Law
week
23
editors concerned over govt. indifference
The editors of 23 national dailies for the first time
issued a joint statement expressing deep concerns "at
the killing of and attack on journalists in Khulna and
the country's southwestern region." "We are
extremely concerned about the fact that journalists are
dying at regular intervals, yet the government and the
administration remain indifferent and unconcerned. So
far not a single incident has either been properly investigated
or the culprits punished. We think this fact alone may
have emboldened the culprits and given them a sense of
impunity to act against journalists," said the editors
under the banner of the newly formed Forum to Protect
Journalists (FPJ). They announced to hold simultaneous
protest rallies in all press clubs across the country.
"We call upon all journalists and every body concerned
with the profession of journalism to make our rally a
success," they urged. The
Daily Star, February 14.
Valentine's
day party at DU foiled by blasts
At least 16 people including 12 Dhaka University (DU)
students were injured as four bombs exploded in a large
Valentine's Day crowd in front of the DU Teachers-Students
Centre (TSC) last night, creating panic on the entire
campus. Witnesses said three bombs went off one after
another just behind the Swoparjito Swadhinata sculpture
at the TSC road-island. Another bomb exploded at Hakim
Chattar near the central library, hardly 50 yards from
the road-island, spreading a panic among the huge crowd
at the TSC and the heavily-guarded Ekushey Book Fair at
the Bangla Academy. Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and the
police retrieved three unexploded bombs from the spot
which were defused by the police experts. Police failed
to arrest any-one in connection with the bomb blasts.
Assistant Commissioner (Patrol-South) of DMP Mushfiqur
Rahman told reporters that they did not find any clue
to the explosions. Prothom
Alo, February 15.
Tifa
draft finalised
Dhaka and Washington through a two-day negotiation finalised
the draft of Trade and Investment Framework Agreement
(Tifa) paving the way further for creating a platform
to talk bilateral trade issues. The draft now requires
approval of the two governments before formal signing
of the agreement aimed at promoting bilateral trade and
investment.
Emerging
from the four-hour talks in the boardroom at commerce
ministry, leader of the US side Betsee E Steelman said,
"We've made good progress in the last two days' discussions."
She declined to give any details of the final draft, saying,
"As we're still in the negotiation process, we don't
like to disclose the contents of the draft." Steelman,
a senior US trade policy advisor for Asia and the Pacific,
who is on a five-day visit to Bangladesh, was unable to
say when the agreement would be signed. According to the
draft prepared by US, the areas Tifa is to cover include
removal of non-tariff barriers, implementation of intellectual
property rights, promotion of trade and private investment,
improvement of workers' rights and pursuing WTO talks
on the basis of Doha Development Agenda. The
Daily Star, February 16.
Magurchhara
blowout
Dhaka
to go to int'l court for compensation
Bangladesh will go to the international court seeking
compensation for the damage caused by fire in the Magurchhara
gas field. The 1997 fire damaged gas worth Tk 3,900 crore,
State Minister for Energy AKM Mosharraf Hossain said in
parliament, replying to a question by a Jamaat lawmaker.
Unocal had given Tk 38 crore only as compensation to the
government in 1997, the minister informed the House. Under
a deal signed with the government in 1998, Unocal is supposed
to give the government five percent additional quantum
of gas the company would extract, he said, adding that
the company was, however, claiming that it had already
compensated the loss as per the 1998 deal with the government.
"Under
this situation, the government has initiated necessary
process to go to the international court for realising
the compensation," the minister said. UNB,
February 16.
Habiganj
attack FBI probe help in stalemate
Lack of clarity of what Bangladesh government wants and
refusal of US government to involve itself without clear
terms of reference (ToR) have created a stalemate in FBI's
investigation into the January 27 grenade attack. As no
progress has been made in clarifying the ToR for the Federal
Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the probe still remains
uncertain. The Bangladesh government wants FBI to be involved
in the investigation, but the US State Department is reluctant
to participate without a clear ToR.
According
to sources, a few days back, the government sent a letter
to the US authorities regarding FBI involvement. In the
letter, the government wanted FBI to be fully involved
in the investigation. The US State Department's position
is that it never takes full charge of any investigation
in a foreign country. It only assists the host government.
The Daily Star,
February 17.
EU
parliament worried at Bangladesh's political violence
Members of European Parliament (MEPs) have expressed concern
over the recent spurt in political violence and deterioration
of law and order situation in Bangladesh. The political
parties should overcome their differences to ensure a
congenial political environment and cooperate to make
the parliamentary system work, they were quoted to have
told Finance Minister Saifur Rahman in Brussels.
During
his three-day visit there, he met the MEPs, vice-president
of the European Parliament Gerard Onesta and European
Commi-ssioner for Trade Peter Mandelson. Besides political
unrest, Saifur encountered a volley of questions on Bangladesh
perspectives that include terrorist activities, law and
order and corruption while the EU lawmakers appreciated
economic achievements. Saifur apprised them that sporadic
law and order incidents that took place recently in the
country do not portray actual situation on the ground.
UNB, February
17.
HC
asks govt why case against Partha should not be quashed
The High Court (HC) stayed for three months the proceedings
of the lower court that indicted Shaibal Saha Partha for
threatening the life of Awami League (AL) President Sheikh
Hasina through an email sent to the Prothom Alo in August
last year.
A
division bench comprising Justice SK Sinha and Justice
Shamim Hasnain issued a rule on the government to explain
in four weeks why the case against Partha should not be
quashed.
The
orders came upon a petition filed by Partha, which was
moved by Dr Kamal Hossain. Partha was also shown arrested
in the August 21 grenade attack case. Prothom
Alo, February 17.
Brac,
Grameen bank under bomb attack
Eight people -- six employees of Brac and two of Grameen
Bank -- have been injured in identical bomb attacks on
two Brac offices and a branch of the bank since Sunday,
while three grenades were recovered from another Brac
office.
In
the last of these attacks, unidentified men last night
hurled three bombs one after another at the Grameen Bank
branch at Nabagram village in Ullapara upazila of Sirajganj
district, leaving bank employees Kona Khatun and Nurul
Islam critically hurt.
A
similar attack was made on the Brac office in Porsha upazila
in Naogaon district that severely injured four of the
office staff. The attacks are guessed to be made by Jagrata
Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB), as an arrested JMJB operative
in a statement to a Bogra magistrate said the ultra-militant
Islamist outfit has been carrying out and is determined
to continue bombing NGO offices. The
Daily Star, February 17.
ACC
to take in all Bac staff
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has once again taken
a controversial decision to temporarily take in all regular
staff of the now-defunct Bureau of Anti-Corruption (Bac)
violating the ACC Act and ignoring a government order.
The government had earlier clearly said that the Bac staff
should not be absorbed into the ACC without screening.
It even ordered them not to work with the commission.
"We've
decided to utilise all former Bac staff, now unemployed,
by attaching them temporarily to the commission to make
it an effective institution," ACC Chairman Justice
Sultan Hossain Khan told newsmen after an internal meeting.The
former Bac staff will start working from Saturday (tomorrow),
said the chairman. The commission also formed a five-member
advisory committee headed by former Comptroller and Auditor
General M Hafizuddin Khan for screening of Bac staff.
The Daily Star,
February 18.
Corresponding
with the Law Desk
Please send your mails, queries, and opinions to: Law
Desk, The Daily Star 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215;
telephone 8124944,8124955,fax 8125155;email <dslawdesk@yahoo.co.uk,lawdesk@thedailystar.net
