Banner Advertiser

Saturday, June 28, 2008

[ALOCHONA] Local Government elections

Caretakers cross the Rubicon

Courtesy New Age 29/6/08

 

BNP and AL are bent upon having early election, obviously to return to power and wipe out their past sins. If they cannot come to power they will even lose all the money they looted. All the talks of caretaker government are drowned by the parties’ demand for election. Why should the party bosses sign their death warrant!
   But why should the smaller leaders and well-wishers of democracy in the parties object to reform? Because they lack courage and like sheep are too afraid to challenge the wolves in the parties. This is the quality of people who ruled us for 15 years. These sheep will jump out of the fence to the winning side finally. The wolves in the parties are waiting in shades of foreign land or in local jail houses for a chance to impart a crushing blow to the present government or perhaps adopt softer ways of compromise, if any.
   The present caretaker government seems to realise this. On the one side, there is the commitment for holding elections and on the other side, is the programme of completing the reform process which includes all major institutional changes and the preventive anti-corruption drive. If election comes first, the wolves will have an easy opportunity to prey on the rest of the good people who are the last hope of the nation. This can never be allowed to happen. Surprisingly, the armed cadres of the wolves also appear to be mostly intact.
   After all, the applause for the caretakers is heard no more. Some think this is because of the sheepishness of the government. But the most damaging was the handling of Sheikh Hasina’s release which sent a wrong signal to the people. Releasing one of the accused leaders is not a matter of national importance but the importance derives from the unprecedented meeting some advisers held breaking all protocol with an accused person on parole.
   The caretakers must realise the vested interest had grown for 15 years and it consolidated into a very strong force during the last five years. They are up against these evil forces –– indeed, the whole nation is –– without realising the extent of the strength of these evil forces. These evil forces are everywhere and will try to turn the tide in their favour to be able to save themselves and grow, again in the very name of democracy. This is how they fooled the whole nation for years and deprived the people of progress they deserved.
   The caretakers have finally crossed the Rubicon and there is no going back. By announcing the local government election they have taken the battle to the countryside. Here the grassroots workers and local leaders will decide their own fate and not the party bosses from the capital.
   Against all odds this government is fighting to establish rule of the people. This opportunity comes once in a lifetime and destiny has thrust this sacred errand upon the caretakers and their supporters. We all will be part of this history written in golden letters and the fallen culprits should be thrown into the dustbin of history as has been done for centuries.
   Momin Haq
   On e-mail

 

__._,_.___

[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Local Government Elections

Local body election

Courtesy Daily Star 29/6/08

Zabedin, Dhanmondi, Dhaka

 

In the last fifteen days, I talked to about fifty of my friends and relations who are not blind supporters of any political party about election in local bodies. All of them supported the move of the present govt. to hold election of local bodies before the national assembly election. I asked for their reasons to support such a move and the interesting answers are:

1. As the major political parties ( the AL has changed its stance) are against such election, it is well understood that local body election will make the situation difficult for the political govt. to go back to their democratic (!) governance, as they practised before one-eleven against the very interest of the nation.

2. Local bodies' election will bring accountability to the elected representatives.

3. Development of our country cannot be accelerated without decentralisation of decision making authority to implement development projects with transparency.

4. If the election is not held now, this will again give the corrupt politicians the chance to force the agencies to construct thousands of bridges and culverts just to feed one house as done in many villages during their rule.

5. As the political parties did not fulfil their pledge to hold election at upazilas during their 15-year rule, they will never do it when they go to power again.

6. When the present government can take a number of measures for good governance, then what is wrong in holding the election of local bodies in the greater interest of the nation?



Local body election

Courtesy Daily Star 29/6/08

Wasif Wahed, Old DOHS, Dhaka

 

 

The local government elections (four city corporations and nine municipalities) that are going to be held on August 4 is a step in the right direction. The two major political parties the AL and the BNPappeared to be against the polls but we cannot afford to bear any further delay regarding holding of the local polls (particularly, upazila elections). If there are doubts as to whether the caretaker government is planning to run their “hand-picked” candidates in these polls, then holding of the local government elections will, in effect, act as a signal to the people as to whether the polls are held in a farcical manner or not.

The simple point is that the two major parties feel reluctant ( the AL has changed its decision) to hold the local polls as they fear that their influence at the field level will be lost. The fact that they have not held upazila elections for more than 15 years and that the MPs had the final say in local matters are sufficient reasons to believe that when elected, these parties are unlikely to hold upazila elections. In other words, the lawmakers will once again continue to wield their influence in upazilas and continue to plunder national wealth by constructing un-finished bridges, taking bribes from contractors, awarding tenders on the basis of nepotism and favouritism. We cannot afford to let that happen.

In addition, the terms of the five city corporations have also ended which in itself is a logical reason to hold the polls to city corporations right now.


__._,_.___

[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[mukto-mona] Glimpse of Bangladesh History - Lest we forget ! [You Tube Videos ]

You Tube Videos - Glimpse of Bangladesh History  - Lest we forget !
 
What Mujib Said:
7 March, 1971- Speech of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Zia clarifies his timing of declaration of independence
Bangladesh-71 (1)
March 23, 1971
Pakistan army action in Bangladesh 1971
A Martyrs wife
A documentary on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib by Bulbul Hasan
declaration of independence by Zia
Declaration of Independence Bangladesh
Part 1of6 of Untold Stories of liberation War of 1971
Part 2of6 of Untold Stories of Liberation War of 1971
Part 3of6 of Untold Stories of Liberation War of 1971
Part 4of6 of Untold Stories of Liberation War of 1971
Part 5of6 of Untold Stories of liberation War of 1971
Part 6of6 of Untold Stories of Liberation War of 1971
 
 
[Courtesy Zafar Chowdhury]
 
On 6/28/08, Zafar Chowdhury <zchow@yahoo.com> wrote
There are some people who always try to find issues to disparage our father of the nation. This theory that Mujib did not know the difference between lakh and million is an old one surfacing again. I  don't really know whether 3 million, or 3 lakh, 1 lakh or even 50,000 (as esmated by Tikka Khan) people got killed and truth of the matter is nobody will really know. Those of us who has actually been through
1971 never tried to count the number of deads-we were too busy running for our lives. But as a first hand eye witlesss who was in Dacca the whole nine months, let me tell you, we lived a life of  terror. There were buildings burned, men pulled out of buses and killed just because the bastard didn't like their faces. And if you  were Hindu, you were killed right away. Every Bengali was scared every single day thinking he or she may not see the end of day.Anyway about the `million' number-it came from foreign press. So if
we want to blame some one about incorrect estimate we should blame Time, Newsweek and other Internation press-not Mujib who was not relesed from Pakistani prison till early 1972. Please watch this video of Mujib. Hope this will clarify that Mujib  knew the difference between lakh and million. Hear him say "No body  can suppress 70 million people." No, he did not mean 70 lakhs, he meant 7 crores.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MlRu3rzJvFE:
 

__._,_.___

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona 
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

Re: [mukto-mona] Suggestion on the exit strategy for the CTG & Military

WRT: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/message/48883

"---some brand new political parties---"
"---Sadhin Bangla Party (SBP), formed with good people---"
These are two of the options suggested by Dr. Jiten Roy that Bangladesh may want to consider.
My comments:
1. Both General Ziaur Rahman and General Ershad came up with "new political parties" solution. Are the people of Bangladesh better off?
2. Who are good people? How to choose them? Are they really capable of giving leadership? We need definite answers to these questions.
3. I think for now the best the CTG can do is to give free and fair election on which money and arms will have no influence.
---SCD


------------------------------------

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari

http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm


*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/


****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/join

(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:mukto-mona-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:mukto-mona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
mukto-mona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:

http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[mukto-mona] Why Socialism? {Bangla}

Hello

I am attaching the article "Why Socialism?" of einstein that i translated. I would be very glad if you publish it in your site for review.
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Articles/swakkhar_shatabda/why_socialism.htm

Thanks

Swakkhar Shatabda
Student
Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technlogy

------------------------------------

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari

http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm


*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/


****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/join

(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:mukto-mona-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:mukto-mona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
mukto-mona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:

http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[mukto-mona] Zimbabwe and Burma: let us hail the courage of the people

       When the reality gets too harsh to bear, when you look around and contemplate the hopelessness of the political situation of your own country, think of Burma and Zimbabwe (and Darfur, of course, though politics is playing a different kind of game there).
 
        The Burmese people are doing something amazing! They are resorting to humour! When tears run dry, and there are no more tears to shed and you still want to hold on to life, you begin to laugh at your own wretchedness. Let us hail the courage of the Burmese people:
 

Burma & Zimbabwe

.........



__._,_.___

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona 
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[mukto-mona] A group of videos on the CHT crisis

Please watch these beautiful videos made by NRB from Canada.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m8mhw3GX0fc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uD5F7pqsoPA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pcSz8V93wiM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8_5LkFsIDFU

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1bcMeC5cz8o

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GtfGtXRtKk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DwQ01h9fg7s


------------------------------------

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari

http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm


*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/


****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
-Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/

<*> Your email settings:
Individual Email | Traditional

<*> To change settings online go to:

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mukto-mona/join

(Yahoo! ID required)

<*> To change settings via email:
mailto:mukto-mona-digest@yahoogroups.com
mailto:mukto-mona-fullfeatured@yahoogroups.com

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
mukto-mona-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:

http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/

[mukto-mona] Is this acceptable? Back from 'crossfire'

Back from 'crossfire'

Sat, Jun 28th, 2008 8:18 pm BdST

Abu Noman Sajib and Golam Mortuja Antu
bdnews24.com correspondents
 
Dhaka, June 28 (bdnews24.com) – Blindfolded, the man was driven away by the elite RAB force in a microbus from Kaliganj on the other side of the Buriganga. After some time, the black cloth was taken off.

"I understood the place was Shayestaganj in Lalbagh. From there I was taken to a vacant place in Postogola area. They tried to tie me down. I tried to resist. The RAB men fired blank and shouted, 'The terrorist is fleeing. Catch him. Shoot him.'"

"One of them rode on my chest and started beating me. All the time they were asking me to give them the firearms," says Mohammad Babul, 30, of Ispahani area in Aganagar of Dakhhin Keraniganj in Dhaka.

RAB said he was a suspected criminal, an allegation he laughs off.

"One of them said, 'Shoot him in the leg.' One shot me on the right leg. I screamed in pain. Another said, 'Shoot him again' and I took another bullet in my leg. I was praying to Allah all the time (for my life)."

A RAB officer told the officer-in-charge of Lalbagh Police Station on the phone, "We have caught a terrorist from your area. Come over."

"A police car came in and I was taken into it."

From his bed at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, Babul, a clothes trader, recounted how he had survived 'crossfire'.

A bdnews24.com correspondent was stopped at first by policemen from talking to Babul in hospital, as he was under police custody. A phone call to the Lalbagh police chief resulted in the correspondent getting two minutes to speak to Babul.

As Babul was speaking, his wife was wiping tears, her three-year-old son in her arms.

Babul said that he was lucky to be alive and that he was not involved with any criminal activities, a claim the police statements support.

RAB hold onto the "crossfire" story, though. They claim Babul is a 'top terror'.

RAB officials said after the arrest on Thursday afternoon—Wednesday evening, says Babul—when they along with Babul had gone to recover firearms Babul's "accomplices" used to fire on them.

Babul tried to flee during the firefight and received bullet injuries, RAB claimed.

Babul told bdnews24.com that he had gone to Kaliganj to realise dues Wednesday and a team of RAB-10 arrested him there.

"At about 8pm a team of plainclothes RAB personnel suddenly showed up and asked me to go with them. They took me into their vehicle. At about 9:30 pm they took me to the RAB-10 headquarters at Dhalpur in the capital.

"There they beat me. When I asked them what my fault was, a RAB officer said, 'You have mugged Tk 24 lakh. Where are the arms? Bring them out.'

"I said I have no arms but they weren't listening. They detained me there."

"They took me to Shayestaganj in Lalbagh early Thursday morning for 'crossfire'," Babul said.

Babul admitted to bdnews24.com that there had been a fraud case against him.

But he said he had never been involved with criminal activities.

A RAB-10 official, flight lieutenant Mostafa Humayun Kabir said to bdnews24.com: "Babul is a listed top criminal of Kotwali-Islampur area. There are at least seven extortion and fraud cases against him. Most of them are with Kotwali police."

Kotwali police chief Abdul Hannan told bdnews24.com Friday, "There are a number of fraud cases against Babul. But he is not on the list of criminals, let alone being a top criminal."

RAB's Kabir insisted, "Babul is one of the masterminds behind the mugging of Tk 13 lakh, done by exploding bombs in Islampur area in the first half of this month."

On quizzing Babul, the law-enforcers retrieved a revolver and two rounds of bullet, Kabir said.

RAB-10 commanding officer SM Kamal Hossain alleged: "Babul is a criminal in the guise of a clothes trader. He also ran a syndicate of brand forgers and sold counterfeit clothes."

RAB director general Hasan Mahmud Khandaker told bdnews24.com: "I heard about the incident, but I don't have further details."

RAB was formed on March 26, 2004 during the rule of the BNP-Jamaat alliance government as a specialised force to check crimes. With officers drawn from the army, air force, navy and police, the elite force swung into action on April 14, 2004 with the slogan "War against terrorism".

Human rights leader Sultana Kamal said: "A criminal, however notorious, should be tried under law."

Bangladesh signed the United Nations convention against torture which means the country must prevent extrajudicial killings and torture, said the former caretaker government adviser.

RAB courted controversy for killings in so-called crossfire, which international human rights activists describe as extrajudicial killings. They accuse RAB of simply shooting suspects to death after arrests and making up story of armed gunfight with the cohorts of the suspects.

Human-rights organisation Odikhar recorded 184 extrajudicial killings by law-enforcement agencies in 2007, with 94 of them in the hands of RAB officers.

__._,_.___

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona 
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[mukto-mona] Fw: Top 50 Newspapers - Most are from Bangladesh - Thousands of newspapers on the Net

Top 50 Newspapers - Most are from Bangladesh - Thousands of newspapers on the Net

Check out the list from the link below:

http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/Top50/Top50-Current.htm

I have no ideas about this site and who are running this survey but it is astonishing to me, out of 50 top Newspapers most are from Bangladesh!

I wonder I am far from this knowledge!
Check the home page:

http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/

- Arif Bhuiyan

From the UK


__._,_.___

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona 
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Fw: Top 50 Newspapers - Most are from Bangladesh - Thousands of newspapers on the Net

Top 50 Newspapers - Most are from Bangladesh - Thousands of newspapers on the Net

Check out the list from the link below:

http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/Top50/Top50-Current.htm

I have no ideas about this site and who are running this survey but it is astonishing to me, out of 50 top Newspapers most are from Bangladesh!

I wonder I am far from this knowledge!
Check the home page:

http://www.onlinenewspapers.com/

- Arif Bhuiyan

From the UK



Not happy with your email address?
Get the one you really want - millions of new email addresses available now at Yahoo! __._,_.___

[Disclaimer: ALOCHONA Management is not liable for information contained in this message. The author takes full responsibility.]
To unsubscribe/subscribe, send request to alochona-owner@egroups.com




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___

[mukto-mona] Zimbabwe, South Africa̢۪s responsibility

SAN-Feature Service

SOUTH ASIAN NEWS-FEATURE SERVICE

June 28,2008

 

 

Zimbabwe, South Africa's responsibility

ELIZABETH SIDIROPOULOS & NEUMA GROBBELAAR

 

  South Africa — the main regional power with the most levers of influence over Zimbabwe — has a vital role to play. But does South Africa really see itself as a regional power? Its handling of Mugabe over the past eight years has actually underplayed its leverage

 

SAN-Feature Service : Morgan Tsvangirai's withdrawal from the presidential run-off scheduled for June 27, and his decision to seek the protection of the Dutch embassy in Pretoria, has secured for Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe a Pyrrhic victory. Mugabe's triumph comes at a huge cost to democracy and stability in Zimbabwe, as well as in the region. The actions of the Mugabe regime in the run-up to Tsvangirai's decision demand a strong regional response to what is clearly a stolen victory. Indeed, Mugabe's continuing in power represents the most serious challenge to Africa's nascent democratic institutions and to South Africa's vision of a continent of peace and prosperity.

 

After contesting every election since 2000, Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) has changed tactics reluctantly. Under the circumstances, South Africa and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) urgently need to reappraise their approach not only to Mugabe, but also to how they will deal with any uncontested election.

 

A host of declarations adopted over the years by the SADC and the African Union address the conduct of elections on the continent. These include the SADC Principles and Guidelines Governing Democratic Elections (2004), the African Charter on Democracy, Elections, and Governance (2007), and the Declaration on the Principles Governing Democratic Elections in Africa (2002). None of these principles have been respected in Zimbabwe, and regional leaders have not cited their violation as reason to censure Mugabe's government.

 

Unfortunately, we have a recent precedent for this type of behaviour: Kenya's rulers, too, ignored and twisted the rule of law and the integrity of the electoral process, relying on violence to secure a political outcome that their fellow citizens denied them.

 

Dealing effectively with political instability in Africa requires two things: the political will of key states to underwrite the democratic process, and strong regional institutions to provide a legal framework reflecting the principles underpinning states' behaviour. The effectiveness of regional institutions and the role of regional powers are interlinked. Regional institutions can entrench themselves only if their members promote adherence to the spirit and letter of their legal frameworks.

 

In both cases, South Africa — the main regional power with the most levers of influence over Zimbabwe — has a vital role to play. But does South Africa really see itself as a regional power? Its handling of Mugabe over the past eight years has actually underplayed its leverage. Yet the mantle of a regional power sometimes requires using that leverage for the greater good of the region.

 

What should South Africa do now? Should President Thabo Mbeki step down as mediator in the Zimbabwe crisis, not because he has failed, but to remove from South Africa the constraints that being a mediator put in place?

 

South Africa has a vested interest in stability, and it can turn the screws on Mugabe's regime, much as it has refused to contemplate any form of sanctions because of their impact on the poor. South Africa must tap into the growing concern among Zimbabwe's neighbours (Angola, Botswana, Tanzania, and Zambia) about the political crisis, and forge a united front within the SADC that sends a clear message to Mugabe and his generals that the region will no longer tolerate their actions.

 

The SADC should not endorse the regime's claim of victory in an uncontested election. It must insist that all opposition leaders and supporters be freed immediately, and that all state-sponsored violence be halted. It should dispatch an eminent persons' group of senior African and other international leaders to Zimbabwe, as well as peace monitors to ensure that the government complies with these demands.

 

The SADC's censure of Mugabe and his regime should be backed up by concrete actions, such as restrictions on all arms flows to Zimbabwe, travel restrictions on senior officials of Zimbabwe's ruling ZANU-PF party, and the threat of property seizures and the freezing of financial assets in the region and beyond.

 

Mbeki and other SADC leaders should recognize a key point. According to legal opinions commissioned by the Southern African Litigation Centre, Zimbabwe's Electoral Act holds that the delay or absence of a lawful run-off means that the candidate who obtained the most votes in the election of March 29, 2008, has been duly elected as President.

 

Moreover, South Africa was instrumental in drafting the declaration on unconstitutional changes of government, adopted by the OrganiSation of African Unity, the AU's predecessor, in 1999. The manner in which the electoral process in Zimbabwe has been conducted since March has been an unconstitutional continuation of government. The declaration clearly stipulates that an incumbent government's refusal to relinquish power to the winning party after free, fair, and regular elections is unconstitutional.

 

If South Africa sees itself as speaking for Africa on the global stage and creating a vision for the continent's future, it must know when to lead and how to build consensus. None of this is easy, but South Africa must now act decisively in order to polish its tarnished image as a responsible regional power. "Business as usual" is no longer a viable approach for South African foreign policy.—SAN-Feature Service

 

Elizabeth Sidiropoulos and Neuma Grobbelaar are, respectively, the national director and the director of studies of the South African Institute of International Affairs, based at Witwatersrand University


__._,_.___

*****************************************
Sign the Petition : Release the Arrested University Teachers Immediately : An Appeal to the Caretaker Government of Bangladesh

http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/university_teachers_arrest.htm

*****************************************
Daily Star publishes an interview with Mukto-Mona
http://www.mukto-mona.com/news/daily_star/daily_star_MM.pdf

*****************************************

MM site is blocked in Islamic countries such as UAE. Members of those theocratic states, kindly use any proxy (such as http://proxy.org/) to access mukto-mona.

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates 5th Anniversary
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/5_yrs_anniv/index.htm

*****************************************
Mukto-Mona Celebrates Earth Day:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Earth_day2006/index.htm

*****************************************
Kansat Uprising : A Special Page from Mukto-Mona 
http://www.mukto-mona.com/human_rights/kansat2006/members/


*****************************************
MM Project : Grand assembly of local freedom fighters at Raumari
http://www.mukto-mona.com/project/Roumari/freedom_fighters_union300306.htm

*****************************************
German Bangla Radio Interviews Mukto-Mona Members:
http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/german_radio/


Mukto-Mona Celebrates Darwin Day:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/Special_Event_/Darwin_day/index.htm

*****************************************

Some FAQ's about Mukto-Mona:

http://www.mukto-mona.com/new_site/mukto-mona/faq_mm.htm

****************************************************

VISIT MUKTO-MONA WEB-SITE : http://www.mukto-mona.com/

****************************************************

"I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it".
               -Beatrice Hall [pseudonym: S.G. Tallentyre], 190




Your email settings: Individual Email|Traditional
Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required)
Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch to Fully Featured
Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe

__,_._,___