteria for opening a (full) investigation

are met," the court said in a statement."The prosecutor shall consider is-

sues of jurisdiction, admissibility and the interests of justice," before decid-ing on a full investigation, the ICC add-ed, saying the initial investigation was opened "as a matter of policy.

"If there was a reasonable basis for an investigation, it is then up to her (Bensouda) to ask the court's judges for authorisation," ICC spokesman Fadi El Abdallah told AFP.

Ukraine earlier this month accepted ICC jurisdiction to probe alleged crimes committed between November 21, when pro-EU demonstrations erupted in Kiev, and February 22, when Yanu-kovych was ousted. l

Deadly mosque bombing in Pakistan cityn Agencies A bomb attack in Pakistans biggest city, Karachi, has killed at least four people and wounded 30 others, ve of them se-riously, according to provincial o cials.

Senior police o cer, Abdul Khaliq Sheikh, said Fridays attack took place outside a mosque in the upscale Clifton neighbourhood in Karachi, the capital of Sindh province, according to the AP news agency.

Sindhs police chief, Iqbal Mehmood said the explosion had been caused by 10kg of explosives planted on a rick-shaw. Speaking from the blast site, he said the attack targeted provincial government o cials, Al Jazeeras Asad Hashim reported.

Nobody has claimed responsibility for Fridays attack but provincial In-formation Minister Sharjeel Memon pointed his nger at the Pakistani Tal-iban (TTP). l

Russia says Kiev will face justice for bloody crime in Ukrainen Reuters, Moscow/Kiev Russia warned Kiev on Friday that it would face justice for a bloody crime in eastern Ukraine, where Ukrainian forces killed up to ve pro-Russian reb-els a day earlier, while Washington said Moscow was running out of time to defuse the crisis before facing further sanctions.

They (Kiev) are waging a war on their own people. This is a bloody crime, and those who pushed the army to do that will pay, I am sure, and will face justice, Russias foreign minister, Sergei Lavrov, told a meeting of diplomats.

Credit rating agency Standard & Poors also provided a reminder of the costs of the dispute to Moscow, as it cut the countrys ratings, forcing Russias central bank to raise its key interest rate to reverse a drop in the ruble.

Lavrov said Moscow was com-mitted to implementing an agree-ment struck in Geneva on April 17 between Ukraine, Russia, the United States and the European Union to ease tensions in Ukraine and disarm illegal groups but accused Washing-ton of distorting it with one-sided demands.

The Defence Ministry said it was

ready for unbiased and constructive talks with the United States to stabilize the situation.

US President Barack Obama, who accuses Moscow of sending agents to coordinate the unrest in the east, as it did before seizing Ukraines Crimea re-gion in February, is planning to call al-lies in Europe later in the day to nudge them towards tougher sanctions.

The window to change course is closing, US Secretary of State John Kerry said late on Thursday, citing Obamas earlier comments that Wash-ington was ready to impose new sanc-tions, on top of those imposed after Crimea was annexed.

Kerry said Russia was using pro-paganda to hide what it was trying to do in eastern Ukraine - destabilize the region and undermine next months Ukrainian presidential elections - and denounced its threatening move-ment of troops up to Ukraines border.

If Russia continues in this direction, it will not just be a grave mistake, it will be an expensive mistake, Kerry said.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has sco ed at the sanctions so far im-posed, which have been limited to travel bans and overseas assets freezes on individuals. l

Unable to vote, mumbaikars vent angern Reuters, New DelhiAngry voters in Indias nancial capital of Mumbai turned to lawyers and social media on Friday to vent anger at elec-tion authorities, a day after thousands were reportedly unable to cast ballots due to irregularities in the voting lists.

Mumbai voters were among the 180 million people who were registered to vote in the sixth phase of Indias mam-moth general election on Thursday, but many were unable to cast ballots when their names were not found on the electoral lists.

I went to the booth and they could not nd my name ... it was disappoint-ing, weve all been building up to this, said Mumbai resident Govindraj Ethi-raj, adding that up to 20 people at his polling station had the same problem.

Ethiraj said he had voted at the booth in the last three elections with-out any problem. The problem also a ected some well-known Mumbai residents including Deepak Parekh, chairman of HDFC, one of Indias big-gest mortgage lenders, he told media.

India is halfway through the worlds largest-ever election in which its 815

million registered voters will complete the polls over 10 stages on May 12. Re-sults are due on May 16.

HS Brahma, one of Indias election commissioners, acknowledged that lack of coordination between author-ities had led to some lapses and he promised to x the problem before lo-cal elections due later this year.

Well rectify them, whatever mis-take we have seen. We really regret (it), Brahma told Reuters.

A Mumbai-based law rm planning to le a public interest litigation in court next week said it had received

about 5,000 queries and 250 people had signed up to the litigation.

A citizen has been deprived of his right to vote and consequently has the right for redressal, said Mohan Jay-akar, a senior partner at the law rm, Jayakar and Partners.

Having an identi cation card issued by the poll panel is not enough to vote in India and it is mandatory for voters to have their names on the electoral list of their constituency.

Similar problems surfaced in Pune, a city in the western state of Maharash-tra that went to polls on April 17. l

Ukrainian special forces o cers stand guard near a defence barrier made of spikes at a check-point on the road between Donetsk and Slavyansk, not far from the eastern Ukrainian city of Donetsk, on April 25 AFP

Brides sit together during a mass wedding ceremony in Peshawar, April 25. A total of 25 couples from the Pakistans northwest province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa participated in the ceremony, organised by Al-Khidmat Foundation, a welfare organisation of Pakistans political and religious party Jammat-e-Islami REUTERS

Obama: North Korean nuclear threats useless n AFP, Seoul North Korea will gain "nothing" by making threats, US President Barack Obama said Friday, warning it of sanc-tions with "more bite" if it went ahead with a fourth nuclear test.

Speaking in South Korea as satel-lite images revealed the North could be preparing for another test, Obama stressed that Washington and Seoul stood "shoulder to shoulder" in their refusal to accept a nuclear North Korea.

Even China, the North's only ma-jor ally, was becoming alienated by its provocative behaviour, he said on the second leg of his Asian tour.

"Threats will get North Korea noth-ing, other than greater isolation," Obama said at a joint press conference with South Korean President Park Geun-Hye.

"China is beginning to recognise that North Korea is not just a nuisance but a signi cant problem for their own security," he added.

North Korea-watchers have puzzled over whether the test preparations at the Punggye-ri test site they have seen via satellite images are real, or bravado aimed at stealing the limelight during the US president's tour.

But the latest images suggested in-creased movement of vehicles and ma-terials near what are believed to be the

entrances to two completed test tun-nels, the US-Korea Institute at Johns Hopkins University said on its closely followed 38 North website.

Also visible were probable com-mand and control vehicles intended to provide secure communications be-tween the test site and other facilities.

North Korea has conducted three nuclear tests, in 2006, 2009 and 2013.

The 38 North analysis noted that preparations for the test in February last year had peaked two or three days before detonation.

Asked how the international com-munity might react, Obama said it would be necessary to look at "addi-tional ways" to apply pressure, includ-ing "further sanctions that have even more bite.

Obama's tough talking on what he called "the most isolated country in the world" stood in marked contrast to the warm words of sympathy he had for his hosts, still racked with grief over the 300 people dead or missing after a ferry full of schoolchildren capsized last week.

"I'm very mindful that my visit comes at a time of mourning for the people of this nation," he said ahead of talks with Park at the presidential Blue House.

"I just want to express, on the part of the American people, condolences for the incredible loss." l

8 Heritage Saturday, April 26, 2014DHAKA TRIBUNE

n Tim Steel

Stirring, as it surely does, in the imaginations of those for whom the search for luxuries is often as much an adventure as an indulgence, justi able visions of the silk and ne cotton fabrics, the spices and herbs, the gem-stones and precious metals, the pearls beyond comparison, and valuable woods, it o ers the greatest of sensual rewards for travel in expectation and anticipation.

Today, hundreds of thousands of the more adventurous, curious and better heeled of international tourists swarm along the route across Central Asia, rst described by Marco Polo, the 13th/14th century traveller and mer-chant from Venice. China, of course, was the aim of his travels, not least because he almost certainly knew that, for perhaps two thousand years, it had been the source of many of the luxuries demanded by an ever-in-creasingly wealthy and demanding European population.

The mansions and palaces, forts and temples, ancient churches and mosques, the visible, the touchable, stir and stimulate imaginations of that great and ancient heritage.

This Central Asian route is, today, often referred to simply, as though de nitively, as The Silk Road, but as Zhang Xianyi, the former Ambas-sador to Bangladesh of The Peoples

Republic of China put it so succinctly in his memoir celebrating 35 years of diplomatic relations between China and Bangladesh, In the long river of history, there were three Silk Roads.

The Northern Silk Road, as he calls it, started, as, being Chinese, he would say, in the central region of ancient China, and extended into Europe. The second he describes, is certainly the one with which Europe is more familiar today, the Maritime Route.

But this maritime Route also has a fairly ancient history. Zhang describes it as being pioneered shortly after the Northern Silk Road was opened, with its connections to the Indian subcon-tinent from Bactria, through Afghani-stan, down to the lands of the Indus.

In his fascinating memoir, however, Zhang dwells considerably on what

he calls the Southern Silk Road. As he says, this route is, in fact, widely be-lieved to be the earliest route between China and the lands of India, dating from at least the 4th century BCE; it was also, as we shall see, the route to the Ganges delta, for which there is plenty of evidence as an international trading centre, open to trade from south east Asia, all the way west to the growing empires of Europe.

In his own work, Between Winds

and Clouds: The Making of Yunnan, published by Colombia University, New York in 2008, Professor Bin Yang, now of The National of Singapore, shares Zhangs view.

He cites archaeological evidence, such as the presence of money cowries from the Indian Ocean in 3rd century BCE tombs in Yunnan. But he also

shares the same documentary evi-dence as Zhang Xianyi of reports of the 2nd century BCE emissary of the Han Dynasty, Zhang Qian.

Bin Yang ampli es that evidence, by reporting that Qian travelled, rst, to Yunnan to examine the trading routes there into ancient India. Reluc-tant to disclose the truth, and being subjected to further Imperial taxation and interference, Yunnanese traders claimed to use the more conspicu-ous route across the Tibetan plateau to Bactria. A di cult, and arduous, route over mountains, across great ice elds, and through barbaric territories.

It was, however, the route that Qian then took after leaving Yunnan, arriv-ing in Bactria, in the north of todays Afghanistan, north of the Hindu Kush mountains.

In 122 BCE, Qian returned to the city that today we know as Xian, then known as Changan, capital of the western Han Emperor, Liu Che.

His report is quoted in the work, Shiji, by the Western Han Dynasty historian, Sima Qian, When I was in Bactria, I saw bamboo sticks from the Qionglai Mountain (in todays Sichuan Province) and cloth made in the Shu area (also in Sichuan Province). When I asked the locals where they got such articles, they replied, Our merchants go to buy them in the markets of India. India lies many hundred miles south-east of Bactria. The people there live much like us. The region is hot and damp. The inhabitants ride elephants when they go into battle. The kingdom is situated by a great river.

Qian commented that if Bactrians could get Shu articles from India, then India could not be so far away from Shu. He went on to comment that since the route from Shu ( Sichuan) to Bactria is across the high plateau of Tibet, which he described, as well he might from personal experience, a risky route, the Sichuan via India to Bactria route was probably the better one.

In all this, we need to remind our-selves that Qians journey took place some two hundred years later than the curious diversion of Alexander the Great into India, and his march across North India, that only stopped, and turned into a retreat, at the borders of Gangaridai, the contemporary king-dom of the Ganges delta.

We already know, from archaeolog-ical evidence emerging from, amongst other places, the ancient Brahmapu-tra bank side city at Wari Bateshwar, amongst, in all probability, others, that there was a rich and ourishing trade with Arab, Egyptian and Greek and Roman merchants in the Ganges delta.

There seems, in fact, little doubt that Chinese silk was not the least of the trades through the delta, a supposition con rmed in the mid rst century CE Roman publication, the trading handbook for merchants, The Periplus of the Erythraean Sea, that notes that amongst the cargoes available in the Ganges delta was raw silk, from an inland city called Thina, listing, also, a number of other cargoes available.

The trade in the Ganges delta was also, fty years earlier than the

Periplus, con rmed by the great Greco Roman scholar, Strabo, an associate of Augustus Caesar, the rst Roman Emperor, when, in his great work, Geographia, he writes of the mer-chants who sail from Egypt, even to the Ganges...

This, then, explains and substanti-ates the existence of trade with China, through the lands that are now Bang-ladesh, for thousands of years. A trade that brought, rst traders, then philos-ophers; a trade that certainly nanced great cultural advances, not least Sanskrit, and the great new religions of Hinduism, Jainism, and Buddhism.

And, with it all, to visit, experience, touch and feel, the mansions and palaces, the forts and temples, ancient public buildings and ancient mosques, and the emerging, sunken cities, also to bring to life for tourists, the rich and ancient heritage of these extraordi-nary lands that are Bangladesh.

The great mystery remains, why, if the history of Bangladesh en-compasses the origins of one of the worlds great tourism icons, and quite probably the earliest, is Bangladesh apparently unwilling, or incapable of capitalising on it to attract the most sophisticated, best educated and wealthiest of international tourists?

The remote regions of Central Asia have bene tted enormously in