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Monday, June 6, 2011

[ALOCHONA] Suranjit's useless recommendations



Suranjit's useless recommendations



http://www.amadershomoy1.com/content/2011/06/07/news0489.htm


http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2011-06-07/news/160344



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[ALOCHONA] Nodi Dokhol



Nodi Dokhol



http://www.prothom-alo.com/detail/date/2011-06-07/news/160431


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[ALOCHONA] Syed Abul Hossain



Syed Abul Hossain





http://www.bd-pratidin.com/?view=details&type=gold&data=University&pub_no=400&cat_id=1&menu_id=1&news_type_id=1&index=0


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[ALOCHONA] Police actions during hartal



Pictures of police actions during hartal

Jun 5, 2011

Bangladesh policewomen take away a political activists  belonging to the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) towards the police van (not pictured) during the daylong countrywide strike, at Paltan, Dhaka, Bangladesh 05 June 2011. According to media sources, police on 05 June detained at least 50 protesters at an opposition demonstration against the government's refusal to allow the creation of an independent election authority.

 

Bangladesh policewomen take away a political activists (C) belonging to the main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) towards the police van (not pictured) during the daylong countrywide strike, at Paltan, Dhaka, Bangladesh 05 June 2011. According to media sources, police on 05 June detained at least 50 protesters at an opposition demonstration against the government's refusal to allow the creation of an independent election authority.  EPA/ABIR ABDULLAH



 

 

http://www.bdinn.com/news/pictures-of-police-actions-during-hartal/



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[ALOCHONA] 'History will mark you as traitors'



'History will mark you as traitors'

Dhaka, June 6 (bdnews24.com) — Bangladesh will become a communal, fundamentalist and failed state like Pakistan if the spirit of the 1972's constitution is foiled, a citizen's platform has said.

"And if it happens, parliament will be held responsible," said a press release on Monday from the Ekattorer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee (Committee for Elimination of Killers and Collaborators of 1971). "If you [the government] take part in this evil, history will forever mark you as traitors," the organisation said in the release.

Addressing the MPs, it said, "People voted for the Grand Alliance in the election of 2008 to ensure trial of war criminals and restoration of the four pillars of the 1972 constitution, not to legalise the 5th and 8th Amendments…" The special committee on charter review finalised its report on June 5 with 51-point proposals on the 15th amendment to the constitution.

In its report, the special committee proposed to keep Islam as the religion of state and to retain religion-based politics and 'Bismillahir-Rahmanir-Rahim' in the preamble of the constitution. "Presentation of these proposals in parliament would be a treachery with the ideology and spirit of Bangabandhu and the 1972 constitution," the organisation said in the release. "It will be a hideous example to retain the proposals by disobeying the Supreme Court verdict."

It said, "The former presidents Hussein Muhammad Ershad and late Ziaur Rahman passed the 5th and 8th amendments in order to create a fundamentalist state like Pakistan. It had nothing to do with their love for Islam."

The press release was signed by committee advisors' panel president Prof Kabir Chowdhury, executive committee president justice Golam Rabbani, committee president Shahriar Kabir and general secretary Kazi Mukul. The 5th Amendment added Bismillah to the preamble of the constitution while the 8th introduced Islam as the religion of state.



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[ALOCHONA] PM on CTG



PM on CTG



http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2011/06/07/85881


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[ALOCHONA] Use of 'bismillah' in the Constitution is Blasphemous!



Use of 'bismillah' in the Constitution is Blasphemous!

 

                     Farida Majid

 

           Sentimental objection against removal of "bismillah"s  placement in the Constitution of Bangladesh has begun just as I apprehended.  This is a familiar trick reminiscent of Hitler's campaign rhetoric stoking popular racial and ethnic sentiments in 1930s Germany. Later the Catholic Church of Austria used religious sentiments to persecute the Jews and oust them from Vienna. The lesson to be learned is that the word of God, when politically manipulated, can bring massive human destruction. The Genocide of 1971 is scorched in our memory.

 

         When I raised the issue of illegally placed "bismillah" above the Preamble of the Constitution of Bangladesh in the internet forums, I got angry responses. Accused of being anti-Islam and a paid servant of Zionist masters, I was asked: "Why "Bismillah" is a problem for you?"

 

          'Bismillah' is not a problem for me.  It is a constant and trusted companion. Besides using it in prayers, I love saying it at the commencement of any good work, and I love writing it.  Give me a minute or two, and any old pen, and even without practice, I will write 'bismillah' in Arabic in passable Nashtaliq calligraphic style.

 

          I do have a problem though with a thing called Martial Law. There is no such thing called 'Martial Law' in the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.  'Bismillah' should not be put above the Preamble of the nation's Constitution by an unlawful usurper of civilian power who called himself Chief Martial Law Administrator.   The use of 'bismillah' for such crass political purpose behind the clout of illegal Martial Law by a Proclamation Order in 1977, thereby betraying the trust of 150 million people should surely count as the most shocking and egregious blasphemy! It is pure kufri!

 

          See the Holy Qur'an for a strong interdiction against invoking Allah's name in an unlawful act like this in Sura Hud (11: 18):

 

 Waman athlamu mimmani iftara AAala Allahi kathiban ola-ika yuAAradhoona AAala rabbihim wayaqoolu al-ashhadu haola-i allatheena kathaboo AAala rabbihim ala laAAnatu Allahi AAala alththalimeena

 

And who (is) more unjust/oppressive than who fabricated/cut and split on God lies/denials/falsifications? Those, they are being displayed/exhibited/shown on (to) their Lord, and the witnesses/testifiers (the angels) say: "Those (are) those who lied/denied/falsified upon their Lord." Is not God's curse/torture on the unjust/oppressors?  …11:18

 

           Anything that bears the sign of preference for one particular religion, be it the religion of a large number of natives, is debris from the illegal acts of constitutional vandalism. Surely it is blasphemous to use the hallowed name of Allah as a mark to legitimize such an act of unjust vandalism. By upholding the welcome repeal of the Fifth Amendment, Act 1979, the Supreme Court has fulfilled the duty of the judiciary in the service of preserving and defending the Constitution of Bangladesh. Now it seems that a Parliamentary process should be put in place to remove this heinous blasphemy and restore the sanctity of the Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh.

 

            Independence from the British rule, and then from Pakistan's oppression, must mean freedom from the dreadful colonial practice of categorization of people and computation of demography by the professed faith of a person or a group.  Counting people by their religions means everyone is forced into a pre-selected classification that ignores other principles of grouping. We must stop the practice of depicting majority/minority on the basis of religion alone.

 

           The Parliament should do its part to fulfill the obligation of preserving and protecting the Constitution that represents our valiant fight for independence from a false statehood (Pakistan) whose existential basis was this weird notion of computation of people by their religion.  Pakistan was a disasterous experiment in a bad idea!  The birth of Bangladesh in 1971 proved conclusively that Muslim Bengalis do not need a separate state as Muslims only and no one else.  They can live with people of other religions and ethnicity as they have happily and prosperously done so for centuries.

 

                                                                                                                               ©2011, Farida Majid

 

 



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[ALOCHONA] Sunday Guardian - Bangladesh Missing the Point about Indigenous People/Ctg Hill Tracts




Missing the point at the UN     

Zafar Sobhan

Sunday Guardian

http://www.sunday-guardian.com/analysis/missing-the-point-at-the-un

 

Zafar Sobhan is a Dhaka-based editor and columnist.

 

What's going on in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) is the story we Bangladeshis, or at least the majority ethnic Bengalis, don't like to talk about too much. Our long record of suppression of indigenous rights and marginalisation of non-Bengali peoples is too shameful and does not mesh well with our national self-image as the eternal victim and the perpetually downtrodden.

 

But in the CHT, it is the Bengali Muslim who has turned oppressor, who has the state and the armed forces on his side, and who has been the guilty party, showing that we have quite as much an inclination for domination and repression when the numbers and power equation are in our favour.

 

The CHT peace accord signed by the Awami League government in 1997 to bring to an end two decades of low-level insurgency and provide a framework for the self-determination and protection of the rights of the non-Bengali indigenous population of the CHT was supposed to change all that. Unfortunately, successive governments have not done nearly enough to implement the accord, and, today, almost 15 years since it was signed, the situation in the CHT seems to be going backwards.

 

It had been hoped that the return of the AL to power in 2009 would help the cause of indigenous rights in the CHT, as neither the intervening BNP government of 2001-06 nor the army-backed caretaker government of 2007-08 had much sympathy for the CHT's adivasi population or their aspirations and concerns.

 

But if the official government response to the recent report bought out by a UN Special Rapporteur on the status of the implementation of the 1997 peace accord and presented to the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues is anything to go by, not only will the current sorry state of affairs continue unabated, but the government will not even acknowledge that there is a problem, much less do anything to work towards a resolution.

 

The Bangladeshi response to the report was worse than depressing. The first line of defence was that: "Bangladesh does not have an 'indigenous' population ... the Accord has nothing to do with 'indigenous issues' and therefore the government of Bangladesh reiterates its position that the Forum, which is mandated to deal with 'indigenous issues' does not have any locus standi in discussing the issues related to the CHT Peace Accord."

 

This argument is apparently based on the fact that the adivasi population of Bangladesh all originate from outside the country and migrated to the region several hundred years ago, and are not, therefore, "indigenous".

 

It was left to Raja Devasish Roy, head of the Chakma people of CHT and a member of the forum to point out, with a certain presumed weariness, "The Permanent Forum is mandated to deal with issues of indigenous peoples, irrespective of what term the governments use to refer to their indigenous peoples: 'tribes' or 'ethnic minorities' or otherwise."

 

The Bangladeshi government's smarty-pants position is symptomatic of the glib childishness of its thinking. This is not the time for pedantic, pettifogging arguments that miss the point and do nothing to address the very real denial of rights and oppression that is the everyday reality in the CHT.

 

It is discouraging to see the government hide behind words in the apparent belief that by quibbling over terminology it has won the argument.

 

The point, of course, is that the issue is not whether they can rightly be classified as "indigenous" or not, but whether it is correct that the 1997 peace accord has not been implemented and that the promised reforms have not been delivered or promised rights secured.

 

Rather than play the fool with silly word games and fatuous point scoring, the government would do far better to acknowledge that it has fallen short in the implementation of the peace accord, and that it needs to turn its attention to the parlous situation in the CHT and ensure the rights which were the policy centre-piece of the last AL government's tenure.

 

Many Members of Parliament and other prominent leaders and officials of the AL are on record stating that they believe that the PM deserves a Nobel Peace Prize for having signed the 1997 peace accord, and so successful has been this campaign of sycophancy that the PM has reportedly come to believe it herself. Well, I'm not sure that a Nobel Prize will be forthcoming, either way, but surely the sine qua non of the PM's case would be the successful implementation of the peace accord to the satisfaction of the region's indigenous population, whatever we wish to call them.



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[ALOCHONA] BAKSAL is the Nazi Party of Bangladesh and Mujib is the Hitler !!!!!!!!!


Aslam, Mirjafor of Bangla accused me as Al-Badr, though I had grown up after 71 and no role in 71, neither I support any rajakars. Is not it a cheap chants for last 40 years, anyone opposing the Aslam's father Mujib (aka, Chondi Das, illicit son of Gori Bala Das, later known as "Mujib"; according to Calcutta Court Documents) labelled as rajakar?
 
Aslam, son of a Mirjafor - do something better for your soul! Those old broken records of rajakar would not sell any more! you and BAL have been doing this business for last 40 years!
 
Why Seikh Mujib fromed RakhiBahini when there were already Police and Army and other law-implementing forces already exist? Why RakhiBahini given enormous authority to execute extra-judicial killing? Mujib's RakhiBahini killed 40,000 innocent victims. Hitler's Gestapo  caused same torment as Mujib's RakhiBahini. Mujib, nemesis of Hitler should stand trial - where is the justice for Siraj Sikder?
 
Famine 74 killed and displaced as many 100,000 people, many women and children were victim  of Mujib's crime of inept and corruption. Is not Mujib a "Grand Theif" of corruption?
 
Golam Azam maybe accused of illicitly supporting Pakis, but, he was not a deamon as Mujib. In the grand scale of crimes, Mujib wrecked havoc to the people from 72-75 more than Golam Azam selling TK25 coupon for Pakis for Peace Committe.
 
Hang those rajakars of 71 ; hang those killers of 74 Famine. Why punish one and spare others?
 
Aslam, where were you in 74? Do you still possess a piece of blanket turned as Mujib Coat? Are you a nephew of KombolCHora Gazi Golam Mostafa? You should stand trail too!
 
 
 
 

--- On Fri, 6/3/11, Syed_Aslam3 <Syed.Aslam3@gmail.com> wrote:

From: Syed_Aslam3 <Syed.Aslam3@gmail.com>
Subject: [chottala.com] Jamaate Islami is the Nazi Party of Bangladesh and Golam Azam is the Adolf Otto Eichmann of Bangladesh !!!!!!!!!
To: "Khobor" <khabor@yahoogroups.com>, chottala@yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, June 3, 2011, 1:22 PM

 

Jamaate Islami is the Nazi Party of Bangladesh and Golam Azam is
the Adolf Otto Eichmann of Bangladesh
 
Al-bodor Mr. Enayet Ullah's Â pseudo-defence for Golam Azam, Nizami, Mujahid gong
clearly shows that he is an open supporter for the Jamaate islami, a party of the traitors
of 1971....
 
It is more appropriate to call Jamaate Islami. the Nazi Party of Bangladesh ....
 like the Nazi party the Jamaat also hides behind the ideological camouflage .....
 
As far as the history tells BKSAL was a program based national organization
for the uplift of peasants and workers of Bangladesh .... not a part of the
supremacist ideologs....
 
In any case, without Sheikh Mujib's strategic leadership role, the independent
People's Republic of Bangladesh would not have emerged ....
Whereas, the Jamaati guided by Golam Azam, Nizami, Mujahid gong openly
collaborated with the Pak Army and an accessory to the genocide of 1971
in Bangladesh ...... The intellectual killings of 1971 was a sole act of Jamaat's
Al-Bodor Bahini undern Matiur Rahman Nizami with the full blessings of
Golam Azam :
 
 
History has shown how the so-called Islamists supported Hitler and his Nazi
party:
 
hitler_mufti.jpg
Grand-Mufti meets Hitler to show his support.
 
Collaborators of 1971:
genocide.jpg
 
Conspirators: Golam Azam, Tikka Khan & Nurul Amin.:
GolamAzamTikkaKhan.jpg
Related:

 
On Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 2:32 PM, Enayet Ullah <enayet_2000@yahoo.com> wrote:
 
 
Seikh Mujib is the 'Hitler of Bangla' ; Mujib's BAKSAL is nothing but Hitlers' NAZI party.
 
 
Golam Azam is the Adolf Otto Eichmann of Bangladesh .... The Jamaat's armed
 2011/5/31 Syed_Aslam3 <syed.aslam3@gmail.com>

Golam Azam is the Adolf Otto Eichmann of Bangladesh .... The Jamaat's armed
gestapo death squad Al-Bodor Bahini was formed with the full consent and initiative
of Golam Azam and his associates Nizami, Mujahid gong ......
khaleda_nijami.jpg
 
janwar.gif
mannan04.jpg
 
 

1971-G ixZDk kpiwd xdRwiyk KiêKw«

1971-G ixZDk kpiwd xdRwiyk KiêKw« RwdËZ GLwËd xKõK KkØd

KÚZÃ…¡Zw ÈyKwk : owBbÖÅ'wiwd kImd (1971 NwZK-bwlwlËbk g£ÃŸÃšZw I xggÙxZ), Awly AwKgk Uwgy (iÖx£ÃŸjÖ˦ Ã'bxdK ovMÞwËik hÃ"xiKw), dÃ"kØl Bolwi (71-Gk NwZK bwlwl: jw gËlËQ jw KËkËQ), i֣ßcwkw, Shahriyar Kabir (Pictorial History of Nirmul Committee), Seyeed Vali Reza Nasr (The Vangard of Islamic Revolution), Sayyid Mutaqqu'l Rahman and Salim Khalid (Jvnat)

ovMÞËp : Ëiwpwiôb iwpgÖgÖk kpiwd (Rwlwl), Wwlwo, AwËixkKw

 

1971-G Awly Awpowd ÃŒiwpwiôb iÖRwxpËbk KiêKw«

GK dRËk kwRwKwk Awly Awpowd ÃŒiwpwiôb iÖRwxpËbk xKQÖ KiêKw«

ovMÞËp : Ëiwpwiôb iwpgÖgÖk kpiwd (Rwlwl), Wwlwo, AwËixkKw

2011/5/31 Isha Khan <bdmailer@gmail.com>
 
 

[ALOCHONA] If I were the head of a political party in BAngladesh-one



  What I would do ?

                                         I would do, must do some things  so that running my party become easy. 

Make one rule that would make running party easy,  ensure less time  required to manage conflict in the party. Would make this rule so that  controlling the party become much easier.  This rule would  not only  make running the party easy but also  runnuing the govt easy and would prevent  loosing party's popularity  in great extent  when party is in power.

For rest 


The test of patriotism is not a one-off event for anyone, let alone the political quarters, that once passed is passed for ever. It is rather a perpetual process, especially for the ruling political quarters that have to pass it every moment- Nurul Kabir , Editor , The NewAge



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[ALOCHONA] A MUST SEE 'Arundathi Roy'





"The greed of gain has no time or limit to its capaciousness. Its one object is to produce and consume. It has pity neither for beautiful nature nor for living human beings. It is ruthlessly ready without a moment's hesitation to crush beauty and life"
  TAGORE

PLEASE WATCH THIS INTERVIEW AND SHARE WITH EVERYBODY YOU KNOW AND ASK THEM TO FORWARD TO EVERYBODY THEY KNOW. ALSO SHARE THIS WITH YOUR CHILDREN. THIS IS OUR DEFINING MOMENT; WAKEUP EVERYBODY , BEFORE THIS SO CALLED PROGRESS AND MODERNIZATION FLINGS OPEN ALL THE GATES OF HELL. LONG LIVE THE CONSCIENCE OF THE WORLD-TAGORE REINCARNATE--ARUNDATHI ROY!!!!!!!!!!!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-13624077

SaifDevdas


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[ALOCHONA] War crimes tribunal of BAL Govt: revenge, fair trial or a big mess?

War crimes tribunal: revenge, fair trial or a big mess?

Afsan Chowdhury
 
bdnews24.com / May 30, 2011

Even before the trial has begun, the war crimes tribunal is threatening to become controversial. Partly because many are reading politics in the trial process while there are international concerns that the legal regime governing the trial is inadequate. Some are worried that the prosecutors may not have gotten their acts together as far as admissible evidence collection and appropriate prosecution strategy goes. More anxiety may follow.

Let us face it; everyone wants revenge and not a trial. Most see the trial as a legal formality to be completed to punish the accused. But that is not the business of the state however intense the social feeling is. While everyone knows about the war crimes of 1971 and the war crimes tribunal has come into existence to try those who committed crimes against the people, they don't add up to conviction which is a legal matter, not a social or emotional point. While
everyone is anxious to seek punishment of war criminals and not necessarily a fair trial, the whole business of the trial to be run by the state is exactly that.

Due to repeated failure of various regimes to try war criminals, an enormous reservoir of resentment has been created in public minds. But the trial is not a tool for revenge and that is why the WCT has become a complex matter. It is responsible for providing even handed justice for all including the criminals and no matter how much people want revenge, the ultimate goal of this body will be to deliver justice to all, the victims and the accused.

Using the court to seek revenge will defeat the purpose of the process because revenge is not built around legal and logical action while a court is. And a bad trial will be a very bad revenge.

Questions whether a fair trial is going to be held has already been raised and while internally this is not much of an issue, it is in international quarters who matter on such matters. Two agencies, Human Rights Watch (HRW), a global HR organisation and the US government have raised concerns about various procedural and legal matters relating to the trial process while supporting the objective of the government to hold the trial.

HRW has said that while Bangladesh has already carried out a number of amendments to the 1973 Act which it welcomes, it seeks more. Some of the key ones are:
- Amending the definition of crimes to articulate more clearly the relevant definitions of war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide as they existed under domestic or international law at the time of the offence;
- Amending the act to allow challenges to the constitution of the tribunal and the appointment of its members;
- Amending the act and rules to ensure that the due process — rights of the accused are consistent with Bangladesh's international legal obligations;
- Repealing Article 47(A) of the Bangladesh Constitution to allow the accused full protection of their constitutional rights, including the right to enforce their fundamental rights under Article 44, which protects fundamental rights;

Bangladeshis, who are affiliated with the process, whether from the government or civil society spaces will no doubt have their say on the issues raised by the US government and HRW but that they have been raised means such issues will become the test of a generally acceptable trial. The US government's representative Stephen Rapp has stated on matters he found lacking relating to international standards and international justice process regimes concerning
such trial.

International Crime Strategy Forum (ICSF) has counter argued on such matters in a recent bdnews24.com opinion post
(http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2011/05/22/stephen-rapp-of-misconceptions-unrealistic-expectations-and-double-standards/).
A point stressed by the ICSF is that the trial is a purely domestic matter and its provisions are not matters for scrutiny by the international legal regime. It is probably so and the debate and discussion on legal principles and jurisdictions will go on but to claim that it is a purely domestic matter is unrealistic even if the trial is being held in a national court. No war crimes tribunal is ever domestic in today's world and the fact that the HRW and
Representative Rapp are already involved in discussing the trial means it is already been placed under global scrutiny. It is de jure domestic but de facto international. To preserve the effectiveness of the trial, one must take these facts into consideration.

One reason why there is anxiety over whether Bangladesh has the ability to conduct a fair trial particularly on such a complex issue is because of our overall weak reputation as far as having a satisfactory legal regime goes. Our judiciary is not considered robustly independent �rightly or otherwise� and we have a serious extra-judicial environment impinging on the rule of law.

The overall impression about the judiciary in general is also not favourable whereby the subordinate judiciary is considered 'corrupt' and the higher judiciary may have been willing to consider official opinion when passing certain cases. The recent Grameen Bank episode has not enhanced the reputation of the courts particularly in the international sector where it was closely
followed. These three factors; a tainted lower judiciary; a somewhat sympathetic to the government) higher judiciary and the tolerance of extra-judicial agencies over decades don't make Bangladesh look like a very legal society. It makes our "revenge seeking" not so halal either.

According to reports, three UK lawyers Steven Kay, Toby Cadman and John Cammegh have been hired to help the defence. Steven defended former Yugoslav president Slobodan Milosevic facing charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes in the International Criminal Court in the Hague of Netherlands. Toby was a prosecution lawyer in the Bosnia Tribunal for war crimes and John was defence counsel in the Special Court of Sierra Leone for international crimes including war crimes committed during the civil war (1991-2001) of the country. International Crimes Strategy Forum (ICSF) website)These are international veterans with a long track record of successfully defending people accused of war crimes.

But does the prosecution team have it to carry out the task?

It appears that none of the prosecuting lawyers have experience of any kind to international criminal law let alone practice. Few are experienced defence lawyers. Bangladesh lawyers and war crimes prosecution activists are not happy with the situation.
"Dr. Shahdin Malik, dean of Brac University's law school, said, 'We don't have any in-house expertise, no one has dealt with these kinds of cases in Bangladesh �There is a dearth of knowledge on the prosecution side (Call for govt to instruct foreign lawyers for ICT prosecution, New Age, February 22).
'Sultana Kamal, the chief executive of the human rights organisation Ain o Salish Kendra, also stated, 'We all know these people [local prosecutors] and so how can anyone say they are fully competent? (Call for govt to instruct foreign lawyers for ICT prosecution, New Age, February 22)'

Shahriyar Kabir, the executive president of Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee and one of the country's key war crimes campaigners, said, I don't have confidence in the current lawyers (Call for govt to instruct foreign lawyers for ICT prosecution, New Age, February 22). As Shahdin Malik said, �The government should look for the best international criminal law prosecutors and instruct them.( New Age report Feb 2011)

While Bangladesh is not considering hiring international lawyers, it doesn't seem to have the specific competence to either investigate or prosecute. Can one take this risk given the importance of this case? In 2007, when Sheikh Hasina was prosecuted by the Fakhruddin government she had two international lawyers advising her defence team. More importantly, Sheikh Mujib's defence team in 1968
when he was being prosecuted in the Agartala Conspiracy case, his team was supported by Thomas William, a British lawyer who filed a writ petition in Dhaka High Court challenging the legality of the formation of the tribunal.

Not to get the best lawyers for the prosecution when historically it has always been done puts the case at risk from floundering into a mess. What will the people responsible for this trial say if the case for the prosecution fails because nobody has adequate experience in this sort of law?

It is not a legal case at all, it is a political case of significance, nationally and internationally. If the WCT fails to deliver what people want or the global legal world expects, the only thing that may be delivered is a mess which can damage the status, reputation and aspiration of the people all in one
go making everyone concerned unhappy and angry.

Afsan Chowdhury was part of the Muktijuddher Dolilpatra Project led by Hasan
Hafizur Rahman from 1978 to 1986 which produced 15 volumes of documents on the history of 1971. For the BBC, he produced eight radio series and several chat shows on the issue on 1971. He has produced a video documentary on women and 1971 titled Tahader Juddhyo. Afsan has edited and co-authored a four-volume
history of 1971, Bangladesh 1971. He has worked in several parts of the world as a development and Human Rights specialist for the UN and other agencies. Afsan was the Oak Fellow on International Human Rights of the Colby College in the USA in 2008.
 
[http://opinion.bdnews24.com/2011/05/30/war-crimes-tribunal-revenge-fair-trial-or-a-big-mess]


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[ALOCHONA] Re: Fwd: Mahmudur for mass uprising to topple govt

I agree. Mahmudur Rahman is probabaly the brightest spark in BNP at the moment but he has no chance to shine. I don't agree with him on many things but if BNP is to have a meaningful future it needs to empower people like him. But BNP can't. Because?

Yes. It's that bloody Nethri System again.

Since 1/11 BNP has been imploding month after month. This was the golden opportunity to reform BNP - with many of the worst dogs behind bars on the back foot.

Alas - it's the ususal suspects in 2011. Khaleda gives BNP Dhaka unit to Sadek Hoassan Khoka?!

What in the world is she doing?!

I understand the political realities of holding the line, biding time and being trapped by circumstance. But our country cannot keep being held hostage to the Nethri system. We need new risk takers, visionaries and reformists.

If she had half a brain she would realise that if she took this opportunity to reform the party she would herald in a new reality for our country.

But no. We get Sadek Hossain Khoka!

Bloody Nethris!

--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, qar <qrahman@...> wrote:
>
>
>
>
> Mahmudur needs to think of something average people can relate rather than "Hot air"!!
>
> Educated Bangladeshis are aware of awarding Indians many privileges by current administration but Mahmudur should speak specifically about issues. Blaming India is easy but trying to formulate a workable strategy require some brain storming. Which BNP lacks and people are getting sick of same old politics with future of Bangladesh.
>
> If BNP wants to get elected they need to work on some new leadership with proper skills to bring the country where it needs to go.
>
>
>
>
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Isha Khan <bdmailer@...>
> To: undisclosed-recipients:;
> Sent: Sun, Jun 5, 2011 12:14 pm
> Subject: [ALOCHONA] Fwd: Mahmudur for mass uprising to topple govt
>
>
>
>
>
> ------- Forwarded message ----------
>
> From: Zoglul Husain <zoglul@...>
> Date: Sat, Jun 4, 2011 at 5:16 AM
> Subject: Mahmudur for mass uprising to topple govt
> To: zoglul@...
>
>
>
> Mahmudur Rahman: This India lackey govt has to be brought down through mass uprising.
>
> He said, this govt is conspiring to turn our country into a vassal state of India. But the 16 crore people would stand up in resistance. He urged the people to unite. He also said that the Awami govt between 1972 and 1975 turned the country into a subservient state of India, and they imposed BKSAL to snatch democracy and independence of the people. It is through the 7 November army-people uprising in 1975 that our independence and sovereignty were safeguarded.
>
> (Click to read Amar Desh report, Saturday 4 June 2011:
> http://www.amardeshonline.com/pages/details/2011/06/04/85381
>


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[ALOCHONA] Re: War heroes vow to observe hunger strike

Where the heck were these guys all these years?! Now they want to go on hunger strike over secularism?! Are they wannabe intellectuals?

All these years, all the injustices, all the suffering, all the undemocratic practices of AL and BNP - but they are going on hunger strike over constitutional secularism!

I hope they start their hunger strike very soon. I hope they keep their word.

Ezajur Rahman
Kuwait


--- In alochona@yahoogroups.com, "ezajur" <Ezajur@...> wrote:
>
> War heroes vow to observe hunger strike
>
> Courtesy Daily Star 3/6/11 Staff Correspondent
>
>
> The Sector Commanders Forum, a platform of commanders who led the
> country's Liberation War in 1971, yesterday vowed to observe hunger
> strike in front of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban "if religion-based
> political parties are not banned by constitutional amendment".
>
> The war heroes also demanded that the government delete the phrase
> "Bismillah hir Rahmanir Rahim" from the constitution and
> withdraw the status of state religion given to Islam so that the spirit
> of the Liberation War is restored.
>
> They said this at a views-exchange meeting on constitution amendment at
> the Jatiya Press Club.
>
> Some of the discussants opined for calling for hartal if the government
> failed to meet their demands.
>
> "The government will push the country to the brink of destruction if
> it does not amend the constitution in light of the spirit of our
> Liberation War," AK Khandker, president of SCF, said at the meeting.
>
> "Three million people irrespective of their religion and identity
> sacrificed their lives with an aim to build our country as a secular
> state. A democratic country cannot have a particular religion as its
> state religion. Besides, religion-based political parties should be
> banned in the country," Khandker added.
>
> "We urge the Jatiya Sangsad special committee and the government not
> to go wrong with this issues."
>
> Maj Gen (retd) KM Safiullah, vice-president of the forum, said, "We
> will be bound to observe hunger strike if the government does not meet
> our demands regarding constitutional amendment.
>
> "People will treat you [government and the JS special committee] as
> betrayers if you keep Islam as the state religion and Bismillah in the
> constitution."
>
> Tofail Ahmed, an Awami League MP and a member of the JS special body on
> constitution amendment, said he supports all the demands of the SCF
> leaders but he cannot disobey his party's decision on those issues.
>
> Putting the blame on two former army bosses--late president Ziaur Rahman
> and HM Ershad--Tofail said, "They shattered all our dreams by
> incorporating Bismillah in the constitution and making Islam the state
> religion."
>
> Shahriar Kabir, acting president of Ekatturer Ghatok Dalal Nirmul
> Committee, said the government would put the country into a civil war if
> it does not amend the constitution in light of the Liberation War
> spirit.
>


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