Bangladesh Garment

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/08/05/ap6743956.html

Associated Press

Bangladesh garment sector pinched by recession
By JULHAS ALAM , 08.05.09, 12:27 PM EDT

DHAKA, Bangladesh -- Bangladeshi entrepreneurs say the garment sector, a mainstay of the country's exports, has started feeling the pinch of the global economic crisis with about 25 factories shutting in the past two months.

In June the sector contracted 0.1 percent month-on-month after growing 9.6 percent in May, Abdus Salam Murshedy, president of the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association, told reporters late Tuesday.
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He said prices for Bangladeshi garment products have fallen 20 to 25 percent in the global market and the situation is taking a "serious turn". About 25 factories were shut down over June and July.

"The buyers do not want to offer good rate anymore," he said as the entrepreneurs late Tuesday held a meeting with Members of Parliament in the capital, Dhaka, to discuss the crisis.

Impoverished Bangladesh annually earns $12 billion, or almost 75 percent of the country's annual export earning, from garments. The industry employs more than 2.4 million people, mostly women.

Bangladeshi entrepreneurs must also deal with competition from other exporters such as India and Vietnam.

"We are under tremendous pressure to keep us afloat," Murshedy said.

The World Bank in November said Bangladesh's garments industry might start feeling the impact of global recession in the May-June period.

Murshedy said the next three months till October would be the most challenging period for the industry as domestic issues including frequent power outages and a gas crisis are aggravating the situation.

The garment factories depend on privately owned, diesel-run generators to supply electricity because of power outages during this summer.

He demanded the government bring the entrepreneurs under a special stimulus package to support the sector at least until June 2010.

The entrepreneurs also said there has been no new investment this year in the sector and they see no chance in next few months.

"If there's no new investment, it will further stall the growth," said Annisul Huq, a garment manufacturer and president of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

"We need urgent move by the government to offset the impact on the garment sector," he said.

The United States is the largest market of Bangladesh's garment product while Europe is the second largest destination. Bangladesh manufactures garment products for global brands like Banana Republic, Disney ( DIS - news - people ) or Gap ( GPS - news - people ).

The entrepreneurs said they are now focusing on Japan to create new market.

Copyright 2009 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed

REPORTING DISASTER

Reporting (natural) disaster: Some stray points to talk about

By Julhas Alam

In our careers, we cover inevitabilities. Disaster -- natural or manmade – often confronts us, or we push ourselves into that to stay with victims.

Covering disaster as a reporter is not that easy. It involves physical and mental strength of a reporter since one needs to vigorously go through physical and mental adversaries to report the situation, the victims, the most vulnerable of the moment. We need to work under an air-tight deadline pressure. Adjustment of emotion is also often difficult to deal with in such a situation. Beyond personal capabilities of a journalist in case of covering a disaster, it also matters the financial and editorial capabilities of a particular media organization to better serve the victims when a disaster strikes. This is different from the hit-and-run journalism.

When ICRC means disaster it means both manmade and natural. The modern society is overwhelmed by the frequent occurrence of disasters and responding quickly to disaster situations from authorities’ end is vital. Media’s quick response is also crucial since it helps authorities, aid agencies and the people know what is happening on the ground. Accurate information is the key tool in such case.

But here this paper will mainly and briefly focus on media’s role in handling natural disasters in Bangladesh context. And I couldn’t ignore some of the points of widely-recognised yardsticks of standard journalism.

My senior colleague Farid Hossain will discuss practices, perhaps loopholes or lapses in the practices, in Bangladesh context in covering disasters. Feb. 25-26 mutiny in Bangladesh Rifles headquarters will come as a prominent topic for that part of the discussion. No doubt, BDR mutiny was an acid test for Bangladesh media, especially for the broadcast media. There are points in our mind to debate those things to correct our position.


BEYOND RELIEF: SHIFTING PARADIGM IS IMPORTANT

IT IS OFTEN NOTICED THAT BANGLADESH MEDIA IS TOO FOCUSED ON RELIEF ISSUES. SOME PERTINENT ISSUES ARE OVERLY IGNORED. Definitely, relief activity is a vital part of the disaster management operations. There’s no scope to ignore this very important element of the disaster management activity.

It would be better if media can focus on other areas too to benefit the people.

Pre-disaster briefing for media:

Media has a role to vigorously check if authorities are well-prepared to handle a pre-disaster situation for quick evacuation. Or if the volunteers are adequately equipped to warn the would-be victims.

Media needs to check: Are resources available in the hands of the authorities to minimize the loss of lives and properties?

As reporters who are interested to deal with disasters like cyclone and flood need to know what are the basic tools the volunteers need for evacuating and warning the people. .

We need to know which government departments are involved in the disaster management activities, what mandates they have etc.

We need to know how Bangladesh Red Crescent Society works, how ICRC is related.

We need to know how local resources can be used in the affected area to shelter the villagers.

We need to know details about the approaches of Bangladesh’s disaster management discourse---weaknesses and strength.

Post-disaster situation:

Who is the most important to media: Dead or Survivor?

This is a big question to any global or local aid agency, government authorities or any other party involved in any disaster situation. To media too.

Usually, in a disaster situation, the survivors are given the priority over dead in any healthcare system. However as the survivors have a right for healthcare assistance, the deceased have the right for proper identification and dignified disposal. But what should come first and how--that is also a very important matter to discuss. Nobody expects a mere disposal of dead would come first after a major natural disaster like tsunami or a devastating cyclone as many other urgent issues need to be fixed very quickly in such a situation.

About the survivors, the ICRC says: (In a disaster situation) The surviving community has to face physical, psychological, religious and cultural issues raised by the dead in the aftermath of every disaster.

BUT, there’s no way to ignore the matter of the dead people. It needs urgent attention from media since media reports let the authorities and “the people” know about the situation on the ground after a disaster. MEDIA CAN’T FORGET THE DEAD WHEN IT DEALS WITH A DISASTER.

ICRC, being the global actor in this case, uses the term “management of dead”. It means in a post disaster situation, the management of dead is comprised of three main spheres:

-Physical management of dead.
-Information management of dead
-Specific support to bereaved families and communities.

In this light of discussion media needs to check if all these phases are being maintained when aid agency people and the authorities deal with the dead after a disaster. In that case media should check if authorities

-Respect the dignity of the dead,
-Respect the bereaved, including their right to know the fate and whereabouts of their missing loved ones
-Identify the dead positively.
-Ensure dignified disposal of the dead in line with religious and cultural values of the affected community.

Through the whole process, media needs to scrutinize procedures in handling the dead:

-Recovery
-Transportation
-Storage
-Identification
-Disposal of dead


MEDIA is often infested with wrong ideas when dealing with disasters:

It is noticed that in a post-disaster situation media quickly projects that dead bodies are causing EPIDEMICS. But often local officials make such statements creating a wrong impression and giving wrong signal to the people, and when media uses those angles, authorities take wrong measures like quick mass burial without proper identification and religious or cultural practices. Depriving the dead of their rights to be properly identified, creates a psychological disaster to the surviving family members and relatives.

But the fact is that:

-Victims of natural disasters are normally killed by injury, drowning, or fire --- not by disease.
-At the time of death, victims are not likely to be sick with epidemic-causing infections (i.e., plague, cholera, typhoid, and anthrax).
-Most infectious organisms do not survive beyond 48 hours in a dead body. An exception is HIV, which has been found six days postmortem.



FORMULA: MASQ

SORRY… WE WERE HOAXED:
Iraqi PoW abuse pictures handed to us WERE fakes

It was the Daily Mirror’s front-page apology. Daily Mail, 15 May, 2004 (Reference: Journalism: Critical Issues. Edited by Stuart Allan). We can avoid such embarrassment

When we report any disaster, we need to be most careful to avoid such any apology to the readers or viewers. In a disaster situation it can be fatal for a media outlet in case of misreporting since the incessant drive to be first with the story, to scoop one’s rivals whatever the cost, can claim its usual casualty---the truth. It’s like miscarriage of the outlet’s credibility.

Objectivity in reporting disaster enhances the standards of journalism, and thus ensures people’s welfare.


What can we do in this case to maintain basics of reporting truthfully? Let’s follow a simple MASQ formula.

M= Maths
A=Angles
S=Spellings
Q=Quotes

It has a 3-P effect:
P= Performance of government authorities involved with the disaster situation
P=Performance of the aid/UN agencies
P=Performance of the community involved in the post-disaster recovery

MASQ+3-P= People’s welfare

But there’s another VERY important issue, which matters when we talk about media’s credibility, especially when it is related to any disaster situation. That is
use of ANONYMOUS SOURCE.

We see rampant use of anonymous source in our media here. But so far I know no newspapers in Bangladesh have any formal guideline for the use of anonymous source. Sources said… many critics say in most cases it actually should be the PARTICULAR REPORTER SAID…

There’s no way to ignore this phenomenon of the anonymous source, but it should be the LAST OPTION in any news reporting. And when it comes to disaster reporting we as reporters or editors should follow a certain guideline for this.

We can raise some points here:

AP maintains some basic guidelines when we use anonymous sources. That is when we use anonymous source, it means we have enough efforts to get the information from other sources but failed to confirm it except the only source who wants to stay anonymous.

Secondly, we consider if it is information or statement. If it is information and it is very very essential for the story, we will use it. If it is only statement/comment we DON’T use it. AGAIN, we try to ensure that we have made all possible efforts to confirm the information from other possible sources and there is no other way but to use the source’s information without naming the person.

Thirdly, we try to give the readers an indication about the rank or the type of the source I have pursued for the particular information. For example, we say a senior official with the Bureau of Disaster Management if we use information like 4500 People Dead in Tropical Cyclone SIDR and it is actually obtained from a top official of the bureau. We don’t simply say A SOURCE SAID.

If we talk to one such source, we don’t say OFFICIALS SAY. We simply say ONE OFFICIAL confirms/says. We also consider how important the information is for the public interest.

INTERVIEWING DISASTER VICTIMS

In a disaster situation, the matter of extra care should be in reporter’s mind when it comes to interviewing victims or surviving family members.

About interviewing victims, The Associated Press’s Special Correspondent George Esper once said: “We should frame our questions with respect and research. We must be sensitive but not timid.”

Most victims or the victims’ relatives face a wall of grief in the aftermath of a death or disaster. We the journalists can’t reduce their pain of the moment. They have the right to mourn, they have the right to stay their own, they have the right to cling to their very own grieving space. As reporters we overstep into their grieving space. Still we do that since we ultimately serve the people, help them stand up again. We want to tell the world their stories so the unaffected can come forward. So we need to handle them with care.

-When approaching a victim, we need to identify ourselves politely and clearly before asking them questions.
-We should allow the victims to say “no” to our requests. We can again retry, but with care and softness.
-We need to realize that we are violating the victim’s space and we may receive a harsh or emotional reaction at first. We should not react harshly in return.
-We should never ask “How do you feel?” or say “I understand how you feel.” Rather saying “My name is…” and “I am sorry for what happened”, then ask questions such as “Could you tell me about your relative’s life?” or “How did this occur?” or “What did you see when it occurred?”
-We need to treat each victim with dignity and respect.

TRAUMA is a fact for journalists involved in covering disasters: DON’T deny it


Again BDR mutiny is a good example for us who saw those decomposed bodies, and were overwhelmed by the emotional wave of the survivors and their family members. Personally, I could not sleep well for several nights. Many of my colleagues have reported that they could not eat well for days. Counting dead bodies after a ferry disaster is not that easy. When I covered Sidr and traveled from Patharghata, Barguna to Khulna touching Pirojpur, Jhalakathi, Barisla, Patuakhali, that was a terrible experience as we needed to report on the vast swath of the region so extensibly that it was difficult to stay afloat, both physically and mentally. Trauma and fatigue gripped us easily in such a situation. If it happens we need to speak up. Please don’t ignore this before you collapse. If we can’t manage we should talk to our colleagues and family. We may need to even visit doctors. If I can’t continue, bear the load I should tell my boss I CAN’T.


There are some points from a research: Let’s get some insights for disaster reporting (Note: This information has been taken from a Reuters story published on 30 June, 2006)

How do you get a humanitarian crisis into the headlines? And how can you convince editors to keep covering it? A 2006 study by U.S.-based media analysts CARMA International may provide a few pointers.

The survey of disaster reporting in newspapers in the United States, Australia and Europe found that it is not human suffering but Western self interest that dictates how disasters are covered in the press.

“The ultimate challenge for victims of disasters and those who wish to help is to capture and sustain media attention by using national economic and political self-interest as hook,” Tom Vesey, managing director of CARMA International, said in a statement.

The authors scrutinised the content of 64 daily and weekly newspapers from nine countries for coverage of Hurricane Katrina, the Asian tsunami, Bam and Kashmir earthquakes, Darfur and Hurricane Stan. Here are some of the key findings:

• Hurricane Katrina dominated with 50 percent of the coverage. The Indian Ocean tsunami came second with a quarter of the coverage, followed by Darfur with 15 percent, and Bam, Kashmir and Hurricane Stan making up the remaining 10 percent.

• There was no direct link between the number of people who died and the amount of coverage. The death tolls for Darfur and the tsunami were similar, but Darfur received much less coverage. The 2003 Bam earthquake in Iran attracted the same level of media coverage as Kashmir, even though 3.5 times more people died in Kashmir.

• The U.S. press provided the most coverage of humanitarian crises.

• Media reports on Katrina focused on the political and economic implications of the disaster ? only 27 percent looked at the suffering of the survivors.

• Some of the language used had racist overtones, including widespread reports of black groups raping and pillaging in New Orleans ? many of which turned out to be false.

• 40 percent of the tsunami coverage focused in Westerners affected, even though only 900 Westerners died compared with a total of 230,000 dead or missing.

• The German press gave three times more coverage to Katrina, in which no Germans died, than to the tsunami, in which they lost more lives than any other European country.

• Food shortages were mentioned far more than water shortages.

• In all the disasters except Bam, local government relief work was criticised.

• In some cases there was less coverage of crises involving celebrities than those without.


To prepare this briefing I have taken help from various publications and web sites. I need to mention about some of them here.

1. Guidelines for first responders on Management of Dead in major disasters in India. (ICRC publication)
2. Journalism: Critical Issues. Edited by Stuart Allan.(Open University Press publication, England)
3. Investigative Journalism: Context and Practices. Edited by Hugo de Burgh. (Routledge publication, London, UK)
4. Various publications of The Associated Press (AP)
5. Reuters resources


This paper was presented at a media workshop organized jointly by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) on July 24, 2009 at Rajendrapur. Some 40 journalists from various media houses took part in the workshop. Commonwealth Journalist Association’s International President Mr. Hassan Shahriar, The Associated Press (AP) Bureau Chief Mr. Farid Hossain, Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) President Mr Shamim Ahmad, ICRC’s Mission Head Mr. Finn Ruda and other local and regional officials of the ICRC also took part in the workshop as resource persons.

BDR Mutiny Trouble

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090228/ap_on_re_as/as_bangladesh_mutiny_70


More bodies found at Bangladesh mutiny site
By JULHAS ALAM,
Associated Press Writer

Sat Feb 28, 9:35 am ET

DHAKA, Bangladesh – Firefighters dug up 10 more bodies from mass graves at the headquarters of Bangladesh's border guards Saturday, raising the death toll to 76 in the force's two-day mutiny over low pay and other grievances, officials said.

Political allies, who met with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her home Saturday to discuss the uprising, called for national unity in a statement issued after the meeting.

Hasina, who took office in January, persuaded the guards to surrender Thursday with promises of an amnesty coupled with threats of military force.

But she said Friday there would be no amnesty for the killers, and her government gave border guards across the country 24 hours on Saturday to return to their posts or report to a local police station.

The mutineers had hurriedly dumped the bodies of dozens of senior officers into shallow graves and sewers at the headquarters compound in the capital, Dhaka. Among the dead was Maj. Gen. Shakil Ahmed, the commander of the Bangladesh Rifles border force. Dozens more officers were missing, and workers scoured the compound and nearby areas, including a pond, in an intense search for more victims.

"We think there are more bodies," said firefighter Sheikh Mohammad Shahjalal, adding that 10 bodies were dug up Saturday in two mass graves. They found at least one woman's body, which they believed was the commander's wife, he said.

The military postponed funerals for 33 officials until all bodies were found.

"To bury all the deceased with state honors, funeral prayers and burials scheduled for today have been postponed," the military said in a statement, adding that a new date would be announced later.

The bloodshed has raised new questions about stability in the poor South Asian nation and underlined the fragile relationship between Bangladesh's civilian leaders and the military, which has stepped in previously to quell what it considered dangerous political instability.

The country only returned to democracy after elections in late December 2008, nearly two years after an army-backed interim administration took over amid street protests demanding electoral reforms.

Hasina has a bitter history with the military. Her father was Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the country's independence leader and its first head of state, who was killed in a 1975 military coup along with his wife and three sons.

"It's a setback for Sheikh Hasina's new government. It's now a test for her how she handles the military," said Ataur Rahman, who teaches political science at Dhaka University.

"This tragic event will force her to divert her attention from consolidating democracy and boosting the economy to tackling the challenges of national security," he said.

The army chief, Gen. Moeen U. Ahmed, met Hasina late Friday and pledged his support.

"The military will stand by the government," Ahmed told reporters.

Following the border guards' surrender Thursday, search teams moved into the sprawling Bangladesh Rifles compound that houses the guards and many of their families and found the gruesome evidence of the killings.

One corner of the compound, nestled under the shade of coconut palms, held two mass graves where slain officers had been put into shallow holes and covered with dirt. Firefighters used crowbars to pry off manhole covers and recover more corpses from sewers.

The insurrection erupted from the guards' longtime frustrations that their pay hasn't kept pace with soldiers in the army — anger aggravated by the rise in food prices that has accompanied the global economic crisis. The guards earn about $100 a month. They also demanded better living conditions and allowances for their families.

The guards also didn't like the practice of appointing army officers to head the Bangladesh Rifles and were bitter over being excluded from U.N. peacekeeping missions, which bring additional pay.

___

Associated Press writers Farid Hossain and Parveen Ahmed contributed to this report.

BDR Mutiny

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090301/ap_on_re_as/as_bangladesh_mutiny


Bangladesh charges 1,000 border guards in mutiny

By JULHAS ALAM,
Associated Press Writer

Sun Mar 1, 2:39 pm ET

DHAKA, Bangladesh – More than 1,000 border guards were charged Sunday with murder and arson in a uprising that left at least 148 people dead or missing, most of them army officers whose bodies were hurriedly discarded by the mutineers.

The details of what the prime minister called "a planned massacre" emerged after the government withdrew its promise of amnesty and sought to repair its increasingly tense relations with the military.

One man, among just 33 officers known to have escaped from the two-day siege in the guards' headquarters, described the scene as "like doomsday for me."

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met with military officials furious that she offered amnesty to the mutinous border guards to persuade them to surrender. The officers argued that lives could have been saved if Hasina had ordered an army assault on the guards' compound.

Hasina told Parliament she had asked for help from the FBI to investigate.

"We'll definitely unearth everything," she said.

The government announced that those directly responsible would not fall under the amnesty.

Firefighters have recovered 77 bodies, but at least 71 officers were still unaccounted for in the uprising at the Bangladesh Rifles border force headquarters in the capital, Dhaka. Teams searched for bodies buried in the compound or dumped in nearby sewers. Most of the missing were presumed dead, said Sheikh Mohammad Shajalal, a firefighter overseeing the search.

The insurrection has raised questions about the stability of Hasina's two-month-old government in the impoverished South Asian country, which has seen nearly two dozen successful and failed military coups in its 38-year history.

Hasina and the military have a long history of mutual mistrust. During Sunday's meeting, she tried to appease the army officials by referring to a 1975 military coup in which her father, Prime Minister Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was killed along with her mother and three brothers, according to a participant who declined to be identified because of the sensitivity of the discussion.

"Nobody knows better than me about the loss of dear ones in such a tragic incident," Hasina said, according to the participant.

The charges filed Sunday named six border guards and left more than 1,000 unnamed, according to police official Nobojyoti Khisa. Thousands of border guards were at the headquarters when the mutiny began Wednesday, out of a total force of 67,000.

Some questioned whether the border guards acted on their own.

Ruling party spokesman Syed Ashraful Islam said initial evidence suggested that the mutinous guards may have had outside assistance, but he did not elaborate.

Farukh Khan, a member of Hasina's Cabinet and a former army officer, told Parliament on Sunday that it was part of a "deep-rooted conspiracy" by people who wanted to destabilize the country.

He dismissed claims that the insurrection erupted over complaints of low pay.

By law, the border force's leadership is made up of army officers. Some mutineers said they waged the rebellion out of long-simmering resentment toward the officers, who receive higher pay and more perks.

Maj. Ishtiaq, part of the army leadership of the border force, told reporters that a border guard helped him escape the uprising.

"When the firing began he said, 'Sir, they will kill you, please come with me.' It was like doomsday for me. I then went with him to his residence amid shooting all around. He gave me his clothes to hide my identity," said Ishtiaq, who only uses one name.

"It was unbelievable when the killers rejoiced after killing the officers," he said.

Authorities announced a special tribunal would try the border guards, an apparent concession to soldiers who demanded prompt trials and punishment.

Meanwhile, hundreds of border guards reported back to their headquarters Sunday, after the Home Ministry gave them a 24-hour ultimatum to return to their posts, report to police stations or face disciplinary action.

Some who reported for work said they were on leave or off duty during the mutiny, while others said they fled the compound after the violence started.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Richard A. Boucher phoned Hasina on Sunday to offer Washington's support, according to a statement by the U.S. Embassy in Dhaka.

Bangladesh returned to democracy after elections in late December 2008, nearly two years after an army-backed interim government took over amid street protests demanding electoral reforms.

___

Associated Press writer Parveen Ahmed contributed to this report.

Cyclone horror

http://www.usatoday.com/news/topstories/2007-11-18-1903646804_x.htm

Bangladesh cyclone death toll tops 3,100


BARGUNA, Bangladesh (AP) — The death toll from Thursday's cyclone in Bangladesh is now more than 3,100, and officials say that number could reach 10,000 once rescuers get to outlying islands.

Rescuers are struggling to reach thousands of survivors, and relief items have been slow to reach many.

Survivors grieved and buried their loved ones Monday as they waited for aid to arrive.

The death toll from the Thursday cyclone reached 3,113 after reports finally reached Dhaka from storm-ravaged areas which had been largely cut off because of washed-out roads and downed telephone lines, said Lt. Col. Main Ullah Chowdhury, a spokesman of the army coordinating the relief and rescue work.

In Galachipa, a fishing village along the coast in Patuakhali district, Dhalan Mridha and his family had ignored the high cyclone alert issued by authorities.

"Nothing is going to happen. That was our first thought and we went to bed. Just before midnight the winds came like hundreds of demons. Our small hut was swept away like a piece of paper, and we all ran for shelter," said Mridha, a 45-year-old farm worker, weeping.

On the way to a shelter, Mridha was separated from his wife, mother and two children. The next morning he found their bodies stuck in a battered bush along the coast.

The coast abounded with such grim tales following Tropical Cyclone Sidr -- the worst cyclone to hit Bangladesh in a decade.

Many grieving families buried their loved ones in the same grave because no male member was available to dig them.

The Bangladesh Red Crescent Society, the Islamic equivalent of the Red Cross, warned the toll could hit 10,000 once rescuers reach outlying islands.

The society's chairman, Mohammad Abdur Rob, said the estimate came from the assessments of thousands of volunteers involved in rescue operations across the battered region.

Helicopters airlifted food to hungry survivors Monday while rescuers struggled to reach remote areas.

The army helicopters carried mostly high-protein cookies supplied by the World Food Program, said Emamul Haque, a spokesman for the WFP office in Bangladesh's capital, Dhaka, which is coordinating international relief efforts.

International aid organizations promised initial packages of $25 million during a meeting with Bangladesh agencies Monday, Haque said.

But relief items such as tents, rice and water have been slow to reach many. Government officials defended the relief efforts and expressed confidence that authorities are up to the task.

"We have enough food and water," said Shahidul Islam, the top official in Bagerhat, a battered district near the town of Barguna. "We are going to overcome the problem."

U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said in a statement that several million dollars were available from the U.N.'s emergency response funds, depending on the need.

He expressed his "profound condolences to the people and government of Bangladesh for the many deaths and the destruction involved, and the full solidarity of the U.N. system at this time of crisis," the statement said.

The government said it has allocated $5.2 million in emergency aid for rebuilding houses.

Many foreign governments and international groups have also pledged to help.

The United States offered $2.1 million.

An American military medical team is already in Bangladesh and two U.S. naval ships, each carrying at least 20 helicopters, among tons of other supplies, will be made available if the Bangladesh government requests them, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in a statement.

Other governments and organizations that pledged aid include the German government, which offered about $730,000, the European Union with $2.2 million, and the British government with $5 million. France pledged some $730,000, while the Philippines said it would send a medical team.

Every year, storms batter Bangladesh, a country of 150 million, often killing large numbers of people. The most deadly recent storm was a tornado that leveled 80 villages in northern Bangladesh in 1996, killing 621 people.

Only two people were killed in Bangladesh by the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami was spawned off Indonesia's Sumatra island by a magnitude-9 earthquake, hitting a dozen countries and killing at least 216,858, according to government and aid agency figures considered the most reliable in each country.

Hurricane Katrina, the most destructive natural disaster in U.S. history, killed 1,600 people across the Gulf Coast, destroyed or severely damaged more than 200,000 homes and made more than 800,000 people homeless overnight.
___
Associated Press writers Julhas Alam and Farid Hossain in Dhaka and Pavel Rahman in Barguna contributed to this report.

Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Garment protest

http://www.worldproutassembly.org/archives/2006/05/bangladeshi_wor.html

Bangladeshi Workers Torch More Factories


Tuesday, May 23, 2006 3:22 PM EDT

The Associated Press
By JULHAS ALAM

SAVAR, Bangladesh (AP) _ Angry garment workers set fire to seven textile factories in and around the capital Tuesday after news that an employee shot in the back during recent protests over better pay and working conditions had died, officials and witnesses said.

The 20-year-old man, identified only as Rana, was one of about 100 people injured Monday when thousands of textile workers clashed with factory guards and security forces, police official Kamrul Islam said.

News of his death sparked more violence as thousands of textile workers took to the streets in Savar, an industrial zone near Dhaka, and the scene of Monday's clashes, witnesses said.

Mobs of angry workers, many of them armed with iron rods and sticks, set fire to at least seven factories in Savar and Dhaka, according to private TV channel ATN Bangla.

Dozens of people were injured as security forces swung batons to try to prevent the rampaging workers from smashing and burning passing vehicles, said Nazmul Huda, a local reporter in Savar. The protesters also blocked the roads with pieces of scrap metal, he said.

The protests spread to the capital, where workers blocked busy roads and ransacked several factories _ looting buildings and burning cars _ in an industrial area in downtown Dhaka. They also threw stones at police and firefighters who tried to control the situation, according to ATN Bangla.

The protests created huge traffic snarls in Dhaka, a city of 10 million people, and its neighboring areas.

On Monday, workers set fire to two factories and several buses in Savar during a protest to demand better pay and working conditions, police and witnesses said.

At least 100 people, including several police, were injured when factory guards and riot police intervened to disperse the protesters, witnesses said.

Rampaging workers also damaged several buses and cars after barricading a major highway to the capital, and ransacked dozens of smaller factories, police officer Jamiruddin Sheikh said.

The workers started demonstrating after authorities failed to meet their demands, which include higher wages and benefits, one day off per week and an end to forced overtime, said labor leader Belayet Hossain.

Workers are often forced to work seven days a week or late into the night to meet production deadlines, Hossain added.

"We have joined the protest as we are paid pittance for our hard work," said Kamal Hussain, a garment worker who was demonstrating with about 100 others in Uttara, just outside Dhaka.

A textile worker earns about $22 a month in Bangladesh. Hossain said they were seeking at least a 30 percent raise.

The rioting apparently started when authorities at some factories tried to stop their workers from joining the unscheduled protest.

Some workers also alleged that the protesters attacked their factories and beat them up for refusing to join in the demonstration, worker Lailee Begum said.

Textile factory owners, meanwhile, launched their own demonstration in downtown Dhaka to protest Monday's incident and demand better security for their factories.

The owners blamed a motivated section of workers for instigating the violence, and urged authorities to deploy the army at factories and investigate the attacks, according to the Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association.

Several factories that mostly make garments for export were shut down following the rioting, and extra police were deployed in the area.

Meanwhile, the government promised better security for the factories.

"The government will do whatever necessary for the protection of the garment industry," junior Interior Minister Lutfuzzaman Babar said after Tuesday's violence.

Bangladesh has about 2,500 garment factories employing about 1.8 million workers, mostly women.

The impoverished country earns about $6 billion annually from textile exports, mainly to the United States and Europe, according to Bangladesh's Export Promotion Bureau.

Last Updated May 23, 2006 3:49 PM

Transport Blockade

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/01/07/ap/world/mainD8MG8Q7O4.shtml

Transport Blockade Begins in Bangladesh
Transportation grinds to a halt across Bangladesh as thousands call for electoral reform

DHAKA, Bangladesh, Jan. 7, 2007
By JULHAS ALAM Associated Press Writer

(AP) Thousands of police and soldiers were deployed in the Bangladeshi capital Sunday at the start of a three-day transport blockade called by a major political alliance to force electoral reform.

Schools and businesses were closed in Dhaka as the alliance staged street protests demanding voting reforms and a postponement of the Jan. 22 election.

Some 2,000 protesters demonstrated near the downtown headquarters of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's Awami League party, which spearheads the 19-party alliance that called the strike.

Transportation ground to a halt across Bangladesh early Sunday, but no violence was reported, according to ATN Bangla TV.

About 12,000 police and soldiers were deployed across the capital, where the 19-party political alliance plans to block roads and railways until Tuesday to isolate the city from the rest of the country.

Many feared a repeat of violence seen in previous protests. At least 34 people have been killed in demonstrations since October.

Protesters accuse the interim government in charge of organizing Jan. 22 elections of favoring their opponents, a four-party coalition led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

The alliance wants the vote delayed until electoral reforms are complete, including the revision of a voter list. The group vowed not to let police halt their strike.

"If they try to stop us, we will continue our protests until the election day," said alliance spokesman Obaidul Qader.

The alliance accused police of detaining about 1,500 activists ahead of the planned protests. But a police Web site said it had detained about 600 people for various crimes.

Bangladesh has a history of political turmoil. Two presidents have been slain in military coups, and Hasina and Zia have traded premierships since the restoration of democracy in 1991.

Ershad-Protest

http://www.blnz.com/news/2006/12/30/Bangladesh_police_break_demonstration_tion.html

Bangladesh police break up demonstration

Thousands of Ex-Military Ruler's Supporters Rally for His Right to Run in Bangladesh Election


JULHAS ALAM
AP News
Dec 28, 2006 07:22 EST

DHAKA, Bangladesh _ Police in Bangladesh on Thursday used batons and tear gas to disperse thousands of stone-throwing supporters of a former military ruler, leaving several activists injured, a police official said.

The violence occurred in the town of Rangpur, about 155 miles north of the capital Dhaka, the area's police chief Zahedur Rahman Chowdhury told The Associated Press by phone.

He said several people were injured in the melee during the protest against the rejection of former President Hussain Muhammad Ershad's application to run in next month's national election.

Chowdhury did not say how many were injured but ATN Bangla television reported that at least 50 people were hurt.

The Election Commission on Wednesday refused to allow Ershad to contest parliamentary seats in five districts in the Jan. 22 polls _ three in northern Bangladesh, one in Dhaka and another in the northeastern district of Moulvibazar.

Ershad's Jatiya Party has three days to appeal the commission's decision.

Ershad was chief of the army when he came to power in a 1982 coup. He was ousted in a popular uprising in 1990 and has since been in and out of jail on a number of charges.

He faces a return to jail for two years in a decade-old multimillion-dollar corruption case after the Supreme Court on Tuesday rejected an appeal against his High Court conviction.

Under the constitution, a person jailed for at least two years for a crime involving "moral turpitude" is banned from seeking elected office.

The Jatiya Party said the verdict was part of a conspiracy to prevent Ershad from contesting the polls.

ATN Bangla said Ershad's supporters marched Thursday through the streets of five districts in northern Bangladesh, traditionally the Jayita Party's stronghold. There were no pro-Ershad demonstrations in Dhaka or Moulvibazar.

The activists also forced businesses and schools in the northern districts to stay closed, but no violence was reported, ATN said.

The Election Commission meanwhile asked the Interior Ministry to deploy troops from Jan. 10 to control law and order in the run-up to polling day.

More than 30 people have been killed and scores injured in two months of violent nationwide strikes and transport blockades staged by activists seeking electoral reform.

Source:AP News

Climate protest

http://www.montereyherald.com/world/ci_11088056?nclick_check=1

Bangladeshis rally against climate change
By JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press Writer

Posted: 11/27/2008 07:35:16 AM PST

DHAKA, Bangladesh—Some 500 women rallied in Bangladesh's capital on Thursday, demanding richer nations cut their greenhouse gas emissions and compensate the impoverished countries that experts believe will be hardest hit by the impacts of climate change.

The women, mostly rural poor, wore masks mocking leaders from wealthy nations such as France, Britain and the United States, and marched through Dhaka University's campus carrying banners that read "Cut emissions, save poor nations" and "Stop harming, start helping."

Organizers from the Campaign for Sustainable Rural Livelihood, an Oxfam-funded network of domestic labor and rights groups, said the rally was timed to send a message to delegates who will gather Dec. 1 in Poznan, Poland for a United Nations conference on climate change.

"We are here with a message that we are suffering, and our sufferings will increase manifold if rich countries do not act aggressively," said Ahsan Uddin Ahmed, a Bangladeshi expert on climate change.

"Rich nations like the U.S. and emerging countries such as China and India must act properly," he said. "We need development but not at the cost of our future."

Bangladesh, a densely populated nation of 150 million people, suffers annual floods, frequent cyclones and increasing salinity in its coastal regions.

Experts say more frequent flooding due to global warming could eventually put as much as one-third of Bangladesh's land mass permanently under water.

Inauguration Speech-OBAMA

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address
By The Associated Press

The Associated Press Tue Jan 20, 5:04 pm ET

Text of President Barack Obama's inaugural address on Tuesday, as delivered.
(44th President of the United States of America)

OBAMA: My fellow citizens:

I stand here today humbled by the task before us, grateful for the trust you have bestowed, mindful of the sacrifices borne by our ancestors. I thank President Bush for his service to our nation, as well as the generosity and cooperation he has shown throughout this transition.

Forty-four Americans have now taken the presidential oath. The words have been spoken during rising tides of prosperity and the still waters of peace. Yet, every so often the oath is taken amidst gathering clouds and raging storms. At these moments, America has carried on not simply because of the skill or vision of those in high office, but because we the people have remained faithful to the ideals of our forebears, and true to our founding documents.

So it has been. So it must be with this generation of Americans.

That we are in the midst of crisis is now well understood. Our nation is at war, against a far-reaching network of violence and hatred. Our economy is badly weakened, a consequence of greed and irresponsibility on the part of some, but also our collective failure to make hard choices and prepare the nation for a new age. Homes have been lost; jobs shed; businesses shuttered. Our health care is too costly; our schools fail too many; and each day brings further evidence that the ways we use energy strengthen our adversaries and threaten our planet.

These are the indicators of crisis, subject to data and statistics. Less measurable but no less profound is a sapping of confidence across our land — a nagging fear that America's decline is inevitable, and that the next generation must lower its sights.

Today I say to you that the challenges we face are real. They are serious and they are many. They will not be met easily or in a short span of time. But know this, America — they will be met.

On this day, we gather because we have chosen hope over fear, unity of purpose over conflict and discord.

On this day, we come to proclaim an end to the petty grievances and false promises, the recriminations and worn out dogmas, that for far too long have strangled our politics.

We remain a young nation, but in the words of Scripture, the time has come to set aside childish things. The time has come to reaffirm our enduring spirit; to choose our better history; to carry forward that precious gift, that noble idea, passed on from generation to generation: the God-given promise that all are equal, all are free and all deserve a chance to pursue their full measure of happiness.

In reaffirming the greatness of our nation, we understand that greatness is never a given. It must be earned. Our journey has never been one of shortcuts or settling for less. It has not been the path for the faint-hearted — for those who prefer leisure over work, or seek only the pleasures of riches and fame. Rather, it has been the risk-takers, the doers, the makers of things — some celebrated but more often men and women obscure in their labor, who have carried us up the long, rugged path towards prosperity and freedom.

For us, they packed up their few worldly possessions and traveled across oceans in search of a new life.

For us, they toiled in sweatshops and settled the West; endured the lash of the whip and plowed the hard earth.

For us, they fought and died, in places like Concord and Gettysburg; Normandy and Khe Sanh.

Time and again these men and women struggled and sacrificed and worked till their hands were raw so that we might live a better life. They saw America as bigger than the sum of our individual ambitions; greater than all the differences of birth or wealth or faction.

This is the journey we continue today. We remain the most prosperous, powerful nation on Earth. Our workers are no less productive than when this crisis began. Our minds are no less inventive, our goods and services no less needed than they were last week or last month or last year. Our capacity remains undiminished. But our time of standing pat, of protecting narrow interests and putting off unpleasant decisions — that time has surely passed. Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.

For everywhere we look, there is work to be done. The state of the economy calls for action, bold and swift, and we will act — not only to create new jobs, but to lay a new foundation for growth. We will build the roads and bridges, the electric grids and digital lines that feed our commerce and bind us together. We will restore science to its rightful place, and wield technology's wonders to raise health care's quality and lower its cost. We will harness the sun and the winds and the soil to fuel our cars and run our factories. And we will transform our schools and colleges and universities to meet the demands of a new age. All this we can do. All this we will do.

Now, there are some who question the scale of our ambitions — who suggest that our system cannot tolerate too many big plans. Their memories are short. For they have forgotten what this country has already done; what free men and women can achieve when imagination is joined to common purpose, and necessity to courage.

What the cynics fail to understand is that the ground has shifted beneath them — that the stale political arguments that have consumed us for so long no longer apply. The question we ask today is not whether our government is too big or too small, but whether it works — whether it helps families find jobs at a decent wage, care they can afford, a retirement that is dignified. Where the answer is yes, we intend to move forward. Where the answer is no, programs will end. Those of us who manage the public's dollars will be held to account — to spend wisely, reform bad habits, and do our business in the light of day — because only then can we restore the vital trust between a people and their government.

Nor is the question before us whether the market is a force for good or ill. Its power to generate wealth and expand freedom is unmatched, but this crisis has reminded us that without a watchful eye, the market can spin out of control — and that a nation cannot prosper long when it favors only the prosperous. The success of our economy has always depended not just on the size of our gross domestic product, but on the reach of our prosperity; on our ability to extend opportunity to every willing heart — not out of charity, but because it is the surest route to our common good.

As for our common defense, we reject as false the choice between our safety and our ideals. Our founding fathers ... our found fathers, faced with perils we can scarcely imagine, drafted a charter to assure the rule of law and the rights of man, a charter expanded by the blood of generations. Those ideals still light the world, and we will not give them up for expedience's sake. And so to all the other peoples and governments who are watching today, from the grandest capitals to the small village where my father was born: know that America is a friend of each nation and every man, woman, and child who seeks a future of peace and dignity, and that we are ready to lead once more.

Recall that earlier generations faced down fascism and communism not just with missiles and tanks, but with sturdy alliances and enduring convictions. They understood that our power alone cannot protect us, nor does it entitle us to do as we please. Instead, they knew that our power grows through its prudent use; our security emanates from the justness of our cause, the force of our example, the tempering qualities of humility and restraint.

We are the keepers of this legacy. Guided by these principles once more, we can meet those new threats that demand even greater effort — even greater cooperation and understanding between nations. We will begin to responsibly leave Iraq to its people, and forge a hard-earned peace in Afghanistan. With old friends and former foes, we will work tirelessly to lessen the nuclear threat, and roll back the specter of a warming planet. We will not apologize for our way of life, nor will we waver in its defense, and for those who seek to advance their aims by inducing terror and slaughtering innocents, we say to you now that our spirit is stronger and cannot be broken; you cannot outlast us, and we will defeat you.

For we know that our patchwork heritage is a strength, not a weakness. We are a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus — and non-believers. We are shaped by every language and culture, drawn from every end of this Earth; and because we have tasted the bitter swill of civil war and segregation, and emerged from that dark chapter stronger and more united, we cannot help but believe that the old hatreds shall someday pass; that the lines of tribe shall soon dissolve; that as the world grows smaller, our common humanity shall reveal itself; and that America must play its role in ushering in a new era of peace.

To the Muslim world, we seek a new way forward, based on mutual interest and mutual respect. To those leaders around the globe who seek to sow conflict, or blame their society's ills on the West — know that your people will judge you on what you can build, not what you destroy. To those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent, know that you are on the wrong side of history; but that we will extend a hand if you are willing to unclench your fist.

To the people of poor nations, we pledge to work alongside you to make your farms flourish and let clean waters flow; to nourish starved bodies and feed hungry minds. And to those nations like ours that enjoy relative plenty, we say we can no longer afford indifference to the suffering outside our borders; nor can we consume the world's resources without regard to effect. For the world has changed, and we must change with it.

As we consider the road that unfolds before us, we remember with humble gratitude those brave Americans who, at this very hour, patrol far-off deserts and distant mountains. They have something to tell us, just as the fallen heroes who lie in Arlington whisper through the ages. We honor them not only because they are guardians of our liberty, but because they embody the spirit of service; a willingness to find meaning in something greater than themselves. And yet, at this moment — a moment that will define a generation — it is precisely this spirit that must inhabit us all.

For as much as government can do and must do, it is ultimately the faith and determination of the American people upon which this nation relies. It is the kindness to take in a stranger when the levees break, the selflessness of workers who would rather cut their hours than see a friend lose their job which sees us through our darkest hours. It is the firefighter's courage to storm a stairway filled with smoke, but also a parent's willingness to nurture a child, that finally decides our fate.

Our challenges may be new. The instruments with which we meet them may be new. But those values upon which our success depends — hard work and honesty, courage and fair play, tolerance and curiosity, loyalty and patriotism — these things are old. These things are true. They have been the quiet force of progress throughout our history. What is demanded then is a return to these truths. What is required of us now is a new era of responsibility — a recognition, on the part of every American, that we have duties to ourselves, our nation, and the world, duties that we do not grudgingly accept but rather seize gladly, firm in the knowledge that there is nothing so satisfying to the spirit, so defining of our character, than giving our all to a difficult task.

This is the price and the promise of citizenship.

This is the source of our confidence — the knowledge that God calls on us to shape an uncertain destiny.

This is the meaning of our liberty and our creed — why men and women and children of every race and every faith can join in celebration across this magnificent Mall, and why a man whose father less than sixty years ago might not have been served at a local restaurant can now stand before you to take a most sacred oath.

So let us mark this day with remembrance, of who we are and how far we have traveled. In the year of America's birth, in the coldest of months, a small band of patriots huddled by dying campfires on the shores of an icy river. The capital was abandoned. The enemy was advancing. The snow was stained with blood. At a moment when the outcome of our revolution was most in doubt, the father of our nation ordered these words be read to the people:

"Let it be told to the future world ... that in the depth of winter, when nothing but hope and virtue could survive...that the city and the country, alarmed at one common danger, came forth to meet (it)."

America, in the face of our common dangers, in this winter of our hardship, let us remember these timeless words. With hope and virtue, let us brave once more the icy currents, and endure what storms may come. Let it be said by our children's children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God's grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.

Thank you. God bless you. And God bless the United States of America.

UN-Bangladesh Election

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2008-11-01-3393911705_x.htm

USA TODAY

UN chief hopes for free, fair polls in Bangladesh

By Julhas Alam, Associated Press Writer

DHAKA, Bangladesh — U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said Saturday he hopes Bangladesh can make a peaceful transition to democracy through free and fair elections due in December.

Bangladesh's military-backed interim government imposed a state of emergency in the South Asian nation in January 2007 following weeks of deadly rioting between supporters of rival political parties about electoral reform.

The country's main political parties have raised concerns that the Dec. 18 general election may not be free and fair if the government does not lift the emergency rule, under which political gatherings are banned and the military can make arrests without warrants. The government has not indicated if it intends to relax the restrictions.

Ban, who arrived in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka on Saturday for a two-day visit, said he expected the government and political parties to cooperate to ensure an effective and violence-free election.

"I've expressed my sincere hope and wish that this parliamentary election will be held in the most fair, objective and credible way so that Bangladesh can have a very smooth and peaceful transition to full democracy," Ban told reporters after a meeting with an adviser to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Under the regime of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, opposition parties had complained the voter lists contained errors and duplications that favored her party. The U.N. has since provided technical assistance and funding for a scheme to clean up the lists. The new lists have been accepted by the country's main political parties.

Ban is expected to meet Bangladesh's figurehead President Iajuddin Ahmed and interim leader Fakhruddin Ahmed on Sunday along with delegations from the country's two major parties -- the Bangladesh Awami League and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party.

The U.N. said Ban will also visit some U.N.-sponsored climate change adaptation schemes in northern Bangladesh, which faces floods almost every year.

Bangladesh contributes more than 9,000 troops to U.N. peacekeeping missions worldwide, making it the second largest contributor of forces after Pakistan.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Bangladesh vote-2008

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?from=rss_World&set_id=1&click_id=3&art_id=nw20081229055630718C251084


Independent Online-IOL

December 29 2008 at 07:12AM

BANGLADESH VOTES UNDER HEAVY SECURITY

By Julhas Alam
Associated Press Writer

Dhaka, Bangladesh - Bangladeshis formed long lines at polling stations even before voting began on Monday to choose a new prime minister and restore democracy after two years of emergency rule in the country's first election in seven years.

Authorities deployed 650 000 security forces across the country to prevent violence and vote fraud in the election, seen as crucial to restoring democracy in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, which has a history of military rule and political unrest.

But both of the leading candidates - former prime ministers Khaleda Zia and Sheikh Hasina - are facing corruption charges and many fear the election won't bring the reform the impoverished country of 150-million desperately needs.

The two have traded power back and forth for 15 years in successive governments marked by corruption, mismanagement and paralysing protests.

SA Quader, a 57-year-old businessman, was among about 500 voters who arrived a polling station in the capital's northern Uttara district at least an hour before it opened.

"I'm here to choose the right person to lead our country," Quader said.

"I'm confident the election will be free and fair."

There were concerns that the polls might degenerate into violence as the last attempt at elections in 2007 did.

That vote was preceded by weeks of deadly rioting between the Zia and Hasina's rival parties that prompted the military to cancel the election and declare emergency rule.

Clashes broke out Saturday between supporters of the candidates, leaving 85 people injured in three different districts, the United News of Bangladesh reported, quoting police and witnesses.

There was no reported violence Monday.

Fakhruddin Ahmed, the head of the interim government that took power when election were cancelled last year, promised that this time the vote would go ahead as scheduled.

"All along I have spoken about holding a free, fair and credible election, and that election is going to be held on Tuesday," Ahmed said on Sunday. He lifted the state of emergency earlier in December.

Zia and Hasina have traded power several times. Zia was elected prime minister in 1991, Hasina in 1996, and Zia again in 2001.

During the back and forth, a well-worn pattern emerged: One party wins the election, and the other spends the term leading strikes and protests to make impoverished nation of 150-million ungovernable.

In 2007, both Zia and Hasina were jailed on corruption charges, which they dismissed as politically motivated. They were freed on bail and re-assumed positions as the heads of their respective parties, the two largest in the country.

In northwestern Chapainawabganj town, there were more women then men who stood in line to vote.

"I've come here half an hour before the polling began. There are already 200 women standing in lines," said Tashkina Yeasmin, a local resident. "I don't mind waiting."

Women in this largely conservative, male-dominated country see voting as a rare opportunity to wield power.

"This is one of the rare occasion when we can make our own decision," said Yeasmin. - Sapa-AP

Quickwire

Published on the Web by IOL on 2008-12-29 05:56:30
© Independent Online 2005. All rights reserved. IOL publishes this article in good faith but is not liable for any loss or damage caused by reliance on the information it contains.

Election 2008

The Canadian Press

Former prime minister Hasina wins Bangladesh's 1st election in 7 years

By Julhas Alam

Associated Press Writer

DHAKA, Bangladesh - Bangladeshi voters handed the alliance led by former prime minister Sheikh Hasina a landslide victory in results announced Tuesday, as the troubled South Asian country returned to democracy after two years of military-backed rule.

The voting Monday was the most peaceful in decades - a stark contrast to the failed elections of 2007, which dissolved into street riots and prompted emergency rule. But Hasina's opponents were already alleging widespread vote-rigging and fraud.

Election Commission secretary Humayun Kabir said Hasina's alliance won a two-thirds majority in parliament after votes in most districts had been tallied.

"This has been a very free and fair election," Kabir told reporters at his office in the capital of Dhaka. The commission had some 20,000 observers monitoring the vote.

However, Rizvi Ahmed, a senior official in the party led by former prime minister Khaleda Zia, said it would challenge the result later Tuesday.

Ahmed claimed there were incidents of ballot-rigging and forgery at 220 polling stations, including election officials registering fake votes. He also accused police of pressuring people to vote for Hasina's candidates and said his party has lodged formal complaints with the Election Commission.

Kabir said the commission would investigate the complaints.

Later Tuesday an international observer group said the vote appeared to be fair.

"The (election) process appears to have yielded a result that accurately reflects the will of Bangladeshi voters," said Constance Newman, the head of a 65-person delegation from the International Republican Institute, a Washington-based group that promotes democracy.

Newman said that "political parties, candidates and citizens should accept the results and work together for a peaceful transition of power."

Hasina asked her supporters not to take to the streets to celebrate the victory, fearing potential clashes with rivals.

The voting marks the country's first election in seven years, but with no fresh faces - and with both leading candidates facing corruption charges - many fear the vote will just mean a return to the corruption, mismanagement and paralyzing protests of previous attempts at democracy.

Hasina and Zia are heirs to Bangladeshi political dynasties and fixtures of the political scene. Zia was elected prime minister in 1991, Hasina in 1996, and Zia again in 2001.

Though bitter rivals, their parties campaigned on similar platforms of reducing corruption and controlling inflation. One of the few policy differences is that Hasina's party is seen as relatively secular and liberal, while Zia has allies among Islamic fundamentalists.

Analysts said Hasina's longer absence from power had worked in her favour, together with Zia's poor record in controlling inflation, a key issue.

According to the latest tallies, Kabir said Hasina's alliance won 261 out of the 300 parliamentary seats. Zia's alliance won 30, while independent candidates and the smaller Liberal Democratic Party took four.

Dozens of former ministers in Zia's government lost, including chief of the Islamic fundamentalist Jamaat-e-Islami party, Motiur Rahman Nizami.

Voter turnout was high, with about 80 per cent of the 81 million eligible voters casting ballots, according to Kabir.

Last year, both Zia and Hasina were jailed on corruption charges, which they dismissed as politically motivated. They were freed on bail and reassumed positions as the heads of their respective parties, the two largest in the country.

Balaka-Attacked

Washington Post

http://www.wtopnews.com/?nid=385&sid=1528917

8 Muslims arrested for damaging Dhaka sculpture

November 30, 2008 - 8:51am

By JULHAS ALAM
Associated Press Writer

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AP) - Police in Bangladesh's capital arrested eight members of a hard-line Islamic group for damaging a large outdoor sculpture of a group of white storks, an official said Sunday.

Alam Badshah, a Dhaka Metropolitan Police official, said the men were arrested late Saturday during the attack in Dhaka's Motijheel commercial district. All eight are members of the little-known Muslim group Ulama Anjumane Al Baiyeniat, he said.

Members of the group, which considers sculptures to be a form of idol worship, clashed with security officials who stopped their attack on the statue, he said.

The men, armed with shovels and hammers, damaged the stone base of the 41-foot (12.5-meter) sculpture of six storks after they were unable to pull it down with ropes, Badshah said.

About 100 members of the group gathered nearby and distributed leaflets encouraging action against anti-Islamic activities, he said.

The melee left several people, including some group members, injured. Two of the detainees were being treated at a hospital, Badshah said.

He said the eight faced charges of creating chaos and attacking security officials.

It was unclear why they chose now to attack the statue, which has stood at a road intersection since 1989.

Mrinal Haque, the sculptor, said the statue had nothing to do with Islam.

"It's a shame, it's an attack on our secular culture ... this is a very innocent artwork," he told The Associated Press by phone. "It's like my child."

Some hard-line Islamic groups in Muslim-majority Bangladesh publicly condemn such sculptures. In October, another group damaged a large statue of mystic poet Lalon Shah outside Dhaka's Zia International Airport.

(Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

Captive Daughter-An emotion-charged battle

• Find this article at:
• http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1866323,00.html

TIME in partnership with CNN

Sunday, Dec. 14, 2008

Bangladesh Court Orders Parents to Free Daughter

By AP / JULHAS ALAM

(DHAKA, Bangladesh) — A 33-year-old Bangladeshi doctor whose family allegedly held her captive for months at home and in a mental hospital will return to work in Britain after a court in Dhaka ordered her parents to release her Sunday, the woman's lawyer said.

The case of Humayra Abedin stemmed from Britain's new Forced Marriage Act, which took effect last month and gives British courts the power to compel someone to reveal the whereabouts of a person believed to be at risk of being coerced marriage.

The Bangladesh High Court ordered Abedin's parents Sunday to release her and return her passport, said her lawyer Sara Hossain. She will be under the care of the British High Commission in Dhaka until her departure within four days.

"She's free to go. She's been set at liberty and she wants to return to the U.K.," Hossain said. "We're delighted with the result. The rights of a Bangladeshi woman have been protected as they should be."

The Bangladesh authorities honored a British court order under the Forced Marriage Act, although the law is not enforceable in Bangladesh, Hossain said.

Abedin trained as a doctor both in Bangladesh and at Leeds University in northern England and plans to become a family physician in London.

She traveled to Dhaka in August in response to calls that her mother was ill, but following her arrival was confined against her will by her parents, Hossain said.

Abedin sent an e-mail to a friend saying she needed help, lawyer Anne-Marie Hutchinson, who got involved in the case on Hossain's request, earlier told The Associated Press in London.

Hutchinson intervened and the British High Court, unaware of Abedin's whereabouts, issued an order on Dec. 5 under Britain's new Forced Marriage Act asking Abedin's relatives in London to show her to a woman's organization or to the authorities.

Meanwhile, a petition by a local human rights group in Dhaka prompted the Bangladesh High Court earlier this month to order her parents to produce her on Dec. 14 to ascertain her condition, Hossain said.

Hossain said Abedin was held captive at her parents' home in Dhaka, but when lawyers and police wanted to talk to her, she was at a mental hospital in Dhaka and another outside the capital.

In a telephone interview at the time, Abedin's father, Mohammad Joynal Abedin, said she was being treated for mental illness and denied allegations she was held captive to force her into an arranged marriage.

Bangladesh High Court Judge Syed Mahmud Hossain said Sunday after the ruling that he would not reveal Abedin's testimony in the closed-door hearing because it contained "objectionable elements."

"She requested the court not to put her parents in trouble because of what they did to her," the judge said. "But I am saying what you (the parents) have done to her is not acceptable. If there's any further problem, you will be in big trouble."

Abedin has insisted that no charges be filed against her parents, Hossain said.

The Forced Marriage Act gives British courts new powers to issue protection orders that can stop intimidation or violence, prevent someone from having to go abroad, and compel someone to reveal the whereabouts of a person believed to be at risk.

Forced marriages are prevalent between female British citizens of Asian descent and Asian men. Typically, they take place abroad after the woman is told by family that she is traveling to the country to visit relatives.

In the first nine months of 2008, Britain's Forced Marriage Unit handled more than 1,300 cases.

The unit said that nearly 85 percent of the cases had female victims, and the majority involved families of Pakistani, Indian, and Bangladeshi descent. About half involved minors.