Women's Day Special
Law
Week
Biggest arms haul in CHT in 3 years
A joint team of army and BDR seized another huge cache of arms and ammunition from Naikkhongchhari upazila in this district, destroying two dens of gunrunners in a 36-hour operation on Mirinja hill. The security forces however could not capture any of the criminals during the operation. This was the biggest arms haul in the last three years in this hilly area close to Myanmar border, an army spokesman said. The cache includes sophisticated firearms including five AK47 rifles, two M16 rifles, one M1-A1 heavy machinegun, one 21-A1 machinegun, one German-made G3 light machinegun (LMG), one G3 rifle, one 7.62 bore rifle, one heavy SBBL gun, two SBBL guns and one Russian-made sub-machine carbine. Besides, 18 rocket shells, one two-inch mortar, 12 grenades, 47 anti-personnel mines including 27 US-made ones, 31 explosives-charged rocket launchers, one 40mm rocket launcher, 19 SMG magazines, eight M16 rifle magazines, three G3 LMG magazines and 7,000 bullets were recovered from the spot. -The Daily Star, March 5.
EC to wait for publication of voter list as appeal pending
The Election Commission (EC) will have to wait for some more time to schedule publication of the draft and final voter rolls as its appeal against the High Court's (HC) January 4 directives is still pending. The Appellate Division of the Supreme Court yesterday deferred for the fifth time the hearing on the appeal against the HC directives for revising the existing electoral roll. It fixed March 12 as the date for hearing. Work of preparing the draft voter list that began on February 21 too is scheduled for completion by the same date. The EC Secretariat had informed the field level officials that they would be issued with the dates for publication of the draft and final rolls later as per the commission's decision and the Appellate Division's ruling on the appeal. "Whatever it is, we must comply with the court's decision. We hope we will still be able to complete preparation of the voter list," Election Commissioner SM Zakaria told journalists at his office. The EC began the task of preparing a fresh voter list on January 1 amid controversy and litigation over the chief election commissioner's (CEC) unilateral decision to go for a fresh roll. -The Daily star, March 6.
Tyrant Bangla Bhai finally captured
Bangla Bhai, the tyrant who once spread Islamic militancy with the administration's protection, was captured wounded from a remote Mymensingh hideout after skirmishes with the Rapid Action Battalion (Rab). As the splinter-hit and explosive-burned militant top gun was carted along the rutted roads of Rampur village in Muktagachha, the curtain dropped on his reign of terror in the northern Bangladesh where he killed and tortured scores amid the government's denial about his existence. Siddiqul Islam alias Bangla Bhai was flown to Dhaka by a helicopter and admitted to BDR Hospital after treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. Despite having splinter wounds in the abdomen and burns almost all over his body, his condition is now stable, the state minister for home said. Bangla Bhai's arrest came four days after the dramatic surrender of JMB supremo Shaekh Abdur Rahman. Five months ago the government announced Tk 50 lakh bounty on the head of Bangla Bhai, the operations commander of banned Jagrata Muslim Janata Bangladesh (JMJB). -The Daily Star, March 7.
World wants strong probe, open trial
Foreign diplomats in Dhaka at a meeting with Foreign Minister M Morshed Khan strongly advocated vigorous investigation and trial of Islamist militants in a "transparent and open" manner. The US envoy also expressed Washington's willingness to assist Dhaka in investigating the cases involving the recently captured top two JMB masterminds--Abdur Rahman and Bangla Bhai. The foreign diplomats highly appreciated the government and the law enforcement agencies for their efforts in capturing the most-wanted militant leaders and called for bringing the perpetrators to justice so that the crimes are not repeated. Terrorism is never defeated; it needs continued efforts to combat terrors and religious extremists, the diplomats told the media, after an extensive briefing by Morshed at the state guesthouse Padma about the progress in "war on terror" in Bangladesh following the captures of the JMB linchpins. They said the "war" is not yet over. They also urged the government to make further efforts to arrive at a compromise with the opposition to institutionalise the country's democracy. -The Daily Star, March 8.
Dr Kamal asks govt to sack JMB-linked ministers
Dr Kamal Hossain has demanded the dismissal of ministers, including the Post and Telecommunications Minister Aminul Haque, who are accused of providing shelter to JMB militants and instigating militancy. "Suspend and hand over the identified ministers to the police immediately," the Gono Forum and Jatiya Oikya Mancha president asked the prime minister in a written statement at a press conference on "Terrorism, National Security: What needs to be done" at the Jatiya Press Club. Citing statistics and information on militant activities of Bangla Bhai, he said the tyrant leader and his men killed 16 people and disabled hundred others during April 2004 to January 2005. He demanded immediate formation of an independent national inquiry commission comprising three retired chief justices and experts for a neutral investigation on militancy and all militant bomb attacks in the country. "Unless the prime minister takes action against the ministers and orders the immediate investigation into the charges which are reportedly confirmed by Abdur Rahman, national security will continue to be in grave danger," he said. -BD News, March 8.
Fire Service Act
Babar orders action against lawbreaking factories
Lutfozzaman Babar, state minister for home, has directed the director general (DG) of Fire Service and Civil Defence to take steps against the factories that are not following the code of conduct of Fire Service Act. "I will monitor the drive against those violating the laws and if necessary I will amend the Fire Service Act," Babar said. He was speaking at the inaugural ceremony of Fire Service and Civil Defence Week-2006 at Mirpur training complex. He said there have been casualties in fire incidents as many factories lack the necessary firefighting equipment and are violating the code of conduct. According to the fire department, there were 7,135 fire incidents across the country last year. These incidents left 54 people dead and caused an estimated loss of Tk 273 crore. Admitting the lack of modern emergency equipment, the state minister said the home ministry would formulate a proposal within a month to buy modern equipment for fighting fires and facilitating salvage operations in emergency situations like building collapse incidents. He said the proposal would be sent to the planning commission for approval. -The Daily Star, March 8.
Kibria Killing
SC adjourns hearing on re-probe
The Supreme Court (SC) adjourned the hearing of a leave to appeal petition against a High Court (HC) verdict that affirmed the lower court's order rejecting a plea for further inquiry into Kibria murder. After hearing both sides for an hour, a four-member Appellate Division bench headed by Chief Justice Syed JR Mudassir Husain ordered the Speedy Trial Tribunal, Sylhet, to submit records of the murder case within a week. The court adjourned the hearing for a week by extending the stay on operation of the HC verdict until the next hearing on March 14. Within three hours of charge framing by the Speedy Trial Tribunal, Sylhet, against the 10 accused of Kibria killing, the Supreme Court on February 7 stayed for three weeks the proceedings of the case following a leave to appeal filed by Advocate Abdul Majid Khan, complainant of the case. Kibria and four others were killed in a grenade attack at Boiddyer Bazar in Habiganj on January 27 last year. Dr Kamal Hossain and Advocate Mahbubey Alam appeared for the petitioner while Additional Attorney General Abdur Rezzaque Khan stood for the state. -UNB, Dhaka, March 8.
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