Monday • December 04, 2006

N A T I O N A L  N E W S

One killed, over 100 injured

Blockade shuts capital from outside

At least one person was killed in Sylhet and more than 100 people were injured in clashes between the activists of the Awami League-led combine and the BNP-led alliance and in police action in the capital and elsewhere in the country on Sunday, the first day of the fourth phase of the blockade.

At the end of the day, the Awami League's general secretary, Abdul Jalil, at a press briefing in Sheikh Hasina's Dhanmondi office on Sunday evening said that the blockade would continue until their demands were met.

The 14-party combine began the indefinite blockade to underscore its demand for the resignation of the president, Iajuddin Ahmed, from the post of chief adviser, and electoral reforms including updating the voters' list, removal of controversial persons from the Election Commission and cancellation of the polls schedule.

The blockade paralysed civic life, disrupted financial activities and halted communications, virtually cutting off the capital Dhaka from the rest of the country for the whole day.

Activities in Chittagong Port and Benapole and Sonamasjid land-ports were suspended.

The pro-blockade picketers stopped a number of trains at Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Nilphamari, and Poradah in Kushtia.

In Sylhet, Fayej Ahmed Anu, religion affairs secretary of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal's Biswanath upazila committee, was killed and at least 50 persons were injured in a clash between the Awami League and the BNP.

Witnesses said the clash began after an unanticipated attack, by the BNP and its front organizations, on an Awami League procession at the Biswanath upazila headquarters on Sunday.

Armed activists of the BNP and its front organisations attacked a truck procession of the Awami League activists in front of the office of ZSKS at Notun Bazaar at about 12 noon when they were going to Rashipur on the Dhaka-Sylhet highway to participate in the party's countrywide blockade program, said sources.

The pro-blockade leaders and activists took to the streets at different areas in addition to the 30 spots fixed earlier, which included Paltan, Muktangon, Bangabandhu Avenue, Zero point, Russell Square, Mirpur 10, Gabtoli bus terminal, Pallabi road no 12 bus stand, Azampur, Kuril rail crossing, Mohakhali, Moghbazar, Jurain rail gate, Jatrabari crossing, Dayaganj bus stand, Sadarghat, Raisa Bazar crossing in Sutrapur, Babu Bazar bridge at Kotwali , Motijheel Shapla Square, Shahjahanpur rail crossing, Kamalapur Railway Station, Lalbagh Fort, Nawabpur and North-South Road, where they held rallies and cultural programs, demanding immediate resignation of the president from the post of chief adviser.

The area turned into a mela as students, youths, cultural artistes, Sechchasebak, wings of the Awami League and its alliance set up separate daises from where the Awami League-led alliance leaders addressed the blockaders. The agitators and artistes sang parodies and danced.

Different professional groups like the Sammilita Sangskritik Jote, Supreme Court Bar Association and Swadhinata Chikitsak Parishad also joined the agitators.

The activists of the Liberal Democratic Party and the Communist Party of Bangladesh also took to the streets.

The senior leaders of the Awami League and its allies visited these spots and addressed the rallies.

The speakers asked the activists to remain on the streets until the demands were met. They said the blockade would be lifted only if the government accepted the five demands placed before the caretaker government in order to ensure a free and fair election.

The examinations at all the educational institutes and movement of the Hajj pilgrims were kept out of the blockade's purview, so vehicular movement was much higher yesterday compared to that of the previous blockades.

Road and railway links between the capital and the rest of the country were cut off. Vbusiness centres remained closed due to the blockade in the capital.

In Barisal there was no picketing by the anti-blockade elements in the city. However, the pro-blockade supporters brought out stray processions in different parts of the city and blocked the roads and highways at Amtala, Goriarpar and Rupatali entrance points.

In Rangpur, five people were injured in a clash between the pro- and anti-blockade activists on the Dhaka-Rangpur highway in the evening.

In Shariatpur at least 20 people, including five policemen, were injured in a clash between police and picketers when 14-party activists attacked the district election office at about 12:00 noon.

In Nilphamari the pro-blockade activists and railway workers detained the inter-city trains, the Rajshahi-bound Barendra Express and Khulna-bound Rupsha Express, at Saidpur Railway Station.

No untoward incident took place anywhere in Chittagong, the three hill districts, Cox's Bazar, Noakhali, Comilla, Khulna, Rajshahi, Dinajpur, Jessore, Barisal, Barguna, Jhalakathi, Pirojpur, Patuakhali, Jhenaidah, Kushtia, Gazipur, Narayanganj, Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Kishoreganj, Netrakona, Sirajganj, Pabna and Naogaon.

Expelled Awami League lawmaker Awranga joins BNP

Hemayetullah Awrangajeb, who had been persona non grata at the Prime Minister's Office during tenure of the last Awami League (AL) government and detained for illegal possession of firearms in 2002, yesterday joined the BNP.

Awrangajeb, a former independent lawmaker [in the eighth parliament], won a by-election in 1991 as an Awami League (AL) candidate but did not contest the general election of 1996.

He did not get the nomination from the Awami League for involvement in crimes but won the 2001 polls as an independent candidate from Shariatpur.

His two closest aides--Liaqat and Hannan--were on the top criminals' list announced by the immediate past BNP-led government. They achieved notoriety for terrorist activities on the Dhaka University campus and adjacent areas during the 80s. Liaqat is now behind bars while the Hannan gang is still in operation in the capital's Eskaton area.

The former lawmaker had been caught with firearms during the operation clean heart in 2002.

The Daily Star, December 4, 2006

Announces token protest in Dhaka Wednesday

FBCCI blames CG for failing to end deadlock

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry on Sunday blamed the caretaker government for failing to resolve the ongoing political crisis, and demanded an immediate and realistic decision from the government to ensure a fair and participatory election.

Leaders of the country's apex trade body decided to stage a token street protest on Wednesday against the political stalemate, which, they claim, pounding huge loss on businesses across the country.

'We have decided that businesspeople, especially representatives of the FBCCI affiliated bodies from across the country, would stage a 15- minute's token protest in front of the FBCCI Bhaban at 12:00 Wednesday,' announced Mir Nasir Hossain, president of the FBCCI, after a heated board meeting.

'The caretaker government has obviously failed to resolve the political crisis so far. That's why we (business community) are going to stage protests,' he said to a questioner.

The FBCCI chief said, 'We, the business community, want the caretaker government, especially the president and chief adviser, to immediately take a realistic decision for creating the environment required for a fair election with participation of all political parties.'

'It (the decision) has become vital for the country as well as its economy,' he said, fearing that lingering stalemate will break the backbone of the country's economy.

The FBCCI would form a three-member committee to assess business losses caused by the series of blockade.

He demanded interest waiver on bank loans and compensation for cancellation of export consignments due to political programs.

The Daily New Age, December 4, 2006

No headway in probe of politicking bureaucrats

The high-powered committee investigating political connections of bureaucrats in incidents including the secret meeting at Uttara which was joined in, among others, by government officials has so far made no significant headway since November 27, according to sources.

'We have requested for extension of time by two more weeks to complete investigation of the Uttara meeting and other similar parleys,' the inquiry committee head, M Abdul Aziz, told reporters in his office on Sunday.

He said, 'We are looking into each of the incidents in line with the terms of reference of the committee set by the establishment ministry, which has also assured us that time would be extended for submission of the report.'

The committee has sent a letter to the energy adviser to the immediate past BNP-led government, Mahmudur Rahman, who hosted the Uttara meeting asking for information required for the investigation, Aziz, also the agriculture secretary, said. He said Mahmudur Rahman had responded to their letter positively. The committee, formed on November 27, was supposed to submit its report by December 3.

The government formed a three-member committee to investigate the meeting at night on November 24 in the Uttara office of Mahmudur Rahman, which was attended by 30 retired and serving bureaucrats.

Headed by the agriculture secretary, the investigating committee included secretary to the youth and sports ministry Aminul Islam Bhuiyan and additional secretary to the law ministry Kazi M Habibul Awal.

Asked whether the committee would be able to complete such a huge task by the stipulated time, Abdul Aziz said, 'We are trying our best. At present, we are examining media reports on the Uttara meeting and interviewing the officers whose names were published in newspaper reports.'

The Daily New Age, December 4, 2006

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