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INSURGENTS CLAIM TO BE 'INDIAN CITIZENS'
Grim scenario re-emerges in CHT
M Shahidul Islam
The ongoing bitterness relating to the issues like transit, corridors, Tipaimukh dam project and the bubbling maritime boundary disputes, as if, are not enough, renewed troubles have begun to engulf the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) region that constitutes more than 10 per cent of the country's total land area (13,295 sq. km).
The declaration by the government on July 29 last to withdraw one of the five brigades of the army from the CHT by September has turned the hilly region into a fertile ground for further unrests between the Parbatya Chattagram Jana Sanghati Samity (PCJSS) and the United People's Democratic Front (UPDF), who oppose the peace accord, on one hand, and between the PCJSS visavis the Bengalis on the other.
The implications of such troubling developments are enormous for the domestic and foreign policies, say experts...[ FULL STORY ]
August 15 observed as National
Mourning Day
Holiday Desk
With a fresh pledge to finish the trial of the self-confessed killers, the National Mourning Day marking the 34th anniversary of assassination of Bangladesh's former President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was observed on August 15 at the state level.
Braving rain, thousands of mourners, wearing black badges and holding black banners, visited the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum at Road number 32, Dhanmondi, and placed wreaths at the portrait of the slain leader and offered Fateha...[ FULL STORY ]
Govt. weakening opposition to
perpetuate power
Faisal Rahim
The country is heading towards a strange direction amid volatile political polarisation and witch-hunting of the opposition by the ruling Awami League and its allies.
Critics wonder whether this vision is indicative of building a prosperous digitalised Bangladesh or contrary to it, focused on creating a new political landscape in the country without a meaningful opposition.
Building a prosperous Bangladesh may be facing a tough time now, they say pointing to repeated destabilisation and setback in every vital sector of the economy. The stock exchange is faltering; there is no credible move to build it into an attractive investment point to mobilise capital for development...[ FULL STORY ]
US, Europe pursuing wrong policies
Fazle Rashid in New York
In the aftermath of the 9/11 dastardly attacks in New York and Washington, the United States for understandable reasons had stopped issuing visas to students seeking higher education in certain branches like engineering, aviation, and chemistry. This led to stalling of research works in US universities. The enrolment rate of the foreign students in the US universities had dropped sharply and many universities faced resource crunch.
Similar rigidity in granting visa to visitors continues but for different reasons. The US may have relaxed its visa regulations but Europe is tightening up its visa qualifications for protecting local jobs from the immigrant workers.
The euro-zone economy is recovering faster than those of the US and UK. But euro-zone companies are under performing their British and American rivals. The main reason is that the companies lost many of their talents during the meltdown. The companies that suffered want to fill the void by recruiting talents from outside...[ FULL STORY ]
POORLY DRAFTED NOTE VERBALE
Dhaka is yet to remark on Indian submission
Moinuddin Naser in New York
Bangladesh has disputed the Myanmar's submission claiming its continental shelf in the Bay of Bengal (maritime boundary) to the United Nations Commission on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) in a careless manner through a three-page "note verbale" which was submitted on July 23, 2009.
Even after Myanmar submitted the claim on December 16, 2008 Bangladesh disputed the claim just about two weeks before the 24th session of the UNCLOS which began on August 10, in New York. The UNCLOS will consider among other things the submission by Myanmar. Bangladesh is yet to dispute India's partial submission on maritime boundary of the Bay of Bengal.
While Myanmar stated that that the maritime boundary delimitation with Bangladesh is an ongoing process consistent with Article 76 of the UNCLOS, Bangladesh mentioned that the maritime boundary as claimed by Myanmar is considered to be a "disputed" one...[ FULL STORY ]
BDR TRIAL REFERRAL TO S.C.
End of policy makers' dilemma?
Shariar Noori
As expected and earlier reported in Holiday, the government has referred the case of February 25-26 BDR carnage to the Appellate Division to ascertain whether the Army Act 1952 could be applied for trial on Wednesday. The court has decided to start hearing the presidential reference on August 25.
The full court of all the 11 judges of the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court including Chief Justice MM Ruhul Amin also ordered the appointment of 10 senior lawyers as amici curiae (court's friends) for their views on the issue...[ FULL STORY ]
THE TIPAIMUKH PICNIC
Travelling, talking and dining well
Hafiz Shamseer
The so-called picnic saga centring on Tipaimukh Dam has temporarily kissed off with the return last Monday of six Bangladeshi editors from a steered 7-day tour of India sans Tipaimukh. Though it will be interesting to see how they reflect their trip in their respective newspapers - if they cared to write at all, for at least half of the delegation members are not known to possess any writing habits -, there seemed to be three elements that India ventured to sell to Bangladeshi people through this much-hyped excursion...[ FULL STORY ]
GLIMPSES OF THE GREAT
Peter Sellers
K. Z. Islam
In a 2005 poll to find The Comedian's Comedian Peter Sellers (1925-1980) was voted 14 in the list of top 20 greatest comedians by fellow comedians and comedy insiders. Being an avid fan of Sellers I think the poll did not do justice to Peter Sellers.
During the World War-II Sellers was an airman in the RAF. As a distraction from the life of an NCO, Sellers joined the Entertainments National Service Association. He occasionally impersonated his superiors and bluffed his way into the Officer's Club using mimicry and the occasional false moustache (and never got caught). After his discharge and return to England in 1948 he supported himself with bit roles in Variety Theatres. Sellers duped a BBC producer, Roy Speer, by using the voice of Kenneth Horne to speak to him which eventually got Sellers to be cast in The Goon Show with Spike Milligan, Harry Secombe and Michael Bentine...[ FULL STORY ]
'India should show good gesture to her neighbours': JNU professor
Abdur Rahman Khan
India as a big country should show bigger gesture and share bigger responsibilities towards its (smaller) neighbours and the ruling Congress Party should change its attitude in this regards.
This view has been expressed by Professor Srikanth Kondapalli, Chairman of the Centre for East Asian Studies at the Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi. Professor Srikanth was in Dhaka last week to attend a regional conference on water dispute which is considered to be a security threat to this region.
In an exclusive interview with The Holiday, Professor Srikanths said India should not look into the neighbours as geographically smaller in size but should respect their sovereignty and consider their concerns for a peaceful coexistence...[ FULL STORY ]
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