Banner Advertiser

Friday, July 30, 2010

Re: [ALOCHONA] Collecting Rainwater Now Illegal In Many States In USA



 

Collecting Rainwater Now Illegal In Many States In USA

By Mike Adams
 

Many of the freedoms we enjoy here in the U.S. are quickly eroding as the nation transforms from the land of the free

into the land of the enslaved, but what I'm about to share with you takes the assault on our freedoms to a whole new level. You may not be aware of this, but many Western states, including Utah, Washington and Colorado, have long outlawed individuals from collecting rainwater on their own properties because, according to officials, that rain belongs to someone else.

As bizarre as it sounds, laws restricting property owners from "diverting" water that falls on their own homes and land have been on the books for quite some time in many Western states. Only recently, as droughts and renewed interest in water conservation methods have become more common, have individuals and business owners started butting heads with law enforcement over the practice of collecting rainwater for personal use. 

Check out this YouTube video of a news report out of Salt Lake City, Utah, about the issue. It's illegal in Utah to divert rainwater without a valid water right, and Mark Miller of Mark Miller Toyota, found this out the hard way.

After constructing a large rainwater collection system at his new dealership to use for washing new cars, Miller found out that the project was actually an "unlawful diversion of rainwater." Even though it makes logical conservation sense to collect rainwater for this type of use since rain is scarce in Utah, it's still considered a violation of water rights which apparently belong exclusively to Utah's various government bodies.

"Utah's the second driest state in the nation. Our laws probably ought to catch up with that," explained Miller in response to the state's ridiculous rainwater collection ban.

Salt Lake City officials worked out a compromise with Miller and are now permitting him to use "their" rainwater, but the fact that individuals like Miller don't actually own the rainwater that falls on their property is a true indicator of what little freedom we actually have here in the U.S. (Access to the rainwater that falls on your own property seems to be a basic right, wouldn't you agree?)

Outlawing rainwater collection in other states

Utah isn't the only state with rainwater collection bans, either. Colorado and Washington also have rainwater collection restrictions that limit the free use of rainwater, but these restrictions vary among different areas of the states and legislators have passed some laws to help ease the restrictions.

In Colorado, two new laws were recently passed that exempt certain small-scale rainwater collection systems, like the kind people might install on their homes, from collection restrictions.

Prior to the passage of these laws, Douglas County, Colorado, conducted a study on how rainwater collection affects aquifer and groundwater supplies. The study revealed that letting people collect rainwater on their properties actually reduces demand from water facilities and improves conservation.

Personally, I don't think a study was even necessary to come to this obvious conclusion. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that using rainwater instead of tap water is a smart and useful way to conserve this valuable resource, especially in areas like the West where drought is a major concern.

Additionally, the study revealed that only about three percent of Douglas County's precipitation ended up in the streams and rivers that are supposedly being robbed from by rainwater collectors. The other 97 percent either evaporated or seeped into the ground to be used by plants.

This hints at why bureaucrats can't really use the argument that collecting rainwater prevents that water from getting to where it was intended to go. So little of it actually makes it to the final destination that virtually every household could collect many rain barrels worth of rainwater and it would have practically no effect on the amount that ends up in streams and rivers.

It's all about control, really

As long as people remain unaware and uninformed about important issues, the government will continue to chip away at the freedoms we enjoy. The only reason these water restrictions are finally starting to change for the better is because people started to notice and they worked to do something to reverse the law.

Even though these laws restricting water collection have been on the books for more than 100 years in some cases, they're slowly being reversed thanks to efforts by citizens who have decided that enough is enough.

Because if we can't even freely collect the rain that falls all around us, then what, exactly, can we freely do? The rainwater issue highlights a serious overall problem in America today: diminishing freedom and increased government control.

Today, we've basically been reprogrammed to think that we need permission from the government to exercise our inalienable rights, when in fact the government is supposed to derive its power from us. The American Republic was designed so that government would serve the People to protect and uphold freedom and liberty. But increasingly, our own government is restricting people from their rights to engage in commonsense, fundamental actions such as collecting rainwater or buying raw milk from the farmer next door.

Today, we are living under a government that has slowly siphoned off our freedoms, only to occasionally grant us back a few limited ones under the pretense that they're doing us a benevolent favor.

Fight back against enslavement

As long as people believe their rights stem from the government (and not the other way around), they will always be enslaved. And whatever rights and freedoms we think we still have will be quickly eroded by a system of bureaucratic power that seeks only to expand its control.

Because the same argument that's now being used to restrict rainwater collection could, of course, be used to declare that you have no right to the air you breathe, either. After all, governments could declare that air to be somebody else's air, and then they could charge you an "air tax" or an "air royalty" and demand you pay money for every breath that keeps you alive.

Think it couldn't happen? Just give it time. The government already claims it owns your land and house, effectively. If you really think you own your home, just stop paying property taxes and see how long you still "own" it. Your county or city will seize it and then sell it to pay off your "tax debt." That proves who really owns it in the first place... and it's not you!

How about the question of who owns your body? According to the U.S. Patent & Trademark office, U.S. corporations and universities already own 20% of your genetic code. Your own body, they claim, is partially the property of someone else.

So if they own your land, your water and your body, how long before they claim to own your air, your mind and even your soul?

Unless we stand up against this tyranny, it will creep upon us, day after day, until we find ourselves totally enslaved by a world of corporate-government collusion where everything of value is owned by powerful corporations -- all enforced at gunpoint by local law enforcement.

http://countercurrents.org/adams280710.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

__,_._,___

[ALOCHONA] Dr Tarek Shamsur Rahman on Bangla-India relation



Dr Tarek Shamsur Rahman on Bangla-India relation
 
 
 
 


__._,_.___


[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] Thirsty? How About An Ice-Cold Glass Of Sewage-Infested Water?



Thirsty? How About An Ice-Cold Glass Of Sewage-Infested Water?

By Amnesty international

30 July, 2010
(The remains of a destroyed water cistern in a West bank town)

On Saturday 31 July, Amnesty International members will be handing out free samples of bottled water to people in Dublin, Cork and Galway.The only trouble is that the water – like 90 percent of water available to Palestinians in Gaza, is filthy.


On a sizzling hot day in Ireland, all we have to do to cool off is reach for the tap. For Palestinians living in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, there's no such relief.

Almost 200,000 Palestinians living in the West Bank have no running water, making ordinary tasks, like washing and cooking, that we take for granted almost impossible.

Israeli settlers enjoy refreshing dips in brimming swimming pools while only miles away, Palestinian water reservoirs stand empty."The Israeli Government is deliberately taking water from Palestinians in the hope of driving them off their land," said Amnesty International Campaigns Officer Eilís Ní Chaithnía."Diseases from drinking sewage-infested water are rife in parts of the Occupied Palestinian Territories because Israeli authorities restrict the water sources."

To send a message to the Israeli authorities, Amnesty International will be doling out bottles of dirty water to thirsty passers-by this Saturday (31 July) - to see how we like it.Eilís Ní Chaithnía will be on hand at the entrance to St Stephen's Green, Dublin city centre at 2pm to give interviews and answer any questions about our "Thirst for Justice" campaign.Volunteers will hand out free samples of bottled water in pairs, while also collecting signatures for a petition to the Israeli authorities demanding a fair share of water for Palestinian communities.

Amnesty International will also hold the day of action in Galway city, Cork city and Clonakilty this Saturday afternoon.Amnesty International is calling on the Israeli government to ensure Palestinians get a fair share of the water supply.Currently Israelis consume four times as much water per person as the Palestinian community does.

"The Irish Government needs to put pressure on Israel to ensure that it upholds international law by immediately lifting all restrictions on Palestinians' access to water," said Eilís Ní Chaithnía.

http://www.amnesty.ie/news/thirsty-how-about-ice-cold-glass-sewage-infested-water



__._,_.___


[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] Corruption eating into the vitals



 
WHILE addressing the AL Parliamentary Party meeting on July 22 Prime Minister Sk. Hasina said that she would take stern action if any lawmaker or minister was involved in corruption. Evidently the prime minister issued this warning in the backdrop of the reports of bungling and misappropriation of food grains allocated for test relief and food for work programs.

The P.M.'s warning was reinforced by the report published in a Bangla daily on July 26 that indicated that while implementing the "one house, one farm" program in Bamna village in Barguna, 12 members of an affluent family had been included in the list.

Roushanara Akhtar, a field worker of BRDB, admitted that she had to include those names under political pressure. Strangely enough, the report says that Sanjib Bepary, the owner of Sanjib grocery stores, has been included in the list, but his neighbour, Shishu Bala, an old widowed and distressed person, despite her entreaties, could not get her name in the list.

The list further revealed that one Asaduzzaman, a lecturer in Bamna Degree College and one Shukur Sikdar, a Chatra League worker in Amtali, got themselves included in the list twice by changing their names. Chairman BRDB and Director Project Implementation Bureau admitted the widespread irregularities in preparing the list.

Golam Sabur Tulu, AL M.P. Barguna-2 constituency, expressed his ignorance about the list of ineligible people and indicated that he would recommend deterrent measures against the culprits.

While issuing directives to the D.C.s about monitoring militant activities and arresting price hike of essentials, the P.M. could have issued directives to the D.C.s to combat corruption. There is paramount need for improving governance, and fixing up infra-structure and regulatory frameworks to achieve pro-people growth and development.

The big talk in the country is endemic corruption in the corridors of power and business. We are forced to talk about it mostly in generic terms, which is why we are no longer shocked by the unspeakable corruption of our officials and politicians.

How rotten the system is becomes clear when a person agrees to speak in more specific terms on condition of absolute anonymity. I met such a person recently, who said that everyone was on the take at every level of government.

No sooner had he finished the construction of his house than an official of the tax department said that he was ready to negotiate the amount of tax the homeowner was obliged to pay, but for a price. The tax on the house should be at least Tk.60,000, but if the owner gave him Tk.30,000 he could ensure that the tax would be Tk.30,000.

A building contractor, who recently won a Tk.10 lakh contract by keeping other parties off the bidding through a settlement of Tk.2 lakh, told me that at the time of receiving the final bill he had to give Tk.1 lakh to the officials. He said that he would make a profit of Tk. 2 lakh. That only speaks of the quality of work he would deliver!

The education sector is the latest victim of corruption. What distinguishes some premier colleges and public universities in the country is their drive to give students the type of education that goes beyond textbooks, classroom lectures, and considerations of politics and party. But they are shedding their image as prime suppliers of talent in different services of the country because recruitment of college teachers is manipulated by a syndicate involving the Public Service Commission (PSC).

PSC administrative officer M.A. Rouf, implicated in the question leakage scam of B.G. Press, confessed that a syndicate involving Public Service Commission officials

manipulated the appointment of teachers in government colleges in 2005. Teachers were either appointed or promoted to higher posts against fake certificates in exchange of money. It is not the criminality that is astonishing but the fact that they compromised the entire political class during the BNP- led alliance regime.

The series of reports published in a section of the press during the last two months sent a chill down the nation's spine. Colleges now have to admit students not on merit but on the recommendation of the leaders of Chatra League who collect a big sum of money from these ineligible candidates.

What is more ominous is that the perpetrators seemed to have a large measure of administrative sanction. Reports of otherwise respectable and learned teachers participating in such a filthy game are a chilling warning of the breakdown of moral fabric, social values and national aspiration.

Obviously, corruption has been institutionalised. Not reining in such scams is a political blunder. And in the aftermath of such reports being published, the question of whether the government connived in such alleged scams has acquired importance.

Another interesting aspect of such stories relate to how long and complicated it still is to do anything in this country, like expanding business activities, erecting a factory, importing machinery and releasing goods from the port. A businessman told me that it took more than three years to build a factory, and at every stage there was someone's pocket to be lined.

It's not that some new bacillus is loose today; corruption is no worse now than it's ever been. Whenever there is too much concentrated power and too little accountability, there is plunder and payoffs. What is different today -- and will become even more noticeable in the days to come -- is the worldwide effort to do something about it.

Around the globe there is an overwhelming urge to purge. Newly democratising populaces are getting tired of being exploited by their public servants. As more countries are reforming or undergoing economic change angry citizens are flushing out the mucky residue of old regimes that dragged them down. Democracy and free trade, of course, don't automatically translate into probity.

Governments that pay their way to power usually focus on recouping their huge campaign investments through corruption. Corruption generally gets out of control when citizens of a society find that there's more to gain than lose by permitting it. However, in the long run, the rise of democratic systems is the best hope for combating corruption.

But the fact is that as long as it takes an average of 20 years for a corruption case to come to court, we can be sure corruption will continue to flourish. The slow judicial process is the main reason why corrupt officials and politicians simply disappear instead of being brought to justice.

Corruption is not just a moral problem. Economists and international organisations point out the serious damage that corruption can do to economic growth and prosperity. International investment is the lifeblood of many economies, and because information travels so quickly these days, reputations can be made and destroyed on a single headline in the newspaper. Recent studies suggest that no nation can expect to become an advanced, high-income economy without attacking its corruption problem. Graft and poverty go hand in hand.

Md. Asadullah Khan is a former teacher of physics and Controller of Examinations, BUET. E-mail: aukhanbd@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] 80% Printing job goes to Indian firms



80% Printing job goes to Indian firms
 


__._,_.___


[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] Has the Supreme Court Judgment indirectly nullified the 1/11 changeover?



    Clever!  Very clever suggestions coming from a mutt who uses his intelligence to serve his maters
 in the Defence Forum of Pakistan!
     
      Unlike Major Gen. Ziaur Rahman in 1975, Gen. Moin in 2007 did not suspend the Constitution
and declared the Martial Law as the supreme law of the land, nor did he self-appoint himself as the Chief Martial Law
Administrator.  That self-declared Chief Military Ruler then had the audacity to mutilate
and even subvert the Constitution. It was his Party's misrule that put the country in chaos in 2006.
 
      Since General Moin in 2007 did not self-designate himself to any position
other than what status he already held in the military before 1/11, 2007, I do not see
 how he can be called an "adventurist usurper."
 
               Beware of clever suggestions! Let us heed the Holy Qur'an:
                  
 
رَّبِّ أَعُوذُ بِكَ مِنْ هَمَزَاتِ الشَّيَاطِين ِوَأَعُوذُ بِكَ رَبِّ أَن يَحْضُرُونِ
                    
 

"My Lord! I seek refuge with You from the whisperings (suggestions) of the Shayatin (devils).

And I seek refuge with You, My Lord! lest they may attend (or come near) me." (Al_Quraan_023.097-098) AMEEN.


       Farida Majid
 

To: alochona@yahoogroups.com
From: MBIMunshi@gmail.com
Date: Thu, 29 Jul 2010 18:35:01 +0000
Subject: [ALOCHONA] Has the Supreme Court Judgment indirectly nullified the 1/11 changeover?

 

Has the Supreme Court Judgment indirectly nullified the 1/11 changeover and should Gen. Moin U. Ahmed

                                  be tried for subverting the Constitution?            

 

 

After carefully reading the text of the judgment of the Supreme Court in the 5th Amendment Case it suddenly occurred to me that the breadth of the ruling would also cover what occurred after January 11, 2007 when Gen. Moin U. Ahmed and his close military associates subverted, mutilated, held in abeyance and amended the constitution by extending the caretaker government concept beyond the 90 days limit that is specifically mentioned in the Constitution. It may also be observed that the two years in which the Caretaker Government was operative there was in fact indirect military rule.

 

The relevant part of the 5th Amendment judgment reads –

 

"We are of the view that in the spirit of the Preamble and also Article 7 of the Constitution the Military Rule, direct or indirect, is to be shunned once for all. Let it be made clear that Military Rule was wrongly justified in the past and it ought not to be justified in the future on any ground, principle, doctrine or theory whatsoever as the same is against the dignity, honour and glory of the nation that it achieved after great sacrifice; … it is also against the honour of each and every soldier of the Armed Forces who are oath bound to bear true faith and allegiance to Bangladesh and uphold the Constitution which embodies the will of the people, honestly and faithfully to serve Bangladesh in their respective services and also see that the Constitution is upheld, it is not kept in suspicion, abrogated, it is not subverted, it is not mutilated, and to say the least it is not held in abeyance and it is not amended by any authority not competent to do so under the Constitution."

 

Logic dictates that everything done in pursuance of the 1/11 agenda is automatically nullified by the judgment including the elections of 2008 that were held under indirect military rule! This would, of course, be a very audacious and unexpected outcome clearly not envisaged by the Supreme Court judges. If even part of my analysis is correct then the following part of the judgment becomes highly relevant –

 

"While dismissing the leave petitions we are putting on record our total disapproval of Martial Law and suspicion of the Constitution or any part thereof in any form. The perpetrators of such illegalities should also be suitably punished and condemned so that in future no adventurist, no usurper, would dare to defy the people, their Constitution, their Government, established by them with their consent. However, it is the Parliament which can make law in this regard. Let us bid farewell to all kinds of extra constitutional adventure forever."

 

One may certainly make an arguable legal case that Gen. Moin U. Ahmed was an adventurist, usurper and defied the people, the Constitution and the Government. The country therefore waits impatiently for Gen. Moin's punishment and condemnation as Parliament no where extended the 90 day rule set on the Caretaker Government which he and others ignored to the utter detriment of the nation.   

                                                                                  

 

                                          




__._,_.___


[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] Fw: [Shah Abdul Hannan] Press statement of Jamaate Islami on constitution, war crime and other issues





--- On Fri, 7/30/10, S A Hannan <sahannan@sonarbangladesh.com> wrote:

From: S A Hannan <sahannan@sonarbangladesh.com>
Subject: [Shah Abdul Hannan] Press statement of Jamaate Islami on constitution, war crime and other issues
To: sahannan@yahoogroups.com, sahannan2004@yahoo.co.in, "'Abdul Wahid Osman Belal'" <awobelal@yahoo.co.uk>, "'Isha Khan'" <bdmailer@gmail.com>
Date: Friday, July 30, 2010, 1:44 AM

 

 

 

 

 

From: Bangladesh Jamaat-e-islami [mailto:info@ jamaat-e- islami.org]

Sent: Thursday, July 29, 2010 9:24 AM

Subject: Press statement of Jamaate Islami on constitution, war crime and other issues

 

 

 

Press Release

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami acting secretary general ATM Azharul Islam

said, the arrest of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Amir and former

Industries Minister Maolana Matiur Rahman Nizami, Secretary General

and former Social Welfare Minister Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid and

Nayeb-e-Amir Maolana Delwar Hossain Saidee on June 29 in a false case

filed by a government-sympathi ser quarter in connection with hurting

the religious sentiment is politically motivated.

After the arrest, they were produced on June 30 before CMM court which

granted them bail. In spite of the bail the government has shown them

arrested in some other false cases hastily lodged against them and

they are being persecuted in the police remand. They are not even

allowed to have better treatment.

After the first round of arrest of the Jamaat trio , police nabbed

Assistant Secretaries General Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Kader

Molla when they went to High Court on July 13 for bail in a false case

pressed against them. Fresh cases are being pressed against them and they are being persecuted in  the name of police remand. On July 25 International Crimes Tribunal prosecution cell issued warrant for arrest of Maolana Matiur Rahman Nizami, Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid, Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul

Kader Molla. The tribunal led by its chairman Justice Md Nizamul Huq

issued the warrant against Jamaat-e-Islami leaders on July 26. The

Charges of murder, rape, robbery, arson and other crimes such as forming Al

Badar, Razakar, Al Shams were framed against them by prosecution

cell chief Golam Arif Tipu are not true. We denounce the allegations

and vehemently protest against the blatant lie. Today we thank you for

giving a patient hearing to our standpoint on allegations of war

crimes or crime against humanity, taking a little pain.

He said this while speaking at a press briefing at the central office

of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on July 28. The briefing was attended

among others by Assistant Secretary General Prof Mujibur Rahman, Press

Secretary Prof Tasnim Alam, Central Working Committee member and

Jamaat Dhaka city unit secretary Hamidur Rahman Azad, MP, Central

Working Committee member Principal Izzat Ullah, Adv Jasim Uddin

Sircar, Dr Syed Abdullah Md Taher, Assistant Press Secretary Matiur

Rahman Akand Jamaat Dhaka city unit assistant secretaries Nurul Islam

Bulbul and Maolana Abdul Halim.

ATM Azharul Islam said, the Razakar (Al Badar, Al Shams) was formed

under the auspices of Pakistan government and the order was issued by the then cabinet  secretary Golam Ishaq Khan, promulgating an ordinance. Members were appointed to Razakar foce under the auspices of  CO, OC, Municipal Chairman and Union Parishad Chairman,there was drum beating for recruitment and CO and OC selected the members from interested candidates .They recommended to the  district magistrate and superintendent of police. So in the Razakar formation process Jamaat-e-Islami and Islami Chhatra Sangha had no connections and none of the central Jamaat leaders were on the list of govt's Razakar gazette published by the Pakistan govt. It was none of the business of Jamaat. Razakar was formed, funded and managed by the then government.

So holding Jamaat leaders responsible for the formation of the

collaborator forces is quite unfounded and illogical. It is also an

injustice to Jamaat for the wrongs done during the War of Independence

in 1971.He said the allegations of murder, rape, robbery, arson, war crimes

and crimes against humanity brought against Jamaat quartet by the

prosecution cell of International Crime Tribunal are completely false

and fabricated. The false allegations were brought only to tarnish

their political image.He said, the so-called war crime trial is nothing but a travesty of justice and the contentious issue was settled long before. It is apparent from the initiatives of govt in the name of bringing the war

criminals to book.This is nothing but  an attempt to launch attack on one of

the main opposition parties like  Jamaat-e-Islami, aiming at debilitating the possible opposition from the organisation. Even some ministers calling

the Jamaat leaders as war criminals publicly long before the framing

of the war crime charge. The trial is staged only to pave the way for

the hegemonist and expansionist powers and their conspiracies to work

in the country, weeding out a patriotic and politically organised

camp.

State minister for law Adv Kamrul Islam at a 14-party meeting at

Dhanmondi on March 19 last said that Maolana Matiur Rahman Nizami,

Delwar Hossain Saidee and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid will be tried

first as the war criminals. At the same meeting Awami League joint

general secretary Mahbubul Alam Hanif said, 'Nizami and Mojahid will

be hanged first'. Their statements before the framing of charges

against these leaders corroborate that the trial will a travesty of

justice in line with conspiracies hatched earlier.

He said, on February 24 a team of ministers and state ministers, led

by law minister Shafique Ahmed visited old High Court building where

special tribunal was set up to try the so-called war criminals. The

team was accompanied by Sector Commanders' Forum leader Lt Gen Harunur

Rashid and the Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee general secretary Kazi

Mukul. Ministers can visit the tribunal site but how can the sector

commanders' forum and Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee leaders accompany

them as they are party to this and dead against Jamaat. So we have

reasons to believe that the war crime trialis merely a drama  and is going

to be staged to weaken the political opponents.

He said, we want to state  that none of the Jamaat leaders were

involved in war crimes therefore there lies no scope to link Jamaat

leaders with war crimes. On January 1972 Collaborator Act was

promulgated and around one lakh so-called collaborators  were rounded up.

Allegations against 36,623 over 37, 471 collaborators could not be

proved due to lack of available data. Only 2,848 of the arrested were

brought to trial. Charges were pressed against  752 crime suspects and none

of the Jamaat leaders was included in the list. On November 30 in 1973

the then President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman granted a general amnesty for

all except those who were involved in rape, arson, looting and

killing. And none of the Jamaat activists was involved in such

heinous crimes and no allegation was brought against the leaders of

Jamaat-e-Islami during the one a half-year rule of Awami League

following the amnesty. Not only that no case even a First Information

Report (FIR) was not lodged with any police station in the country which

bears the testimony to their no-link to war crime.

 All of you know from 1996 to 2001 Awami League didn't initiate to try

the war criminals and from 1983 to 1990 we launched coordinated

movement with BNP and AL against the then military despot H M Ershad.

In 1983 till 1990 Jamaat-e-Islami with BNP and AL took to the streets

demanding introduction of caretaker govt to the constitution and Awami

League used to consider Jamaat as their ally and also a democratic

force. Jamaat, Awami League and the Jatiya Party launched allied

movement for caretaker govt. Then Jamaat was a democratic force to

Awami League but when for a coalition government in 1991 Awami League

sent a delegation to Prof Golam Azam, seeking support of

Jamaat-e-Islami, which couldn't agree on the proposal. When AL came to

power in 1996 a 4-party alliance led by BNP was forged not only to

launch movement against the misrule of the govt but also to form a

4-party government if wins in election. Jamaat's joining with the

alliance annoyed AL seriously. People think as the party previously

annoyed, wants to take revenge on Jamaat, so it has set up a tribunal

to hold trial of its leaders' as war criminals.

 He said, crimes against Humanity means any of the following acts when

committed as part of a widespread or systematic attack, with knowledge

of the attack:  murder, extermination, enslavement, deportation,

imprisonment, abduction, confinement, torture, rape or other inhumane

acts committed against any civilian population or persecutions on

political, racial, ethnic or religious grounds, whether or not in

violation of the domestic law of the country where perpetrated. Jamaat

didn't join the war it merely had a different political outlook. So as

per the International law not Jamaat leaders but 195 Pakistan army

officers were held responsible for war crime but all of these Pakistan

Army officers were later released and were not tried for war crime. They were granted amnesty by founder president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who later

sent all army officers back to Pakistan . It would be a great injustice

if Jamaat leaders are hanged though they didn't even join the war and

take up arms.

 The acting Secretary General  said, a section has launched a propaganda war against Jamaat on the basis of old newspaper cuttings, stories on War of Independence and the video clips made by the section as per their whims after long 39 years. Now our question is can some story books, newspaper reports and some video clippings made on their own be document for trial. In

no country a court considers such paper clippings as the documents.

He said, the Jamaat leaders, whose images the ruling quarter is trying

to tarnish, didn't flee the country after 1971 but rather stayed in

the country, took part in parliamentary polls and had been

representing people in the Parliament soon after the birth of the

nation. A few of them became ministers and served the nation. Not only

national govt Jamaat leaders also have been serving  the common people being elected in local government elections as chairmen and members. If they

had committed crime against humanity people wouldn't have voted them

to power as their representatives. There is no single example of a war

criminal being a people's representative. The example of Tokyo and

Nuremberg trial is cited but those of the war criminals of the World

War II hanged there were all army personnel. They committed war crime

and went into hiding till they were pinned down. Those who are still

at large are being hunted down. So there are no similarities between

the Tokyo and Nuremberg War Crime Tribunal and the Dhaka Special

Tribunal set up by Awami League govt. Rather it is tantamount to

squeezing a confession of crime from one who wasn't at all involved in

the crime.

 He said, the process initiated to try the so-called war criminals

appears to the countrymen that the judges of the tribunal, public

prosecutor, plaintiff, witness sing the same song and undoubtedly they

were  picked as they are pro-Awami League and also anti-Jamaat. The way

the list of so-called war criminals made and publicized seems to be

pre-conceived and  with ill-intent. Now the war crime drama

will be merely staged as the conscious citizens of the country guess

that verdict is also predetermined and the only thing remains

unaccomplished is handing down the verdict and hanging  the

political preys. If the trial is being held flouting the international

laws and ethics it will turn into a complete farce, which will not be

accepted by communities at home and abroad. The false trial will be

nothing but a travesty of truth, creating the greatest tragedy of our time.

 He said, even the special tribunal formed under 1973 Act has already

been called into question by the international community. Meanwhile

War Crimes Committee of the International Bar Association has raised

17 objections to the 1973 Act. It may be mentioned here that the

committee, which comprises 20 members, includes Yugoslavia

International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Justice Richard

Goldstone.

 He said, the present political unrest, economy slump with  no

investment, skyrocketing of prices of essentials, deterioration in law

and order have almost unnerved the people. People feel quite unsafe

due to downslide in law and order situation. Unethical activities and

violence are prevailing on educational campuses. Ruling party

activists are engaged in various terrorist activities including tender

snatching, stealing, hijacking, robbery, admission business, killing

political opponents, extortion even 'women students are used to

satisfy the leaders' etc, creating an anarchic atmosphere throughout

the country. We expected that govt would concentrate on people's

welfare activities but in place of that govt has resorted to

arresting, grilling and torturing the activists of Jamaat and Shibir,

aiming at unstabilising the country's political arena. Police has

netted more than 3000 activists including Shibir leader Golam Murtaza

on July. Police in plain clothes arrested not only Murtaza but also

BNP leader Chowdhury Alam whose whereabouts is still unknown to his

family and the people. Government wants to rewind the constitution of

1972 with an aim to ban Islamic movements in the country and thus

causing a political vacuum in the country. Govt is also muddying the

waters by rewinding the settled issues of 39 years back, pushing the

country on the brink of anarchy.

 He said, we are bound to say that a farce in the trial of war

criminals is going to be staged, aiming at dismantling Jamaat. We will

go on facing the govt both in court and in the street peacefully and

democratically inshaAllah. We will take up the challenge of

undemocratic and tyrannical course adopted by the govt to reign in the

Jamaat-e-Islami with the people of all strata particularly the Islamic

parties, Islamic scholars, Peers, students, labourers and the

peace-loving people at large to forge movement.

 Demanding unconditional release of leaders and activists of Jamaat

and others, assurance of uninterrupted supply of gas, water,

electricity, reigning in the price hike, upholding the sanctity of the

holy Ramadan and in protest at the police atrocities, deterioration of

law and order Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami announces the following

programmes.

 Programmes:

1. Demonstrations will be staged across the country on July 29

demanding the release of Jamaat amir and former minister Maolana

Matiur Rahman Nizami, nayeb-e-amir Maolana Delwar Hossain Saidee,

secretary general and former minister Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mojahid,

assistant secretaries general Muhammad Kamaruzzaman and Abdul Kader

Molla and other leaders and activists.

2. Praying for the release of the leaders and activists of the

Opposition on  July 30 (doa day).

3. Demanding the release of Jamaat and other opposition leaders and

activists, rallies and mass contact  will held across the country

on August 4, 5, 6.

4. To press home the demands of curbing the slide in law and order,

containing the price hike, ensuring supply of gas, water and

electricity and upholding the sanctity of the holy Ramadan rallies and

protest processions will be organised in the country on August 8 and

10.

He said, we urge leaders and activists of city, district, upazilla,

and thana to extend cooperation to stage demo, hold rallies and bring

out demonstrations to make the agenda grand success.

 

Professor Tasnim Alam

Press Secretary

Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami




__._,_.___


[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

__,_._,___