Banner Advertiser

Sunday, July 26, 2009

[ALOCHONA] On The Dynamics of Digital Management for Bangladesh Nirvana



On The Dynamics of Digital Management for Bangladesh Nirvana
 

“Nature knows no pause in progress ad development, and attaches her curse on all inaction”-- Goethe

“Changing, adapting and conforming to situational requirements on this earth has been as old as man himself since nature provides on this earth, a suitable environment for man, but seldom are the detailed natural forms of this environment exactly suitable for his needs.”â€"T Y Lin

Policy Planners of Bangladesh are yet to adopt IT-impacted digital or now modern management properly and fully. Most of the ills of Bangladesh can be attributed directly or indirectly to this single cause. Bangladesh is following traditional and industrial managementâ€"with corruption, efficiency of which is too low. Aim of this paper is to prescribe suggestions so that Bangladesh can adopt modern management and catch up with globalization speed for development.

How Management is Linked to Basic Genetic Urges

Four genetic urges correlated to basic needs of man: hunger, sexual-urge, fear (against life opposing forces) and management (thinking and planning linked to management to produces goods and services needed for satisfaction of four urges/needs)â€"are unchanging with time. But the standards and forms of these basic needs are continually changing with capability of his civilization.

In the above, lies the philosophy our changing ways and means and their perpetual development as human life develop perpetually. Management has been as old as man himself but the management methods have been changing continually with time.

Management is one of the four basic genetic urges- other four being, hunger, sex and fear. They are linked to four basic ‘objects’ of gratifications (goods and services or products): Management with thinking /planning /producing, hunger with food, sex with sexual gratification and offspring, fear with security/protection/wars.

‘Wants’ for these basic products (needs) produce painful body tension (like voltage) and their gratifications produce ‘primary happiness’/satisfaction needed for survival. But human is bored with monotonous standards and form of these need sand corresponding products. Continually he wants to gratify products of better standards and forms as compared to other humans. Competitive urge come into play. By competing with others dynamically he wants better and better gratifications or continually increasing ‘secondary satisfaction’.

“Man’s ambition and desires always exceeds his achievement. Height of man’s history is records of his most daring efforts, of his sensational advancement and break-through and records of his catastrophic failure.”

Thinking/brain is linked with planning and management. So ‘quality of life’ or happiness is directly correlated to management/brain efficiency.

Management is responsible for timely availability of ‘basic needs’. Nothing is available on platters! Management has to plan/design, prospect /search, produce, distribute (economy/commerce) and make things available timely. Shortage of products, errors in time and space management creates chaos including wars among the societies.

Primary happiness creates relative ‘stalemate’ in life. For ‘secondary’ and ‘continual happiness’ man has to be competitive to produce and gratify ‘product of higher standards’â€"also a genetic urge. (Dusenbary’s Relative Consumptive Function) Standards and forms (part of culture) of product should conform to the demands/cultures of society/civilization to produce secondary and dynamic happiness. Competitive wars among societies go on for attaining higher standards.

Easily most of us are likely to agree to the simple philosophy of slow incremental changesâ€"but not to drastic (like digital revolution) or revolutionary changes, which at times required to perpetuate the species and states.

Management Defined/Configured (Simplified)

Goods

Services

Material

Man

Management or Manager with Methods Rules Policies Procedures and Systems

Production Units

Inventory & Techno-managerial Processes

Money

Money

Technology

Feedback

Money also provides quantifications

Figure-1 Simplified Definition of Management

Management Defined/Configured (Simplified)

Goods

Services

Material

Man

Management or Manager with Methods Rules Policies Procedures and Systems

Production Units

Inventory & Techno-managerial Processes

Money

Money

Technology

Feedback

Money also provides quantifications

According to Alvin Tofflers, there are three human race revolutions. Agricultural (say ten thousand years ago, Industrial (say 300 years) and Information /Digital (say 60 years) revolutions. These revolutions over time has been transforming, decimating the human organizations and institutions created by the earlier ones. For example, nation-states created by industrial revolution are already under threats to be replaced by de jure global stateâ€"de facto already tearing down the nation states. The most important points to be noted are the rate of changes of these revolutions- that of agriculture was slower, industrial faster and digital fastest. For example, we have been slowly debating on privatization too long when Asian Tigers continued development. In the mean time nationalizations are reappearing due to recent US led market failure.â€"this may be temporary. Let us look into the genesis and philosophy of management and competitiveness.

Genesis and Basic Philosophy of Management and Competitiveness

Most simplified definition of Management is to produce goods and services for happy and longer social survival most efficiently. Management is as old as man is but entered as a unique discipline in universities very late. Now almost all other multiple/single disciplines/subjects/knowledge contributes to management, yet management entered universities only about a century ago. Earlier management was practiced intuitively. At the end of 1800, Wharton donated one hundred thousand Dollars to create Wharton business school. In pre 1940s some British university offered BBA and in 1930s Chicago offered MBA degree in 1940.

Bangladesh is generally following, both in public and private sector, intuitive and traditional (industrial brand) management and, according to some writer, tending towards a failed state. IT has been transforming traditional/ industrial management into modern management, which hardly has been adopted by Bangladesh policy makers. The aim of this paper is to advise the senior (including would be) national policy makers to adopt IT impacted modern management immediately and properly we are already late. Past experience show that the planners produce too much of hype for adopting only IT as tool most confusingly and without management. The result is dismal. The recent talk of state failure is directly connected to non-adoption/ non-integration of management with IT. Mahathir adopted management and IT together. ICT is tools or that can be used by management; Government’s relevant policy making unit was placed under PMO and named as Modernization of administrative and management planning Unit (MAMPU)

Timely availability of gratifying product depends on design, space, time and raw material etc. Man attempted the production process on the most intuitive practice in pre-agricultural era (10,000year ago) when muscle power predominated and ‘undeveloped brain’ always remained busy planning for survival against odds without ‘leisure’.

Agriculture revolution or era provided leisure to brain to produce machine/industrial revolution with concomitant muscle atrophy and diabetes. ‘Mechanical advantage’ of machines and use of natural energy through engines and motors, mass-produced cheap products, inventory management of which, population growth and environmental control became unmanageable by unaided brain. Came the digital machine (computer) and relieved the brainâ€"IT or digital era or information revolution started.

Fig-2. Human Genetic Drives for Growth

How Management, Security, Hunger and Sex/ Reproduction Basically/Genetically Linked

Genetic Drive

Significant Cultural Urge Derived from this Drive

Universal Cultural Urges Derived

By Inputs from All Drives

Teleological (Thinking

Ahead)

Hunger

Sex

Fear

Planning (Plan-making, Management)

Acquisitive (Food-making)

Creative (Love-making)

Protective (War-making/ Security)

Territorial (Space and Material)

Cooperative

(Team Work)

Aggressive

(Driving Force)

Source: Allen Louis A, Professional Management- New Concepts and Proven Practices, p-11-Adopted.

Digital chip or a microprocessor can be called an active ‘brain replica’. One chip produced by real brain can design and produce subsequent/next chips of million times more power. This ‘digital replication’ over and above the ‘mechanical advantage’ of Indus Revo-1, composed of electro- mechanical devices engines and motors, has started second Indus Revo-II, composed of electro-mechanical devices, driven by microchips with horrendous ‘revolutionary power’ with allied technologies like ‘nano-technology’ and ‘genetic engineering’ having unbelievable revolutionary change possibilities etc.

Since the world (and humans) started, it is undergoing slow-speed incremental and high-speed revolutionary changes. Like ‘equal and opposite action’ law, a revolution has both ‘constructive’ and ‘destructive’ changes.. The society, which can predict and adopt/ absorb are able to gain from constructive changes. The others are trampled over. We can compress history and see telescopically innumerable examples. Low project implementation efficiency of ADP shows our lower management efficiency.

In strategic level, impacts of IT on management are stupendous /revolutionary. How? They are mainly four digital attributes of computer which are impacting management with concomitant socio-political revolutionary changes.

Four Digital Attributes which transformed Industrial Management into Digital or Modern Management

· Colossal computing power to boost the brain (and body) to activate the management /competitive efficiency to very high limits. This attribute provide high speed to management activities, which affects national competitive (exporting) powers.

· Colossal Accuracy to provide fail-safe management activities, which rekindles TQM as management paradigm.

· Data /info sharing/ networking to negate distance /space to revolutionize human /social /business /military activities. Imagine the power of WiMAX, a real time two way wireless video communications. Distance will no longer be impediment for management activities. This with first and second attributes rekindles the JIT (just in time) management paradigm.

· Virtual Reality and Simulation to selectively hoodwink costly ‘hard reality’ gaining mountain like advantage, digital expert systems, digital marriages, digital heart, brain washing, star war, e-driving, e-surgical operations and boosting e-learning/training. Cheaper ‘virtuals’ are replacing very costly realities. These are many examples. Cinema is virtual for theater. Virtual professors can provide e-lecture for e-learning to reduce colossal cost of real education. Many real transactions can be consummated including marriages from distant places. Help of third, first and second attributes will be required.

Digital Management

When rules and principles of industrial management (American / BBA/MBA related) meant for both profit and non-profit organizations evolved over the last century is reinforced by the above four digital attributes the management becomes digital and modernâ€"paperless and distance-free management.

Suggestions for adoption of Digital Management by Bangladesh

a. Bangladesh has no genuine and integrated management infrastructure at Government level. Publicâ€" private sector cooperation is required but only private sector cannot do the adoption. Policy making responsibility should be undertaken by government, however, while formulating policy, private sector and public should be consulted. The BCC Act 90 is the only legal frame work to handle the digitalization in the country. After passing the Act, without executing, it has been buried alive, and all sorts of illegal ad hoc-isms are being pursued for the last 18 years. Either the BCC Act should be executed properly or scraped and replaced by an alternative legal framework.

b. There is no proper HR planning for IT and allied sectors. Some talents are needed to manage the IT sector but the government has no mechanism like other countries to retain the minimum number of talents. Very high differential of HR compensations between foreign countries and Bangladesh can be solved by the PPP. The BCC Act has the provision to form a private company to employ talents at the market rate on the line of Singapore National Computer Board (NCB).

c. Senior Government/Civil Officers have not been properly trained on computer applications like, for example, Malaysia and India did. They appear to have strong mindset against the proper adoptions. Like Malaysian INTAN, BAPTC should establish an autonomous computer application training school in conjunction with JNU to share common resources. In phases, senior officers should be trained. In digital Bangladesh, paper may not be used and private sector cannot alone implement the Digital Bangladesh.

d. Priorities and budget allocations are not conducive for quick growth/implementation. Past records are not encouraging. Without proper legal frame work, Bangladesh is more than 18 IT years behind India. Money was not problem- policy /management was. ( please see p-50 of Computer Jagat of June 09)

e. Digital Bangladesh is a grand slogan, motivational hype for generating positive public opinion. But aims, objectives, policies and specific projects and some permanent administrative bodies are needed to implement the Digital Bangladesh. The BCC should be activated quickly as legal framework and it should form various national level relevant subject committees to formulate various national policies to get going without loss of time

--------------------
Col M Azizur Rehman (Retd), MBA, MDS, MACS, FIEB, FBCS, FIMCB, CMC
E Mail :
rehman.mohammad@gmail.com



__._,_.___


[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] BNP's Politics of Vaotabaji - This Time with Tipaimukh





__._,_.___


[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

__,_._,___

Re: [ALOCHONA] Re: Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers



Pinak is the perfect representative of  the most uncultured, uncivilized nation or country india ,which is the most insecure country for women in the world.
 
How cutured, educated, civilized a family or country is evident  how woemn are honored or regarded in that family or country.
 
 So i would like to answer, pinak int his way " who other than tout batper will go to  the most uncultured, uncvivilized country india where riot is normal every month culture?

We have to make sure that army is not involved in any civilian affairs,particularly national election. If army is involved in national election, then AL will try to make it pro-AL, BNP will try to make it pro-BNP. This will have destructive effect like  freezing-thawing on our army    
                              


--- On Sat, 7/25/09, Jamil Ahmed <jamil_dhaka@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Jamil Ahmed <jamil_dhaka@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [ALOCHONA] Re: Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers
To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2009, 10:01 PM

 
Who are those touts, dalals, batpars and choors?
I never saw one in Bangladesh. If there is one , we should be talking about it.
Not some one from other country.
I saw some chamcha baj, ghush khor and pukur choor. That's our pride.
Nobody is going to take it away.
 

--- On Sat, 7/25/09, Mashuque Rahman <mashuque@pacbell. net> wrote:

From: Mashuque Rahman <mashuque@pacbell. net>
Subject: Re: [ALOCHONA] Re: Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers
To: alochona@yahoogroup s.com
Date: Saturday, July 25, 2009, 11:24 AM



I thought over the years we came to the point now that any truth about our country (Bangladesh) which portrays the country in a negative light is considered as being "desh-o-drohee" (anti-state) ! People forget that we can't solve a problem unless we acknowledge the problem to start with. It seems always better to keep our head in the sand.
 
On the other hand Pinak or any other foreign embassy official got to stay away from any remark that goes way beyond the official norm. Our foreign ministry need to be much more vocal in this regard.

 
- mashuque


From: ezajur <ezajur.rahman@ q8.com>
To: alochona@yahoogroup s.com
Sent: Wednesday, July 22, 2009 4:03:08 AM
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Re: Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers

 
Dear Alochoks

I intensely dislike Pinak and he is not fit to be Ambassador at all. We want him recalled.

I wonder if he is the true face of India's relationship with Bangladesh. I wonder if the smiling faces of visiting ex PMs and stars of the Gandhi clan are irrelevant in this relationship.

However I have to confess that I grudgingly admire Finak for some of his forthright comments - in particular his comment about touts and brokers.

I think he is right.

Newly weds, prospective in laws and senior businessmen seem to have no trouble in going to India and the airlines are all doing a brisk trade between Calutta and Delhi.

I like the fact that he had the guts to refer to touts and brokers as touts and brokers. I love it. Because politcians have empowered an entire class of touts (tout is a Bengali word I think!), batpars, dalals, beymaans and choors. Our commentators refer to these same scum as 'lobbyists and agents'.

Its better to have an Indian Ambassador who speaks his mind than and Indian Ambassador who massages our egos with praise and decorum but who thinks the same as Pinak! At least we know where we stand!

So another Ambassador thinks that touts mostly queue outside the Embassy but says efforts are being made to speed up visa applications when actually nothing is being done. We would accept it.

So another Ambassador thinks the Tipumaikh dam is unstoppable, just like Pinak, but says that serious reviews are being done - when actually nothing is being done. We would accept it.

So another Ambassador thinks we should open, deregulated markets at our border, just like Pinak, but he just doesn't say it publicly and pushes Ministers discretely for such markets. We would accept it.

I hate Pinak. But anything that exposes our true condition is welcome to me. Even if it is insulting.

As is there is real shock and puzzlement that 25,000 Deshis would seek to stay illegally in India - when it is part of our culture to stay illegally in any country. Or am I wrong?

Thats right Pinak - you shut up and don't upset our sovereign pride.

India should still respect us. Even if actually doesn't.

Because we hardly have any touts, dalals, batpars and choors in Bangladesh who are protected by politcians. We only have very bad shushils and Army people. Right?

Ezajur Rahman


--- In alochona@yahoogroup s.com, "Ezajur Rahman" <ezajur.rahman@ ...> wrote:
>
> Pinak terms 80pc visa seekers touts, brokers
> Courtesy New Age 21/7/09
>
> Staff Correspondent
>
> Some 25,000 of the Bangladeshi travellers going to India with legal
> visas every year do not come back, claimed the Indian high commissioner
> to Bangladesh, Pinak Ranjan Chakrabarty, and described most of the visa
> seekers as 'touts' and 'brokers'.
> He made the allegations at a conference on 'Bangladesh- India Economic
> Relations' in Dhaka on Monday in a bid to justify the Indian High
> Commission's cumbersome process of issuing visas, as shown by the
> extremely long queues of visa seekers.
> 'Eighty per cent of the visa seekers are not genuine. Those [whom you
> see in the queue] are touts and brokers,' said the Indian 'diplomat',
> adding that the visa issuing process would be much easier if the
> Bangladesh government ensured that touts and brokers no longer queue for
> submitting visa applications.
> He attributed the current visa regime to India's security concerns
> against the backdrop of incidents such as the terrorist attacks in
> Mumbai. 'Twenty-five thousand of the Bangladeshis who are going to India
> with legal visas [every year] are not returning to their country,' he
> said, although he could not specify the reasons for the alleged
> disappearance of the Bangladeshis.
> A large 50-member delegation of the Federation of Indian Chambers of
> Commerce and Industry, led by its vice-president Harsh C Mariwala,
> attended the daylong conference organised by the Federation of
> Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry at the Pan Pacific
> Sonargaon Hotel.
> Pinak's far from diplomatic outburst was an attempt to rebut the
> complaints made by the president of the FBCCI, Annisul Huq, about
> India's slow and tortuous process of issuing visas to Bangladeshis.
> Talking about non-tariff barriers to bilateral trade, Annisul quipped
> that the queue of the visa seekers was usually three miles long and it
> should be included as one of the Guinness World Records.
> 'We certainly need to ensure a significant reduction in our
> apparently small, non-tariff barriers that threaten bigger opportunities
> of growth,' said Annis.
> In response, Pinak said that the High Commission would not object to
> multiple visas for businesspeople. 'I promise you that business visas
> will be issued as quickly as possible.'
> Pinak said that New Delhi had been offering duty-free access of all
> goods and commodities from Bangladesh as a least developed country since
> 2008, and had only excluded a 'small negative list of 434 items'.
> Speaking at the opening session before leaving to attend the weekly
> cabinet meeting, commerce minister Faruk Khan urged the business leaders
> of the two countries to pressure their governments to develop
> cooperative relations for mutual benefit.
> 'We have created problems ourselves. People-to-people contact is good
> but when it comes with governments, especially politicians, we see
> problems,' he said, expressing the hope that the present democratic
> atmosphere in the entire South Asia would give the politicians the
> 'right message' to work for cooperation.
> At a seminar in Dhaka on June 21 Pinak had said, 'It is unfortunate
> that there are some so-called water experts who make comments without
> considering some of the issues. They are basically attempting to poison
> the minds of the friendly people of Bangladesh against India.'
> The foreign affairs minister, Dipu Moni, who spoke later as chief
> guest, did not make any comments on Pinak's remarks that subsequently
> sparked off a lot of controversy and indignation, although she later
> termed his haughty attitude and antagonistic remarks a violation of
> diplomatic norms.
>






__._,_.___


[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] When Khaleda Zia ceded to the 'abdar' of madrassahs



 
 
http://www.asianews.it/view.php?l=en&art=7058#


Windows Live™ SkyDrive™: Store, access, and share your photos. See how.

__._,_.___


****************************************************
Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration: 
Call For Articles:

http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68

http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585

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

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] Gaza's top judge: Lawyers to wear Muslim headscarf



GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — Gaza's top judge says he has ordered female lawyers to wear Muslim headscarves when they appear in court.

The move is the latest sign that Gaza's Islamic militant rulers are increasingly imposing on residents of the coastal strip their strict interpretation of Islamic law.

Supreme Court chief justice Abdul-Raouf Halabi says he issued his headscarves order to conform with Islamic law, which says it's forbidden for a woman to show her hair in public.

Hamas seized power in Gaza in June 2007 and vowed never to force its conservative values on others. But it has taken a series of steps in recent months that appear to be aimed at forcing residents to accept its Islamic-oriented social agenda.

Hamas tries to detain woman walking with man

JERUSALEM (AP) — An attempt by Hamas police to detain a young woman walking with a man along the Gaza beach has raised alarms that the Islamic militant group is seeking to match its political control of the coastal territory with a strict enforcement of Islamic law.

The man she walked with and two of his peers were detained, beaten and ordered to sign statements promising not to engage in immoral activities, said the woman and one of the men.

The incident was the first known case of Hamas openly trying to punish a woman for behaving in a way it views as un-Islamic since seizing power two years ago. But it follows months of quiet pressure on Gaza's overwhelmingly conservative 1.4 million residents to abide by its strict religious mores.

Hamas officials in Gaza have publicly urged shopkeepers to take down foreign advertisements showing the shape of women's bodies and to stash away lingerie often displayed in windows. Officials search electronic shops to check if they are selling pornography on tiny flash drives.

"There's an open, public program to preserve public morals in Gaza," said local rights activist Isam Younis. "In reality that means trying to restrict freedoms."

Hamas denies any crackdown is under way. Since taking power, it has said it would only try to lead by example and not impose its views on anyone.

However, the group has taken no public action against small, shadowy groups that have attacked perceived hotbeds of Western immorality, such as hairdressers and Internet cafes, fueling criticism that it has not been tough enough on hard-line Muslim groups.

Freelance journalist Asma al-Ghoul says a group of Hamas police sent a clear message that certain behavior would not be tolerated when she went to the beach one evening in late June.

Al-Ghoul, 26, said she was spending time with a group of friends — two women and three men — on the northern Gaza shore.

Al-Ghoul is fairly exceptional in Gaza because she does not wear a Muslim headscarf. On that evening she wore jeans and a T-shirt — dress that is considered fairly provocative in Gaza's conservative society and which could have easily attracted the attention of the plain-clothed Hamas vice police who patrol the beaches.

Al-Ghoul swam, fully dressed, with a girlfriend, and then asked a male friend to walk her over to a nearby beach house rented by another couple she knew to shower and change.

Three policemen showed up and waited for al-Ghoul in the beach house garden, said an eyewitness who asked to remain anonymous because of security concerns. They took her identity card and demanded she accompany them to a nearby station — an order she refused.

An argument ensued and she was able to avoid detention and get her identity card back only after the homeowner contacted a senior Hamas official who intervened and spoke to the officers by telephone. The official, Taher Nunu, was not immediately available for comment.

The eyewitness said the police did not say why they wanted to detain al-Ghoul, but were insinuating that her behavior was unbecoming. Under Hamas' strict interpretation of Islamic law, a woman should not go out in public with men who are not related to her.

However, al-Ghoul said her male friends were subsequently beaten by Hamas police, detained for several hours and asked to sign statements saying they would not "violate public moral standards again," she said.

Al-Ghoul said she mostly felt angry that the police made her feel like she had done something wrong.

"I'm not provocative and my dress isn't provocative, and I'm not scandalous either," she said.

Her story only became public after rights groups published excerpts on their Web sites. Her version of events was confirmed by two other witnesses, including Adham Khalil, one of the men who was detained. Khalil said he was beaten.

Hamas police spokesman Islam Shahwan denied the incident took place but said Gaza residents "must preserve our customs and Islamic traditions."

Asylum Seeker

This is an extract from the judgment of the Asylum and Immigration Tribunal in a recent case. The circumstances of this woman's situation highlight both the importance of asylum, and the grim reality of life for women under the authoritarian rule of Hamas:

After graduating, she worked as a freelance journalist. She managed to obtain commissions because of her experience. This was a paid job. She continued this work until she left Gaza in 2004. She thus worked as a freelance journalist for about 5 years. She mainly worked for Al-Ayyam but also for other newspapers.

Whilst writing at university, she developed an interest in "gender understanding". This was a social and general problem. Only 11% of journalists were female. There were aspects of Gazan society that posed questions but offered no answers other than gender discrimination.

She became deeply concerned and aware of gender issues. She in fact became recognised as a "woman's rights advocate". Her focus was always on how women were being affected. She was concerned with improving the situation for Palestinian women.

She was thus regarded as a feminist journalist although she covered other subjects from time to time. She wrote for magazines as well as newspapers.


[further details of the applicant's history of education and work]

The Appellant became much exercised about the influence of Hamas, especially when they took power in Gaza in June 2007 and this continues to affect her. She did not claim asylum in 2007 when Hamas took power because she did not believe Hamas would retain power in the region. She thought that they would be ousted quickly. She did not believe they would survive a war with Israel.

She also explained that she was heavily influenced in her claim by the war that commenced on 27th December 2008 and the subsequent problems that arose for her from that date.. That war clarified many things for her. She realised that Hamas had ruled Gazan society which has dramatically changed under their rule. The recent war and the manner in which Hamas stood up to Israel made her realise they would never concede power. From June 2007 until the present, she gradually came to realise that Hamas was not only a political institution or party, but much more than that. Gaza has slowly become an Islamic republic and is transforming into an extremist environment.

It is shocking for her that even her brothers still support Hamas despite over 1500 people losing their lives in 3 weeks. Even her brothers cannot accept that other people can hold different opinions or not follow the beliefs cultivated in Hamas. Having an opinion contrary to Hamas is tantamount to supporting Israel. During the course of her evidence, she explained that she was, for example, strongly opposed to the use of suicide bombers to murder Israeli civilians. She is strongly opposed to the politics of Hamas. She characterises them as self-destructive, violent and counter productive.

She sets out in details her fear of a return to Gaza. She cannot return to Gaza and at the same time write or express anti-Hamas views without being accused of being a betrayer by not supporting Hamas. Nor can she return and remain quiet about what she believes in and write what she wishes to write. She cannot support Hamas and write positively about them. She wishes to continue to express her views and would not be able to do this without fear of persecution were she to be returned to Gaza.. All human and political issues are related to Hamas. Everything in Gaza is political. It is not possible to write about one topic without discussing Hamas in relation to that matter.

She was writing about women's issues and social topics before she left. A woman with her views would be seen as strongly anti-Hamas. She has studied for a long time in the West and has appreciated life there, especially as far as equality between men and women are concerned. Gazan women are told that they are to be killed if they refuse to follow the Islamic expectation that women cover up. Foreign journalists bow to this expectation for the limited period they are there. However, the Appellant would be there permanently and would not have a choice. Originally she intended to return to Gaza at the end of her studies and also intended not to wear a hijab. However, given the resurgence of Hamas in the region which take a hard and uncompromising line, she would be required to wear a hijab or face severe punishment resulting in serious harm to her.

Presently, she does not believe there will be peace while Hamas are in power. She cannot return and live a safe life. Whilst living there, her father was still alive and supported her. Such support is no longer available. Her refusal to requests to wear the hijab would ultimately result in punishment which would be wholly disproportionate to the "crime" committed.

With regard to the recent conflict, she asserts that Hamas has managed to strengthen its grasp over Gaza. She recalled the early years of the establishment of Hamas and how acid was used to terrorise women and force them to wear the hijab. Many were beaten and abused because they refused to conform. She believes that the war could have been avoided had Hamas considered the lethal impact of conflict with Israel. However, Hamas was determined to defend its control, regardless of the price. Hamas is now viewed as a strong force against Israel. It is now characterised on a par with Hezbollah and Iran. She is not only against the political nature of Hamas but also the patriarchal component of its ideology. Even before it took power, Hamas used its presence in mosques to provoke people against changes in the criminal law in 2003. At that time, the Appellant wrote about this topic and sought to explain the moderate effect of the bill.

She stated in evidence that it was one thing to oppose their stance when they were in opposition. However, it would not be possible for her to express her views in such a manner today without drawing attention and a risk of serious harm to herself. She believes that Islam can be understood and interpreted in different ways. Muslim women have usually been the victims of patriarchal understanding and interpretation of Islam. To promote women's rights against this understanding is dangerous.

She previously wrote about wearing the veil. This occurred when female supporters of Hamas and their members' wives and relatives contributed to the phenomenon of wearing the veil. She criticised this phenomenon. She was even then blamed and taunted for doing so. She campaigned and wrote about a fairer, modern family law in Gaza. She took her campaign a step further in a case involving a woman demanding the right to divorce her husband. The conventional understanding in Islam was that divorce is the absolute right for men. Hamas still adopts the traditional interpretation of Islam.

She accordingly wrote an article in 2003 about the woman wanting to divorce her husband, who was unwilling. Several years later the court in fact issued a judgment that she should be entitled to divorce her husband. The Appellant claimed that the husband was annoyed and came to her family's house asking for her. He was violent at the time and her family reported that he wanted to harm her..

The Appellant asserts that during the last few years, Hamas has been more rigid and fundamentalist than ever. Wearing the hijab is universally implemented in secondary schools. It is even widely spread in elementary schools. Girls as young as seven wear it. She believes that imposing a law compelling the wearing of a hijab degrades those women who do not want to conform to the code. She asserts that she stands for what she believes in and does not want to have to compromise her views. Her refusal to wear a hijab is a further "core issue" on her return as she would be spotted as a non-conformist Palestinian woman. She will be confronted by men and asked to cover up. She will be bound to be questioned about her family. Her family would be disgraced and would face pressure. She faces the intolerable choice therefore of conforming, which is unacceptable to her, or an endless cycle of violence which has no limit or end.

The focal point in Palestinian society is the family. Individuals are identified by their families, members of whom would be disgraced or praised depending upon the attitude taken by the other members. Women are not in the decision or policy making process. It is a patriarchal society. This is exacerbated by Hamas holding the reins of power. She states that her brothers have no intention of supporting her against Gazan society. She has previously had difficult experiences with her brothers but her father was a source of protection and support for her. Her mother is even more "patriarchal" than her brothers.

The issue of the hijab is only one aspect of her 'feminist' stances. She would continue working for human rights and women's rights, which contradicts Hamas's ideology. The effect of returning her would be to oblige her to change from an independent, motivated and ambitious role model to a subordinated wife whose only dream is to produce as many children as possible. She would be seriously harmed or killed for standing up for her own beliefs.

The Appellant has provided summaries of some of her articles in various publications, including Al-Ayyam from 2001 to 2004. She has written articles on women being the weakest link in the criminal law. She wrote on occasion about women being unable to win elections because of the patriarchal society within Gaza. She has written articles on the following topics: a necessary quota to help female candidates win in an election in 2003; the unmixed university; she has been critical of sex segregation in Gaza's universities; a Norwegian project transforming women's lives in Gaza in 2004; a critical report for Sout Al-Nissa over the Islamic rule of polygamy; highlighting so-called honour killings in Gaza City involving women; campaigning against forced marriage; complaining about marginalisation of women to corners of mosques with poor health and safety conditions while men enjoy the main part with good conditions and campaigning against the 1954 family law for its incompatibility with current women's needs. She has written articles complaining about the inheritance law of Sharia insofar as women are discriminated against. In 2003 she wrote an article dealing with the right of a woman to divorce so as to avoid the risk of being trapped in a marriage for years. The giving to men an exclusive right to divorce was discriminatory and another interpretation of Islamic law in this regard should be considered. She has also written about discrimination in other social contexts such as smoking shisha in cafes limited to men only.

In 2001 she wrote an article dealing with what she calls the reality for women journalists in Gaza. She wrote about a conference held in Gaza by Hamas' women's office. She referred to the lack of creativity and mere repetition of the common interpretation of Islamic rules regarding women.

In 2004, she wrote about the increasingly visible phenomenon in Gaza of more women wearing the veil as a sign of the popularity of Islamic extremism which appeared to be spreading all over Gaza.

The Appellant supplemented her written evidence by her oral evidence in which she set out her fears and the alleged basis for them. She stated that she decided not to wear the hijab after she left Gaza in October 2004, when she went to the USA. She used to wear it prior to that. She stated that it was the first time she saw how women operated in other societies, including New York. She met and saw different women on her New York course.

I hope that you will share my relief that this was the conclusion of the judge:

Having considered all the material that is before me, I conclude that returning the Appellant would also breach her Article 3 rights under the Human Rights Convention. She would be at risk of inhuman and degrading treatment for the same reasons that she would be at risk of persecution.



Looking for local information? Find it on Yahoo! Local

__._,_.___


****************************************************
Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration: 
Call For Articles:

http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68

http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585

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

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] Bahuguna Joshi-Mayawati Spat

Mind your language

Bahuguna Joshi-Mayawati Ugly Spat

http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=438

Ram Puniyani

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

****************************************************
Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration:
Call For Articles:

http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68

http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585

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

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] Fw: No One Killed The Professor



Dear Friends,
 
I am re-sending the following mail again, as i had erlier forgotten to put the title on the subject coloumn. Sorry for the inconvenience.
With Regards

Abi
 
"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."
- Voltaire"


--- On Sun, 7/26/09, Abhiyya <abhiyya@yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Abhiyya <abhiyya@yahoo.com>
Subject:
To:
Date: Sunday, July 26, 2009, 1:41 AM

"The trial of such a public killing should have been an open and shut case. But the most incriminating evidence — footage shot by Ujjain's local TV news cameramen as well as the police videographers and photographers, which showed the ABVP activists attacking Sabharwal — vanished mysteriously. The police named 69 eyewitnesses. But these did not include many professors or police officers, including Manoj Singh, YP Singh and K Runwal. Sabharwal's son Himanshu claims that Principal Verma confirmed to him that three local BJP corporators — Sonu Gehlot, Satyanarayan Chauhan and Mohan Yadav — were in the group that assaulted his father. But the investigating agency, the state CID, did not record their statements"
 
No One Killed The Professor
Despite dozens of eyewitnesses and incriminating TV footage of the brutal assault, those accused of killing HS Sabharwal have walked free. DIVYA GUPTA reports
 
image
Resolute Prem has vowed to appeal against the acquittal of her husband's alleged killers
Photos:
SHAILENDRA PANDEY
image
Photo: NOMESH DUBEY
KOMAL SINGH Sengar, 46, wears the look of a haunted man as he stands atop a mount of dirt and pebbles in a corner of Madhav College, Ujjain. His clothes hang on his emaciated frame. After we exchange telephone numbers in low tones, I tell him it's important for us to talk. He says, "College mein baat nahin karunga. Saadhe panch baje ke baad. (I won't talk in the college. After 5:30pm.)" A few hours later, a local police inspector calls me. Sengar has filed a complaint claiming I threatened him and his family with "dire consequences" if he didn't give me a "favourable" interview.
Sengar is well known in Ujjain. You don't need an address to find him. Ask an autorickshaw driver or a shopkeeper or a random passerby, and they'll point you in his direction. Sengar lives with his family in an 800sq-ft house in Alkapuri, a middle- income residential neighborhood. Until six months ago, they lived in a smaller, rented house in the low-income urban sprawl of Desai Nagar. His new house cost him Rs 5 lakh.
"The poor guy had trouble getting a bank loan as nobody was ready to give it," says Anand Mangal, from whom Sengar bought the house. "He got a private loan, but I don't know where he got that, whether he sold land or from relatives or elsewhere."
Sengar's dubious fame dates back to a single moment nearly three years ago, on a fateful Saturday, when he found himself in the wrong place at the wrong time, with his trusted friend and guru, Prof HS Sabharwal. That day, Sabharwal paid with his life and Sengar, perhaps, with his soul.
VANISHING ACT The ABVP activists ran into Prof HS Sabharwal on campus, brutally beat him up and then ran away. Scenes of the assault were shown live on TV
On Saturday, August 26, 2006, the entire sacred Hindu town of Ujjain seemed to have descended outside Madhav College's rusted iron gate named Gaurav Dwar. The place resembled a mini battleground with hundreds of police personnel outside the college, along with cavalry, teargas squads, police videographers and photographers. Ujjain's print and TV journalists were present, too. Simultaneously, hundreds of white kurta-clad Congress workers milled around agitating as part of a jail bharo andolan.
The 120-year-old Madhav College, alma mater of celebrated Hindi poet Shiv Mangal Singh Suman, is reputed to be a fertile breeding ground for future MLAs and MPs. In 2006, the atmosphere there in the lead up to the student union elections was unusually charged. The Congress-affiliated NSUI had won the elections through most of the past decade. In 2003, after the BJP routed the Congress in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections, the BJP's student wing, the ABVP'S political prospects at Madhav College received a shot in the arm too. The BJPled state government announced a new election format. The NSUI, opposed the new format, alleging it would favour the ABVP.
Amidst immense confusion, the college principal LN Verma called a faculty meeting that day and an unanimous decision was taken to cancel the elections. Then, Verma did something puzzling, which later also proved fatal. He had two notices put up in quick succession – one stating that the elections were on, and another saying they had been cancelled.
Predictably, all hell broke loose at the college. First, the NSUI vandalised the principal's office. A little later, ABVP activists threatened and abused faculty members and smeared mud on a professor's face. As these assaulters turned back, they ran into Prof HS Sabharwal on the campus and brutally beat him up. Scenes of the assault were broadcast live on TV.
A few minutes later, at 2:06pm, Sabharwal was pronounced dead. The postmortem report said broken ribs and bleeding lungs had stopped the flow of oxygen to his brain, leading to his death.
A creature of habit and routine, Prof HS Sabharwal, head of the college's political science department, normally drove to work in his car. But on that Saturday, he went by scooter to college. Sabharwal planned on returning home quickly for lunch with his wife, Prem. "He didn't like leaving me for even two minutes," Prem reminisces, smiling shyly. "After marriage, when I came to live in Ujjain from Delhi, he preferred that I didn't work. Even though it was a small town, we had a golden life together."
Years ago, as a student at Madhav College, Sabharwal had been reputed as a deft hockey player and an excellent orator. Ironically, he had also been the president of the ABVP. At 5 feet 11 inches tall, Sabharwal cut a strong but pleasant figure with a "jolly nature", as his family and students remember him. "Prof Sabharwal treated the students as his friends," says LLB student and NSUI leader Rajesh Bathli. "He loved mixing with and spending time with the students." Sabharwal's son Himanshu recalls a candid conversation with his father in which the professor freely admitted that teachers rarely took classes, saying, "Why should we suffer the students' abuses?" Perhaps, in quieter moments, Sabharwal may have also wondered about other critical issues – the politicisation of university campuses beyond recognition; the power play of the political parties in universities and colleges — the first building blocks of their future cadres — which has eroded the sanctity of education and the culture and purpose of learning; the political interference that forces teachers to toe the line of political parties in power.
Timeline
SABHARWAL DIED WITHIN three to four minutes after the assault on him by ABVP activists. Why and on whose orders were they let inside the college when it had already been ordered closed?
8:30AM
Faculty meeting called by college principal to take a final decision on the holding of elections begins. It arrives at a unanimous decision to cancel elections
10AM – 10:15AM
In a puzzling move, principal issues two notices. First, that elections will take place and then, minutes later, another one that elections are cancelled
11 – 11:30AM
NSUI activists pour into the college campus. They vandalise the principal's office. Within 15 minutes, they are caned out of the premises by the police
11:45AM
The Principal closes the college and orders a lockdown of both its gates. Faculty, college staff and policemen on duty remain inside the college
12:30 – 12:45PM
CSP Manoj Singh escorts into the college a group of 25-30 ABVP activists and BJP corporators, who threaten, abuse and smear mud on faculty members
1:45 – 1:50PM
The group of ABVP activists and BJP corporators meet Prof Sabharwal on their way out of the college. They assault and beat him up and run away
2:06PM
Prof Sabharwal breathes his last. He is escorted by Komal Singh Sengar and others to the hospital, where he is pronounced dead on arrival
But Sabharwal wasn't known to be shy of words or as someone easily intimidated by unruly students, says Himanshu. "Fear was far away from him."
The trial of such a public killing should have been an open and shut case. But the most incriminating evidence — footage shot by Ujjain's local TV news cameramen as well as the police videographers and photographers, which showed the ABVP activists attacking Sabharwal — vanished mysteriously. The police named 69 eyewitnesses. But these did not include many professors or police officers, including Manoj Singh, YP Singh and K Runwal. Sabharwal's son Himanshu claims that Principal Verma confirmed to him that three local BJP corporators — Sonu Gehlot, Satyanarayan Chauhan and Mohan Yadav — were in the group that assaulted his father. But the investigating agency, the state CID, did not record their statements. A crucial forensic examination was sent to BJP-ruled Gujarat, after the Supreme Court transferred the case to Nagpur so the trial could happen in a "non-BJP led state."
FATAL LOOPHOLE The statements of all 69 witnesses in Sabharwal's murder case were recorded by the CID – evidence not admissible in court. Why did the police not record these statements before a magistrate?
On his part, Principal Verma left the task of reporting the professor's killing to the college peon, Sengar, and sports coach, Manohar Dodiya. This made both Sengar and Dodiya the prime witnesses on whose testimony the prosecution's case rested. Both later turned hostile, leading to the acquittal of those accused of the killing. Dodiya told TEHELKA that the FIR for Sabharwal's killing was lodged "several hours" after the attack. The FIR does not record the time it was registered, which is a mandatory requirement. Further, the statements of all 69 eyewitnesses were recorded by the CID, which rendered these accounts inadmissible as evidence. But why did the police not record these statements before a magistrate? Sabharwal's son Himanshu claims he handed a crucial piece of evidence to the then Superintendent of Police, Jaideep Prasad, and the investigating officer, BK Vyas. This was a CD that an ABVP activist named Sanwar Patel gave to Himanshu. The CD, says Himanshu, showed the accused ABVP activists and the BJP corporators assaulting Sabharwal. The SP and the investigating officer failed to pass on the CD to the prosecution. Regrettably, Himanshu did not keep a copy of the CD. "I gave the footage to police officers investigating the case," says Himanshu. "I trusted them at the time."
The national spotlight was on. Media pressure had built up. A man was beaten to death in broad daylight before hundreds of eyewitnesses and dozens of video cameras. The opposition in the state was waiting in the wings, ready to pounce. Someone had to pay the price, at least for a while. Six ABVP workers — Shashiranjan Akela, Vimal Tomar, Hemant Dubey, Panjak Mishra and Sudhir Yadav — were arrested on charges of murder and rioting.
Things didn't work out in Ujjain for Sabharwal's family and they realised they wouldn't get a fair trial. They petitioned the Supreme Court to transfer the case to a "non-BJP led state". The request was granted after 18 months. Nagpur became the new venue for seeking justice. The trial at Nagpur began in March 2008. On July 13, 2009, the judge acquitted all the six persons accused of Sabharwal's murder.
The judge sought cover in the finer points of law to soften the blow. Though they may have been guilty, he said, "justice could not be done to Sabharwal" as the prosecution "failed miserably" to prove the case against the accused. The accused afforded a defense team of some of the country's most highly paid lawyers, hired to create "reasonable doubt" to use legal parlance, to get them off the hook. The prosecution lawyer, Pratul Shandilya, on the other hand, faced difficulties right from the start. The investigating agencies were slow and selective in forwarding crucial documents to him. The government proved tardy in clearing the payment of his fees . But the most difficult part for him was proving to the court that the statements of the witnesses recorded before the investigating agencies were indeed true. "All the key witnesses turned hostile," says Shandilya unhappily.
SELECTIVE COMPASSION CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan met accused ABVP activist Vimal Tomar at the hospital soon after Sabharwal's killing. But he has not met the professor's widow even once in three years to offer condolences
The supporters of the accused broke into street celebrations. Elsewhere, the slain professor's widow cried some more, and their son believed a lot less. "Nobody was willing to come forward and say what really happened," says Himanshu. "The truth is that my father was killed inside the college. The only people who were inside at that point were the ABVP activists group, the professors, the principal, the policemen on duty, Dodiya and Sengar."
"I had accorded him the status of God after the killing, but I think he was pressured a lot," said Prem Sabharwal of Sengar, who, before turning hostile, had given a signed affidavit to Himanshu and an interview to TV news channel, NDTV, in which he named all the accused.The court didn't consider the evidence relevant.
Upon being released from prison after their acquittal, the six ABVP activists went into hiding. "After the unfair media campaign against these innocent men, we don't trust the media anymore," ABVP leader Vishnudutt Sharma told TEHELKA.
A secondary schoolteacher in Ujjain, Shashi Ranjan Akela was one of the main accused. When we called his home, his father said Akela had gone away to "offer prayers". Vishal Rajoria, whose father is a police officer, wasn't home as well. His sister said it had been a tough three years for the family. Pankaj Mishra, who lives in the Police Officer's Colony near Ujjain's Mahakala temple was not at home either. Said his mother: "Woh to hamesha apne ABVP doston ke saath hi gaayab rehta hai. (He always seems to disappear with his ABVP friends.)"
Soon after Sabharwal's brutal killing, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan met ABVP activist, Vimal Tomar, one of the main accused, at a hospital in the city of Indore. But he has never called on Sabharwal's widow to offer condolences. Chouhan's first reaction to Sabharwal's killing was to call it an "incident". In three years, his police failed to catch the killers who beat a man to death before dozens of eyewitnesses, watched by millions on national TV.
Clearly, those lower down in the Darwinian social pecking order have become scapegoats in a case, which, in reality, was dead on arrival at the court. It was systematically stripped of all crucial evidence by the state security machinery and investigating agency prior to the start of the trial, with direct support from the chief minister and the ruling dispensation. The road to justice for HS Sabharwal has arrived at a crossing. If we head in one direction, then ours is not the world's biggest banana republic. If we head the other way, ours is not the world's biggest democracy.

WRITER'S EMAIL
divya@tehelka.com

From Tehelka Magazine, Vol 6, Issue 30, Dated August 01, 2009


With Regards

Abi
 
"It is dangerous to be right when the government is wrong."
- Voltaire"




__._,_.___


****************************************************
Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration: 
Call For Articles:

http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68

http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585

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

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] US dad on trial over faith-healing death



http://au.news.yahoo.com/a/-/world/5751974/us-dad-on-trial-over-faith-healing-death/

US dad on trial over faith-healing death

AAP July 26, 2009, 4:21 pm

Opening statements were set to begin Saturday in the trial of a father charged with second-degree reckless homicide for praying instead of seeking medical help for his gravely ill 11-year-old daughter.


Dale Neumann's wife, Leilani, was convicted of the same charge this spring in the 2008 death of Madeline Neumann, called Kara by her parents.


The girl died from undiagnosed diabetes on March 23, 2008, surrounded by people praying at the family's rural home in Weston in central Wisconsin. Someone called the emergency dispatcher when she stopped breathing.


Leilani Neumann, 41, faces up to 25 years in prison when sentenced Oct. 6.


Prosecutors contend Dale Neumann, 47, recklessly killed the youngest of his four children by ignoring her deteriorating health. They claim the girl was too weak to speak, eat, drink or walk and that Neumann had a legal duty to take her to a doctor.


Dale Neumann's attorney said Friday, when an eight-man, six-woman jury was picked to hear the case, that he didn't know whether the father would testify in his own defense.

"It would be just a guess right now," attorney Jay Kronenwetter said. "It's the defendant's right. Who knows how the trial goes?"


An Oregon jury on Thursday convicted a father of misdemeanor criminal mistreatment for relying on prayer instead of seeking medical care for his 15-month-old daughter who died of pneumonia and a blood infection in March 2008. The father and mother were acquitted of a more serious manslaughter charge.


In the Wisconsin case, Assistant District Attorney LaMont Jacobson said Neumann's trial likely won't differ much from his wife's.


Doctors testified at the first trial that Madeline'sgradually declining health would have gotten acute three or four days before she died as her body began shutting down. But despite being unresponsive and in a coma, the girl could have been saved very late into the day of her death with the proper treatment, the doctors said.


Leilani Neumann said during videotaped testimony that the family believes the Bible says healing comes from God and that she never expected her daughter to die. The Neumanns said the girl had not been to a doctor since she was 3.


A criminal complaint said Dale Neumann told police he believed God would heal his daughter right up until she stopped breathing. He also "professed to believe God was going to bring Madeline back to life."


The Neumanns have said the family does not belong to an organised religion.



Love Cricket? Check out live scores, photos, video highlights and more. Click here.

__._,_.___


****************************************************
Mukto Mona plans for a Grand Darwin Day Celebration: 
Call For Articles:

http://mukto-mona.com/wordpress/?p=68

http://mukto-mona.com/banga_blog/?p=585

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

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] India,Myanmar grabbing BD's maritime territories



India,Myanmar grabbing BD's maritime territories
 

 
Leaders of the National Committee for Protecting Maritime Territory and Resources of Bangladesh (NCPMTRB) on Saturday alleged that Bangladesh's two neighboring countries-India and Myanmar-are trying to grab much of its maritime territories.(UNB, Dhaka)

They demanded the government strengthen the Bangladesh Navy and establish necessary institutions to protect the country's maritime territories and its resources.

Speaking at a press conference at the National Press Club, Prof Anu Mohammad said it is clear that Bangladesh is under a strong aggression of India and Myanmar as previous governments and even the current one have failed to perform their duties when it came to maritime issues.

"We're losing huge maritime territories to India and Myanmar, which is three times bigger than Bangladesh itself, simply because of negligence of the government," Prof Anu Mohammad said. He said had the previous Bangladesh governments been able to handle the issue strongly neither India nor Myanmar could dare to proceed with this issue after 1982.

Prof Anu said the Bangladesh delegations that visit different countries to discuss bilateral issues only put signatures on papers; even they hardly see the contents of any agreement. "They did never go for bargaining and thus they brought such a horrible situation for us."

Criticizing the remarks of the Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka, he said the envoy might come up with even harsher words as the government has failed to reply to his remarks the way it should have been."Such remarks manifest how aggressive the India government is. We had hoped that our government would give a befitting reply, as it was highly insulting for the people of Bangladesh, but it didn't," he said.

Professor Sirajul Islam Chowdhury said Bangladesh is losing its control over its own sea as there is no one to raise voice against it. "We need to mobilize public opinion both at home and abroad to stop India and Myanmar from grabbing Bangladesh's maritime territories," he said. Prof Islam said politicians could not prove their patriotism as they did not protest the bid.

Earlier, reading out a written paper, NCPMTRB convener Engineer M Enamul Haque said India and Myanmar would have to withdraw the claim over maritime territories, which were placed to the United Nations and demanded implementation of clauses of UNCLOS-III convention. Justice Golam Robbani, Engineer Sheikh Mohammad Shahid Ullah and Prof Ramjul Haque were also present at the press conference.

============================================================================================================

Claims of India, Myanmar over maritime boundary Call to lodge formal protest with UN
The Financial Express July 25 Sunday

Eminent personalities Saturday urged the government to lodge a formal protest with the United Nations (UN) against illegitimate claims of Myanmar and India over Maritime Boundary and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) of Bangladesh, reports BSS.

Expressing concern over India's plea for unilateral ownership of South Talpatti, and initiating demarcation line and Exclusive Economic Zone in the deep sea, they said it demonstrates disregard to the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh.

Bangladesh will have to bear its brunt for hundreds of years and will lose control over its vast maritime territory if it fails to challenge India's illegitimate claim with reliable and authentic documents in its support, they said adding that India has submitted its data and information about the maritime boundary with the UN on June 29 this year.

They said this at a press conference organised by Bangladesh River Areas and Resources Protection National Committee at the VIP Lounge of National Press Club in the city.

Prof Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Justice Golam Rabbani, Prof Anu Mohammad, Engineer Enamul Haque, Engineer Sheikh Mohammad Shahidullah, among others, spoke at the press conference. Convener of the committee Noor Mohammad read out a written statement at the conference.

Referring to Bangladesh's talks with India last year on these issues, they said there were heated arguments over the direction of flow of the Hariabhanga River.

The ownership of the South Talpatti Island is directly related with the direction of flow of the Hariabhanga, Raimongal and Jamuna Rivers, and the Raimongal and Jamuna flow through Bangladesh territory, they claimed adding that India flew its flag in South Talaptti in 1980s and included it in its map.

India made serious objection although Bangladesh has reportedly completed 70 per cent of its works for preparing documents for demarcating the maritime boundary considering South Talpatti as the starting point.

India is claiming that the point which Bangladesh considered as the starting point to demarcate its maritime boundary is within the Indian territory, which is not true, they said..

"If Bangladesh does not raise its voice strongly now, it will face serious difficulties in 2011 when it submits its claim to the UN. Question is also being raised about virtual non-action of Bangladesh since 2001 for establishing the Bangladesh claim over 200 nautical miles in the deep sea and another 150 nautical miles as the Exclusive Economic Zone," they said.

"Why Bangladesh could not complete the detailed survey and prepare necessary documents with necessary facts and figures over such a long period?" they questioned. It is due to failure of the foreign ministry and different related divisions of Bangladesh," they added.

Mentioning that Bangladesh signed the UN Convention of UNCLOS in 2001, they said according to it maritime boundary of the countries along the sea coast will extend 200 nautical miles from the shore. The EEZ will extend another 150 kilometres in length and breadth in the deep sea, they pointed out.

The countries signing the UN convention shall publish maps of their maritime boundary and EEZ within 10 years of the signing. But Bangladesh failed to complete preparation for mapping its maritime boundary and EEZ even in eight years, they said.

Bangladesh in recent times made efforts to engage international oil companies in exploring gas and oil in its own offshore.

http://www.thebangladeshtoday.com/leading%20news.htm



__._,_.___


[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

__,_._,___