SECOND EDITION

PAGE 19Port city to come under CCTV surveillance

PAGE 6Govt report says most highways in the country damaged

PAGE 3Myanmar group denies tourist kidnapping

PAGE 32BSF beats Bangladeshi man to death

PAGE 5Rajon murder trial verdict November 8

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015 | Kartik 13, 1422, Moharram 14, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 191 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

QUAKE DEATH TOLL TOPS 350 PAGE 32

SOURAV FEARS REPRISALS BY MP LITONS MEN PAGE 5

NO NEW LIGHT ON HUSSAINI DALAN BOMBING PAGE 3

Sea robbers capture 25 trawlers, abduct50 shermen in Bayn Our Correspondent, BargunaSea robbers have abducted at least 50 sher-men from the Bay of Bengal, attacking a eet of more than a hundred shing trawlers dur-ing Monday evening and early yesterday.

They also captured 25 of the trawlers.Eleven of the shermen from Patharghata

of Barguna district were injured as some 30 armed robbers of the infamous Master Bahi-ni attacked them at Fairway Point in the Bay, 80km south-west of Patharghata.

The robbers took away Ilish sh worth at least Tk10 lakh and shipping instruments with the trawlers, said Golam Mostafa Chow-dhury, chairman of Barguna Fishing Boat Owners Association, con rming the incident of the robbery to the Dhaka Tribune.

Quoting family members of the abducted shermen and owners of the captured trawl-ers, Golam Mostafa said the robbers of Master Bahini had told them to call at 01709747449 and 01709747445 for further instructions.

He said over a hundred trawlers were there in the Bay catching sh.

Local people told the Dhaka Tribune that shermen in hundreds of trawlers go to

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Kamal: Anti-AL politicians behind foreigner killingsn Kamrul HasanHome Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal yesterday claimed the killings of two foreigners had been planned at the same source anti-ruling party politicians to be speci c and the masterminds would be brought to light soon.

The minister made the remark to reporters at the Secretariat yesterday a month after Italian national Cesare Tavella was murdered in Dhaka and two days after police arrested four people in connection with the murder.

After the arrests, Dhaka Metropolitan Po-lice (DMP) yesterday said that a big brother had paid the criminals to murder Tavella.

Claiming that a number of anti-ruling par-

ty politicians are behind the murders, the minister said they are now abroad and will be brought back with Interpols help.

He also assured that no Joj Mia drama will be staged in connection with these murders.

After the August 21, 2004 deadly grenade attack on an Awami League rally in Dhaka, the then BNP-Jamaat government tried to save the main culprits by making a person named Joj Mia falsely confess his involve-ment with the bombing.

Minister Kamal yesterday said: It [the killings of foreigners] was part of national and international conspiracies against the country. The plotters wanted to defame the country to the world and establish that

Bangladesh is a terrorist country.According to a source from among the

investigators of the Tavella murder, MA Kaiyum, joint convener of BNPs Dhaka city unit, paid the killers through his younger brother. Kaiyum is now in London.

According to another source involved with the investigation of Hoshi Kunio murder in Rangpur, the Japanese national was murdered upon instructions from Habib Un Nabi Sohel, member secretary of Dhaka city unit BNP.

The source also claimed that Sohel has been on the run since October 3, the day Hoshi was murdered, and is now staying abroad.

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Buddhist monks light sky lanterns at Dharmarajik Mahabihar in the capitals Basabo area on the occasion of Probarona Purnima yesterday evening RAJIB DHAR

Angry China shadows USwarship indisputed sean Reuters, BejingA US Navy guided-missile destroyer sailed close to Chinas man-made islands in the disputed South China Sea yesterday, drawing an angry rebuke from Beijing, which said its warships tracked and warned the American vessel.

The patrol by the USS Lassen was the most signi cant US challenge yet to the 12-nau-tical-mile territorial limits China asserts around the islands in the Spratly archipelago and could ratchet up tension in one of the worlds busiest shipping lanes.

One US defence o cial said the USS Las-sen sailed within 12 nautical miles of Subi Reef. A second defence o cial said the

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015News2DT

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

Muhith: Rooppur nukeplant cost will be $13.5bnn Asif Showkat KallolDue to adopting of new technology, the cost of building the Rooppur nuclear power plant will now be $13.5bn, said Finance Minister AMA Muhith.

He told this to reporters yesterday after a meeting with HN Spassky, deputy executive director of Russias state atomic energy cor-poration Rosatom, and Alexander A Nikolaev, the Russian ambassador in Dhaka, at the sec-retariat.

According to a revised proposal, the Bang-ladesh government will bear 10% of the cost of building 2,400MW plant which might take around eight to nine years to be built, the minister said.

The previous plan was to set up a 2,000MW

plant at a cost of $12bn.Muhith also told reporters that the Russian

authorities want to sign the main contract in April next year along with two general con-tracts.

Moreover, they have also proposed to complete building the infrastructure for the power plant before signing the contract, he added.

We will examine the Russian nuclear power project before giving them go ahead to start the main work of power plant...We will also sign a contract to supply fuel for the nu-clear power plant.

The Russian authorities are now readying manpower for the project; some of the man-power is already in Moscow now for training, he added. l

All SIM card holders asked to re-register with their operatorn UNBThe Post and Telecommunications Depart-ment asked all subscriber identi cation module (SIM) card-holders to go through the re-registration process of SIM cards within the stipulated time.

The Post and Telecommunications Depart-ment has come up with the request through a

handout of PID yesterday.It also asked the SIM card holders to verify

their SIM cards through Short Message Ser-vice (SMS) and mobile operator website.

For verifying SIM cards-the Grameen Phone, Bangla Link, Robi, Airtel and Teletalk users have to go to the SMS option and then type their National Identity Card (NID) numbers in English, date of birth and full

name-after completing all the process the users have to send the message to 1600.

For Citycell users-they have to type U then (space) and write their NID numbers, date of birth and full name-and send to 1600.

The mobile phone operators will send a re-turn message to the subscribers.

However, the mobile phones operators have already send SMS seeking information

including the NID numbers and parents name to the subscribers. Those who failed to com-plete their re-registered SIM then it will be closed automatically.

All mobile phone operators of the country will start re-registration of subscriber identi cation module (SIM) cards following biometric method on pilot basis on November 1 and it will fully starts from December 16. l

Angry China shadows US warship in disputed seamission, which lasted a few hours, included Mischief Reef and would be the rst in a series of freedom-of-navigation exercises aimed at testing Chinas territorial claims.

A Chinese guided-missile destroyer and a naval patrol ship shadowed and gave warn-ings to the US warship according to law, Chinas Defence Ministry said in statements on its website, adding that the military would take all necessary steps to protect the coun-trys security.

The US patrol was a coercive action that seeks to militarise the South China Sea re-gion and an abuse of freedom of naviga-tion under international law, it added.

Chinas Vice Foreign Minister Zhang Yesui summoned US Ambassador Max Baucus over the incident, calling the US patrol extremely

irresponsible, the Foreign Ministry said on its website. The ministry earlier said the USS Lassen illegally entered waters near islands and reefs in the Spratlys without the Chinese governments permission.

China will resolutely respond to any countrys deliberate provocations, the min-istry said in a statement that gave no details on precisely where the US ship sailed.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang later told a daily brie ng that if the United States continued to create tensions in the region, China might conclude it had to increase and strengthen the building up of our relevant abilities.

Lu did not elaborate, except to say he hoped it did not come to that, but his com-ments suggested China could further boost its

military presence in the South China Sea.China hopes to use peaceful means to re-

solve all the disputes, but if China has to make a response then the timing, method and tem-po of the response will be made in accordance with Chinas wishes and needs.

The second US defence o cial said addi-tional patrols would follow in coming weeks and could be conducted around features that Vietnam and the Philippines have built up in the Spratlys.

This is something that will be a regular oc-currence, not a one-o event, said the o cial. Its not something thats unique to China.

White House spokesman Josh Earnest re-ferred questions on any speci c operations to the Pentagon, but said the United States had made clear to China the importance of free

ow of commerce in the South China Sea. The US Navy last went within 12 miles of Chi-nese-claimed territory in the Spratlys in 2012.

China claims most of the South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of world trade passes every year. Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei, the Philippines and Taiwan have rival claims.

The Philippines, a vocal critic of Chinas ac-tivities in the South China Sea, welcomed the US action.

The American passage through these con-tentious waters is meant precisely to say that there are norms as to what freedom-of-nav-igation entails and they intend to exercise (these) so there is no de facto changing of the reality on the ground, President Benigno Aquino told reporters. l

Kamal: Anti-AL politicians behind foreigner killingsSources in the BNP said that Sohel has been underground for months in order to avoid arrest in the political violence cases. The source, however, could not con rm whether he is out of the country or not.

Local police in Rangpur detained Sohels brother Biplop the very day Hoshi had been murdered. Yesterday, the investigation o cer of the Hoshi murder case had been changed although the reason could not be known im-mediately.

Rangpur polices Additional Deputy Com-missioner (ADC) Jainal Abedin yesterday

said that they had made much progress in the murder investigation but refused to say if they had identi ed the killers or not.

Asked why the investigation o cer had been changed, the ADC said there were in-structions from the high command.

Minister Kamal yesterday also said that the authorities will publish the names of the mas-terminds after gathering strong evidence.

Asked which political parties the master-minds belong to, he said: Everybody knows them... who burned people alive during their 92-day agitation earlier this year. l

Sea robbers capture 25 trawlers, abduct50 shermen in Baysea around this time of year to catch sh.

Those who were able to return could imme-diately identify shermen Harun Mia, Forkan Baburchi, Swapan, Forkan, Mosharef, Ra q and Mozammel as having been abducted.

Among the captured trawlers are FB Riaz Uddin, FB Rina, FB Maa Babar Dowa, FB Sir-ajul Hoque, FB Bashir, FB Akter and FB Maa.

Of the injured, Sohel, 24, Hasan, 25, Swapan, 28, Babul, 32, Bellal, 31, Siddique, 27, Yunus, 34, and A Rahman, 28, could be identi ed.

The injured shermen were receiving treatment at Patharaghata Health Complex.

All of them are residents of di erent villages under Patharghata upazila.

Patharghata Coast Guards Commander SA Rouf said they had already started drives to rescue the abducted shermen.

Ponu Akon, owner of the captured trawler FB Riaz Uddin, said the trawler owners would work unitedly to rescue the abducted shermen.

However, citing examples of previous sim-ilar incidents, Barguna Trawler Workers Un-ion President Abdul Mannan said there was no other way but to give in to the demands of the robbers to get back the shermen. l

Team Boom Boom from the Institute of Business Administration, Dhaka University wins the Unilever Bizmaestros 2015 yesterday. Beating 159 teams from 12 universities around the country, the team will proceed to participate Unilever Future Leaders League 2016 in the UK, where they will compete against participants from 30 countries MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

News 3DT

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

Myanmar group denies kidnapping Bangladeshi touristsn Tribune ReportMyanmar's Rakhine-based armed group Ara-kan Liberation Party (ALP) has rejected accu-sations that it had kidnapped three Bangla-deshi tourists for ransom.

The organisation said that the allegations were designed to destroy its image, accord-ing to a report published on the Myanmar Times on Monday.

The ALP is the only Rakhine ethnic organ-isation that signed the Nationwide Cease re Agreement with the Myanmar government earlier this month.

The two tourists Dhaka University stu-dent Abdullah Al Zubair and his friend Zakir Hossain Munna and their guide Mangsai Mro went missing on October 3. They were visiting Boga Lake in Ruma of Bandarban.

Later the brother of Mongsai Mro claimed that he had received a call from ALP leaders demanding Tk50 lakh as ransom to free the trio. He also said that the detainees had been kept in a deep forest.

However, during a visit to ALP leaders in

the forest, Mongsai's brother and four others learned that the separatist group had not cap-tured the trio. The ve were later detained by the joint forces for interrogation.

The joint forces also conducted several raids in the area to rescue the tourists and the guide.

This allegation is intended to destroy our partys image, Daw Saw Mya Yarzar Lin, vice-chair of the ALP, said.

U Khine Aungsan Phyu, a member of the ALP, told the Myanmar Times that many armed groups had been active in the area, including some local groups. We heard that the Rohingya Solidarity Organisation was based there. We did not kidnap these peo-ple and have made no demands for their re-lease, he claimed.

The ALP said it had repelled an attack by the Bangladesh Army on October 15. In a further clash on October 18 near Paletwa township, Chin State, two soldiers from each side were reportedly killed in what may have been an abortive attempt to rescue the three kidnap victims. l

No new light on Hussaini Dalan bombingn Kamrul HasanAlthough four days have passed since the deadly attack at Hussaini Dalan, law enforc-ers are yet to make any headway into their investigations.

The DMP and RAB are both investigating the attack on a Tazia procession, which killed one and injured over a hundred on Saturday. But both law enforcement agencies admitted that they still had neither any clue about the identities of the attackers nor the motive be-hind the bomb attack.

Investigators, however, expressed their suspicions that the attack might have been

carried out to create unrest in the country and put the government in an unwanted situation.

DMP Additional Commissioner (crime and ops) Sheikh Mohammad Maruf Hasan, who is heading the investigation committee, told journalists that two to ve people might have been involved in the attack. But the exact number could only be said for sure once the probe was completed, he said while visiting the crime scene yesterday.

Saying the police had information about a security threat, the Dhaka Metropolitan Po-lice o cial said they tried to discourage Hus-saini Dalan authorities against bringing out a night-time procession.

However, as the Tazia procession was a centuries-old tradition, the police eventually decided to not stop the programme.

Dismissing allegations about police negli-gence, Additional Commissioner Maruf said it was impossible for the police to individual-ly check each and every person who gathered for the Tazia procession that night.

There is no chance to raise question about the security arranged for the day, and any attack could have happened amid strong security measures, he added.

The senior police o cial said there was suf- cient security measures in place with some 1,800 uniformed and plainclothes police o -

cials deployed centring the procession.Saying they were visiting the scene to see

if there was any lapse in security measures, the committee chief added that the police were looking into CCTV footage and pursuing all leads to solve the case.

Meanwhile, Jahangir Hossain Matubbor, commanding o cer of RAB 10, told journal-ists that they have not made any progress so far in the case.

Earlier, sources told the Dhaka Tribune that investigators were trying to nd out whether there was any connection between the recent ASI murder and the Hussaini Da-lan attack. l

Tangail by-poll stayed for ve daysn Tribune ReportThe Supreme Court yesterday stayed the proceedings for holding Tangail 4 by-poll un-til November 2 amid a legal battle between Krishak Sramik Janata League chief Kader Siddique and the Election Commission over his nominations legality.

Chamber Judge Syed Mahmud Hossain passed the order after hearing the ECs plea to stay a High Court ruling that had ordered them to accept Kader Siddiques nomination paper.

The court forwarded the plea to a regular Appellate Division bench, which will hear the matter on November 2. The election is scheduled to be held on November 10.

The order would bene t both Kader Sid-dique and the EC as the matter should be set-tled, Attorney General Mahbubey Alam said.

On October 26, the EC led the appeal seeking a stay on the High Court order.

The parliamentary seat fell vacant on Sep-tember 1 after sacked Awami League minister Abdul Latif Siddique, elder brother of Kader Siddique, resigned from the House.

Freedom ghter Kader Siddique was sacked from the Awami League in 1999. He did not join the January 5 elections last year.

On October 11, Kader Siddique and three leaders of his party submitted their nomina-tion papers to contest the by-election. But the EC on October 13 rejected the candida-tures of Kader Siddique and his wife Nasrin Siddique on loan default charges.

On October 18, a ve-member panel head-ed by Chief Election Commissioner Kazi Rakibuddin Ahmad also dismissed the ap-peals the duo had led against the commis-sions decision.

Kader Siddique then moved the High Court on October 20 and on last Wednesday, the court asked the EC to accept his nomination. The court also stayed the cancellation of his nom-ination paper announced by the chief election commissioner and the returning o cer.

Following the court order, the returning o cer assigned Kader Siddique an election symbol on October 22.

Asked why the court stayed the election though the petition was about the validity of a candidates candidature, the attorney general said that the court gave the order to scrutinise whether Kader Siddique and his wife were loan defaulters.

Holding the polls before settling the matter will be unlawful, he said adding that the candi-dates would be able to continue campaigns. l

Boy dies of alleged wrong treatmentat DMCHn Kamrul HasanA seven-year-old boy died at the Dhaka Med-ical College Hospital yesterday due to wrong treatment, his family has alleged.

Deceased Mohammad Sakib, resident of Dhaka's Jatrabari, was admitted to the hospi-tal on October 19 with a locked jaw.

Around 10am yesterday, Dr Ruhul Amin conducted a surgery and then he was taken to the post-operative ward. Around 5pm, the family saw that the boy was not breathing. Later they got con rmed that the boy was dead. They tried to call the doctor his mobile phone was found switched o .

Omar Farooq, a relative of Sakib, said: Fleeing the hospital and switching o the mobile phone after conducting a surgery show that the doctor was not honest.

Even the DMCH authorities also failed to reach Dr Ruhul Amins mobile phone. They later told the boys family that they would take appropriate actions today. As the doctor could not be reached, it took the authorities four hours to issue a death certi cate.

DMCH Assistant Director Khaja Abdul Gafur said last night that they would need to know more about the course of treatment and details of the surgery before saying if it was a case of wrong treatment. l

Girl raped by in cityn DMCH CorrespondentA 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by a quack in Dhakas Lalbagh yesterday.

Relatives said the girl had been feeling a pain in her stomach for several days. Recent-ly she had come to her aunts house for treat-ment.

The aunt took her to a local quack around 4pm and an assistant told the aunt to wait outside while the girl undergoes treatment inside.

Around 30 minutes later, the aunt got suspicious and knocked on the closed door. After knocking for some time, the assistant opened the door and she found that her niece had been raped.

As she started screaming for help, the quack and his assistant ed the scene before anyone arrived. The girl was immediately taken to the one stop crisis centre at the Dha-ka Medical College hospital around 6pm. l

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits stalls after inaugurating an international conference on 'Developing Sustainable and Inclusive Buddhist Heritage and Pilgrimage Circuits in South Asia's Buddhist Heartland' at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital yesterday BSS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015News4DT

Draft of education law withdrawn from ministry website n Tribune reportOn the seventh day of posting the draft of the education law on the website of the Ministry of Education, the ministry has withdrawn the draft from their website yesterday.

In a statement yesterday the ministry said the circular published on the ministry web-site was withdrawn upon command to make a modi cation of the proposed draft after scrutinising the draft of the law.

It will be posted again after completing the drafting, the statement also said.

On October 20, the ministry drafted a new law proposing an imprisonment of four years or a ne of Tk1 lakh or both for involvement in question leaking.

According to the Public Examinations (of-fences) Act 1980 the conviction was punisha-ble with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years and shall not be less than three years.

The act was later amended in 1992 reduc-ing the conviction for public examination question leaking to four years.

After publishing the draft of the law on the ministrys website criticism came from edu-cation experts and other stakeholder.

The Dhaka Tribune contacted Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid for his comment on the cancellation of the draft, but he could not be reached over the phone immediately.

But a higher o cial of the Education Min-istry in exchange for anonymity informed the Dhaka Tribune that amid criticism after publishing the draft of the law on the minis-try website, the ministry has withdrawn the previous circular.

But after modifying the draft it will be put up again, the o cial said.

On August 5, 2013 the ministry drafted the education law and posted the draft on its website. l

NBR may exempt travel tax for Ex-exclave dwellersn Tribune ReportThe National Board of Revenue (NBR) may exempt travel tax for the erstwhile exclave dwellers who are all set to shift in India un-der the historical exclave-exchange deal be-tween India and Bangladesh.

The taxes authorities has made the step after the Home Ministry on October 21 made the decision at an inter ministerial meeting at the Secretariat, o cials said.

The NBR has already prepared a summary and sent it to the Law Ministry for vetting.

Once it gets the green signal, which is expected to come within a day or two, the board will issue a Statutory Regulatory Order (SRO) for the tax waiver to come into e ect.

According to the act, people have to pay Tk500 as travel tax if they enter India through land routes.

A total of 987 people from former 111 ex-claves has opted to go for Indian citizenship and their exchange will begin from Novem-ber 1. l

Negligence of on-duty policemen under probe in ASI murdern Kamrul HasanThe police are now investigating whether there was any negligence by the on-duty po-lice o cials who were present when Darus Salam police ASI Ibrahim Hossain Mollah was stabbed to death.

DMP Additional Commissioner (crime and ops) Sheikh Mohammad Maruf Hossain, the chief of the probe committee, said they were trying to gure out how such an attack could be carried out in the presence of several policemen.

What those on-duty o cials were doing during the attack would fall under the com-mittees probe, Maruf said, adding that strict measures would be handed out if any on-duty policemen were found to have shown negli-gence in performing their duties. He also con- rmed that the killer has been identi ed as

Bogra district Shibir President Enamul Haque.On October 22, ASI Ibrahim was stabbed

to death while trying to inspect the contents of a bag being carried by suspicious-looking young men. Ibrahim was on duty, along with four to ve other colleagues, at a police check-post in front of Gabtolis Parbat Cinema Hall.

Enamul managed to escape, but his accom-plice, Masud Rana Sumon, was captured. Based on his information, police conducted a raid in the Kamrangirchar and recovered bombs and a huge stash of bomb-making equipment.

Later, investigators claimed that explosives seized during the Kamrangirchar drive and the handmade bomb used during the Hussaini Da-lan attack were made by the same person.

Asked about the matter, Additional Com-missioner Maruf said they were looking into the similarities between the bombs. l

Passengers push a broken down human haulier to the side of the road in the capitals Agargaon area yesterday SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

DU Cha unit results publishedn DU CorrespondentDhaka University admission test results of Cha unit for 2015-16 session was published yesterday.

The results were announced around 11am by DU Vice-Chancellor Professor Are n Siddique.

A total of 5,636 students took part in the written test this year and among them, 149 students passed the test against 135 seats.

Students have been asked to visit the uni-versitys website (www.du.ac.bd) for further information. l

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015News 5

DT

Source: Accuweather/UNB

D H A K ATODAY TOMORROW

SUN SETS 5:23PM SUN RISES 6:03AM

YESTERDAYS HIGH AND LOW

33.3C 18.3C

Coxs Bazar Tangail

SourceL IslamicFinder.org

PRAYER TIMESFajr 4:43am

Sunrise 5:01amZohr 11:42am

Asr 3:46pmMagrib 5:23pm

Esha 6:53pm

WEATHER

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28

PARTLY CLOUDY

F O R E C A S T F O R T O D A YDhaka 32 22Chittagong 31 23Rajshahi 31 19Rangpur 31 18Khulna 31 17Barisal 31 19Sylhet 32 17Coxs Bazar 31 24

Rajon murder trial verdict November 8n Our Correspondent, SylhetA Sylhet court is set to deliver verdict in sen-sational Rajon murder case on November 8, upon completion of the much-talked trial in just 13 working days.

Metropolitan Sessions Judge Akbar Hos-sain Mridha xed the date yesterday after re-cording closing arguments in the case. The tri-al began against the 13 accused on October 1.

Eleven of the accused were produced be-fore the court.

After the judge announced the verdict date, plainti and father of the deceased Sheikh Azizur Rahman burst into tears in the courtroom. He demanded capital punish-ment for the accused.

Vegetable vendor Sheikh Samiul Alam Ra-jon, 13, was beaten to death by the accused at a garage in Sylhets Kumargaon on July 8 falsely accusing him of stealing a rickshaw van. The killers also released a video of the torture on social media websites triggering severe criticisms.

The accused were indicted by the same court on September 22. Prime accused Kam-rul Islam, who had ed to Saudi Arabia on July 10, was brought back home in the mid-dle of the trial.

Public prosecutor of the court Mofur Ali said that it would be a landmark verdict at any Sylhet court since the trial ended in only ve weeks. He also thanked the law enforc-ers for producing the witnesses at the court regularly. l

Forest robber held with 23 rearms, 1,531 bulletsn Our Correspondent, Khulna Members of Rapid Action Battalion arrested a member of a forest robbers gang with 23 rearms and 1,531 rounds of bullet from Ba-durjhuli Khal area of the Sundarbans in Koy-ra upazila, Khulna on Monday night.

The arrestee was identi ed as M Shahi-nur Sardar alias Shahin, 34, member of for-est robber gang Elias Bahini and son of late Faruke Sardar of Murugachha village in Tala upazila of Satkhira.

Lietenant Commander of RAB 6 M Mahfu-zul Islam said acting in a tip o a team of the battalion carried out a drive in the area.

But sensing the presence of the elite force personnel, members of the gang opened re on them, forcing the elite force to retaliate that triggered a gun ght at about 7pm, he said.

Several gunshots were exchanged be-tween the gang members and the RAB mem-

bers during the 10-minute gun battle, he said.Later, RAB members arrested Shahin

while his other associates managedto ee the scene.The elite force also recovered 23 rearms

and 1,531 rounds of bullet from the spot.The rearms and ammunition include

seven double barrel guns, nine single barrel guns, ve 22 ri es, one shooter gun and one foreign 303 ri e.

Khandaker Ra qul Islam, commanding o cer of the battalion, at a press confer-ence held at its Labanchar headquarters said a good number of robbers gang including, Elias Bahini, Razu Bahini, Jahangir Bahini, Amir Bahini and Anwarul Bahini, had been involved in robbery in the Sundarbans put-ting the lives of shermen, wood-cutters and local residents at risks.

He also said they were caring operations to stop activities of robbers in Sundarbans and it adjoining areas. l

Speakers: Protect childrens interest when reporting newsn Sumaiya ShamsJournalists must follow caution when report-ing events of violence and criminal activities related to children in order to protect their identities as well as their dignity as individ-uals, speakers said yesterday.

Not just child victims, but child readers will also be bene ted from such ethical prac-tice as gory description of a crime is bound to have adverse a ect on their mind, the ex-perts agreed.

The speakers made the observations at the launching ceremony of a comprehensive guideline on ethical journalism on and for children for print media at the Brac Centre Inn auditorium in the capital.

An initiative taken by the Management and Resources Development Initiative (MRDI), the guideline was unveiled by Infor-mation Minister Hasanul Haq Inu, who was chief guest at the event.

I thank the MRDI, the NHRC and Unicef for taking up this project, Inu said. Media has a huge responsibility because of its im-pact on people, society and the state. It is a journalists obligation to shed light on the truth of any event. However, the presenta-tion of that truth is also of vital importance.

Reporters must use their common sense and moral judgement when writing news. You should not write a story in such a way that may cause harm and distress to children and women.

The four-year project was supported by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) and Unicef Bangladesh. Major na-tional dailies in the country have agreed to incorporate the guideline in their editorial policy, said Hasibur Rahman, executive di-rector of the MRDI.

NHRC Chairman Dr Mizanur Rahman, who presided over the ceremony, said re-sponsible journalism was of utmost impor-tance especially in this day and age.

The dilemma of what to print and what not to print will always exist. The di erence between good journalism and yellow jour-nalism is making the judgement call to pres-ent a crime report in a sensible way.

Manzurul Ahsan Bulbul, president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists,, said: Practising caution when reporting crimes against children is necessary to not only protect their identities, but that of the adults related to the child victims or the event as well to protect the children.

This guideline is a start towards ethical journalistic practice. It will need constant work and will be revised if and when nec-essary, he added. However, this guideline should not be con ned to journalists; being sensible when dealing with children should be practised by everyone.

Among other speakers were Abdul Qa-yyum, associate editor of the Daily Prothom Alo, and Golam Sarwar, editor of the Daily Samakal. Farid Hossain, former bureau chief of the AP in Bangladesh and correspondent of Time Magazine, conducted the event, which was attended by journalists and social and childrens rights activists from Dhaka as well as around the country. l

Sourav fears further attack by MP Litons menn Our Correspondent, GaibandhaEight-year-old Shahdat Hossain Sourav, who was allegedly shot by Gaibandha 1 lawmaker Manjurul Islam Liton, is apprehensive of be-ing attacked by the MPs musclemen again.

The minor boy returned to his home in Charan village under Gaibandhas Sundarganj upazila from Rangpur Medical College Hospi-tal on Monday after 24 days of treatment.

His father sought cooperation from the district administration for the safety of his family. In response to his plea, the district administration has deployed two village po-licemen to vigil around Souravs house.

Sourav told the Dhaka Tribune: I want to go to school like before, want to play with my friends. But I am afraid all the time. Even in my dreams, I see associates of MP Liton kid-napping me.

Sourav, who is currently facing di culties in walking, would be able to walk normally

within a few days, according to his doctors. According to the Souravs family, the child

was shot by MP Liton on October 2. Sourav su ered bullet wounds to both

legs. His father Shaju Miya led an attempt to murder case against lawmaker Liton with Sundarganj police station the next day.

A team of Detective Branch arrested MP Liton from Uttara in Dhaka on October 14.

However, a tensed environment is pre-vailing in the village after Souravs return. Souravs mother Selina Begum said: We feel scared to go outside house. We cannot get back to normal life as we are panic-stricken.

Souravs father Shaju Miya claimed that MP Liton was in uential and belonged to the government. So his associates might cause them harm.

Sundarganj police OC Israil Hossain said law enforcers were alert to ensure protection of Sourav and family round-the-clock and they would continue being so. l

Members of Rapid Action Battalion present sea robber Md Shahin before press yesterday. Shahin, 34, was caught in the Sundarbans with a huge haul of ammunition and explosives DHAKA TRIBUNE

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015News6DT

Famous Indian restaurant Shiraz opens branch in Dhakan Tribune ReportKolkata-based Shiraz Restaurant has opened its doors in Dhaka for the food connoisseurs of Bangladesh bringing with it the centu-ry-old heritage of Mughal cuisine.

Indian High Commissioner to Dhaka Pan-kaj Saran, other distinguished ambassadors, government o cials, business leaders and noted personalities of the country graced the event, which ended with the rendition of songs by a noted Indian artist, at Uday Tower in Gulshan 1 in the city yesterday.

Shiraz has a glorious history of blending the Mughal heritage in its cuisine.

Seema Haider Chaudhury, managing di-rector of Al-Noor Restaurant & Catering Ser-vices, said: The famous Indian restaurant Shiraz formally opened its doors to the food lovers in Dhaka. It marked a new culinary journey with the legendary Mughal cuisine

for which Shiraz has been known for more than 75 years. I should mention here that this is for the rst time that this globally re-nowned restaurant has opened its branch in Bangladesh.

We are very happy to associate ourselves with an endeavor to bring the celebrated cui-sine of Shiraz to delight the taste buds of the food connoisseurs of Bangladesh. Although we are starting our journey in Gulshan, our dream is to expand this business with more branches in Dhaka as well as other cities of the country.

Shiraz Restaurant hosted a press meet at its premises yesterday. Seema Haider Chaud-hury, managing director of Al-Noor Restau-rant & Catering Services (owning company of Shiraz Restaurant in Bangladesh), Syed Sha-hid Ahmed, adviser, and Deepanjan Ghosh, manager of Shiraz Restaurant, were present at the press conference. l

Policy on eliminating lead from paints demandedn Mohammad Al-Masum MollaBangladesh Paint Manufacturers Association (BPMA) has demanded a government policy to stop the use of lead in paints in Bangla-desh by 2017.

Small and medium entrepreneurs and multinational companies have already as-sured BPMA that they will stop adding leads in paints. However, it is high time for the government to act strictly by setting 50 ppm as the standard lead limiting agent, BPMA Vice-President Abdur Rahman told at a dis-cussion yesterday.

Environment and Social Development Or-ganisation (ESDO) organised the discussion titled High Level Policy Dialogue on Lead Free Paints in Bangladesh at its o ce on the occasion of International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.

High o cials from Berger Paints, Moon Star Paints, RAK Paint, Asian Paints, Anchor Paints, Elite Paints, Nippon Paints, Imperial Paints Ltd, and government o cials from the Department of Environment and Bangladesh Standard Testing Institute (BSTI) participat-ed in the dialogue.

It is possible for the manufacturers to

go lead free. The government can accelerate this by setting the standard concentration of lead, Shamsul Gafur Mahmud, a represent-ative of the World Health Organisation, said.

Jahora Sikder, deputy director of BSTI, said: BSTI is working to set 50 ppm as lead limiting standard in paints in Bangladesh. We hope to accomplish the goal by the end of this year.

We must provide our children with pol-lution free environment for ensuring their sound growth and development. As a result of the continuous policy advocacy of ESDO, several large and medium companies in Bangladesh have recently started manufac-turing and selling lead free paints, Syed Mar-ghub Murshed, chairperson of ESDO, said.

ESDO Secretary General and UNEP mercury specialist, Dr Shahriar Hossain said: Children are mostly vulnerable to lead poisoning. De-veloped countries have already banned lead. To ban lead in Bangladesh, ESDO has been working with relevant ministries since 2009.

Shahin Sultana, a representative from DoE, said: DoE has already received the draft regu-lation from ESDO on elimination of lead paint. It is reviewing this regulation with govern-ment to create a proper guideline in order to eradicate lead from paints in Bangladesh. l

Govt report says most highways in the country are damagedn Shohel MamunA majority of the countrys district highways have worsened during the 2014-15 scal, ac-cording to an annual government report.

O cials say lack of monitoring, corrup-tion and slow implementation of develop-ment work are some of the main reasons for such conditions.

The report, recently placed at the cabinet, also stated that more than thousand kilo-metres of national and regional highways were also in poor condition. The annual re-port was submitted with activities of all min-istries during the 2014-15 scal.

According to a Highway Development and Management survey of Road Transport and Highways Divisions (RTHD) gures, only 42.25% of district highways, 76.1% of national highways and 65.44% of regional highways has been reported to be in fair to good condition.

According to the report, the country has a total of 21,302 kilometres of highways. The national highway is 3,812km of which 917km is in bad condition. Of the 4,246km region-al highways, 1,486km is in dilapidated con-dition and among the 13,242km of district highway only 5,561km is in good condition,

rest of it is mostly broken.A RHTD o cial said lack of monitoring of

development works, corruption by local of- cers and slow implementation of projects are some of the major causes behind such a situation. Moreover, pressure put on o cers by the local politicians to award construction works to favoured individuals also hamper development work, he added.

However, RTHD Secretary MAN Siddique told the Dhaka Tribune: Most of the district highways which were constructed by Local Gov-ernment Engineering Department have been handover to us a few years ago and so we have already taken some projects to improve them.

In the rst phase, we have selected 10 district highways which has been reported to be in very bad condition and it will cost us an estimated total of Tk1,000 crore, he added.

The RTHD secretary said: The govern-ment also have plans to improve the nation-al and regional highways. According to the plan, 85% of the roads will soon be in good condition and regional highways will see a rise of 75% by the current scal year.

After the implementation, the number of good condition district highways will see a rise of 50%, he added. l

Seema Haider Chaudhury, managing director of Al-Noor Restaurant & Catering Services (owning company of Shiraz Restaurant in Bangladesh) seen with Syed Shahid Ahmed, Adviser, (left) and Deepanjan Ghosh, Manager (extreme left) of Shiraz Restaurant, at the press conference DHAKA TRIBUNE

INSIDE

7DTWorld

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

The troublesome waters of S China SeaThe US Navy sent a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of arti cial islands built by China in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a US defence o cial said, in a chal-lenge to Chinas territorial claims in the area. PAGE 8

Earthquake aftermath in Afghanistan and Pakistan At least 350 people are known to have died after a massive quake hit Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the toll expected to rise as rescuers reach remote mountainous areas. PAGE 9

6 cash-strapped GOP White House hopefuls face tipping pointHalf a dozen Republican presidential candidates are edging toward nancial crisis, raising the specter that some may be forced to drop out of the sprawling eld of contenders.

PAGE 10

FACTBOXThe rise and fall of Chhota RajanWanted crime boss Chhota Rajan was nally ar-rested in Indonesia on Monday, bringing to an end a 28-year-old global manhunt.

Here are a few facts about his journey in the underworld and his ultimate arrest-- Named Rajendra Sadashiv Nikalje at birth,

Chhota Rajan entered the crime world when he was a teenager in 1970s.

He started by working with Bada Rajan and soon graduated from a petty criminal to his right-hand man. Their association lasted till 1983, when Bada Rajan was shot dead in South Mumbai. It was then that he earned the name Chhota Rajan.

He then moved to work with Dawood Ibra-him, who was an established gold smuggler by then. Rajan supervised Dawoods activi-ties in Mumbai.

The Rajan-Dawood duo reigned the Mumbai Underworld for ten almost years, till 1993. Then the Bombay Blasts of 1993 tore apart the friendship. Rajan was against the blasts which had been planned by Dawood. He moved out of India in 1995. Chhota Shakeel replaced Rajan in Dawoods gang.

One of his most sensational cases was when he killed Mirza Dilshad Beg in 1998, who a Nepali parliamentarian with alleged links to Dawood. Other cases that have been linked to Rajan included, but were not limited to, the murder of Jyotirmoy Dey in 2011, the r-ing on another journalist in the early 90s, the murder of gangster Farid Tanasha in 2010, and an attempt at the life of Iqbal Kaskar, Dawoods brother, in the same year.

He had a narrow escape when Chhota Sha-keel made an attempt to murder him in a Bangkok hotel in 2000. During the scu e, Rajan broke his neck and got admitted to a hospital, but that was the last anyone saw of him until recently.

Chhota Rajan helped the Indian police and security agencies greatly in the last few years by providing information on Dawoods meth-ods and whereabouts.

Source: INDIA TODAY

India reels in Chhota Rajan to hunt most-wanted Dawood Ibrahim n Reuters, New Delhi Indias national security adviser devised a plan to secure the arrest of a fugitive Mum-bai gangster in Indonesia as part of a strate-gy to hunt down Indias most-wanted man, Dawood Ibrahim, police and home ministry sources said.

Superspy Ajit Doval, who is reputed to have handled Rajendra Nikalje, widely known as Chhota Rajan, as a security asset in the past, wants to bring him in from the cold to help target Ibrahim who is reported-ly living in Pakistan.

India accuses Ibrahim of masterminding a dozen bombings and grenade attacks in Mumbai in March 1993, killing 257 people and wounding more than 700 in the deadli-est such attack in the nations history.

The government is committed to bring-ing back Dawood and we will deploy every strategy to deport him, Kiren Rijiju, junior home minister, told reporters on Tuesday after Rajan was held a day earlier on the In-donesian resort island of Bali.

Doval, 70, a decorated former police and intelligence o cer with a track record of daring counterinsurgency missions, has ex-ceptional in uence in Prime Minister Nar-endra Modis inner circle.

He has claimed e ective control over foreign policy towards Indias neighbours, sources say, sidelining a diplomatic estab-lishment that has been left to manage ties with strategic partners such as the US.

With the division of labour comes a cloak-and-dagger approach and a xation with settling scores that could have regional security implications. India hanged one of the Mumbai bombers in July, 22 years after the attacks.

O cials in Indias home ministry and Central Bureau of Investigation, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Doval had

played a key role in orchestrating the arrest of Rajan.

Rajan and Ibrahim once worked together carrying out murders, extortion and smug-gling weapons in Ibrahims organisation, known as D Company.

The pair fell out over Ibrahims alleged involvement in the Mumbai blasts and then fought a bloody battle for control of the un-derworld of the nancial capital - a milieu where gangsters, politicians and Bollywood stars mix freely.

India and the US accuse Dawood of -nancing Islamist militant groups, includ-ing al-Qaeda and Lashkar-e-Taiba. The US Treasury has frozen his assets, and accuses him of drug running to Europe.

Indian authorities say they have shared evidence of Ibrahims whereabouts with Pa-kistan, which rejects suggestions that he is living there.

Smile pleaseIndonesian police released a photo of the diminutive Rajan - his nickname means lit-tle - dressed in a white polo shirt, smiling at the camera and guarded by a single o cer.

Rajan, 55, had been living incognito in Australia but, fearing his enemies would nd him and kill him, was able to y to Bali where he was arrested without putting up resistance, according to news reports.

Doval was involved along with two of Ra-jans men in a botched operation in 2005 to assassinate Ibrahim at his daughters wed-ding in Dubai, former home secretary RK Singh told a television channel in August.

Doval has previously denied the incident and said he was watching television at his home. He did not respond to requests for comment on this story.

IMN Singh, Mumbais joint commissioner of police at the time of the 1993 blasts, agreed that Rajans arrest was a coup for India. l

Dawood Ibrahim, left, and Chhota Rajan, during their prime in early 90s INDIA TODAY

India to press drug rms to tackle cough syrup abusen Reuters, New DelhiIndia plans to step up pressure on pharma-ceutical companies to better police supplies of codeine-based cough syrups, concerned the rms have not yet fully complied with directives more than a year old, a nance ministry o cial said on Tuesday.

The International Narcotics Control Board ranks the abuse of medicines contain-ing narcotics and their smuggling from India among the greatest drug-related challeng-es facing South Asia.

Codeine is a narcotic used in cough sup-pressants that are prone to abuse by addicts, especially in neighbouring Bangladesh, where it is banned, though smuggled in from India.

Since last year, Indian regulators have been privately asking drug rms to make it easier for law enforcement o cials to trace smuggled cough syrup bottles back to whole-salers, a Reuters review showed this month.

In response, companies have cut the number of bottles produced in a single batch, but have resisted other demands, such as selling a single batch to one buyer and changing labelling procedures, the re-view showed.

Sales of the drug in India were unusual-ly high in some states and companies will again be asked to comply with new norms, said Rashmi Verma, a senior o cial of the nance ministry, which controls narcotics allocations.

We are going to put pressure on them, said Verma, adding that the demand would be made at the ministrys next meeting with the drug rms, probably before the end of the year.

Verma did not give details of steps the ministry could take to ensure compliance. She said the government had previously reduced companies allocation of codeine, distributed only through state-run factories.

US-based P zer and Abbott Laboratories

are leading players in Indias $103m market for codeine-based cough syrups. The Indian units of both companies did not respond to requests for comment.

Drug companies say they have taken ad-equate steps to control the abuse of such syrups.

Industry executives also complain that compliance costs have increased, and the measures demanded will swell costs and make inventory harder to manage.

India seized about 83,000 bottles of co-deine-based cough syrup in the six months through March. In Bangladesh, where the drug was banned in the 1980s, about 750,000 bottles were seized last year.

In July, drug regulators also considered a complete ban on such syrups because of rampant misuse, the minutes of one meeting of regulators shows.

The government does not want to ban the medicine, however, as there is genuine de-mand for it, Verma added. l

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015World8DT

SOUTH ASIA Taliban vow to help Afghanistan after deadly quakeThe Taliban Tuesday urged charity organi-sations not to hold back in delivering aid to Afghan victims of a devastating earthquake, saying militants in the a ected areas were ordered to provide complete help. The Is-lamic Emirate (Taliban) calls on... charitable organisations to not hold back in providing shelter, food and medical supplies to the victims of this earthquake, the group said on its website. It similarly orders its Mu-jahideen in the a ected areas to lend their complete help to the victims and facilitate those giving charity to the needy. -AFP

ASIA PACIFICIndonesia considers national emergency over forest resIndonesia is considering declaring a national emergency over res that have been smold-ering across the archipelago for weeks, send-ing haze drifting across much of Southeast Asia, the vice president said on Tuesday. We are now considering to, he said, referring to a declaration of an emergency, adding that thousands of troops would be deployed to help combat the res. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EASTTwo dead in Saudi mosque suicide bombingTwo people were killed Monday in a suicide bombing at a mosque in the Saudi city of Najran that was claimed by the Islamic State group, which has repeatedly targeted Shias in the Sunni-ruled kingdom. The attack occurred just after Maghrib early evening prayers at the al-Mashad mosque in the southern citys Dahza neighbourhood, said the Saudi interior ministry. The IS jihadist group claimed re-sponsibility for the attack on what it said was an Ismaili Shia mosque, said SITE Intelligence Group, a US monitoring organisation. -AFP

INDIAICC: India should hand over Sudans BashirThe International Criminal Court said India should arrest and hand over Sudanese Presi-dent Omar Hassan al-Bashir, who is wanted on genocide charges and expected to visit New Delhi for a summit this week. The Hague-based tribunal issued warrants for his arrest in 2009 and 2010. India, however, is not an ICC signatory. -THOMSON REUTERS FOUNDATION

CHINAChina army accuses West of falsifying Communist Party historyEnemy forces in the West are trying to falsi-fy the history of Chinas ruling Communist Party and its military and force a colour revolution on troops who are too suscep-tible to outside in uences, the militarys o cial newspaper said on Tuesday. In a front page commentary, the o cial Peoples Liberation Army Daily said that unnamed enemies in the West were trying to under-mine the military. Hostile Western forces are sparing no e ort to belittle our ne tradi-tions, denigrating our heroes and falsifying our partys and militarys history, it said, without giving details. -REUTERS

FACTBOX

The troublesome waters of S China SeaThe US Navy sent a guided-missile destroyer within 12 nautical miles of arti cial islands built by China in the South China Sea on Tuesday, a US defence o cial said, in a challenge to Chinas ter-ritorial claims in the area.

In an angry response, Chinas Vice Foreign Minis-ter Zhang Yesui summoned US Ambassador to Bei-jing Max Baucus on Tuesday to protest against the patrol close to Chinas man-made islands, Chinese state television said. Zhang called the US patrol ex-tremely irresponsible and urged the United States to cease actions that harm Chinas sovereignty and security interests, China Central Television reported.

The followings are some facts on the South Chi-na Sea, the maritime rules governing its waters, and major players embroiled in disputes within it--

GeographyThe South China Sea covers an area of more than 1.7m sq-km, containing more than 200 mostly uninhabitable small islands, rocks and reefs. It borders China and Taiwan to the north, Vietnam to the west, Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia, and Sin-gapore to the south and southwest, and the Phil-ippines to the east.

Strategic importanceThe shortest route between the Paci c and In-dian oceans, it has some of the worlds busiest shipping lanes. Over half the globes oil tanker tra c passes through it. Most shipping is of raw materials, such as crude oil from the Gulf to East Asian countries. The sea holds valuable shing grounds, and as-yet largely unexploited oil and natural gas elds.

DisputesSix parties are involved in a complex set of historical-ly based territorial disputes in the sea -- Brunei, Chi-na, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan and Vietnam. Chinas claims, the broadest, cover all of the Spratly and Paracel islands and most of the South China Sea. Chinas military occupies all of the Paracel Islands, and some nine reefs in the Spratly Islands, including

Johnson South Reef, Hughes Reef and Subi Reef. Vietnam occupies dozens of Spratly atolls and reefs and has military bases on several more. Taiwan holds Itu Aba island and Ban Than Reef in the Spratlys. Its former president Chen Shui-bian visited Itu Aba in 2008, with a naval otilla. Taiwan has built an airport there. Malaysia has built an air strip and diving resort on Layang Layang, also known as Swallows Reef. The Malaysian navy maintains a base here too. The other atolls it occupies are Ardasier Reef, Marivales Reef, Erica Reef and Investigator Shoal. The Philip-pines occupies several Spratly islands, most signi -cantly Thitu island, which it renamed Pagasa (Hope). Brunei occupies none of the islands.

ResponsesIn 2002, the member states of the Association

of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN) and China signed a non-binding Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea, urging the claim-ant-states to exercise restraint and avoid activities that might escalate tension, such as construction of military facilities and holding war games.

International lawThe 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) allows coastal states to establish sovereignty over two areas: 1. Territorial seas -- adja-cent waters spanning a maximum of 12 nautical-miles from their coastlines, including the coastline of o -shore islands, and 2. Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ) -- extending 200 nautical miles from the coast.

Source: REUTERS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015World 9

DT

USABiden: Couldnt win US presidencyUS Vice President Joe Biden, who ended months of speculation last week that he would run for president, said that he chose to not enter the race because he couldnt win. In an interview aired Sunday on CBS, Biden said: Ill be very blunt. If I thought we could have put together the campaign that our supporters deserve and our contributors deserved, I would have gone ahead and done it, he said. -AFP

Carson pulls ahead of Trump in natl pollBen Carson has placed rst in a recent national Republican presidential primary poll, pushing Donald Trump into second place for the rst time since June. Carson, a retired neurosur-geon, received 26% of the support in the New York Times/ CBS News poll released on Tues-day morning. Trump placed second with 22% of the support of those surveyed. -REUTERS

THE AMERICASBrazils unpopular Dilma faces resistance on tax hike nowPresident Dilma Rousse s popularity remains in the single digits in the midst of recession and most Brazilians are not willing to pay more taxes to help her plug a gaping scal de cit, according to an opinion poll published on Tuesday. The CNT/MDA poll showed that 80.6% of respondents believe Rousse is unable to pull the country out of its worst economic slump in 25 years, and 86.7% do not want to pay higher taxes to help recover its overdrawn nances. -REUTERS

UKBritain to keep troops in Afghanistan in 2016Britain will keep its current level of 450 troops on non-combat missions in Af-ghanistan into 2016, Defence Secretary Michael Fallon said in a written statement to parliament on Tuesday. Fallon explained that British troops were involved in training Afghan army o cers, building capacity in Afghan security ministries and supporting Nato operations in Kabul. -AFP

EUROPEEU, Kosovo sign key accord on closer tiesThe European Union signed a long-awaited accord with Kosovo on Tuesday that will lead to closer ties and could open the way to EU membership for the small Balkan country. Kosovo declared independence from Serbia in 2008. The agreement is the rst key step for non-EU countries towards membership of the bloc. -AFP

AFRICAEgyptians return to vote as election run-o beginsEgyptians returned to polling stations Tues-day as a rst round run-o got underway in a parliamentary election. Turnout for the rst round of voting held in 14 of Egypts 27 prov-inces last week was just 26.6% . The second round across 13 remaining provinces will be held on November 22-23. A run-o , if neces-sary, will be held on December 1-2. -REUTERS

White House, Congress reach tentative US budget dealn Reuters, Washington, DCThe White House and congressional leaders reached a two-year budget deal overnight that would lift mandatory sequestration cuts on both defense and domestic spend-ing and raise the federal debt ceiling, avert-ing a scal stando as the Republican-led US House of Representatives prepares for new leadership.

A White House o cial said on Tuesday the compromise deal would protect Social Security and Medicare bene ciaries from cuts and urged members of Congress from both parties to pass it.

Its a responsible agreement that is paid for in a balanced way by ensuring that hedge funds and private equity rms pay the taxes they owe and by cutting billions in wasteful spending, the o cial said in a statement.

House Speaker John Boehner and other congressional leaders raced to nalise the deal, which included extending the debt ceiling until March 2017, on Monday night, before he transfers power to his expected successor, Paul Ryan.

As part of the deal, congressional leaders proposed to sell 58m barrels of oil from US emergency reserves over six years starting in scal 2018 to help pay for an end to man-datory spending cuts, according to a copy of

the bill posted to a congressional website.If successful, the agreement would mark

a nal act for Boehner to clear some politi-cally divisive legislation as Ryan takes over as speaker - assuming a majority of the House votes to put him in the top job in an election set for Thursday.

Boehner is to retire from Congress on Friday.

Central to the pact is the easing of across-the-board budget caps which would allow an additional $80 billion in spending over two years, split evenly between military and domestic programs. About $50 billion in added spending would come in scal 2016, which started on October 1, and $30bn would be added to the scal 2017 budget.

The bipartisan budget package un-veiled last night represents real progress for hard-working families across the country, House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi said in a statement.

At long last, we have broken the seques-ters stranglehold on our national defense and our investments in good-paying jobs and the future of America.

By negotiating a two-year budget deal, congressional leaders and the White House may be acknowledging that they will not be able to craft a comprehensive, longer term de cit-reduction package during the remainder of Barack Obamas presidency. l

Taiwan: China preparing for possible attackn AFPChina is actively building up its armed forces and they would be strong enough by 2020 to launch an invasion of Taiwan, a military re-port said Tuesday.

Despite closer political ties China is con-tinuing to accumulate large-scale war capa-bilities, with the threat of a cross-strait mil-itary con ict continuing to exist, according to the islands 2015 National Defence Report.

The mainlands annual military spending has grown on average by double-digit rates over the past decade, second only to the United States, it said.

The biennial report published by the de-fence ministry said China was strengthening its naval and air forces in the region to deter foreign forces from intervening in any inva-sion.

China and Taiwan split at the end of a civ-il war in 1949. Relations have warmed since current Taiwanese president Ma Ying-jeou of the China-friendly Kuomintang party came to power in 2008.

But China still sees Taiwan as a breakaway territory and refuses to renounce the use of force should it declare formal independence.

The defence ministry said there was a risk of Taiwan letting its guard down because of increased economic and cultural exchanges in recent years. l

FACTBOX

Earthquake aftermath in Afghanistan and Pakistan At least 350 people are known to have died after a massive quake hit Afghanistan and Pakistan, with the toll expected to rise as rescuers reach remote mountainous areas.

Below is a list of what is known so far about the 7.5-magnitude quake: Pakistans disaster management authorities

reported 241 people killed and more than 1,600 injured.

Afghan o cials con rmed at least 115 dead and hundreds more injured, but have not of-fered a full breakdown.

The Afghan toll includes 12 schoolgirls tram-pled to death in a stampede as they ed their classrooms in Takhar province when the quake hit, 35 others were injured.

In Afghanistan the con rmed breakdown of the death toll so far includes: at least 30 people in Kunar province; 12 in Takhar province; nine in Badakhshan province near the epicentre; eight in Nangarhar province bordering Pakistan, and at least two in northern Baghlan province

In Pakistan at least 30 people were known to have died in northern tribal areas, 185 in the northwest, nine in Gilgit-Baltistan and one in Pakistani Kashmir.

The epicentre of the quake was located in Badakhshan. A large part of the province, with its population of nearly 1 million people, is ef-fectively under Taliban control.

More than 1,500 homes have been reported damaged or destroyed in Badakhshan.

The worst a ected areas in both Afghanistan and Pakistan are remote and mountainous, with limited infrastructure.

Communication lines have been be severely damaged, hampering e orts to reach survi-vors and assess the full scale of the disaster.

India has pledged to help both Afghanistan and Pakistan with the rescue e ort.

The quake happened at a depth of 213.5km, much deeper than a 7.6-magnitude quake

that struck Pakistan in 2005 killing more than 75,000 people and displacing some 3.5m.

Afghanistan is frequently hit by earthquakes, especially in the Hindu Kush mountain range, which lies near the junction of the Eurasian and Indian tectonic plates.

The quake was also felt in India, Tajikistan, Kyr-gyzstan and Uzbekistan.

Source: AFP

Afghan men sort through the rubble of an earthquake-damaged house on the outskirts of Jalalabad on Tuesday AFP

World10DTWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

6 cash-strapped GOP White House hopefuls face tipping pointn Reuters, New York Half a dozen Republican presidential candi-dates are edging toward nancial crisis, rais-ing the specter that some may be forced to drop out of the sprawling eld of contenders.

They all spent more than they took in dur-ing the third quarter, according to campaign nance reports led on October 15. The six are: Kentucky Senator Rand Paul, former Ar-kansas Governor Mike Huckabee, Louisiana Governor Bobby Jindal, former New York Governor George Pataki, South Carolina Sen-ator Lindsey Graham and former Pennsylva-nia Senator Rick Santorum.

Together, they raised $6m but spent more than $9.5m during the summer on everything from postage to travel to campaign rallies. All six are trailing badly in the polls.

Campaigns have tipping points: the mo-ment when a candidate does the math and realizes that he does not have enough money on hand or the prospect of more money from donors to stay in the race. One telling sign is the burn rate - jargon for how much a can-didate spends versus how much he is raising. If the burn rate is high and donor enthusiasm low, then trouble ensues.

Danger zoneThe third quarter reports show the challenges. Any burn rate over 100% is considered danger-ous by campaign nance experts. Patakis was 226%, Graham 188%, Paul 181%, Jindal 144%, Huckabee 110% and Santorum 101%.

Of those, Paul and Graham have the most money in the bank, with $2.1m and $1.7m respectively, while the rest are money-chal-lenged. Pataki, for instance, had less than $14,000 on hand as of September 30, less than the $17,600 billionaire candidate Donald Trump spent on yard signs in the third quar-ter alone.

The campaigns dismissed the suggestion they were in nancial trouble.

Rand Pauls campaign stressed it still had the $2.1m on hand. A Pataki sta er said his

burn rate was just the cost of a campaign for President. And the Huckabee campaign said their candidate was experienced at running campaigns on shoestring budgets.

Spokesmen for Santorum, Graham and Jindal did not respond to requests for com-ment.

To be sure, tight budgets at this point in the race do not mean the campaigns are doomed. A candidate could have a breakout moment, like former Hewlett-Packard CEO Carly Fiorina, whose fundraising soared after a good debate performance. Candidates can also lend themselves money, as Democratic frontrunner Hillary Clinton did when she ran low during the 2008 White House race.

But the Republican candidates are bedev-iled by another math problem. There are 14 Republicans vying for their partys nomina-tion for the November 2016 election, more than double the number at this point during the 2012 election.

The Republican eld is way too large, there simply isnt enough money to go around, said Noble.

Small donors are the lifeblood of any cam-paign and candidates will live or die by their ability to tap into a broad base of supporters willing to contribute up to the maximum of $2,700.

Retired neurosurgeon Ben Carson, who is one of the front-runners in the Republican race, reported nearly 22,000 donors in the last quarter who have given more than $200 so far in the campaign. Bush had 7,300.

In contrast, Pataki had fewer than 80 do-nors last quarter; Jindal had under 300; Gra-ham had nearly 650; Santorum under 300, and Huckabee more than 800. Among these ve, Paul had the most, with more than 3,500.

The candidates could conceivably win the patronage of amaire or billionaire, who could funnel unlimited amounts of money into their Super PAC. But these fund-raising groups are prohibited from carrying out cer-tain campaign activities and are therefore of limited help. l

INSIDE

We welcome the international conference being hosted this week by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and Tourism on the potential to grow tourism related to Buddhist historical sites in Bangladesh and South Asia.The event, which is being attended by ministers and o cials from over a dozen

countries, supported by the UN World Tourism Organisation, will draw high level attention to the many important Buddhist religious places like Basu Bihar in Bogra, and Mainamati Shalban Bihar in Comilla which are found in our nation.

Atish Dipankar, the preacher who helped take Buddhism to China, Tibet, and Japan, was born in Bajrajogini village, while Basu Bihar is believed to have been visited by Gautama Buddha himself. Shampur Bihar of Paharpur in Naogaon district was also one of the main centres of higher learning in the sub-continent during the Pala dynasty.

Chinese scholars believe there are dozens more important Buddhist archaeological sites which remain to be excavated in the nation.

This heritage matters to all Bangladeshis. It is a valuable reminder of the signi cant pre-Islamic civilisations and peoples which inhabited this land and the importance of celebrating our nations rich cultural heritage.

Bangladesh currently gets less than 10,000 of the over 1.3 million visitors who travel to Buddhist sites in Bhutan, India and Nepal. With a uence increasing in East Asia, this market is predicted to double in the next decade.

Promoting interest in Bangladeshs many existing and yet to be fully explored Buddhist historical sites has huge potential to grow the number of visitors to our nation as part of the Visit Bangladesh Year-2016 initiative.

Attracting only a small fraction of the many foreign tourists who visit Buddhist heritage sites in the region could generate hundreds of millions of dollars in revenue.

We hope the conference will be successful not only in helping to support jobs in our growing tourism sector, but in increasing public interest generally in the wide diversity of historical sites in our country.

Bangladesh can only gain from initiatives to celebrate and attract more interest in the nations rich cultural heritage to attract more funding and visitors.

All types of historical sites in Bangladesh deserve more attention to improve expectations and standards for their maintenance and preservation.

The diversity and cultural value of our historical sites deserves more attention from tourists

The moderate in a quandary

The poor need protectionSome safety net programs seek to address life-cycle risks but there are signi cant gaps. For example, no programs address the under-nutrition of toddlers. No programs address the speci c needs of adolescent girls. Not enough is done to strategically address urban poverty

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Everybody on one sideBit by bit, they are advancing, supplanting Bengals indigenous spirituality with a distorted, imported ideology that seeks to create a Wahhabi-inspired society that will adhere to only one point of view -- theirs

I have been to many a Muharram fair near the citys Lalbagh area, and enjoyed the colourfully decorated shops and a plate of tehari on shalpata. Such tolerance, however, is not acceptable to the radicals

Buddhist heritage is about more than Bangladeshs past

11DTEditorial

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

n Shazia Omar

Bangladesh is committed to reducing poverty, and the large budget alloca-tion to social safety nets is evidence of this commitment. Despite this ex-penditure, a large proportion of the poorest continue to struggle without access to safety net support. This summer, Manusher Jonno Foundation (MJF) conducted a study on ac-countability and transparency of government social protection programs.

The goal of this study was to get feedback from the poor on the reach, e ectiveness, and impact of the governments schemes, and use the evidence to in uence good gov-ernance in this sector. I shall highlight and comment on some of the ndings.

Not enough resources in the poolGovernment safety net programs cover an average of 2,500 households annually per un-ion. Almost double this amount falls outside the net, though they are eligible. According to both the formal elected leaders and infor-mal opinion leaders, about 35% of the village population is extremely poor while only 16% is covered by safety nets.

Health care is not affordableThe study explored various allowances, and across the board it found bene ciaries are spending most of their allowance on health care. Those receiving old age allowance are spending 70% of their stipend on treatment (and the rest on essential expenses). Those receiving widow allowance are spending 61% on treatment. Health shocks are the biggest cause of extreme poverty. This needs to be addressed through a stronger health care system rather than social protection.

Able-bodied poorest need skills not netsIn the Employment Generation Program for the Poorest (EGPP), only 1% of the allowance was spent on health care and the rest on

supporting family livelihoods. This demon-strates that able-bodied poor are less in need of health care and more easily lifted out of extreme poverty and plugged into the main-stream economy, with the support of skills training and jobs. Programs targeting these people should work with the formal private sector and suitable training providers.

Lack of grievance mechanism for exclusionOf those eligible for old age allowance, but not receiving or enlisted, 69% applied but were not selected. Only 13% of these people placed a verbal complaint against their non-selection.

Non-recipient waiting lists are supposed to be available at Union Parishad o ces but the study suggests none was available for inspection. There is no priority list indicating who is the most needy among those wait-ing.Master roll copies of bene ciaries are maintained in paper form, making it clumsy, static, and disorganised.

Bias in selection -- exclusion errorsSelection for safety net support is com-petitive. In the case of old age allowance, widow allowance, and disability allowance, on average, 5% of bene ciaries claim to have bribed ward members and social service o cers for enlistment. This is not the case

for primary education stipend or secondary school stipend, where no one claimed to pay a bribe for enlistment, and on average, most bene ciaries received resolution for problems by reporting their situation to their teachers.

Fortunately, inclusion errors appear to be reasonably low as the study suggests that 90% of the selected candidates are indeed

poor and dependent on the safety nets for food and health care.

Lack of single registry of the poorestAccording to service providers (UP chairmen, upazila, and district social welfare o cer, UNO) interviewed for the study, the main obstacles to enlistment of bene ciaries were shortage of funds and political interference. They also expressed that selection errors occur due to lack of ground-level socio-eco-nomic data at the UP o ce. One way to address this is to create a single extreme poverty digital registry.

Unclear targeting criteriaThe study suggests that it would be better to have a few essential targeting criteria that are common to all social safety net programs rather than the mixed set that exists now. A comprehensive and dynamic socio-econom-ic database of extremely poor households

would be useful for reducing targeting errors as well as for framing a long-term develop-ment strategy.

No impact measuresThere is an absence of e ective monitoring and evaluation of safety net programs, and no formal mechanism for reviewing performance on an individual or national level. Digital tools to measure and monitor impact, to identify the best performers, to replicate successes, and remove programs that do little good are necessary steps that need to be taken.

Other challenges identi ed in the study include the lack of formal mechanisms for sharing information among implementing ministries and agencies. Some safety net programs seek to address life-cycle risks but there are signi cant gaps.

For example, no programs address the under-nutrition of toddlers. No programs address the speci c needs of adolescent girls. Not enough is done to strategically address urban poverty.

The study suggests that better use of the signi cant government expenditure on social protection could yield greater results. Better-sustained results require systemic change, including more focused strategic leadership, fewer larger programs which are better targeted to the poor and more focused on helping them graduate out of extreme poverty, larger average transfers, greater coordination across ministries, and transpar-ency in decision-making.

Fortunately, the government has formulated a new social security strategy and plan. This will create a stronger digital platform to track social protection expenditure and enhance evidence-based decision-making to ensure better targeting and support for the poorest. l

Shazia Omar is an activist for the extreme poor, and Head of ProgressTracker at mPower Social.

Opinion 13DT

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

The poor need protection

Some safety net programs seek to address life-cycle risks but there are signi cant gaps. For example, no programs address the under-nutrition of toddlers. No programs address the speci c needs of adolescent girls. Not enoughis done to strategically address urban poverty

Our social safety nets need to be stronger BIGSTOCK

Social protection needs enhanced accountability and transparency

Opinion14DTWEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

n SM Shahrukh

It is now quite obvious that a certain group belonging to a certain sect of Islam, namely Sunnis, has taken it upon itself to have their violent say against all others -- Shias, moderate Sunnis, Sunnis with a Su sm bend, and then the other religions -- Hindus, Christians, and Buddhists. This group would like all Ahmadiyyas to be declared heretics and about the atheist, well, you know what it wants.

This group only wants its way of observance of Islam to become the norm. The group is most likely an eclectic mix. These people are not IS-related or al-Qaeda funded, but there is a whole lot who have formed groups to wreak havoc among the common Bangalis.

Many of them are o shoots from the now-almost-decimated BNP-Jamaat alliance, young people indoctrinated by Wahhabi teachers, and many more.

The landmass of Bangladesh has had communal problems throughout history. From a land where there were rstly Hindus and then Buddhists, then about a thousand years back Islam arrived, and a few hundred years later Christian missionaries started preaching the words of Christ, Bangladesh today is country of many religions but one religion, Islam, has followers in the upper 80 percentile.

However, in spite of secularism being one of the pillars of the original constitution of the new state (1972 version), the military

ruler HM Ershad enacted Islam as the state religion and in the 25 years since the fall of that dictator, the subsequent governments have not had the courage to overrule the dictators populist amendment and go back to the secularism of the original constitution of 1972. The results of this reluctance did not bode well for the country.

There were always communal ill-feelings, there were riots. There was the oppression of the poor from time immemorial. The riots around the time of the breaking up of India had many dimensions. There were riots between Hindus and Muslims in the1950s, and then quiet a severe one in 1964. In

independent Bangladesh, full scale riots have not happened, Ershad tried to incite one, days before leaving o ce. Some regional fracas happened with Hindus mostly at the receiving end.

Things took a turn for the sinister from the early 90s. Attacks were made on the Bokhshi Bazaar establishment of the Ahmadiyyas. Around the same time, vehement calls were made to enact a blasphemy law, Taslima Nasrin had to ee the country. Gradually, some other rationalist writers were targeted, attempts on poet Shamshur Rahman, the fatal attack on progressive groups, the attack on Udichi took place.

Things took a turn for the most terrible when bombs were blasted at Ramna Botomul in 2001. That Sunni group that I had mentioned earlier were now galvanised into a potent force of execution.

We have been in the grip of such terror ever since -- the attack on the AL rally in 2004, regular incidents of desecration of Hindu worship places and idols at puja time, attacks and killings of Christian missionaries, the devastating attack on the Bouddha Bihar at Ramu. Not to forget the rise of JMB, the nationwide bombing in a single day, the attacks on the courts at Gazipur and Jhalokathi.

The recent spate of murders of atheist bloggers falls in the same category of actions of that certain group of Sunnis. Well, it began with the hacking attack on Humayun Azad, who later died in Germany, never having recovered from the nightmare of the Jihadis

descending on him with machetes.The international media have been paint-

ing a grim picture of Bangladesh ever since the murders of atheist bloggers started.

The recent killing of two foreign nationals have made many countries issue travel warn-ings. This will a ect our image in the world.

And what about the normal Sunnis of the country? They adhere to the faith as best they can, but they also go singing and dancing to the Bangla New Year celebrations. They like to visit a Puja Mandap, partaking of delicious sweets while enjoying the sound of the beating drums.

But the radical Sunni group, who may be a

hodgepodge of many elements, does not like this fraternity amongst peoples of di erent faiths. They even attacked the Shias as they were preparing for the Tazia procession of Holy Muharram.

I have been to many a Muharram fair near the citys Lalbagh area, and enjoyed the colourfully decorated shops and a plate of tehari on shalpata.

Never liked the matam (lamenting) by the extremely devout making cuts over their chests or backs, but that was their way of showing lament on an Islamic tragedy. Such tolerance, however, is not acceptable to the radicals.

They would rather mow down than look the other way.

I was hearing this Christian priest who was talking to a TV channel recently. He spoke in heartbreaking words: How do I deliver a sermon to the devotees with extra police guards inside my church? There was a failed attempt to behead a priest recently.

The same question bothers me too. How I do stay in this country of so many traditions and festivals and partake of all the fanfare without constantly looking over my shoulder? l

SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.

The moderate in a quandaryWith so much extremism all around, where can the moderate person go?

I have been to many a Muharram fair near the citys Lalbagh area, and enjoyed the colourfully decorated shops and a plate of tehari on shalpata. Such tolerance, however, is not acceptable to the radicals

The freedom of worship is fundamental to a secular state DHAKA TRIBUNE

15DTBusiness

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 28, 2015

DSEX falls to 4-month lowStocks continued to decline for the second straight session yesterday with the bench-mark index DSEX falling to nearly four months low. The DSEX was down 41 points or 1% to 4,589 -- its lowest since July 8 this year. PAGE 16

Fed expected to hold interest rate at zeroThe Federal Reserve is expected to again delay raising interest rates when it begins a two-day policy meeting on Tuesday amid more signs of lethargy in the world econo-my. PAGE 17

No taboos for ECB when tackling weak in ationThere are no taboos for the European Central Bank when it comes to nding ways to push up the chronically low level of in ation in the euro area, the ECBs chief economist Peter Praet told AFP in an interview. PAGE 18

CAPITAL MARKET SNAPSHOT: MONDAYDSE Broad Index 4,589.3 -0.89%

Index 1,101.6 -0.75%

30 Index 1,735.7 -0.89%

Turnover in Mn Tk 2,970.6 -28.50%

Turnover in Mn Volume 89.7 -11.85%

CSEAll Share Index 14,027.4 -0.83%

30 Index 12,431.6 -0.83%

Selected Index 8,530.2 -0.83%

Turnover in Mn Tk 267.9 -5.79%

Turnover in Mn Volume 8.2 6.51%

INSIDE

MAKING PANGAON ICT TERMINAL OPERATIONAL

Users to pay more for transporting containers in private vesselsn Syed Samiul Basher AnikTraders will have to pay more for transpor-tation of their goods between Chittagong and Dhaka if they want to use waterways between the destinations, using Pangaon Inland Container Terminal.

The Shipping Ministry on Monday hiked the water vessel fares for all empty and goods-laden containers for transportation of goods to and from Pangaon ICT and Chit-tagong Port through private container vessels.

When the government is struggling to at-tract traders to use the waterways through the port to make the Pangaon ICT fully oper-ational, such initiative from the ministry may discourage users from using the port, said the traders. According to the circular that came into an immediate e ect, the traders have to pay $110 from the existing $75 for empty 20 feet equivalent units or TEU. For goods-laden 20 TEUs, the fare was hiked at $220 $150.

Meanwhile, the fare was hiked at $440 from the existing $300 for goods-laden 40 TEUs, while it was hiked at $220 from $150 for the same-size empty containers.

The circular said the fare was increased to make the Pangaon Port operational and ensure regular schedule of container ves-sels in the route.

Such steps will surely discourage the traders if not amended soon. I have can-celled three of my LCs with Pangaon and attached them with Chittagong Port due to the excessive hike, said Dhaka C&F Agents Association Vice-President Lokman Hakim.

Although users said the decision will dis-courage businesses from using the port as it is already struggling to attract the traders, Chittagong Port Authority member (admin) Md Zafar Alam spoke di erently.

He said it will not impact that much because the tari s were set for the private operators.

It is now up to the operators how much

they can collect from t