Report

DU: Students throw fresh protest plan

[Dhaka Correspondent, E-Bangladesh.]

Dhaka University students, united under the banner of “Students against Repression,” have announced fresh protest programs Friday demanding immediate withdrawal of all cases filed against imprisoned students and teachers of the university. Earlier, their ultimatum to the military-led government seeking immediate release of all detained students and teachers expired.

– January 21
Siege [10:00 AM] on the VC office and daylong sit-in at Aparajeya Bangla.

– January 22
Human chains in all educational institutions across the country.

– January 23
Token class boycott in all educational institutions across the country.

Meanwhile, students of Rajshahi University Friday sent an open letter to the education adviser, Hossain Zillur Rahman, demanding immediate and unconditional release of ten students and an employee of the university convicted in cases filed by the university registrar in connection to the August 2007 campus protests. The open letter by “Students against Authoritarianism,” was sent through the DC of Rajshahi.

Shakeup in the caretaker government

[Update 2.]

[Photo/PID via Banglar Chokh.]

– Five new advisers sworn-in Wednesday at the presidential palace: Former secretary AMM Shawkat Ali, former Attorney General AF Hassan Ariff, former Director General of National Security Intelligence (NSI) Major General (Retired) Ghulam Quader, Director of CAMPE Rasheda K Chowdhury and economist Hossain Zillur Rahman.

[Update 1.]

– Five advisers out: Mainul Hosein, Geeteara Safiya Choudhury, Tapan Chowdury, Major General (Retired) ASM Matiur Rahman and Ayub Quadri.

– Sources in Dhaka hint that two more advisers will resign sometime soon.

– New advisers are likely to be sworn-in Wednesday.

– Incoming list:

–

[Photo/Banglar Chokh.]

[An E-Bangladesh report.]

Four advisers of the military-led caretaker government in Bangladesh have resigned Tuesday, as part of a a major shakeup in the interim setup. Advisers Mainul Hosein, Geeteara Safiya Choudhury, Tapan Chowdury and Major General (Retired) ASM Matiur Rahman tendered their resignation letters to the president. Among them, Mainul Hosein and Tapan Chowdhury have confirmed to newsmen in Dhaka that they “resigned as desired by the government.” Earlier, adviser Ayub Quadri resigned on December 26.

Highly placed sources in Dhaka have confirmed to E-Bangladesh that a batch of new advisers will be sworn-in Wednesday at the presidential palace. From intelligence sources in Dhaka, E-Bangladesh has obtained a list of individuals whose name may appear as new appointees of the caretaker government. This list, however, is not confirmed by any other independent source.

– Professor M Shamsher Ali, ex-vice chancellor of Bangladesh Open University.
– Professor Jamilur Reza Choudhury, vice chancellor of BRAC University.
– Major General (Retired) Golam Quader, ex-chief of DGFI.
– Nurul Huda, ex-IGP (Inspector General of Police).
– Rasheda K Choudhury, director of CAMPE.
– Fazle Hasan Abed, chairman of BRAC.
– M Showkat Ali, ex-secretary.

[Developing story.]

DU teachers to wear black badge, defy DGFI threat

[An E-Bangladesh report.]

Teachers of Dhaka University will attend classes wearing black badges Sunday to demand immediate release of 12 imprisoned professors of Dhaka and Rajshahi University. They also demand immediate release of currently imprisoned university students. DU teachers will go forward with their protest plan Sunday and stage a sit-in in front of Aprajeyo Bangla Monday ignoring requests and threats from the military intelligence agency DGFI and the education adviser.

Earlier Saturday afternoon a three-member DGFI team — Brigadier General ATM Amin, Colonel Abu Saleh and Colonel Almas Raisul Ghani — met Dhaka University VC SMA Faiz, DUTA (Dhaka University Teachers Association) acting president Tazmeri SA Islam, acting general secretary Mamun Ahmed, Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique and Professor Muhammad Akhtaruzzaman. The meeting took place in DU Senate building. During the meeting the DGFI team tried persuading DUTA leaders to call off their protest programs. “They even issued veiled threats and warned of consequences,” a senior DUTA member, himself not present at the meeting, told an E-Bangladesh correspondent in Dhaka.

Later in the evening, education adviser, Aiyub Quadri, had a dialog with VC SMA Faiz, Professor Tazmeri Islam and Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique. He urged DUTA leaders to withdraw their protest program saying that the government will consider demands put forward by the teachers association. “His [Aiyub Quadri] approach was positive but noting concrete… we will go forward with our program as we have issued the government an ultimatum to release all the teachers and students by December 12,” a DUTA member told E-Bangladesh.

“Our program was chalked out at a general meeting Friday. We can not cancel it without the consent of another general meeting. Executive committee has decided to go forward with Sunday’s program,” DUTA acting president, Tazmeri Islam, told newsmen Saturday evening, emerging from an urgent one and half hour long DUTA executive committee meeting. “After today’s talks with the education adviser and army officials, we think government has taken a positive attitude towards the release of those detained. DUTA will hold another urgent general meeting Sunday evening to review the situation. That meeting will decide whether to continue the silent sit-in scheduled for Monday.”

Meanwhile, according to reports from DU campus, teachers are being threatened through anonymous phone calls and SMS, “Certain quarter is pressuring DU teachers not to wear black badges Sunday and not to state any sit-in Monday. Many senior DUTA members have received phone calls and SMS,” a DU professor told E-Bangladesh. He said he himself received two such calls asking him to refrain from wearing a black badge Sunday or participate in Monday’s sit-in. Another senior DU professor showed an E-Bangladesh correspondent a text message from an unknown number in his mobile that read: “Stop campus politics. Shut down your DUTA program.”

Sheikh Hasina trial: Prosecution - 0, Defense - 1

[Photo/Banglar Chokh: Sheikh Hasina, Sheikh Rehana, Sheikh Selim.]

[A quick review by E-Bangladesh.]

An attempt by the military-led interim government in Bangladesh to try former prime minister and president of Awami League, Sheikh Hasina, in an extortion case stumbled Monday as the trial commenced in a Dhaka court. In a clear setback for the prosecution side, Sheikh Selim, former minister and co-accused in the extortion case filed by businessman Azam J Chowdhury, retracted a confessional statement he issued earlier. Selim, through a written application filed and read out before the court by his lawyer, disowned the statement that implicated Hasina and himself in the case. On a graver note, Selim alleged “intolerable physical and mental torture” by members of the security forces in an “undisclosed location” and threat of extra-judicial execution that coerced him to issue the statement under section 164 of CrPc.

(more…)

A police protected museum robbery?

… government and French Embassy officials have, without informing either the committee or the media, taken the items out of the museum in what resembled a police protected museum robbery…

– Shahidul Alam, Photojournalist, Activist.

[Photo/Banglar Chokh.]

[Dhaka Correspondent, E-Bangladesh.]

Ignoring a writ petition pending, Bangladesh government officials and representatives of the French embassy in Dhaka Friday sent 10 out of 23 boxes of museum pieces to the Guimet Museum in Paris for display. People, holding protests against the move, gathered near the National Museum, attacked the vehicles carrying the artifacts and attacked government officials as they fear the pieces will never be returned. Bangladeshi and French authorities in Dhaka began the process at the National Museum Thursday, a museum holiday, in presence of French embassy and Bangladesh cultural ministry officials.

“The process for sending the artifacts was not transparent and it created mistrust among the people,” architect Shamsul Wares said. The exact number of the artifacts in the 10 boxes could not be gathered, as Bangladeshi or French officials did not answer any questions regarding the matter. Several museum sources reported that there are about 200 artifacts in the 23 boxes.

Protesters present in front of the National Museum attacked the cargo trucks headed for the airport with the artifacts. They also assaulted government officials sitting inside the car at around 3 PM. Police picked up an artist in connection with the attack, but he was released at the intervention of journalists present.

An Air France cargo plane, scheduled to take off at 12.05 AM Saturday, is carrying the artifacts. Homebound trucks and forklifts reached the museum early on the day. The Homebound trucks and forklifts sported banners reading “Save the Children cyclone Sidr emergency relief.”

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