Negotiators tussle as clock ticksn Meer Saiful Islam, from Paris

Negotiators struggled to reach a consensus on key issues like adaptation, � nance and loss and damage measures, with just half a day remaining be-fore the draft text of the cli-mate agreement is handed over to ministers at the o� cial beginning of COP21 today.

There were sharp di� erences among countries as negotiators intensi� ed their en-gagement to reduce the gaps as much as pos-sible yesterday.

“We’re seeing negotiators take more openly political positions: that’s provoking sharper confrontations, but it’s also giving an understanding of where potential trade-o� s might be,” said Kelly Dent of Oxfam.

The French presidency spent yesterday and the day before conducting consultations with all of the delegations before proposing a way forward today for the second week.

“The draft text should be ready by to-night,” COP21 president, French Foreign Min-ister Laurent Fabius, told a press conference at the climate conference venue in Paris yes-terday afternoon, intensifying the pressure on the negotiators.

“It will not be reasonable to extend the deadline … it should be ready by Friday night,” he categorically said, replying to a question. “The ministers will require time to examine calmly the text (before � nalising the Paris Agreement).”

The streamlined document of the texts expected today - the United Nations Frame-work Convention on Climate Change (UN-

FCCC) called the day an “Action Day” - could give ministers an e� ective technical tool for working through the complex political nego-tiations.

Earlier in the morning yesterday, the co-chairs released two negotiating texts – the � rst one of 48 pages and the second of 38 pages – which were mainly based on com-

promising options and, more speci� cally, bridging proposals from the co-facilitators of the issue discussion groups. The � rst text was shortened by four more pages by the af-ternoon.

“My desire is to achieve the maximum number of compromises to � nalise the draft,” Fabius said, declining to disclose the

issues of di� erence for the sake of the negoti-ation. “It would not be appropriate to discuss speci� c issues at this point … the two texts are complementary and supplementary and many brackets were deleted.”

Civil society observers say the co-facili-tators’ version of the text includes potential

PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

SECOND EDITION

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015 | Agrahayan 21, 1422, Safar 22, 1437 | Regd No DA 6238, Vol 3, No 229 | www.dhakatribune.com | 32 pages | Price: Tk10

GERMANY JOINS GLOBAL FIGHT AGAINST IS PAGE 24

FULL COVERAGE OF PARIS COP21 PAGE 5

BUS HELPER HARASSES DU FEMALE STUDENT PAGE 3

Graft probes at � nal stage against ex-housing heads n Adil Sakhawat

Anti-Corruption Commission is now report-edly in its � nal stages of investigating graft charges and prosecuting three top former housing o� cials.

The most high-pro� le suspect under the graft watchdog’s scrutiny is former state minister for housing Abdul Mannan Khan. The other alleged corrupt o� cials are for-mer public works secretary Dr Khandakar Showkat Hossain and former Rajuk chairman Nurul Huda.

On August 21 last year, the ACC submitted PAGE 2 COLUMN 1

Di� erent headaches for AL, BNP campsn Mohammad Al-Masum Molla

With the municipality polls less than a month away, the two major political parties are set-ting their election strategies to tackle their two biggest challenges: rebel candidates for the Awami League and the staging of a fair election for the BNP.

The ruling party’s headache is in the form of more than a hundred rebel candidates. Although the party has already threatened stern consequences for rebels who do not pull out from the race, it is likely that many of the party-nominated candidates would still have to see their local supporter bases be divided among two or more factions.

However, before pursuing extreme meas-ures, the central leaders would try to com-

municate with local leaders and convince them to step aside from the race voluntarily, party sources said.

On the other election camp, the BNP’s is concerned whether their candidates would be able to contest in a free and fair munici-pality poll on December 30.

BNP Standing Committee member Goye-shwar Chandra Roy expressed his hopes of winning in most municipalities if fair polls are held.

“We all know what the result will be. But if people are allowed to vote, we hope to win 80% of the municipalities. The BNP candi-dates may not win if voters are prevented from casting their ballots,” he added.

BNP leaders also fear that their chances of winning might be hurt if candidates face

repression by ruling party men or be unfairly rejected during the Election Commission’s scrutiny.

As a contingency plan, the BNP has dum-my or backup candidates who have already submitted nomination papers as rebel can-didates. In case the party’s top-choice can-didates are disallowed to run, those dummy candidates would step up as the party’s con-tenders.

These dummy candidates, however, would withdraw their candidacy before December 13 – the submission withdrawal deadline – if the EC gives its nod to the pri-mary BNP candidates, party top brass said.

Although the Awami League is pursuing a similar strategy of dummy candidates, its

PAGE 2 COLUMN 3

Participants gather during the World Climate Change Conference 2015 (COP21) at Le Bourget, near Paris, yesterday REUTERS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1

News2DTSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Negotiators tussle as clock tickscompromises on critical issues like loss and damage and adaptation, which could provide a way forward for developing and developed countries to reach some common ground.

“There was positive movement on loss and damage – a red line issue for vulnerable coun-tries – which now has a bridging proposal set out that builds on a lot of the work done on the Warsaw mechanism,” said a statement issued by Climate Action Network members in Paris.

Some of the things in the loss and dam-age proposal were picking up the concerns of vulnerable countries, although it was still up for debate whether they were likely to re-main in the � nal text.

On many issues, there are still di� cult political trades to be made to ensure that the deal doesn’t just end up as the lowest com-mon denominator.

The review on temperature target, which resulted in strong arguments for a 1.5 degree limit as a safer way to protect all commu-nities, ended up getting blocked from be-ing sent to ministers, primarily by the Arab Group with Saudi Arabia leading.

However, ministers have a formal agenda that gives them the option to address this is-sue without the blocked report. So they still have the option to a� rm and adopt the 1.5 degree goal.

“I hope we’ll achieve the target,” Fabius said, replying to a question about the stale-mate.

UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres, who also spoke at the press con-ference, pointed out that there was a target range of between 1.5 and 2 degrees Celsius. “The main issue is the reduction of emis-sions.”

Replying to another question, she said de-veloped countries must shoulder the � nance because of their historical responsibility. In the provision of � nance, there are “supple-mentary and complementary” proposals, she said.

“There is not a single factor that can be moved alone … there is no single issue that is currently on the table that can be said to be � nal,” Figueres said, in response to a ques-tion.

Last night, the EU recognised that the $100 billion in pre-2020 � nance is a � oor, and they also, alongside the US and Japan, agreed that they would consider a collective contri-bution target for post-2020, if the donor pool increases.

The US has made it clear that new contrib-utors will not have the same level of respon-sibility – outlining a di� erence between the obligations of rich countries and the dona-tions of those who are able to do so.

“Parties need to start compromising now – not at the 24th hour when everyone’s sleep-deprived and the clock has run down,” Greenpeace’s Kelly Dent said.

There has not yet been enough movement for developing countries to be assured that they will get the � nancial support that they need to adapt to climate change and reach long-term goals.

Discussions in spin-o� groups – inter-spersed by larger contact group meetings – continued throughout the day yesterday. There was mixed progress with adaptation and transparency moving ahead and the mit-igation text being streamlined.

As expected, � nance has taken centre stage as the key sticking issue. l

Di� erent headaches for AL, BNP campstask is greater because the ruling party would have to deal with over 120 rebel candidates, compared to the BNP’s 60.

As a deterrent for its rebel candidates, the Awami League has warned that it would ex-pel any party member who runs in the mu-nicipal election against party orders.

A Presidium member of the Awami League, requesting anonymity, told the Dhaka Tribune that after the Election Com-mission completes its scrutiny, the central leaders will contact district-level leaders to convince rebel candidates to withdraw their candidacy. If they still choose to defy the par-ty’s instructions, only then would the rebel candidates be expelled.

“We will try to convince them � rst be-cause the rebel candidates have some follow-ers. So we will try our best to pursue them. If they do not pay any heed, only then the rebels will be expelled,” he said.

According to Awami League party charter, one can be expelled without any show-cause notice if they contested the national election defying party order. But as the upcoming election is also going to be held in party line, the same rule will be applicable for the rebel candidates, the Presidium member said.

Earlier at a press conference, Awami League Joint General Secretary Mahbub-Ul Alam Hanif asked rebel party candidates to pull out of the upcoming municipal elec-tions, warning that those who fail to comply would be expelled.

“No one from the Awami League will con-test the polls against the party’s decision. De-

cember 13 is the last date for the withdrawal of nominations. We hope they [the rebels] will do so by then.”

On the other hand, the BNP is more opti-mistic about the withdrawals of its own re-bels.

Mohammad Shahjahan, joint secretary general of the BNP, said: “As far as I know, there are no rebel candidates but many dum-my candidates, and they will withdraw their candidacy before the expiration of nomina-tion paper withdrawal.”

According to the election schedule, the dates for scrutiny of nomination papers are December 5 and 6, while the last date for withdrawal of candidature is December 13.

BNP sources said the party was more con-cerned about what the atmosphere would be surrounding the elections.

The party is apprehensive about its chanc-es in the upcoming polls because of past experiences of the ruling alliance � exing its muscles to take over the casting of ballots, the sources added.

BNP leaders said even though lawmakers were not allowed to participate in election-eering, many MPs and administrative author-ities were already taking part in election cam-paigning on behalf of ruling party candidates.

According to EC o� cials, 22 political par-ties will be contesting in the polls. A total 13,689 aspirants have � led nomination pa-pers; among them, 1,223 are mayor hopefuls, 9,798 are councillors aspirants, and 2,668 women have applied for reserved councillor seats. l

Graft probes at � nal stage against ex-housing headscharge sheets against the former junior min-ister in three cases, hearing on which would reportedly start within a few days at Dhaka District and Sessions Judge Court.

According to case documents, Man-nan had accumulated illegal wealth worth Tk75.04 lakh and concealed information about wealth worth Tk4.60 lakh.

In an a� davit submitted to the Election Commission for the tenth parliamentary election, the former state minister said he had wealth worth Tk11.03 crore, which was 107 times higher than the amount he de-clared for the ninth national polls.

He mentioned in the a� davit that Tk1.45 crore had come from � sh farming, a claim which the commission found to be untrue. Mannan also concealed information in his tax returns about his house in Dhaka’s Dohar

area valued at around Tk2 crore, while the ACC further found proof of Tk3 crore worth illegal wealth under the name of his wife Hasina Sultana.

However, Mannan denied all these charg-es during his interrogation by the commis-sion, a top-level ACC o� cial told the Dhaka Tribune on condition of anonymity.

Probe against former secretaryAs the graft cases against the ex-state min-ister is set to go to the court, the ACC is also readying to prepare a charge sheet against former housing secretary Khandakar Showkat.

Earlier, three cases were � led against him on April 22, 2014, for his alleged abuse of power to secure Rajuk plots for himself and his family.

An investigation report against Showkat was sent to the chief of the ACC’s Special In-quiry & Investigation Cell on November 29, a well placed source told the Dhaka Tribune. If the probe report is approved, the ACC will place a charge sheet before the court.

The source added that the commission has so far found that the former secretary had illegally acquired two � ats in the capital as well as abusing his power to in� uence the allocation of Rajuk plots.

He reportedly concealed information to apply for and secure Rajuk � ats, something which housing secretaries are not allowed to do.

Showkat reportedly also confessed to the ACC about buying a � at in capital’s Tejturi area in 1997 when he was an additional depu-ty commissioner of Narail.

Ex-Rajuk chief under radarThe commission started its inquiry against former Rajdhani Unnayan Kortipakkha (Ra-juk) chairman Engineer Nurul Huda last year, after recording complaints over irregularities in Rajuk plot allotment.

Sources at the ACC said Nurul Huda alleg-edly secured a Purbachal project plot allotted for the indigenous community for his own wife – who is not an indigenous person.

On November 2, ACC probe o� cial Jul� kar Ali asked the former Rajuk chief to submit the docu-ments regarding the plot to the commission.

However, following the move, Nurul Huda has reportedly applied to the Rajuk for re-turning that plot.

Still, the ACC would summon him soon for the third time, an o� cial of the commission said. l

52nd death anniversary of Suhrawardy todayn BSS

The 52nd death anniversary of the cham-pion of democracy and one of the greatest leaders of undivided India Hussain Shaheed Suhrawardy will be observed in the country today through di� erent programmes.

The unparallel leader of all Indian politics, who had dedicated his entire life to ensure the welfare of the people by upholding de-mocracy, died at a Beirut hotel in Lebanon on this day in 1963. He remained alone in the hotel suite at the time of his death.

Suhrawardy was a Bengali politician and statesman in the � rst half of the 20th-century. He served as the Premier of Bengal in British In-dia and was the � fth Prime Minister of Pakistan.

President M Abdul Hamid and Prime Min-ister Sheikh Hasina paid deep tributes to the memory of Suhrawardy on the occasion of his death anniversary.

In separate messages, the president and the prime minister prayed for eternal peace of the departed soul of Suhrawardy, terming him as the champion of democracy.

To mark the day, di� erent political and so-

cio-cultural organisations, including ruling Awami League, have chalked out various pro-grammes including placing wreaths at the grave of the great leader in the morning, discussion meetings, Quran Khwani, milad and doa mah� l in the capital and elsewhere across the country.

Awami League will pay tribute to the late leader by placing wreath at his grave adjacent to the High Court at 8am tomorrow. Fateha and doa will be o� ered there. In a statement, AL General Secretary and Public Administration Ministry Syed Ashraful Islam paid rich tribute to the late leader saying, “Nation will recall with

respect Suhrawardy’s contribution to establish-ing democracy, justice and rule of law for long.”

He urged the party leaders and workers and its associate bodies and other like-mind-ed organisations to observe the death anni-versary of Suhrawardy.

Jatiya Party (Manju) will also observe his death anniversary tomorrow. A team of Ja-tiya Party leaders and activists led by party chairman and Environment and Forest Min-ister Anwar Hossain Manju will place wreath at the Suhrawardy’s mazar at 8am. A milad and doa-munajat will be o� ered there. l

News 3D

TSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

DU female student harassed by bus helpern Kamrul Hasan

A female student of Dhaka University was sexually harassed in a local bus yesterday while she was on her way to the capital from Manikganj.

The student said she was harassed by the helper of the Shuktara Paribahan bus; the perpetrator’s name is reportedly Mamun.

The victim said she started from her vil-lage home in Manikganj around 1pm yester-day. After some time, the helper came and sat on the empty seat beside her even though most seats in the bus were vacant and there were only 10-12 passengers.

As the helper started showing sexually aggressive behaviour, the student protested and told the helper to move to another seat.

Hearing this, the helper – who the student said was being called by others as Mamun – started to verbally abuse her. He continued the verbal abuse even as the victim was get-ting down from the bus at Gabtoli.

Later, the DU student � led a written com-plaint with Darus Salam police. The station’s O� cer-in-Charge Selimujjaman said the complaint has been lodged as a case. The act-

ing proctor of the university later also called the OC and asked him to take strict action on this regard.

Selimujjaman said he led a police team to the Gabtoli bus stand immediately after receiving the complaint, but found that the bus carrying the perpetrator had already left for Manikganj. The OC said he hopes to arrest the helper today. l

BD elected OPCW EC membern UNB

Bangladesh has been elected member of the Executive Council (EC) of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) for the 2016-2018 term.

Bangladesh last served in the Council for the period of 2002-2004, according to a mes-sage from The Hague yesterday.

Bangladesh was unanimously elected by States Parties of the Chemical Weapons Conven-tion on December 2 during the 20th Session of the Conference of States Parties to the Chemical Weapons Convention being held in The Hague, Netherlands from November 30 to December 4.

Bangladesh was among the four States Par-ties elected to serve in the Council, represent-ing the Asian Group for the 2016-2018 period.

Bangladesh’s election to the OPCW Execu-tive Council is seen as recognition by the inter-national community of the country’s contribu-

tion to the world peace as well as its leadership in the multilateral fora, the message reads.

The election also signi� es international recognition of Bangladesh’s e� orts to attain global disarmament and stem proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, it said.

Bangladesh Ambassador to the Neth-erlands and Permanent Representative to OPCW, Sheikh Mohammed Belal was also elected unanimously as Chair of the Com-mittee of the Whole (2014) and Chair of the Credential Committee (2015).

The OPCW, which won Nobel Prize for Peace in 2013, is a globally acclaimed interna-tional organisation dedicated to implement 1993 Convention on the Prohibition of the De-velopment, Production, Stockpiling and Use of Chemical Weapons and on their Destruc-tionon (CWC) with 192 States as its members.

The Executive Council of the OPCW is made up of 41 members. l

'My son can return if govt intervenes'n Kamrul Hasan

“I can get my son back if the government intervenes. I have been waiting for my son for so long, and I cannot hold myself any longer,” said Hazera Khatun, mother of BNP leader Sazedul Islam Sumon who disappeared two years ago.

She was describing the ordeal she had been going through since her son disappeared while addressing a press brie� ng at the National Press Club yesterday.

The brie� ng was arranged by family members of 19 men, who all were said to have been subjected to enforced disappearance by law enforcement o� cials between November and December, 2013.

Sumon, general secretary of BNP’s Ward 38 unit, was allegedly picked up by RAB between December 4 and 5, 2013.

Sumon’s sister Marufa Islam Ferdousi said the consequences of a disappeared person never ends only with him. “The victim could be the only breadwinner of the family. Thus the whole family su� ers when such crimes are committed.”

Rehena Banu Munni, sister of another disappeared man named Selim Reza Pintu, told the brie� ng: “I do not want my brother back. Rather, the government can kill our entire family. We cannot take it any longer.”

She told the Dhaka Tribune at the end of the brie� ng she went to police several times for help but they never agreed to � le a case over the disappearance of her brother. “Later, I � led a case with a Dhaka court but

still police do not seem to care at all.”Nizam Uddin Munna’s father Shamsuddin

said he would urge the government to disclose where his son had been buried. “This is how we can at least visit the grave of my son and pray for him.”

Mashiur Rahman, brother of Mazharul Islam Rasel, said he was not sure about seeing his brother again.

Sayeda Shammi Sultana Nipa said her husband was picked up by plainclothes policemen and never returned.

“I have a son and he is passing his days without the care of his father. I now live with my in-laws. I am very worried. What will happen if my husband never returns?

“I have no job and am now fully dependent on my in-laws. How can I survive with my child if my husband does not return?”

Hridi Hossain Kochi, daughter of Parvez Hossain, said she wanted her father back who would take her to school and park.

“It has been long since I saw my father. I want to go to school with him. My mother cannot buy me an ice cream because she has no money,” she said in a voice choked with emotion.

Dhaka University Professor Asif Nazrul and Ain O Salish Kendra Director Nur Khan were present at the brie� ng but did not give speech.

Nur Khan told the Dhaka Tribune it was the government’s responsibility to � nd out the disappeared men.

“Also, if the victims are in custody, legal steps should be taken or they should be freed,” he said. l

Adiba Islam, daughter of Parvez Hossain who disappeared two years ago, holds up a picture of her father at a press brie� ng at the National Press Club yesterday, arranged by families of 19 men who are all claimed to be missing since being picked up by law enforcers in 2013 MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015News4DT

Minority communities demand special attentionn Kamrul Hasan

Leaders of a dozen minority groups from a joint rally in the capital yesterday placed a seven-point charter of demands that include 20% representation in parliament, govern-ment jobs and political parties.

They also warned the government of wag-ing a movement if the demands were not met which they said could resolve the persistent dis-crimination towards the minority communities.

Rana Das Gupta, general secretary of Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Oikya Parishad, read out the demands at the rally at Suhrawardy Udyan also attended by the members of adivasi communities from the Chittagong Hill Tracts and the plains.

Their other demands include establishing a parliamentary commission to � nd out the rea-sons why the number of minority people was decreasing since 1947. The government should establish secular political culture and resolve the land-related disputes through the Vested Property (Return) Act and the CHT Land Dis-pute Resolution Act.

The speakers also criticised the government for not having a minister from the minority communities and demanded 60 seats from the minority groups. They demanded that the government recruit teachers in the schools where students of other religious study.

Rana Das urged the government to inves-

tigate the incidents of attacks perpetrated on the religious minorities and ensure that the culprits are punished.

Dr Mizanur Rahman, chairman of the Na-tional Human Rights Commission, said that the government would have to prove through their work that they are working for a secular country.

He also demanded that the government im-plement the 1997 CHT Peace Accord, ful� l the Vested Property (Return) Act and bring to book those who grab the lands of the minorities.

Senior Awami League leader Suranjit Sen-gupta deplored that there was no minister from the minority communities though a mi-nority-friendly government had been in pow-er because the spirit of the Liberation War was not seen among the party leaders these days.

“The government has done very little in the last seven years though it is well-known that the minorities were suppressed across the country,” he said.

The former minister said that recruitment of members from the minority communities was very rare while they do not get bank loans and other facilities to run businesses.

Urging the government to realise the de-mands within six months, Suranjit said if the current situation did not change in the next 10 years, there would be no religious minorities in the country and an Afghanistan-like democ-racy would prevail. l

Minimum price suggested for o� shore oil and gas productionn Aminur Rahman Rasel

A minimum price of $8.50 per mcf to extract oil and natural gas from the Bay of Bengal should be � xed to attract foreign companies, former chairman Petrobangla Dr Hossain Mansur said yesterday.

The former Petrobangla boss was speak-ing at a two-day conference of the Society of Petroleum Engineers (SPE) being held at Dhaka University (DU).

The DU student chapter of the SPE and the university’s department of geology jointly organised the programme.

At the conference, the � rst of its kind in the country, Hossain said no foreign company would be interested in extracting gas in o� shore areas if prices were not in-creased.

“The gas sector cannot be taken forward if we do not bring down the di� erence of prices

between liquid fuel and gas,” he said.Professor of geology Badrul Imam said:

“The industrialised countries have increased the temperature of the earth by burning fos-sil fuels. Now, they should pay compensation for this to the least developed countries.”

Masuma Chowdhury, president of the DU chapter of the SPE, said: “This is the � rst time we have arranged such a programme and I hope it will continue in the future. Such conferences introduce young geologists to national and multinational companies.”

The pro-vice chancellor for administra-tion at DU Prof Dr Shahid Akhter Hossain was present as chief guest while Professor Dr ASM Maksud Kamal, dean of the faculty of earth and environmental sciences, was pres-ent as special guest.

The event, for which the Dhaka Tribune was the print media partner, was sponsored KrisEnergy and RMM Group. l

Truck driver hacked to death in Ctg n FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

A man was hacked to death by unidenti� ed miscreants and dumped on the Dhaka-Chit-tagong Highway near Chittagong’s Sitakunda upazila early yesterday.

The dead Nurul Amin, 45, was a driver working for Con� dence Cement Factory Limited in Chittagong, said Sub-Inspector Kamaluddin of Sitakunda police station.

SI Kamal said Highway Police recovered Nurul’s body around 6am from Saleh

Carpet-Kadam Rasul part of the highway in the upazila. The body, which had several stab wounds, was then sent to Chittagong Medical College Hospital for autopsy, he added.

The SI said Amin was stabbed by the mis-creants when he was on his way home after night-duty at the factory.

He said police was yet to � nd any motive behind the killing, adding that a murder case has been registered with Sitakunda police station in this regard. l

Crowds gather at a rally organised by Bangladesh Hindu-Buddhist-Christian Unity Council at Suhrawardy Udyan in the capital yesterday to press home a seven-point demand, including ensuring protection for the religious minorities RAJIB DHAR

Learning to live with climate changen Sohara Mehroze Shachi, from Paris

There is perhaps no better way to combat cli-mate change than by educating people about it and creating a generation of informed citi-zens who are more prepared to act and adapt in the face of climatic threats. Education has played an increasingly signi� cant role in the negotiations and as a testament to its impor-tance; December 4 was rightly chosen as the education day at COP 21.

“We need greener economies, greener legislation, greener policies and greener so-cieties. Fundamentally, we need greener cit-izens,” said Irina Bokova, director general of Unesco.

“This is why education is so important to shape the new values and knowledge,” she said, highlighting the need to empower peo-ple to take the right decisions and tackle the challenges posed by climate change.

The global consensus for climate educationBokova’s claims are backed by a study un-dertaken by the World Wide Views on Cli-mate and Energy, Denmark, which involved 10,000 citizens in groups of 100 each in 97 debates around the world on the role of cit-izen participation in climate change e� orts.

The study found that 78% of citizens around the world are very concerned about the impacts of climate change. Most impor-tantly, education was picked as the key tool to tackling climate change by the majority of the citizens.

When asked who should be primarily re-sponsible for tackling climate change, par-ticipants scored “citizens” and “civil society organisations” higher than national govern-ments. This study illustrated that people want to be seen as actors playing a signi� cant part in tackling climate change. They not only want to take part in implementing the solutions, but also in making choices about the solutions to implement.

The core message from this world wide study is clear – citizens are interested in the kind of climate change education that pro-motes participation and decision making.

“It has taken a lot of time to recognise the importance of education in the climate agen-da,” said president of COP20, Manuel Pulgar Vidal. “We cannot move towards transforma-tive change if it is not through education and public awareness.”

Vidal stressed the need to recognise the importance of the science and the informa-tion it has brought to our doorsteps. “We need to transmit that knowledge through more clear messages – about the conse-quences of climate change and what we can do as individual citizens,” he said.

Mainstreaming climate change educationIn order to put such rhetoric into practice, strong, coordinated action is needed from government ministries to transform educa-tion at the national level and make change an

integral part of it. And transformative work is being done in this sphere by di� erent coun-tries. For instance, 2,000 schools in Costa Rica have taken environment protection actions since 2004. Morocco has placed the development of greener schools at the heart of its policies. Brazil has piloted a teachers’ training course on climate change and is ex-ploring how to scale it up in municipal state and national level. And the Dominican Re-public has included climate change and edu-cation in the national development strategy.

“We are attaining inter-ministerial collab-oration by working with ministry of environ-ment, minister of water and environment and ministry of energy, agriculture, ICT in a cross-cutting manner,” said Flavia M Na-bugere, minister of state and environment, Republic of Uganda.

Education ministry o� cials from di� erent countries also highlighted the need to build newer and stronger partnerships with the pri-vate sector for innovating in education. “We have to pass the message that investing in green economies is a smart investment and that it is matched by good business as well as moral and ethical imperatives,” said Eliana Julia Rojas Torres from Peru’s Ministry of Education.

Education to foster youth climate actionA core theme throughout education day was the importance of educating youth and their potential to contribute to climate change ac-tion. “The education needs to adapt and be � exible and the focus needs to be on young people,” said Lesley Jones, Vice President of Foundation for Environmental Education.

Xuhtezcatl Martinez, youth director, Earth Guardians, said it is important to edu-cate youth in a way that inspires them to en-gage. “A lot of theoretical knowledge on the

impacts of climate change is shoved at young people but they need to be given the oppor-tunity to act and be part of the solution,” he said. “The approach needs to make them alive. They need to feel that they are a part of the movement.”

Echoing Martinez, Kartikeya V Sarabhai, director of the Centre for Environment, said a sense of empowerment is very important for people, as well as innovation in education. “A lot of the education dissemination methods today are out-dated,” he said, “An approach of student-to-student learning needs to be promoted as well as the traditional teach-er-to-student methods.”

The way forwardIn the face of exacerbating impacts of climate change, actions by the government or devel-opment organizations alone will no longer su� ce. E� orts to combat climate change are required at the individual level, and an informed citizenry is the � rst and foremost requirement for doing so.

Climate change is the reality today, and the prudent course of action is to educate people and enable them to adapt and learn to live with it. l

Cox’s Bazar 28 22Dhaka 29 17 Chittagong 27 19 Rajshahi 29 16 Rangpur 27 16 Khulna 28 14 Barisal 29 17 Sylhet 29 12T E M P E R AT U R E F O R E C A S T F O R TO DAY

Source: Accuweather/UNB

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 20155

DTPARIS CLIMATE CHANGE CONFERENCE

Largest banks to issue $50bn in green bonds n Meer Saiful Islam, from Paris

Some 15 of the world’s 20 largest banks, worth nearly $2 trillion in market value, have committed to issuing green bonds worth close to $50 billion to � nance climate pro-jects, Yale University’s Data Driven Environ-mental Solutions (DDES) pointed out in its latest report.

The report released yesterday, ahead of the UN climate conference’s Action Day to-day, centred on the recorded pledges of non-state actors in contributing to greenhouse gas emissions reduction.

It was clear that the � nance portion of the deal was at the heart of the matter.

The report found that the combined greenhouse gas emission reduction com-mitments recorded in two UN-backedplatforms by cities, regions and companies surpassed the global emissions of the iron and steel sector.

The � ndings were described by the UN Cli-mate Change Newsroom as “impressive but actually understate the scale of total glob-al climate action because they are based on data from only two platforms...”

France’s foreign minister and president of COP21, Laurent Fabius, said: “The many thousands of governors, mayors, companies and investors who have so publicly commit-ted to climate action are telling governments that our job in Paris is a climate change agree-ment that opens every possible door to help them push further and faster ahead.”

Yale analysed over 10,000 climate com-mitments made by cities, regions, businesses and investors who recorded their pledges in the Non-State Actor Zone for Climate Action and under the banner of the Lima-Paris Ac-tion Agenda.

Some 185 countries – 95% of the global greenhouse gas footprint – have already sub-mitted climate action plans. l

Fifty global who’s who to sit todayn Meer Saiful Islam, from Paris

More than 50 high-pro� le personalities from around the world who are committed to combating climate change are expected at the COP21 site today for the Action Day.

The event will be held from 9:30am to 5:30pm (CEST) at the COP21 venue’s heart of the negotiating zone.

It is the � rst and foremost response to the e� orts decided in Lima, which encouraged the United Nations and the COP president to convene a high-level meeting on climate ac-tion – the Action Day.

The day is the culmination of more than a year of international mobilisation of non-state actors like businesses, local govern-ments, international organisations, and re-search centres. l

People display a banner reading which translates as ‘false solutions COP21 No peace without climate justice’ in front of the ‘Solutions COP21’ exhibition at the Grand Palais in Paris yesterday AFP

When asked who should be primarily responsible for tackling climate change, participants of a global study scored ‘citizens’ and ‘civil society organisations’ higher than national governments

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015News6DT

Eight-year-old killed in � ren FM Mizanur Rahaman, Chittagong

An eight-year-old girl was killed in her sleep when a � re engulfed her house in Chit-tagong’s Sitakunda upazila Thursday night.

Two grocery shops were also gutted in the � re, said � re service sources.

The dead Sanjida Begum, was daughter of Badsha Mia of Madham Sonaichari area of Shitalpur union, said Kumira Fire Station

Senior O� cer Md Abdullah Harun Pasa. The body was handed over to the police,

added the o� cial.Abdullah said Sanjida’s parents had went

outside locking the tin-shed house, leaving the sleeping girl at home. He said the � re had ignited from a mosquito coil around 9:30pm.

The o� cial said � re � ghters reached the spot around 11:30pm after being informed and re-covered the body of the girl from the debris. l

Pakistani among six held with huge fake notesn Arifur Rahman Rabbi

RAB has arrested six people, including a Pa-kistani national, in the capital on charges of making fake notes and human tra� cking.

The six – Bangladesh-origin Pakistani cit-izen Abdullah alias Selim, 42, Md Jahangir, Md Abdul Khaleq, Md Kamrul Islam, 28, Md Abu Su� an, 48, and Md Rasel, 45 – were held in di� erent areas of Dhaka on Thursday night and early yesterday.

RAB said the men were held in possession of 70 lakh counterfeit Indian rupees, 9,125 US dollars, 21 Pakistani passports, seven Bangla-deshi passports and a bunch of seals of di� er-ent high o� cials.

“The seals were used for human tra� ck-ing crimes. Also, we seized equipment for making seals from the detainees,” RAB’s le-gal and media wing Director Mufti Mahmud Khan told a press brie� ng yesterday.

He said Abdullah, Jahangir and Khaleq were detained from Hazrat Shahjalal Interna-tional Airport area at around 8pm on Thurs-day.

“Based on information obtained from them, RAB detained the three others in pos-session of 30 lakh fake Indian rupees, 43,190 Pakistani rupees, 13,627 dirhams, 623,500 taka, � ve mobile phones, four foreign mobile SIM cards, police clearance papers and travel permits around 1:30am on Friday.”

Mufti Mahmud said the fake Indian notes were printed meticulously in Pakistan and Pakistani national Abdullah is the leader of the gang. “In 1979, he moved to Pakistan from Bangladesh where he was involved in producing counterfeit foreign notes and hu-man smuggling. During his stay in Pakistan, he would visit Bangladesh occasionally.”

The RAB o� cial said the six men had communicated with crime lord Dawood Ibra-him’s four associates - Aslam Suriya, Arif, Javed and Hanif – who live in Pakistan.

“The four men help Bangladeshi citizens living in Pakistan without valid passports move to Bangladesh. On the other hand,the six detainees make fake documents for illegal Pakistani nationals living in Bangla-desh.”

According to RAB, the six men smuggle fake Indian notes via Chapainawabganj bor-der with the help of a local man named Kam-rul Islam.

“Kamrul sells the notes to an Indian gang in Malda district of West Bengal. One lakh fake Indian rupees are sold for 40-45 thou-sand rupees. The Indian gang again uses the money during trades with Bangladeshi na-tionals, especially cattle traders, to defraud them.”

RAB has so far arrested 1,700 people in possession of counterfeit notes and another 165 for involvement in human tra� cking. l

BNP leaders leery of loyalty of mayoral candidates to party n Our Correspondent, Feni

Grassroots leaders are suspicious about the commitment of three municipality mayoral candidates nominated by the BNP.

Former president of Chhatra Dal Feni mu-nicipality unit and former panel mayor of the municipality M Ataul Haque Ashru ex-pressed his belief while talking to the Dhaka Tribune yesterday.

He said: “Fazlur Rahman Bokul, sadar upazila unit general secretary of the BNP, has got nomination from the party. But he was out of the district a few years back and dur-ing the time he did anti-party activities. His nephew Hazi Alauddin has been nominated from the Awami League as a mayoral candi-

date in the Feni sadar municipality.” He also alleged that Bokul in collaboration

with Alauddin had managed nomination from the party. He also apprehended that this nomination will be harmful for the party in the district.

The former mayor said during the tenure of the BNP-led government he was supposed to be killed in cross� re as he was not in the good book of the party then. Bokul was also accused in several cases with di� erent police stations in the district.

Inspector of Feni Model police station Mahbub Morshed told the Dhaka Tribune that Bokul was accused in 27 cases, including murder, rubbery and smuggling.

Meanwhile, Porsuram municipality unit

President of the BNP Musta� zur Rahman Masud has been nominated from party’s cen-tral committee.

Abu Taleb, upazila unit President of the BNP, raised question about his political stand. He also alleged that Masud had soft corner for the ruling party Awami League be-cause he was the business partner of Nizam Uddin Chowdhury Sajel, incumbent mayor and also mayoral candidate of the Awami League in the municipalty.

He said local leaders and activists thought he was a person who had sympathy for the Awami League and this was not good for the party.

Saifur Rahman Swapan, general secretary of the BNP municipality unit, has got nomi-

nation from the party as a mayoral candidate of Daganbuiyan municipality.

President of BNP Daganbuiyan municipali-ty unit told the Dhaka Tribune that it was quite impossible for Swapan to campaign for the election properly as he was bed-ridden. “It will help his rival candidate Omar Farrok, Awami League mayoral candidate, to bag a huge num-ber of vote and also defeat him,” he said.

While talking to the Dhaka Tribune district unit BNP General Secretary Zia Uddin Mister said: “Leaders and activists are dog-tired af-ter being repressed by the ruling party Awa-mi League. In this situation, party has given nomination to the leaders who are reliable.”

He also called party men to work unitedly for party’s interest. l

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015News 7

DT

MUNICIPALIT Y POLLS 2015

MUNICIPALIT YPOLLS 2015

M U N I C I P A L I T Y P O L L S 2 0 1 5

AL grassroots leaders oppose party candidate n Our Correspondent, Chapainawabganj

The Awami League unit of Shibganj munici-pality in Chapainawabganj is now divided in two camps after the centre decided to nom-inate an election candidate who reportedly does not have the con� dence of the grass-roots members.

When the ruling party gave its nomina-tion to inactive leader Moyen Khan, it came as a surprise to local grassroots leaders who voted for Karibul Haq Rajin, who had lost his legs during an attack by BNP-Jamaat men, to be the mayoral candidate in the upcoming municipal polls.

Rajin became popular in the area after he helped organise and rebuild party activities after Jamaat-BNP activists attacked and van-dalised houses of party men in reaction to the death sentence handed to war criminal Del-war Hossain Sayeedi on February 28, 2013.

Five people lost their lives in the attacks, 20 more had their leg veins severed, and the Kansat Palli Bidyut Samity o� ce was burned to the ground. Many AL leaders were also forced out of the area, which has dominant presence of the BNP-Jamaat alliance.

Although Rajin won the con� dence and vote from the party grassroots, district AL President Moinuddin Mondol and General Secretary Abdul Wadud recommended Moy-en for party candidacy.

The centre’s endorsement, however, was protested by local lawmaker Golam Rabbani and upazila AL General Secretary Ataur Rahman.

Ataur alleged that Moyen had been sitting safely in Rajshahi during the 2013 Shibganj attacks instead of standing beside his party men. He also blamed the district leaders of showing favouritism to Moyen.

The AL-nominated Moyen, however, told the Dhaka Tribune that he has full support of his party men. He added that no one would extend their support to a rebel candidate by defying the centre’s decision.

Rajin, who also submitted his nomina-tions papers on Thursday, said the party had not considered local popularity when picking its candidate. He expressed hopes that party President Sheikh Hasina would intervene to amend the situation. l

Khagrachhari Awami League mayoral nominations evoke despondencyn Our Correspondent, Khagrachhari

Local leaders of the Awami League and its associate bodies in Khagrachhari have ex-pressed discontent with the mayoral nomi-nations for Khagrachhari and Matiranga mu-nicipalities.

They say both the candidates – Md Shaney Alam in Khagrachhari municipality and Md Shamsul Haque in Matiranga municipality – contested the last upazila elections for chair-man posts but failed.

Jubo League’s Khagrachhari municipality unit General Secretary Zabed Hossain said Shaney’s past defeat in the upazila elections should have been considered before nomi-nating him to contest the upcoming mayoral polls.

“Shaney, who was the Awami League-backed candidate in the upazila polls, bagged 9,572 votes while United People’s Democrat-

ic Front-backed contestant Chunchhumoni Chakma secured 13,424 votes and was elect-ed the upazila chairman.

“Shaney’s popularity is on the wane and the Awami League has taken a risky step by choosing him to contest the mayoral elec-tions,” Zabed said.

“But we will set aside our disappointment and will campaign for him because this is a question of prestige for us.”

Jubo League’s Matiranga municipality unit President Harun-ur-Rashid Farayezi made the same remark while talking about Shamsul’s mayoral nomination.

“The Awami League � elded Shamsul in the upazila polls and he got 15,167 votes. He lost to BNP-backed candidate Tazul Islam, who became chairman after bagging 16,943 votes,” he said.

“Our central leaders could have chosen another candidate and I think it would not

have been a bad idea even if the nominee was a fresh face in the mayoral elections.

“We have to admit that Shamsul’s nomi-nation is a let-down but we will still accept the party’s decision. There is no point in disclosing our frustration publicly,” added Farayezi.

But Khagrachhari lawmaker Kujendra Lal Tripura, who is also the president of Awami League’s Khagrachhari district unit, refuted the claims of Zabed and Farayezi, saying that the two mayoral candidates were chosen af-ter considering their contributions to the party.

Kujendra said Awami League is a major political party in the country and there are quite a lot of mayoral aspirants.

“Some leaders might be dejected as it is impossible for us to � eld all mayoral hopefuls in the upcoming elections but everything will be alright after campaigns begin,” he added. l

Awami League leaders and activists bring out a procession in Khagrachhari district town yesterday celebrating nomination of Ra� qul Alam by the party DHAKA TRIBUNE

News8DTSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

No headway in agri univ construction n Our Correspondent, Khulna

Despite having passed around � ve months after the end of legal procedures, the con-struction works at Khulna Agriculture Uni-versity is yet to start.

Even the authorities concerned have not appointed the project director yet for building task of the country’s � fth agriculture university.

On July 5, Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid placed the Khulna Agriculture Universi-ty bill-2015 and it got passed unanimously on the day. Greater Khulna Unnoiyan Songram Samannoi Committee President Ashrafuz Zaman said: “Establishing an agriculture uni-

versity in the region is our long-cherished de-mand and the parliament has passed a bill in this regard. The delay in the process appears owing to not getting appointed the project director. The university will be established on public land and there is no land acqui-sition-related dispute.” The organisation’s President Ashrafuz urged the state authorities to expedite the construction works.

Sources said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasi-na from a rally in 2011 promised to establish the university in the district aiming to create an agriculture hub of higher education, re-search and invention.

Later, the Education Ministry approved

the draft of the Khulna Agriculture Univer-sity Act 2015 and then Jatiya Sangsad passed the bill. Khulna Deputy Commissioner Md Mostofa Kamal echoed the voice of Brihattar Khulna Unnoiyan Songram Samannoi Com-mittee President Ashrafuz Zaman, saying the ministry concerned could tell the exact time of starting construction works.

In this regard, Education Ministry Addi-tional Secretary (university) Md Helal Uddin said: “Building the agriculture university is under process, as part of which even ap-pointing the project director is in the pipe line as well. New vice-chancellor will take the project directorship charge.” l

Miscreants strangle two minors n Our Correspondent, Gopalganj

Two siblings were strangled in front of their mother by miscreants at Bhojergoti village in Gopalganj on Thursday night.

The deceased are Raihan Sardar, 10, a class IV student at Bhojergoti Abdur Rouf Primary School and his younger brother Raich Sardar. They were the sons of Maulana Yusuf Sardar of Bhojergoti. Kulsum Begum, mother of the siblings said she was feeding her sons when two unidenti� ed assailants entered into their house around 9pm on Thursday. The miscre-ants tied Kulsum up and su� ocated her sons to death in front of her and � ed the scene. l

Narail-Lohagara-Kalna road in appalling staten UNB

The 19 kilometre road from Narail to Kalna via Lohagara has become woefully un� t for use barely two years after its re-construction.

Potholes have developed in numerous places of the road making it di� cult for the ve-hicles to ply and walking on it wearisome.

Consequently, accidents are commonplace here these days keeping the commuters in con-stant fear.

Sources at Roads & High-ways Department, Narail said Tk5 crore had been allocated for carpeting work of the road and the work order was given to contractor � rm M/S Sha� q Traders.

The work order mentioned

doing 40mm thick and 18ft wide carpeting of the road and covering up the holes in its var-ious places with a mixture of stone and sand.

The contractor � rm com-pleted the work accordingly.

But during a recent visit it was found that soil was dug out in its various patches and pot-holes developed here and there with fragments of bricks and asphalt lying scattered across.

Breaches were also visible in various places.

Local residents complained that asphalt and concretes started coming out a few days after the road was opened for tra� c, a condition which kept deteriorating. Vehicles are to pass amid a cloud of dust mak-ing the journey most hazardous for the passengers. l

Comilla University turns battle � eld as BCL factions clash n Our Correspondent,

Comilla

At least 10 people were injured as two factions of Comilla Uni-versity unit Bangladesh Chha-tra League locked into a clash with each other over establish-ing supremacy in Kotbari area yesteday morning.

Of them, one BCL activist named Majed got wounded badly and he was admitted to Comilla Medical College Hos-pital.

During the clash that erupt-ed in front of Kotbari Govern-ment Laboratory School around 10am, guardians and admission aspirants who thronged there to sit for the � rst year honours examination at the university

were seen desperately moving and in a frenzy to get shelter.

Con� rming the incident, Comilla University Deputy Reg-istrar Dalilur Rahman said the examination was held on time despite several clashes there.

Sources said BCL activists from Elias group and Oli group took position in front of di� er-ent examination halls in the morning to welcome the ad-mission seekers.

At one stage, the BCL activ-ists before the school engaged in chase and counter-chase in line with hurling brick chips one another, leaving ten people from both sides injured.

Being informed police rushed to the spot and quelled the clashing BCL activists. l

Learn English 9D

T

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Developmental issues

Pre-reading task

1. Do you work for a multinational company?

2. What are the advantages and disadvantages of working for a multinational company?

Now, read the article and compare your ideas with those outlined in the article.

Word search

Want to find more learning activities? Visit www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish © British Council 2015

Exercise 11 b2 f3 e4 d a and c were not used

Exercise 21 d 5 b2 e 6 f3 a 7 h4 c 8 g

Answers

The ideas factory 12

n Graham Bradford

1. Scottish writer Iain Banks’ 1999 novel The Business tells the story of a mysterious multinational company who decide to try and buy an entire country in order to give themselves a seat at the United Nations. While Banks’ novel is still, fortunately, a satirical fantasy, some aspects of it are becoming disturbingly true.

2. The connections between commerce and colonisation, and between business and international politics are becoming stronger. Some historians have recently started to look at how the whole idea of colonialism is based on trade and commerce. British and Dutch colonialism began with merchants trying to � nd new trade routes. The East India Company has been described

as the � rst multinational company. Starting as a trading company in 1600, the group of merchants won the right to have a monopoly on trade in India. Their power steadily grew until the conquest of Bengal in 1757, after which the company collected taxes and had their own army. At a certain point it was easier for them to take a direct part in governing India than it was to try and deal with the people who lived there. This was the beginning of Britain’s involvement with India.

3. The old 19th century empires have now gone, or at least changed, but they are being replaced by new ones. Companies such as Microsoft, Coca-Cola and Time Warner now have annual turnovers far larger than those of many nations. It would, in theory at least, be easy for them to buy an

entire country. Of course, no company has tried to do that openly (at least, not yet), but governments in many developing countries are aware of the huge in� uence and importance of multinational companies in their countries.

4. There are, of course, many positive aspects to this. Big companies can provide jobs and bring money into poor and developing countries. However, critics say that multinational companies invest in developing countries only because labour costs are very low – much lower, in fact, than they would be in Europe or the United States. When there is an economic downturn, the companies will leave as suddenly as they arrived. They are not interested in the country’s overall welfare, but only in their own pro� ts. l

Exercise 1Comprehension: Matching. Match a topic with one of the paragraphs in the text (there are two extra topics):1. power2. prophetic novel3. politics and money4. two sides to every story5. new empires6. the historical context

Exercise 2Vocabulary: Matching. Match a word from the � rst column (1 to 8) with a word from the second column (a to h) to make common collocations:1. developing a. colonialism2. economic b. company3. European c. costs 4. labour d. countries5. multinational e. downturn6. state f. monopoly7. trade g. Nations8. United h. routes

See if you can find these words in the grid. They can be horizontal, vertical, diagonal and backwards.

COM_ERCE INFLUEN_E COMPA_YM_NOP_LY DOWNTU_N MULTINAT_ON_L ECONOM_CTR_DEEUR_PEAN TURNOVER

Feature10DT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

How not to break up

DIU professor at International Epidemiological Association (IEA) Conference 2015

Prof Dr M S A Mansur Ahmed, professor, Department of Public Health of Da� odil International University attended the 12th South East Asia Regional Scienti� c meeting conference of the International Epidemiological Association of Bangkok, Thailand held from November 24-26, 2015. He was the only member of the International Advisory Committee of the conference from Bangladesh. Prof Mansur was an invited speaker of the symposium of Regional South East Asia approach toward MDG post 2015 to present the Bangladesh part of the symposium. He also made a presentation on his own research paper on cardiovascular

risk assessment among urban and rural population aged 40-70 years, using WHO/ISH’s risk prediction chart. He left for Thailand on November 23 and returned on November 30, 2015.

The Symposium was chaired by Prof Vinod Srivastava, secretary, International Epidemiological Association and Bijaya Rajbhaudari, UNICEF representative from Thailand along with Prof Dr Mansur Ahmed. Other speakers were Prof J S Thakur, S C Public Health India, Prof Babul Verma of India, Prof Dr Shyam Bihari Dixit of Nepal, Prof Dr Jonaki Vidana Pathirara of Srilanka and Suriya Wongkongkathep of Thailand. l

n Promit Ananyo Chakraborty

You can � nd tonnes of material that gives you free suggestions on how to maintain an everlasting relationship. The thousands of do’s and don’ts are enough to bombard your mind, regardless of their e� ciency (or lack of) to improve your love life. However, in this era of constant hook ups and break ups, it’s important to know how to part gracefully.

Many, if not all relationships start with dreamy hopes, aspirations, and promises. For the � rst few months, couples feel like they are on cloud number nine and, they pinch themselves to believe if it’s really happening. People think that their broken heart is � nally being mended, this time for real, and that too by someone who has been sent with the sole mission to be their soul mate.

But even in movies, the actors don’t even get a smooth three hours to get soaked in life; di� culties come, in many forms, depending on whether it’s Hollywood or Bollywood; and as a result, sooner or later, break ups happen. Some people can’t stand the pain, while others try to assuage the anguish created by their loved ones’ deception. Some pledge to spend the remaining part of their life in an ascetic way while others try even harder to get hooked up again, maintaining their usual panache and alacrity. Here’s three ways to make the ride back a smooth, hassle-free one.

Steer clear of badmouthingRegardless of which category one falls under, a few basic rules need to be followed to make sure the recovery process is a healthy one. Badmouthing the person you just broke up with is clearly nothing but a sign of a character de� cit. Since a relationship can never contain only bad moments, even for the good moments’ sake, you shouldn’t demonise the ex. This only diminishes your credibility to others.

Don’t feed the gossip millsDon’t bother to clarify to people why you broke up. Although sharing your plight with close friends may help you, try to stay away from those who just want to know the details to feed gossip mills. Instead of explaining the minute details of why you broke up, just tell people it didn’t work out.

Maintain civility with the exRemaining friends after a break up is easy to suggest, but quite di� cult to put in practice. However, remember that it always pays you to keep a casual friendship even at times when you have bitter feelings for them. In most relationships, often the means justify the ends. Carefully closing the chapter that has just gone by is a skill that you will thank yourself for later. l

Three break up survival tips

“We are changing the concept of land retail in Bangladesh,” the managing director of Leisure Bangladesh announced at the grand launching press conference of the one and only sport village of the country, Leisure Marina Sports Village.

As the 3rd initiative of Leisure Bangladesh Limited, Leisure Marina Sports Village began its journey through an outstanding press conference at the Westin Dhaka, on Wednesday, December 2, 2015.

Located on the bank of River Shitalakshya in Sreepur, Gazipur, Leisure Marina Sports Village is o� ering only 96 exceptional plots, connected by the rail, river and the newly constructed four-lane highway, thus making it a revolutionary land project. “Possession shall be handed over right after the � rst installment. All

sports facilities such as a football � eld, a cricket � eld, a basketball court, tennis court, a golf putting area, gymnasium, swimming pool and an amphitheater will be available. All of these will be surrounded by the lake, rivers and roads making this a one-of-a-kind project,” Sarwat Siraj added.

“Anyone can complete registration by paying the whole price in one go but the option of paying through 72 installments will remain open for all,” she mentioned.

The press conference was chaired by the managing director, Sarwat Siraj. Omar Sadat, chairman, Kader Nawaz, deputy managing director, Aysha Siddiqua, chief operating o� cer and Mahmudun Nabi, head of engineering were also present at the event.l

Leisure Marina Sports Village launched

BIGSTOCK

INSIDE

We are glad that State Minister for ICT Division Zunaid Ahmed Palak has assured us that Facebook will be reopened soon. We thank the government for making this long-overdue announcement.

The ban, which was implemented around the time of the executions of notorious war criminals Salauddin Quader Chowdhury and Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid, may have been understandable at the time, as the country was on high alert.

However, more than two weeks later, the ban still stands, and the government has been unable to give us an exact date for lifting it.

A continued block on Facebook and other social media services such as WhatsApp and Viber make it look like the government is trying to clamp down on free expression and dissent. This is no way for a tolerant and secular country to behave, even in the face of a threat.

We have seen peaceful nations keep online communication channels open and accessible, even in times of turmoil. For example, France did not block Facebook even after the recent brutal attacks in Paris. Instead, the social media site became a platform for solidarity and healing.

A sustained ban on Facebook plays into the agenda of the extremists instead of � ghting them. Furthermore, massive losses have been reported in the e-business sector, hurting the economy.

We therefore urge the government to be true to its word and lift its ban on Facebook without any further delay. 

We urge the government to be true to its word and lift its ban on Facebook without any further delay

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Getting Facebook back will be a good thing

11D

TEditorialSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Blind faithsPAGE 14

Getting a gripPAGE 20-21

A dark horizonPAGE 13

Streak me foreignPAGE 12

BIGSTOCK

Opinion12DT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

n Nusmila Lohani

I understand it is not really important or topical to wonder about not-so-complex things like what people choose to wear or what products they promote -- in

times of ISIS and social media bans -- but I still wonder about this issue which may seem trivial to many, if not all.

It was recent visits to large scale public events that really made my stomach churn, just for a little while, till I told myself that there are far more important things that demand my attention. And rightfully so. So my attention was pulled back to the grand musical taking place on stage.

However, the many interruptions to my view by di� erent shades of blonde were not very pleasant. In fact, with more and more of such passing heads, that feeling in my stomach became permanent.

Why blonde, and why to such horrendous degrees? Let’s not forget the wide variation of the hair dye, each more blunt or more trou-bling than the last. I’m certain that I am not trampling on any freedom of choice when I only inquire for the cause of such choices.

That hurl in my stomach can be put aside for now, and that is only a subjective e� ect of the “blonde” sight.

I personally do not praise or like the forced-on blonde-dyeing, which does not quite suit the Asian “brown” shade of complexion. In most cases, it looks funny, regardless of how fair-skinned one is in this country.

It may seem like I am badgering on about someone’s freedom of choice and being one of those “mean girls” from high school. On the contrary, this phenomenal “choice” represents something that not all who “go blonde” even consider, let alone understand.

This epidemic of dyeing one’s hair blonde seems like a desperate attempt to look like the fancy Westerners we watch in movies and music videos. I can argue further and try to justify that blonde is just any other colour, everyone has the “right” to choose his/her hair colour.

But why blonde? Why not some greens, some purples, and a few reds? In reality, the rarest choice of hair dye is anything but blonde or some variant.

When it comes down to how the pseudo-educated, cool, well-versed in pop culture, upper-middle class or the elites choose

to dress and present themselves, it is not di� cult to understand how they are trying to construct an arti� cial lineage to the Westerners.

This exclusive choice to go blonde has now become a part of the repertoire of the upper/middle class.

I’d rather not lurk into the very cryptic reason as to why a large, speci� c class of women resort to the “cake” of make-up and look a certain way (because one may believe arti� ciality is the new de� nition of beauty).

But dyeing their hair blonde, choosing that speci� c colour which clearly does not compliment the skin tone, seems like going the extra mile. I do not refer to that extra shade of foundation that is put on one’s face, and that can be just as readily, with a few hours of e� ort, taken o� .

It is the hair colour which will stay for some time regardless of the numerous chemicals that can be used to take back the mistake of choosing that speci� c hair colour. That blonde will stay, at least for a while.

So before jumping the gun, following the cool kids, the rich folks, and fancy celebrities, why not decide on a colour which does not

horrendously contradict one’s skin tone and pick one that can actually make you look nicer?

Our need to look Western is probably not one of the registered reasons behind the “blonde” look. Not many question why they do what they do; they simply follow others. Time is of the essence these days, so why ask questions anyway, right?

This recent wave of blonde heads passing by me is obviously not the � rst time I took notice of this certain “blonde” choice of the upper/middle-class masses.

But that particular hurl in my stomach and that pang of annoyance in my sti� frown are things I did not want during grand musical festivals, but the “blondes” kept coming, for the entirety of my six-hour stay, some blunt, some not so much.

Our need to feed desires to look better, superior (read: Western) should have some limit, or maybe a moment should be spared to re-evaluate the sacri� ce of the natural brunette or the luscious jet black. How about take a moment to simply ask: “Why go blonde when you can be a natural brunette or any other colour under the sun?” l

Nusmila Lohani works for the Dhaka Tribune.

Streak me foreign

Our need to feed desires to look better, superior (read: Western) should have some limit, or maybe a moment should be spared to re-evaluate the sacri� ce of the natural brunette or the luscious jet black. How about take a moment to simply ask: ‘Why go blonde when you can be a natural brunette?’

Our obsession with trying to look ‘Western’ can go too far sometimes

Is this something we want to imitate? BIGSTOCK

Opinion 13D

TSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

n FS Aijazuddin

Any Londoner who is still nostalgic about smog (a grimy combination of smoke and fog) should visit Bei-jing today, New Delhi on a bad day,

and Pakistan any day � ve years from now. In the 20th century, war-time gas masks had become symbols of personal self-defense.

Today, in the 21st century, they have been replaced by green surgical masks (a unisex equivalent of the Muslim nikab) as citizens everywhere battle for clean air and a pollution-pure environment.

No trauma in history -- not the world wars, famines, � oods, unstoppable epidem-ics nor refugees have made human beings as aware of sharing the same planet as the impact of climate change. World leaders met in Paris recently to discuss this unnatural Armageddon. Heavy smokers (the US, China,

and India) and passive inhalers alike de-manded improvements at a global level and then returned home to resist them locally.

Pakistan, compared to these three countries, is still the new kid on the block in environmental degradation. Unlike others, it is yet to su� er the irreversible e� ect of using coal as a Promethean jump-start to industrialisation.

Almost every major country that has industrialised itself -- with the possible exception of Japan which relied on imported coal -- did so by exploiting indigenous coal deposits. Britain � oats on coal, the United States has enough coal to last 250 years, Russia hoards over 173 billion tons of it, China (the largest producer and consumer of coal) obtains 74% of its energy from it, and India obtains over 60% of its electricity from coal from local mines.

Pakistan is said to sit on 175 billion tons of lignite, yet is short on energy. Like pre-1970 Bedouins, it squats on a treasure of hydrocar-bons but lacks the technology to exploit it.

No wonder social optimists welcome the Chinese o� er of support to meet our energy de� cit with coal-� red plants. It would probably take a Wikileaks for the Pakistani public to learn details of these plants: What is their technology? How much will they cost? What will be the source of the raw material? What will be the production cost per unit?

The transmission losses? And what should the consumer expect to pay every time he turns on a light or starts a tube-well?

From the information released slowly and grudgingly by the Planning Commission, prioritised CPEC projects include 2 x 660 MW coal-� red plants each at Port Qasim, Sahiwal, Muza� argarh and Rahimyar Khan, one of 660 MW each at Thar Blocks I & Block II, and 1 x 300 MW plant at Gwadar. If they can be “harvested early” -- a Chinese euphemism for accelerated implementation – these plants should provide 7,560 MW of electricity to a public that hungers a year of Ramadans for energy.

This latest support from China is not the � rst time that it has provided coal-related aid to Pakistan. In the 1950s, when London was still shrouded with smog, China helped Pakistan, when India suddenly stopped coal supplies, by shipping � rst 125,000 tons then 300,000 tons of its coal on a monthly basis, in exchange for cotton.

That was half a century ago. While Pakistan and China are still seemingly inseparable “Iron brothers,” the reality is that euphoria and socio-economics make them uneasy siblings.

China needs to export coal-� red plants because its manufacturing capacity exceeds its domestic needs, even though China plans on installing 155 new coal-� red projects. Carbon dioxide emissions from these gas-exhaling dragons place China at the forefront of delinquent countries.

In 2011, China spewed over 8,000 million metric tons of CO2 into the air -- almost as much as the United States, Russia, and India combined. The Chinese plants destined for Pakistan are located substantially in fertile agricultural areas. Has anyone determined their ecological impact on the neighbourhood?

The plants need to be fed coal continuously. Until the mirage of Thar coal becomes a viable reality, this coal will have to be imported. Has Pakistan Railways the infrastructure necessary to transport such huge quantities of coal up the country, with empties on the way back?

Will the energy produced (at whatever cost) be transmitted e� ciently? Or will it be subject to the deductions at source of NTDC’s transmission losses of around 3% and distribution losses of around 14 %?

Pakistan has undertaken to match China’s largesse with infrastructural support. Build-ing highways, as Hitler discovered with his fretwork of autobahns, are useful show-piec-es in a time of peace and indispensable ar-teries in a time of war. Infrastructure though means more than just silken highways.

It includes security. It is not unthinkable that the CPEC corridor may become a cable, with the Chinese at its copper core and the Pakistan armed forces as the outer wrapping.

Meanwhile, in Ralph Emerson’s words, “coal is the portable climate.” Coal and climate go together -- like iron brothers breathing the same air. l

FS Aijazuddin lives in Lahore and is a columnist for Dawn, Pakistan’s main English-language newspaper. This article was previously published in Dawn.

A dark horizon

Meanwhile, in Ralph Emerson’s words, ‘coal is the portable climate.’ Coal and climate go together -- like iron brothers breathing the same air

Will China’s coal-related aid to Pakistan do more harm than good? BIGSTOCK

Pakistan should tread carefully when making deals with China

Loss and damage in the climate negotiations: Moving from taboo to an agreementn Masroora Haque

“I don’t hear the word Ma anymore,” words uttered by Kobita Mondol*, the mother of an only child, as we sit with a group of women from the village of Shinghortoli in the South-ern Bangladesh. No, she has not lost her son, he has moved to India in search of work. We are a group of researchers looking into the im-pacts of climate change that cannot be easily measured, but what we � nd is so much more. We � nd an area where climatic disasters both sudden and slow have made hard lives even more di� cult. We � nd fragmented families, lost livelihoods, a degrading environment, rising inequality, and increased tensions among neighbours. We also � nd indomitable spirits determined to stay and � ght, NGOs working on innovative projects and sturdy cyclone shelters and embankments that dou-ble as roads. But the most important thing we � nd is that the combined e� orts of all those involved in reviving the land and restoring livelihoods are constantly falling short.

A cocktail of climatic hazardsThe Southern coast of Bangladesh is a cock-tail of climatic hazards -- erratic rainfall, heat stress increased � ooding, river bank erosion, drought, salinity intrusion, cyclones, and storm surges are everyday realities of the people living in our Southern coast. Increas-ing salinity in soil and water is a huge prob-lem in the coastal areas. Salinity reduces soil fertility, so that vegetation and crops cannot grow in people’s gardens or in the � elds. In parts of the coastal area, the level of salinity is so high that salt-tolerant rice varieties do not even germinate. The salinity in the soil has made shrimp and crab farming the pre-dominant source of income in certain parts of the coast. This has led to tensions among the locals, as farmers with small plots are forced to lease them to wealthy landowners for a nominal rate. Shrimp farming requires less labour on the � eld, so there are less jobs available. It is no surprise that Kobita’s son has moved away in search of work.

The back to back cyclones in 2007 and 2009 caused untold damage to the already poor and vulnerable people of this region and the fragile Sundarban eco-system they depend on. Our visit to the remote villages in the South was � ve years after Cyclone Aila and many are still struggling to cope with the loss and damages. Cyclone Sidr in 2007 resulted in $1.7bn, or 2.6% of Bangladesh’s GDP, according to a World Bank report pub-lished in 2010. Both these cyclones destroyed homes, � elds, lands, shrimp farms, livestock, trees, homestead gardens, and took the lives of many. According to the Bangladesh Bu-reau of Statistics, this region is su� ering from negative population growth, as droves are migrating to already overcrowded urban ar-eas. Most who move to cities live in slums or informal settlements which are cramped, un-hygienic quarters, sometimes devoid of basic sanitation services. It is hard to say whether or not their quality of life was better in the picturesque villages they once lived in.

Tackling climate change The government of Bangladesh is progres-sive in its national policies to address climate change. The Bangladesh Climate Change Strategy and Action Plan lays down six pil-lars of response to prevent and tackle cli-mate change. It has built cyclone shelters, polders, embankments and other infrastruc-ture costing $300m from domestic resources in 2009–11. NGOs are active in the area, and they have programs on early warning sys-tems, alternative livelihoods, plinth raising and more. Simple innovations such as � oat-ing bed gardens to cultivate vegetables to lab tested saline tolerant rice and vegetable vari-eties are championed in the area. Private sec-tor companies like ACI are piloting climate resilient rice and vegetable varieties with good responses from the market. The De-partment of Agricultural Extension is at the forefront of agricultural research to � ght the food security challenges of the country and has championed rice and vegetable varieties cultivable with changing weather patterns and innovative agricultural technologies that can easily be replicated by communities. Per-haps most noteworthy are the communities themselves who are combining knowledge passed on from forefathers with those of the scientists to deal with the changing nature of agriculture in the region.

Loss and damage despite efforts to adapt to climate impactsThe Asian Development Bank estimates that climate change, will cost the country 2% of its GDP. World Bank projects that, by 2050,

rice production will fall by as much as 12.8%. Projections into the future draw heavily from the present. Climate change is incurring loss-es and damages despite e� orts to � ght them. People are migrating in search of work de-spite so many NGOs providing livelihood sup-port. The salinity in the soil is too high for re-search to keep pace in developing new seeds. Women are faced with new and challenging diseases despite improved medical services and awareness. This is the essence of loss and damage -- the impacts of climate change that have not been or cannot be adapted to.

A recent paper released by researchers from the International Centre for Climate Change and Development matches the losses and damages faced by countries in their sub-missions to the UNFCCC also known as In-tended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDC). 23 Parties to the UNFCCC have explic-itly stated kinds of losses and damages their country faces despite measures to adapt to climate change. In beautiful Antigua and Bar-buda for example, the country’s infrastruc-ture and economy, seaports, road networks, � sheries, agricultural, and very important tourism sector are not exempt from the losses and damages from climatic impacts despite physical adaptation measures.

Sharing the burdenThe Industrial Revolution that brought wealth and mechanisation to Europe and North America was also responsible for a growing dependency on fossil fuels whose toxic emissions cause climate change in the � rst place. The unfair part about climate change is that developing countries have con-tributed the least to its causes, but are suf-fering the worst of its ravages. In 2014, 900 weather-related events caused $100bn in loss and damage, with 60% of the damage occur-ring in developing nations. These countries have the least means, resources and abilities to recover from the negative impacts. There-fore, under the UNFCCC, Parties have been meeting every year for the past 23 years to negotiate a deal to curb emissions in devel-oped countries and provide � nance, capacity building, and technical support to developing countries. We have some achievements we can be proud of as a global community, but the main cause of climate change, the surest way to restore balance to our climate -- the reduction of greenhouse gasses has not been achieved. Needless to say, it gives developing countries like Bangladesh a place at the ne-gotiating table where we can demand provi-sions for loss and damage from the impacts of climate change.

Talks at annual conferences The Paris climate change conference hap-pening right now until December 12 is histo-ry in the making. It is a chance to collectively come to a legally binding agreement to limit global temperatures and give due support to developing countries to minimise losses and damages from climate change. Talks on loss and damage in these yearly conferences have been fraught with denial, disagreement and divisions. Since the start of these negotia-

tions in 1992, countries that risk losing their entire existence have been vocal about meas-ures to address the cost of loss and damage. Developed countries have opposed any men-tion of loss and damage for the longest time, because they fear that it will open the door to assigning liability for loss and damage, leading to claims for compensation from de-veloping countries. Over time, this focus on loss and damage has gained legitimacy, going from the words “loss and damage” actually appearing in the negotiating text for the � rst time in 2007 to establishing the Warsaw In-ternational Mechanism (WIM) on Loss and Damage. At the Paris climate talks now, there is engagement from both sides to reach com-mon ground on this issue.

The main goal of the mechanism is to ad-dress the loss and damage faced by most vul-nerable countries by increasing knowledge, engaging relevant people and supporting � nance, technology transfer, and capacity building. The mechanism reports back next year and can be the most in� uential body shaping how loss and damage become a lens through which we see and tackle climate change. It is critical that the WIM is part of the Paris Agreement as a separate agenda as that will mean that we are not forgetting the world’s poorest. We have already said to 100 million of the most a� ected that their plights are not important by agreeing to a long term global temperate goal of 2 degrees Celsius.

The decisions on loss and damage are evolving and we will know how the world plans to deal with them after December 12. Parties need to come together to form solu-tions to make life better for those who have contributed the least to climate change. President Obama’s pledge of $300m for risk insurance is one such solution. In the nego-tiating text, there is a mention of a climate change displacement co-ordination facility to be established to help co-ordinate e� orts to address climate change induced displace-ment, migration and planned relocation. This would be particularly helpful for places like the Southern coast of Bangladesh where families who are forced to move can have a better life and services in their new destina-tions. Whatever the solutions are, the Paris Agreement must not ignore what climate change has taken away from those who have the least in this world, the least ability to bounce back from its devastation, and con-tributed the least to its causes. l

Masroora Haque is the communications coordinator of ICCCAD. *Names have been changed to protect privacy.

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 201514D

T Climate Change

This page has been developed in collaboration with the International Centre for Climate Change and Development (ICCCAD) at Independent University, Bangladesh (IUB) and its partners Bangladesh Centre for Advanced Studies (BCAS) and International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED). This page represents the views and experiences of the authors and does not necessarily re� ect the views of Dhaka Tribune or ICCCAD or its partners.

In 2014, 900 weather-related events caused $100bn in loss and damage, with 60% of the damage occurring in developing nations

Arts & Letters 15D

TSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Book Review: The Narrow Road to the Deep North16 Interview: Shirshendu

Mukhopadhyay17 Aid to the crescent moon18INSIDE

Send your submissions to: anl@dhakatribune.com

B O O K R E V I E W

n SM Shahrukh

Inspired by both his father’s experienc-es as a prisoner-of-war and the life of Weary Dunlop, Richard Flanagan’s new novel, in which a 77-year-old war hero

writes a preface to a POW’s sketchbook, ex-plores trauma and heroism on the Thai-Bur-ma railway. The principal protagonist of the novel, Dorrigo Evans, is without doubt the war hero surgeon Dunlop, who tried his best to look after the Australian POWs under his charge.

Roger Pulvers summarises the book succinctly and quite accurately in The Japan Times: 

“The time line of Richard Flanagan’s new novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, slips back and forth from pre-war Tasma-nia, Melbourne and Adelaide to post-war Sydney, among other locations. Yet there

is only one stark, unrelenting and everlast-ing present -- ‘the Line,’ the 415km-long Burma-Thailand railway that was built between  June 1942 and  October 1943 by more than 300,000 prisoners of war under the command of the Japanese. One in three prisoners’ lives was lost on that arch-bru-tal forced march. Of those who perished, 90% were Asian, primarily Burmese and Malayans, but also Chinese, Tamils, Thais, and Javanese. Nearly 3,000 Australians were among those killed. Richard Flana-gan’s father was one of the lucky POWs who survived.”

Dr Dorrigo Evans, coming from a post-First Great War, poor, and backward Tasma-nia, declares himself a fatalist from the very beginning. We are introduced to his poor family members but he rises to be a doctor. He is engaged to an immaculate upper class maiden, Ella, for whom his love is � eeting

at best. He falls desperately in love, while training for the war in Adelaide, with the second wife of his uncle Kevin Mulvaney, Amy. The two have a stormy a� air before Dorrigo � nally leaves for the Second World War.

From then on the war takes over, es-pecially the goings-on of the POW camp under the Japanese, with inhuman work load demanded of the soldiers weakened by cholera, ulcers, beriberi, and above all starvation. We meet many of prisoners from Australia. People like the sly Darky Gardiner, the racist Rooster Macneice, the initially indomitable but ultimately broken down Tiny Middleton -- a varied bunch. Their camaraderie is often quirky and inconsistent but still there. But the horror is beautifully described by Flanagan with operations per-formed with scant medicine and equipment, with regular deaths and their cremation, the

and the ultimate questions of the existence of God.

“Beside the funeral pyre of Australian soldiers killed by cholera, Dorrigo Evans, surgeon and leader of a camp of prisoners on the Thai-Burma railway, wants at � rst to burn the sketchbook of one of the dead men. One of his assistants in the camp hos-pital points to watercolors of atrocities, of torture, and of the everyday life of the camp. ‘Memory is the true justice,’ he says.” 

Dorrigo disagrees: “We remember noth-ing. Maybe for a year or two. Maybe most of a life, if we live. Maybe. But then we will die, and who will ever understand any of this? And maybe we remember nothing most of all when we put our hands on our hearts and carry on about not forgetting.”

The sketchbook is miraculously saved.The Japanese soldiers are portrayed with

a typical Western eye -- ruthlessly in the ser-vice of the Emperor. That’s not far from the truth though. Major Nakamura, in charge of the men Dorrigo led, somehow escapes the wrath of the Tokyo trials. He � ees to Kobe and till the end of his days he found nothing wrong with his actions in the running of the POW camp.

The case of the Korean guard, Choi Sang-min, who worked under Japanese instruc-tions as camp guard, is particularly sad as he is executed by the post war trials when many high Japanese o� cers were set free.

The post-war part of the book is full of trauma faced by the survivors of “The Line.” The survivors, as can be expected, never could go back to a normal life.

Dorrigo enters a perfunctory marriage with Ella, becomes a father, becomes a famous surgeon, but is mostly bored with life. He is now a compulsive womaniser and gradually giving into drinking heavily. During the war, Amy heard, wrongly, of Dorrigo’s death and she became distraught. Her husband’s pub blows up in an explosion and Dorrigo also concluded that Amy, the only woman she had ever loved, maybe, had perished too.

Owing to Dorrigo’s fame as a war hero, Amy gets to learn that he was still alive but Dorrigo sees her one day at the Sydney Har-bor and is astonished that she is still alive. For some reason, Flanagan does not make any attempt to rekindle the romance. Maybe he tried to make the point that Dorrigo has reached a place where he doesn’t care any-more about anything. The trauma of “The Line” triumphs.

It’s an interesting book with plenty of use of haikus and poetry but the construct is di� cult and the author deals with too many aspects. But a very readable book nonethe-less.

Note: The Japanese did not like the trans-lations of the haikus by Kobayashi Issa used in the book. No surprises there. l

SM Shahrukh is a freelance contributor.

Arts & Letters16DT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

2014’s Booker winner wields a complicated narrative on the Thai-Burma railway

The horror is beautifully described by Flanagan with operations performed with scant medicine and equipment, with regular deaths and their cremation, and the ultimate questions of the existence of God

I N T E R V I E W

n Junaidul Haque

On November 25, I had the chance to meet my favourite West Bengal novelist thanks to poet-editor Ranju Raim. I had been invited

to meet him before but this time, I had the chance to talk to him for much longer. And when Ranju Ram o� ered me the opportuni-ty, I grabbed it.

I’ve written on a lot of favourite writers (Rashid Karim to Gabriel Garcia Marquez) and teachers (Prof Kabir Chowdhury to Khandaker Ashraf Hossain) after their deaths. But I always wanted to write on Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and Syed Sham-sul Huq while they were alive. Perhaps this is the beginning.

Ranju Raim called me on November 22 and asked me for a few questions he would like to ask Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay. Why me? I have been a lover of Shirshendu’s � ction since 1973, since my Dhaka College days. Mohammad Ra� q, the poet who taught us English, had told me to read him. I read everything he wrote -- once, twice, thrice. 42 years of love.

Rushed to a Sector 4 Uttara Hotel at 8am on Tuesday, November 25. Seeing him, he appeared a man completely at peace with the world and at peace with himself. And he looked so familiar. As if I had seen him so many times before. He seemed to take a liking to me and asked me questions.

He turned out to be the person I had always imagined him to be -- a� ectionate, utterly pleasant, wise, and young at heart. He had maintained himself well and looked at least 10 years younger. Never got tired and

enjoyed answering my questions. I found out he is a vegetarian. And a happy disciple of Thakur Anukul Chandra of Pabna.

A few words about his childhood in My-mensingh: They were from Bikrampur but his grandpa was a popular “Mukhtar” in My-mensingh. The Mukhtar pampered him. His mother was his favourite parent. “My life revolved around her.” Loved the sentence. “I had a heavenly childhood in Mymensingh. Simple but beautiful.” Had almost a nomadic life as a boy, a young man. Father had a transferable job in the railway. Went to six schools in West Bengal, Assam, and Bihar.

Was quite naughty as a child. I found it di� cult to believe. Often got beaten in school. Was good in sports. Di� cult to believe again. He looked such a “softie.”

Mother recited a lot of Tagore poems to him while putting him to sleep during childhood. He still remembers those poems.

Later read Bankimchandra and Michael Madhusudan Dutta. He began to write. Wrote in the higher classes of school. Wrote in college and university. The weekly Desh published his � rst story and � rst novel. They invited him to write a story for their Puja issue when he was 26. That was recognition of some sort. Fell in love with Rabindranath in his early youth and it continued all his life. Worked � rst as a school teacher, then for Anandabazar and Desh. A journalist for a long time like Marquez and Sunil Gango-padhyay.

He was never a popular writer at the beginning. Till the mid-70s, until his 40th year, he was liked by a certain class of read-ers only. They consisted of a few important personalities, who read him, liked him,

and praised him. Two of them were named Buddhadev Bose and Satyajit Ray. Bose recommended him to Sagarmoy Ghosh and advised him to make Shirshendu write regu-larly for Desh. (I smiled and told myself that Bose never failed to discover jewels.)

Satyajit Ray vividly remembered his stories and inspired him. Invited him and Sunil Gangopadhyay to his � lms’ premieres. I suggested the mid-70s as the period when he began to rival Sunil Gangopadhyay in popularity. Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay smiled a� ectionately and agreed. Today, it is di� cult to say who is more popular. I didn’t fail to mention that Ray’s forefathers were from our Katiadi in Kishoreganj.

A wonderful prose coupled with his belief in the goodness of man and a quest for the

nobility of man make him the outstanding writer that he is. He is a rare breed among present writers of fame -- he is a believer. Man is in distress but he is to be loved, to be trusted, to have faith in. Childhood memories haunt him. Loneliness, sorrow, nostalgia, and alienation keep him occupied. But he is a � rm optimist. Has created a lot of powerful characters.

Rangamoyee is a mentally strong, digni-� ed, brave, and a� ectionate lady in Durbin. The scientist in Parthibo is dreaming of and � ghting for a better world. These are two of his most amazing characters. Did he see their likes in real life? Maybe not exact pro-totypes but traces of them in a few persons. They were partially real and partially bred by his imagination.

He has written a lot of novels for children. Began a little late, in his 40s, but is a very popular children’s writer now. He has creat-

ed the cutest bhoots for them, utterly lov-able. “Yes, my ghosts are not to be feared!” He is a seasoned writer of detective stories, even thrillers. Shabar Dasgupta, the police o� cer, is a detective with a di� erence. He is a powerful character. Received a lot of prizes -- the Sahitya Academy award and the Ananda Purashkar (twice).

Who were his favourite writers? Bankim-chandra and Rabindranath Tagore, Michael Madhusudan Dutta and Jibanananda Das. Not Tolstoy, a believer like him? Certainly, but the “bideshi” who most fascinated him was Fyodor Dostoevsky. That surprised me a bit. But I liked his honesty. Crime and Pun-ishment, Notes from the Underground, and The Idiot he simply loved.

Marquez? “Oh, yes, but he came much later to me. In the 1980s.” I appreciated his love for cricket and Tagore songs. Favourite singers? Debabrata Biswas (“Bangal” love -- I smiled), Suchitra Mitra, Konika Bando-padhyay, Rajeshwari Dutta, and Hemanta Mukhopadhyay. Regretted that Rajeshwari’s records were not available now. “Who says that Hemanta couldn’t sing Tagore songs well?”

I feel that, as in the case of TS Eliot, his conservative political and religious thoughts never stopped readers of all kinds from admiring him. Eliot wrote wonderful poetry and essays, Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay writes brilliant � ction. He is a story-teller par excellence. This Puja he wrote a novel for the Anandamela only. No novel for Desh or Anandabazar.

Why? “I was a little unwell.” He must write next year, I demanded. I told him that I have turned his Pogo from Nilur Duksha into a national character in Bangladesh. Pogo is Prufrock-like and Pogor Journal is the name of my literary column.

Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay looked the youngest and the happiest 80-year-old I have ever come across. He posed for photographs and went out to face Ekattor TV. His friend Soumitra Chattopadhyay was waiting for him. Quite handsome at 79. I felt like walking over to him and saying, “An old admirer here, Dada. Very glad to meet you.” But sadly, the TV crew was in the way.

“The people of Bangladesh love me 10 times more than the Indians,” he said during the interview. I gave him my warmest thanks and muttered, “I am the proof.” Even his books sold 10 times more in Dhaka than in Kolkata! The students of Edward College, Pabna once gave him a reception. When he was leaving, hundreds ran with his car. He remembered that always. “If ever Kolkata turns me out, will you let me stay here?” He joked.

“Without a doubt, Dada.” l

Junaidul Haque is a columnist and � ction writer.

Arts & Letters 17D

TSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

‘The people of Bangladesh love me 10 times more’Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay is a man of eclectic taste and talent

The students of Edward College, Pabna once gave him a reception. When he was leaving, hundreds ran with his car. He remembered that always. ‘If ever Kolkata turns me out, will you let me stay here?’

Aid to the crescent moonFaisal Jalal

P O E T R Y

Arts & Letters18DT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

The battle cry was heard.Every syllable and every word

was uttered, spat out in disgust.With every life that was taken,

With every family that was broken,With every prayer that was not spoken,

My religion has come under attack.

This is my rallying cry -- to the aid of the crescent moon. This is my rallying cry.

This is my … cry.

Before the faithless rise and take hold,the ebbs and � ows within the hearts, cold,and damp are the lies that whisper there,

“Go join the misguided and non-humanity”.Aren’t we cool with our black � ags a-waving,Aren’t we cool with our oil � elds a-blazing,Aren’t we cool with our weapons a-plenty,Make no mistake, we are masters of senti -Mental, though, is our true raison d’être.

Your devastation is our zakat-al-� tr.

Decadent cities will burn and fallThat is their dream. 

Human cities will rise from the ashes. That is our hymn. 

This is my rallying cry - to the aid of the crescent moon. This is my rallying cry. 

This is my … cry.

Hear me now and hear me well - All Muslims and ye of awesome faith. 

Let us unite before the hour is late. 

This is my rallying shout -- “Paris’ lights will never go out!” 

You are a virus of Islam that will need eradicating. You are a pox on the house of humanity that will need curing.

You are a plague on the map that will need scorching. You are a diseased crop that will need torching. 

You might have a ruthless devotion to a misguided interpretation. But we have something higher -- our faith in the human religion. 

We cherish justice, compassion, science and progress,Irregardless of how one likes to pray or dress. 

We value above all, that life is preciousA gift from above.A gift of true love. 

My religion has come under attack. Make no mistake, we will � ght you to get it back. 

This is my rallying cry -- to the aid of the crescent moon. This is my rallying cry. 

This is my … cry.

Faisal Jalal is an IT Professional in the bio-tech sector and poet. He is the author of Exile in Texas and The Darya e Noor is in the Sonali Bank vault.

Heritage

n Tim Steel

It cannot, from any empirical, documentary, or archaeological sources, be readily reckoned how long it took the earliest overlords of most, or all of

the lands that are now Bangladesh, such as the Magadha, and then the Mauryans, to establish, � rmly, their rule; if, indeed, they ever did. We have no real idea, in fact, how they conquered, who they conquered, and how far they conquered.

There is, after all, ample evidence in the writings of Greco-Roman historians that the Gangaridai, the people of the Ganges delta, were independent of the rulers of Patna, probably the Magdha regime, at the time when Alexander advanced.

And, although the Mauryans, who probably inherited the Magadha Empire, possibly as a result of the turmoil of Alexander’s advance, are believed to have extended their rule as far as modern Burma, it is also possible that, dependent on trade through the Ganges delta, they also chose to leave the successful traders of that delta to their own devices.

However, we do know that, of the four primary overlords, from the early 13th century onwards, it took the Khilji and their Muslim successors so long to get a grip, and then lose it in such a comparatively short time, that it is arguable that none ever really succeeded, except -- the British.

And, for them, it seems that their eventual grip gave them the foundation to both get a � rm grip on the rest of the sub-continent, and build and maintain, for a century or so, a worldwide empire.

This was the � rst real attempt by outsiders, from beyond the sub-continent, to dominate the indigenous peoples they found in these lands, lands that, to them, above all, represented control of what was already a well established international trading centre, made by the previously invincible army of Alexander of Macedonia, “Alexander the Great.”

Su� ce to say, in fact, that Alexander failed to get even a � nger-hold on these lands, although, no doubt, his all conquering progress across eastern and central Asia and northern India was, surely, su� ciently well known to deter all but the bravest of opponents.

It was over a millennium later that the Khilji, and their allies, not the least of whom were the Su� warrior missionaries, who, � eeing the depredations of the Mongol hordes who swept across Asia, advanced across the northern Indian plains that they had, already, been raiding for over a century, who became the � rst of the successful conquerors.

It is, perhaps, a little ironic that the Khilji, themselves, with a homeland in Kandahar Province in today’s Afghanistan, are believed to have been descended from an army Alexander left to defend his conquered territories thereabouts.

Although early converts to Islam, not the least of the clues to their ancestry is the name “Alexander,” or “Sikander,” which remains common, even today, in the lands, east of Dhaka, where they are known to have settled themselves.

The “indigenous” people, over whom they established their over lordship, would certainly have included a large immigrant population.

We know that, from well before the 8th to 11th century Buddhist Pala period of domination, peoples travelled from across much of the known world to study in the numerous internationally famed monasteries and universities, the ruins of which are still visible in Bangladesh, perhaps as many as over 400.

The somewhat ramshackle period of control of these early Muslim overlords was, eventually, overcome by the mostly Muslim Mughal incomers.

By that time, the “indigenous” people they found, and fought with, had many local rulers -- amongst whom the names of Isa Khan and Pratapaditya, one Muslim, the other Hindu, are notable -- who would have been a pretty diverse population, including, already, Portuguese Europeans.

Predictably, perhaps, the Mughals, and their associates, following the death of the great and ruthless Aurangzeb, the sixth Emperor, in 1707, also descended into their own, almost endless internal power struggles.

Probably the English, intented on defending their often threatened-in-the-turmoil commercial interests, were unfamiliar with the classical ancient Latin dictum of Greek philosophical origin, “Horror vacui” -- “nature abhors a vacuum” -- but were, to say the least, like most successful businessmen, opportunists. And, it seems, a little like the original Mughals, could discern some such vacuum.

Arriving in India around 1609, and with their � rst east coast factory in about 1612, by 1640 they had � rmly established a trading centre in Orissa, and had made connections across Bengal and neighbouring provinces.

For over a century, their business grew, not least in that most essential fuel of warfare of the age, gunpowder. However, other Europeans were not far behind, and, inevitably, con� icts in Europe began to colour relationships in India.

Local Nawabs were not slow to encourage. The simmering con� icts were, often enough, fanned by the Mughal rulers. And those rulers themselves proved unreliable trading partners, prone to seizure of cargoes, assets, and even people, and releasing them for ransom.

The frustration, as well, no doubt, as a

commercial eye for opportunity, revealed itself, particularly, in the 1680s, with the unwise and shambolic attempt by the English to seize Chittagong, and the subsequent onset of Child’s War, with its humiliating consequences.

As traders, with businesses to protect, they were bound to react, and they did.

Opportunistic exploitation following the subsequent victory at the Battle of Buxar, fought against the “might” of the assembled Mughal forces.

However, in 1793, with the loss of the American colonies, Parliament decreed that ruthless, commercialism be advanced to a more disciplined and enlightened governance.

Surely a � ne example of what any businessman can identify as immediate exploitation of an opportunity, followed by consolidation. The grip of the British seemed, � nally, secure.

The Mughals appear to have taken over half a century to truly get a grip on their conquered domain in northern and central India; the British, arguably, from 1765 to 1793, a little less than 30 years.

And Pakistan, the last of the interlopers, handed these lands on a plate by British bureaucracy and desperation to leave, we might suggest, never ultimately succeeded in doing so.

Since the majority of the population of Bangladesh today comprises descendants of all the last four “ruling dynasties,” such a stark observation may stir emotions amongst that majority, each, no doubt, still harbouring some sense of connection with the past.

Many others of the world’s greatest nations are, even today, wrestling with such “tribal” emotions that have a curious habit of taking a long time to die, if, indeed, they ever do.

Strange how the past always seems to re-emerge clothed more in resentment than celebration.

The one thing, after all, that can be � rmly said of the past, without fear of contradiction, is that it is, indeed, past. It cannot be experienced again: Rewritten, maybe, and often is, but, in fact, even that e� ort is usually, ultimately, proved pointless.

The consequences of history cannot be changed.

As the great American born poet, TS Eliot wrote. “The historical sense involves a perception, not only of the pastness of the past, but of its presence.”

However, perhaps, what the history of Bangladesh tells us, as so many others have learnt, throughout history, and across the world, that you can conquer lands, but you can never, entirely, conquer hearts and minds.

Those have to be wooed and won. And without them, the eradication of the past has little, if any, prospect of facilitating an enduring grip; it has been attempted, and failed, around the world, in many places, for many regimes. These days, such attempts result more often in international courts of law, than in success. l

Tim Steel is a tourism consultant.

Perhaps, what the history of Bangladesh tells us, as so many others have learnt, throughout history, and across the world, that you can conquer lands, but you can never, entirely, conquer hearts and minds

Bangladesh was shaped by waves of conquests

Getting a grip

19D

TSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Downtime20DT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

CALVIN AND HOBBES

PEANUTS

DILBERT

How to solve: Fill in the blank spaces with the numbers 1 – 9. Every row, column and 3 x 3 box must contain all nine digits with no number repeating.

CODE-CRACKER

CROSSWORD

SUDOKU

YESTERDAY’S SOLUTIONS

CODE-CRACKER

How to solve: Each number in our CODE-CRACKER grid represents a di� erent letter of the alphabet. For example, today 22 represents C so � ll C every time the � gure 22 appears.You have two letters in the control grid to start you o� . Enter them in the appropriate squares in the main grid, then use your knowledge of words to work out which letters go in the missing squares.Some letters of the alphabet may not be used.As you get the letters, � ll in the other squares with the same number in the main grid, and the control grid. Check o� the list of alphabetical letters as you identify them.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ

CROSSWORD

ACROSS1 Book of the Bible (4) 3 Confronts (5) 8 Tibetan holy man (4) 9 Black deposit (4) 11 Send money (5) 12 Trick (4) 14 Greek letter (3) 15 Surface slant (5) 18 Falter (5) 19 Frozen treat (3) 21 Dash (4) 24 Radiolocation (5) 26 Malleable (4) 27 Incites (4) 28 Looks for (5) 29 Comfortable (4)

Down1 Church recess (4) 2 Thunder god (4) 4 Drink (3) 5 Desert animal (5)6 Send out (4) 7 Devil (5) 10 Musical instrument (4) 11 Make merry (5) 13 Cut o� (5) 16 Periods of time (4) 17 Employs (5) 18 Cleat (5)20 Wired enclosure (4)22 Naming word (4)23 Male deer (4)25 Enquire (3)

SUDOKU

INSIDE

21D

TWorldSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Mystery surrounds fate of ‘injured’ Afghan Taliban chiefConfusion surrounded the fate of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was shot in a � re� ght during an argument with commanders of the divided movement, after an Afghan government spokesman tweeted Friday that he has died. PAGE 22

Tamil Nadu � ood worsens as 14 patients die Rescue helicopters were grounded on Friday by renewed rains that spread fear in the � ood-struck Indian city of Chennai, while the death of 14 patients at a private hospital added to the o� cial toll of 280 con� rmed killed in the disaster. PAGE 23

Germany joins global � ght against Islamic State After British jets this week began bombing IS targets in Syria, the German parliament on Friday overwhelmingly agreed to the deploy-ment of Tornado jets to � y reconnaissance missions. PAGE 24

ANALYSIS

Air strikes dent Islamic State oil smuggling operations n Tribune Desk

The coalition forces, freshly bolstered by inclusion of Britain and Germany, are going after the Islamic State group’s oil industry, destroying re� neries and hundreds of tank-er trucks transporting oil from eastern Syria in a heavy bombardment in recent days aim-ing to break the extremists’ biggest source of income.

The campaign already appears to be having some e� ect, with oil prices rising in areas of Syria that rely on crude smuggled out of IS-controlled areas. But experts say it will be di� cult to cut o� the militants’ trade completely since they are likely to switch to smaller, more elusive vehicles.

Putting a total end to the industry would mean destroying the oil � elds in Syria, but that would also bring hardship to millions in the population under IS rule and others who depend on the group’s oil, causing fuel shortages as winter sets in. Otherwise, tak-ing the � elds would require ground forces.

Still, the campaign could hit hard on an industry that US o� cials say generates more than half the revenue the Islamic State group uses to maintain its rule over its swath of territory across Syria and Iraq and pay its � ghters.

IS controls almost all of Syria’s oil � elds, concentrated in the east of the country, producing some 30,000 barrels a day, along with one � eld in Iraq. It smuggles most abroad, mainly to Turkey, selling at cut-rate prices and generating nearly $50m a month.

It is not clear why coalition forces waited this long before going after IS oil infrastruc-ture. US o� cials previously had said they avoided attacking fuel trucks out of concern for civilian casualties. In recent strikes, war-planes � rst dropped lea� ets telling drivers to � ee, reading, “Airstrikes are coming. Oil trucks will be destroyed. Get away from your oil trucks immediately. Do not risk your life.”

Combined with recent gains by Kurdish forces and their Arab allies that have cut o� some of the main supply routes between IS strongholds in Iraq and Syria, the airstrikes are likely to deal a painful blow to the group.

Last monght, Kurdish forces captured the town of Sinjar in northwestern Iraq, sev-ering of a highway serving as a supply route for Islamic State � ghters between the north-ern Iraqi city of Mosul and the militant’s self-proclaimed capital of Raqqa in Syria. An Iraqi oil re� nery also has been taken from the militants, and Iraqi forces have encircled the western Iraqi city of Ramadi.

It is too soon to tell to the impact of this week’s airstrikes on IS operations. But there are signs the campaign is already causing prices to rise.

Rami Abdurrahman, director of the Syri-an Observatory for Human rights, said pric-es of fuel shot up in some IS-ruled areas by around 80%, due to truck drivers refusing to

drive to IS oil facilities, fearing their vehicles will be hit.

Many parts of Syria controlled by other

rebels —even ones � ghting the Islamic State group — rely on IS for oil since they have few other sources. l

100 km

ISRA

ELIS

RAEL

IRANIRANEuphrates

Tigris

LEB.LEB.

Idlib

HomsHoms PalmyraAlbu Kamal

Omaroil �eld

Raqa

Med

iterranea

nSe

aMed

iterranea

nSe

a

Tikrit

KarbalaKarbala

Oil: A major source of �nance for Islamic State jihadists

JORDAN

SAUDI ARABIASAUDI ARABIA

TURKEYTURKEY

DAMASCUSDAMASCUS BAGHDADBAGHDAD

S Y R I A

Aleppo

Tartus

I R A Q

Hasakeh

DeirEzzor Kirkuk

Arbil

RutbaRutba Al KutAl Kut

NasiriyahNasiriyah

Basra

Fao

FallujahFallujah

Mosul

Source: MEI.edu

Oil �eld control:IS jihadists

information not availablegovernment or Kurds

disputed

Main border crossing Iraqi Kurdistan

Key sources of funding for IS: Illegal IS oil exports:

oil (possibly worth $1 million per day), antiquities, extorsion and kidnappingmuch is taken in oil tankers across road borders into Turkey

World22DT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

n AFP, Kandahar

Confusion surrounded the fate of Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour, who was shot in a � re� ght during an argument with commanders of the divided movement, after an Afghan govern-ment spokesman tweeted Friday that he has died.

The radical group has vehemently rejected claims by militant sources and intelligence o� cials that Mansour was critically wounded in a shootout at an insurgent gathering near the Paki-stani city of Quetta.

A government spokesman on Friday went further, claiming that Mansour did not survive the clash, which threatens to derail a fresh regional push to jump-start Taliban peace talks.

“Taliban leader Mullah Akhtar Mansour died of injuries,” Sultan Faizi, the spokesman for the Afghan � rst vice president, wrote on Twitter without citing any evidence.

He did not immedi-ately respond to requests for more information.

Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid rejected the claim as “baseless”, telling that Mansour was alive and well. The group kept longtime chief Mullah Omar’s death secret for two years.

The reported clash, which exposes dissent within the Taliban’s top ranks, comes just four months after Mansour was appointed leader in an acrimonious leader-

ship succession. If con� rmed, his death could intensify the power struggle with-

in the fractious group and increase the risk of internecine clashes. “If Mansour has died, the Taliban will do everything in its

power to keep that a secret for as long as possible,” Kabul-based military analyst Atiqullah Amarkhil said.

“Mansour’s death could spark new in� ghting over the Taliban leadership,” he said.

The mystery surrounding the fate of Mansour further deep-ened after the Taliban released an audio clip Thursday purport-edly from the militant at whose house the � re� ght is said to have occurred.

A man claiming to be Abdullah Sarhadi, a commander in Man-sour’s group and former Guantanamo Bay detainee, staunchly rejected the reports as “enemy propaganda”.

There was no independent veri� cation of the � le, which raised the question of why the Taliban have not yet released an audio or video clip from Mansour himself to bolster their claim.

Mujahid said it would take some time to put together an au-dio message from Mansour as he was in a “far away place” where only a few trusted militant commanders are able to contact him.

“The sheer volume of rumours suggesting that something has happened to Mansour will pressure the Taliban to o� er proof that he’s alive,” a Western o� cial in Kabul said.

“Simply posting denials... won’t be considered credible enough, especially after Omar’s death was concealed for years.”

Growing rifts Mansour was declared Taliban leader on July 31 after the insur-gents con� rmed the death of Omar, who led the Islamist move-ment for about two decades.

But splits immediately emerged in the group, with some top leaders refusing to pledge allegiance to Mansour, saying the pro-cess to select him was rushed and even biased.

A breakaway faction of the Taliban led by Mullah Mohamed Rasool was formed last month, in the � rst formal split in the once-uni� ed group -- and Amarkhil said Mansour’s death could provoke fresh � ghting with Rasool’s men.

Afghan o� cials on Wednesday con� rmed reports that Rasool’s deputy, Mullah Dadullah, was killed last month in a gun� ght with Mansour loyalists.

Mansour’s group has seen a new resurgence in recent months, opening new battlefronts across the country with Afghan forces

struggling to beat back the expanding insurgency. But in a rare success, a US-Afghan military operation on

Thursday freed more than 40 local soldiers and police held captive in a Taliban prison in the southern province of Hel-mand.

The divisions in Taliban ranks poses a major challenge to peace talks with the government.

Pakistan, which has historically backed the Taliban, hosted

a � rst round of peace negotiations in July but the dialogue pro-cess stalled soon after Omar’s death was announced.

The United States and China have been pushing for the process to restart, but frosty ties between Islamabad and Ka-bul have been hampering those e� orts.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani this week voiced a will-ingness to revive the negotiations following a meeting with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Paris. l

Mystery surrounds fate of ‘injured’ Afghan Taliban chief

Mullah Akhtar Mansour AFP

WorldSOUTH ASIASri Lanka police guilty of violating int’l lawSri Lankan police were censured for the � rst time Friday for violating international hu-manitarian law, in a landmark decision after o� cers assaulted students demonstrating in the capital. The Human Rights Commis-sion of Sri Lanka ruled police used excessive force in dispersing undergraduates, with at least nine students taken to hospital follow-ing a protest in Colombo in October -AFP

INDIAIndia’s spin doctors face � ak over ‘doctored’ Modi imageIndia’s government has faced mockery on social media for tweeting an apparently doctored photo of its image-conscious prime minister surveying the � ood-hit southern state of Tamil Nadu. Narendra Modi tweeted an image of himself looking out of a helicopter window as he � ew over the area on Thursday. The scene through the window was barely visible, but when the government’s press department later tweeted what appeared to be the same image, the view through the window was sharp -AFP

CHINAChina announces $60bn funding support for AfricaChinese President Xi Jinping announced $60bn of assistance and loans for Africa at a summit in Johannesburg on Friday, signalling China’s commitment to the con-tinent despite a recent fall in investment. Xi said China would “provide a total of $60bn of funding support that includes $5bn of grants in zero interest loans (and) $35bn in preferential facility and export credit loans and concessional loans.” China’s trade with Africa has overtaken that of the traditional partners, Europe and the US. -AFP

ASIA PACIFICSyrians linked to IS in Thailand ‘to attack Russian interests’Ten Syrians linked to Islamic State entered Thailand in October to attack Russian inter-ests, Thai police said in a leaked document citing information from the Russian Federal Security Service. In the document, Special Branch police urged an intensi� cation of security around “target areas that Russian authorities are concerned about”, including venues associated with allies that have tak-en part in attacks on IS in Syria. Thailand’s Special Branch, which deals with national security issues, circulated the document to other police units. -REUTERS

MIDDLE EASTSyria opposition to meet next week in RiyadhA conference bringing together dozens of � gures from Syria’s political and armed opposition will be held next week in Riyadh, opposition members con� rmed on Friday. According to Samir Nashar, a member of the opposition National Coalition, “the meeting will be in Riyadh on Tuesday and Wednes-day, and maybe Thursday if necessary.” He said the Coalition would be represented by 20 people and that 10 other opposition � gures were also invited. -AFP

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 201523

DT

Tamil Nadu � ood worsens as 14 patients die n Reuters, Chennai

Rescue helicopters were grounded on Fri-day by renewed rains that spread fear in the � ood-struck Indian city of Chennai, while the death of 14 patients at a private hospital added to the o� cial toll of 280 con� rmed killed in the disaster.

Waters that had started to recede rose again after a new cloudburst that sent resi-dents running for shelter under trees and in shopfronts. Parts of the � at, coastal city re-mained under up to 2.5 meters of water for a fourth day.

Many residents have spent days stranded on rooftops since more than 345mm of rain fell over 24 hours on December 1.

Military helicopters dropped food to residents stranded on rooftops and the defence ministry doubled to 4,000 the number of soldiers deployed to help the rescue e� ort.

Rescue teams urged people to leave in-undated regions and hundreds thronged the streets in the morning seeking higher ground, or trying to rescue relatives. Only roofs in some villages remained visible. Where water had receded, masses of black mud and garbage piled up.

In one of the most shocking incidents, 14 patients in the intensive care unit of the MIOT International hospital died after � oods took out generators running life-sup-port systems, Prithvi Mohandas, a doctor at the hospital, told reporters.

Tamil Nadu’s health secretary con� rmed the deaths but said the cause needed to be investigated.

Despite combined rescue e� orts by the

military and civilian emergency servic-es, help had yet to reach many areas and city-dwellers grew impatient as it emerged that authorities had released water from brimming lakes without much warning.

The Tamil Nadu public works depart-ment said it did issue warnings, but the information apparently did not reach the public because of a breakdown in media and phone communications. The Chennai edition of The Hindu newspaper did not go to press on Thursday, apparently for the � rst time in 137 years.

“We are sending technical experts and engineers who will � nd a solution to � ush out all the � ood water. It has to be drained out soon, but we don’t know how,” said a home ministry o� cial, who was not author-ised to speak on the record and asked not to be identi� ed.

The government restored some commer-cial � ights to a naval air base near the city of six million, but the main airport remained closed and completely awash. Car facto-ries that export around the world were also shut. l

People travel on a boat as they move to safer places through a � ooded road in Chennai on Friday REUTERS

Catalonia to pursue split from Spain despite court block n Reuters, Madrid

Catalonia’s government will continue its drive for independence, its acting head said on Thursday, a day after Spain’s Constitu-tional Court annulled a Catalan assembly resolution calling for a republic to be estab-lished within 18 months.

The court was ruling on an appeal by the Spanish government of Prime Minister Mari-ano Rajoy, who has said Catalonian independ-ence is “nonsense” and will never happen.

But Acting Catalan President Artur Mas, who ran the Catalan government during years of national economic crisis that saw the independence movement swell, said the government of the wealthy northeastern re-gion would stick to its plan.

“Legally, it is clear that the Catalan par-liament’s resolution is now annulled,” he said in an interview with Cadena Ser radio.

“But politically, it is not, because the will of the parliament cannot be annulled and the will of the parliament re� ects the will and the ideas of a signi� cant part of the Cat-alonian population.” l

16 dead in petrol bombing at Cairo nightclub n AFP, Cairo

Assailants attacked a Cairo nightclub Friday with petrol bombs, killing at least 16 people in the ensuing blaze, following an apparent dispute with the sta� , the interior ministry said.

Police were hunting for the perpetrators of the pre-dawn attack on the El-Sayad club and restaurant.

“Sixteen people were killed and three wounded in the � re that broke out in a nightclub in the Agouza district after Molo-tov cocktails were thrown at the establish-ment,” an interior ministry statement said.

“The preliminary investigation conduct-ed by the security services found that there was a dispute between employees and other people who then launched � re bombs at the nightclub in revenge,” it said.

A security source said the attack fol-lowed an argument between employees and a group of youths who frequented the establishment.

A thick cloud of smoke was seen billow-

ing from the club after the attack. Fire� ght-ers extinguished the blaze before it could spread to neighbouring buildings.

Forensic investigators later inspected the charred entrance, taking photographs and collecting evidence in plastic bags.

Police imposed a security cordon outside as a crowd of onlookers gathered.

A manager at the club said the wooden ceiling had caught � re and collapsed. The nightclub had only one exit, which may have prevented some of the patrons from escaping.

While there was no indication of any ji-hadist link, the arson comes with Egyptian security forces on heightened alert follow-ing a series of attacks including in Cairo.

The jihadists have claimed responsibility for bombing a Russian passenger plane af-ter it left the south Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheikh on October 31, killing all 224 people on board.

They claimed they had smuggled a small bomb on board the plane, in revenge for Russian air strikes in Syria. l

WorldUSAFemale shooter in California pledged allegiance to ISInvestigators believe the female shooter in California, Tashfeen Malik, posted on Facebook during the deadly attack, pledging allegiance to Islamic State group leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi. One US o� cial familiar with the investigation said Malik had posted on Facebook under an account with a di� erent name. The o� cials did not explain how they knew Malik was responsible for the post -CNN

THE AMERICASProtests as Ecuador lifts presidential term limitsEcuador’s Congress voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to lift presidential term limits from 2021, triggering violent demonstrations that saw police attacked with spears, clubs and home-made rockets. Ecuador now joins fellow leftist-led Latin American nations Venezuela and Nicaragua in allowing multiple re-elec-tions. After nine hours of debate, and opposi-tion protests in the streets of Quito and other cities, the legislature -- dominated by support-ers of President Rafael Correa -- voted 100-8 in favor of the constitutional amendments. -AFP

UKUK court convicts Maoist sect leader of rapeA British court on Friday convicted a Maoist cult leader of raping two of his followers and imprisoning his own daughter for 30 years in the London commune that he ran. Aravindan Balakrishnan, 75, known as Comrade Bala, was at the heart of a communist group in the 1970s. He “used psychological and sexual oppression and violence to force his follow-ers into believing he was a god,” said Baljit Ubhey of the Crown Prosecution Service. -AFP

EUROPEDanes snub more EU integrationEurosceptic EU member Denmark voted in a referendum Thursday to reject a government proposal to adopt the bloc’s justice rules, amid concerns over handing more power to Brussels. The ‘No’ side received 53.1% of votes, while the ‘Yes’ camp garnered 46.9%, � nal results showed. Voter turnout stood at 72%. The ‘No’ side argued that dropping the country’s exemptions on EU justice rules -- which it negotiated with Brussels in 1993 as a condition for accepting the Maastricht Treaty -- would hand too much power to Brussels and could result in more immigration. -AFP

AFRICAEgypt’s Sisi vows to punish policemen guilty of ‘mistakes’Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Thursday that police o� cers found guilty of “committing mistakes” will be punished, as authorities investigated two cases of custo-dial deaths. In a speech at a police acade-my broadcast on television, Sisi said the entire police force could not be blamed for “individual mistakes” of some o� cers. Sisi’s remarks came as authorities investigate last month’s deaths of two men in police stations -- one in the Suez Canal city of Ismailiya and another in the temple city of Luxor. -AFP

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 201524D

T

NYT censored again in Thailand over royal wealth report n Reuters, Bangkok

Thailand’s edition of the International New York Times appeared on Friday with a blank space instead of a story on Thai royal wealth after the newspaper’s Bangkok printer de-cided it was too “sensitive” to run.

It was the second time this week that Eastern Printing PCL had censored the newspaper.

The most recent incident came on the eve of celebrations to mark the 88th birth-day of the widely revered King Bhumibol Adulyadej, whose fragile health is a source of national anxiety.

He is in hospital in Bangkok and has not appeared in public since September 1.

Criticism of Thailand’s monarchy is out-lawed by draconian lese majeste laws that provide for jail sentences of up to 15 years for each perceived insult to the monarchy.

The story excised from Friday’s edition called for greater transparency at the Crown Property Bureau, the secretive agency that controls the monarchy’s institutional as-sets, worth tens of billions of dollars.

It was replaced by a blank space that car-ried the message: “The article in this space was removed by our printer in Thailand. The International New York Times and its editorial sta� had no role in its removal.”

A story on Tuesday on Thailand’s mori-bund economy, which referenced King Bhu-mibol’s frail health, was also replaced with the same message.

Both stories were accessible in Thailand via the newspaper’s website and were wide-

ly circulated. Eastern Printing PCL decided not to print

the stories for fear of upsetting advertisers or shareholders, or attracting punitive lawsuits, company chairman Yuth Chinsupakul said.

“The printing press is liable and can be sued,” he said, adding that the company would not print stories deemed “sensitive to the current situation.”

In September, the company declined to produce the entire newspaper rather than print a story that later appeared online un-

der the headline, “With King in Declining Health, Future of Monarchy in Thailand Is Uncertain.”

Yuth Chinsupakul denied the company had come under pressure from Thailand’s junta, which seized power in May 2014 and has doled out record jail sentences of up to 60 years for lese majeste o� ences.

In a statement, The New York Times said: “This second incident in a week clearly demonstrates the regrettable lack of press freedom in the country. l

A Thailand print edition of International New York Times is seen with a blank space instead of a story on Thai royal wealth, in Bangkok on Friday REUTERS

Germany joins global � ght against Islamic State n AFP, Berlin

After British jets this week began bombing IS targets in Syria, the German parliament on Friday overwhelmingly agreed to the de-ployment of Tornado jets to � y reconnais-sance missions.

Germany will also contribute a frigate and up to 1,200 troops, although only a few hundred are likely to be involved at � rst.

French President Francois Hollande de-clared “war” on IS after its followers killed 130 people in the French capital, and Euro-pean nations have been fastest to respond.

France invoked a clause requiring EU states to provide military assistance to wipe out the IS group in Iraq and Syria.

Welcoming the German parliament’s ap-proval by 445 votes in favour to 146 against, Hollande said it was “another example of the solidarity between France and Germany.”

British jets struck an IS-held oil � eld on Wednesday, within hours of lawmakers backing Prime Minister David Cameron’s call to help their European allies.

Russian planes are also hitting IS targets,

but the US accuses it of bombing other rebel groups in a bid to help Assad, a strong ally of Moscow.

Broad German support Even in Germany, where there has tradition-ally been reluctance to engage in military missions abroad, the government’s decision to take direct action in Syria has largely met with support.

An opinion poll in Die Welt newspaper Friday showed 58% backing for the deploy-ment while 37% were against.

Germany’s Justice Minister Heiko Maas

said the case for action was watertight le-gally.

“We must stop this terrorist gang of mur-derers.

That will not be achieved with mili-tary action alone, but neither would it be achieved without,” he said Tagesspiegel daily on Friday.

The package approved by parliament in-cludes six Tornado aircraft which have no o� ensive � ghter capability and specialise in air-to-ground reconnaissance.

A German frigate will be deployed to protect the Charles de Gaulle and tanker aircraft could refuel the planes mid-air to extend their range.

A date has not been set for the deploy-ment which is estimated to cost €134m, al-though Germany and Turkey were already working this week towards a deal to station the Tornados at the southern Turkish air base of Incirlik.

Separately, Germany has also pledged to send 650 soldiers to Mali to provide some relief to French forces battling jihadists in the west African nation. l

A date has not been set for the deployment which is estimated to cost €134m, includes six � ghter jets and a frigate

25D

TSportINSIDE

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Mashrafe is the funniest: KulasekaraNuwan Kulasekara might not be a tearaway, but the right-arm medium-pacer is regarded as one of the best swing bowlers currently playing cricket. Although he made his international debut back in 2003, it took the natural swing bowler quite some time to establish his presence in the Sri Lanka team. PAGE 26

Siddikur jumps to 11th in Ho Tram OpenSiddikur jumped 22 places to 11th place after the second day of the inaugural $1.5m Ho Tram Open yesterday. Siddikur completed the front nine yesterday in which he played three birdies and a single bogey before the game got suspended due to darkness at the wind-interrupted course. PAGE 27

New milestone beckons for history man VardyLeicester City striker Jamie Vardy can make history for the second weekend running when EPL’s early-season over-achievers visit slip-sliding Swansea City today. Vardy’s goal against Manchester United saw him set a new EPL record of scoring in 11 consecutive matches. PAGE 28

Valencia’s Neville set for on-� re Barca testNew Valencia coach Gary Neville will be a mere spectator as his side face the daunting task of halting European champions Barcelona’s free-scoring form today. Neville doesn’t o� cially take charge at the Mestalla until tomorrow leaving the caretaker team of his brother Phil and Voro in control this weekend. PAGE 29

Amir con� dent of national returnn Tribune Report

Pakistan cricket chief Shaharyar Khan and head coach Waqar Younis last Thursday hinted that Mohammad Amir will be con-sidered for selection in the national team following his return to cricket after a � ve-year ban.

Amir, 23, returned to domestic cricket in April, three months after the International Cricket Council relaxed certain conditions of his � ve-year ban for match-� xing.

Amir was tipped as one of the most tal-ented young fast bowlers when he was jailed in 2011 after admitting bowling no balls the previous summer against England at Lord’s in exchange for cash.

His the then captain Salman Butt and fel-low bowler Mohammad Asif were jailed for similar o� ences.

The ICC lifted all sanctions on the trio in September, making them eligible for do-mestic and international matches.

“It seems that Amir’s performance in the last four, � ve months is very good and he is knocking at the door to be considered,” Sha-haryar told reporters.

“We will tell him that ‘your attitude should be correct because people will be looking at your behaviour’,” he added.

Pakistan’s former Twenty20 captain Mo-hammad Hafeez last month became the � rst player to publicly oppose Amir’s re-turn, saying his inclusion will hurt Pakistan team’s image.

But Younis backed Amir’s return.“We have had a detailed discussion and

we are at the same page that if Amir has completed his punishment then he de-serves to return to the community,” Younis told media.

“I think if Amir has got permission for the Bangladesh Premier League then it’s good and he has proved that he is on the right track, so it’s our duty to give him an-other chance.”

Amir is currently playing in the Twen-ty20 league in Bangladesh and has shone with the ball, despite the struggles of his franchise Chittagong Vikings. Although the Vikings have lost six of their eight matches, Amir has taken 11 wickets and has also been impressive with his economy rate.

And according to sources, Amir himself is con� dent of his participation in the inau-gural Pakistan Super League, scheduled to be held next February. The left-arm seamer thinks consistent displays in the PSL will stand him in good stead for a probable re-turn to the national side in the future. l

PCB allows Asif, Butt to play domestic cricketn Cricinfo

The Pakistan Cricket Board will allow Sal-man Butt and Mohammad Asif to play the domestic one-day cup at the start of the new year. The decision has been taken with both players about to complete their rehabilita-tion in February 2016, following a � ve-year suspension from playing cricket.

Asif and Butt became eligible to play all forms of cricket from September, and were signed on as non-executive 17th grade em-ployees by Water and Power Development Authority. Both of them have been travel-

ling with the team but have not played any cricket yet. PCB had wanted to regulate Asif and Butt’s return as tightly as possible, and at the time the two of them still had some rehab work left to do.

While the board had accepted the ICC’s decision to lift the bans in September, they asked Asif and Butt to restart their careers from the ground up. The domestic T20 cup had been in full swing at the time, but Asif and Butt were asked not to take part and instead prove their form and � tness before they got to play competitive cricket. So in essence, the WAPDA contracts were to pre-

vent other department teams from recruit-ing them.

Amir and Asif also had to visit most of the domestic regions across four di� erent prov-inces and spread awareness on corruption issues. They lectured other players, coaches and o� cials at the domestic level on how to avoid corruption as part of the process to re-sume their cricket careers.

“We have decided to allow them to play the one-day cup starting after the ongoing � rst-class tournament in January,” a PCB spokesman told ESPNcricinfo. “By the end of Quaid-e-Azam trophy (the premier � rst-class tournament in Pakistan) they would have � nished all of their rehab programmes and they will be free to resume their do-mestic cricket. The [one-day] tournament is slotted in the second week of January.”

Unlike Asif and Butt, Mohammad Amir had admitted his guilt in the spot-� xing incident of 2010 from the outset and got a head start. Amir was allowed to play do-mestic cricket from January. His case was fast tracked following an amendment in the ICC’s code of conduct, allowing banned players to feature in domestic matches a few months prior to the end of their ban if their ban conditions and rehabilitation require-ments are met. Amir’s return at the national level is already being talked with PCB chair-man Shaharyar Khan and Pakistan coach Waqar Younis giving him support. l

BPL 201526DT

The Comilla Victorians crucial quartet Nuwan Kulasekara (L) and Abu Haider Rony (C) share a light moment as Mashrafe bin Mortaza (back) and Ashar Zaidi look on during their Bangladesh Premier League 2015 game against Rangpur Riders in Mirpur on November 27

MAINOOR ISLAM MANIK

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

‘Mashrafe is the funniest’n Reazur Rahman Rohan

Nuwan Kulasekara might not be a tearaway, but the right-arm medium-pacer is regarded as one of the best swing bowlers currently playing cricket. Although he made his inter-national debut back in 2003, with Chaminda Vaas and Lasith Malinga ruling the roost, it took the natural swing bowler quite some time to establish his presence in the Sri Lan-ka team.

Kulasekara is a late bloomer, but has rap-idly risen to the top. For someone who loved playing with a tennis ball and hadn’t bowled with a leather ball until the age of 17, it has been quite a journey for the 33-year-old Ku-lasekara who now has 182 ODI, 48 Test and 46 T20I wickets under his belt.

Despite his early debut, Kulasekara was made to wait for a regular spot in the side with Vaas, Dilhara Fernando and Malinga leading the Lankan attack. However, after Vaas’ retirement and Malinga’s inconsistent displays, Kulasekara seized the opportunity with both hands and emerged as a top bowler.

Although he tasted World T20 success in 2014, he was also an unfortunate member of the Sri Lanka squad that lost the � nals of World Cup 2007, World T20 Championship 2009, World Cup 2011, and World T20 Cham-pionship 2012.

In 2008, Kulasekara bagged 47 wickets which propelled him to the top spot in the ICC ODI rankings for bowlers and since then, has been an integral part of Sri Lanka cricket. Ku-lasekara is currently playing for Comilla Victo-rians in the Bangladesh Premier League 2015.

He arrived after the � rst two matches but made his presence felt straight-away taking three wickets for eight runs against Barisal Bulls. He followed it up with his best T20 � g-ures of 4/12 and 2/31 in the next game.

His performance in his maiden BPL ap-pearance has proved pivotal behind Comil-la’s success so far, a mediocre team on pen and paper that leads the six-team points ta-ble despite facing hurdles of injuries.

On the eve of their � ve-wicket win over Chittagong Vikings at the ZACS on Thursday, which took them to the top of the chart, the humble Kulasekara spoke to Dhaka Trib-une and shared his thoughts on the BPL and memories from the game he loves.

Before arriving you didn’t get many wickets in your last few T20 games. Back in rhythm?I think so, yes. I was struggling earlier, but af-ter picking wickets I think the rhythm is au-tomatically coming back. Very happy for the 4/12, my best � rst-class � gures, it’s special.

Playing alongside Mashrafe bin Mortaza and his leadership, how is the experience?He’s a very good guy, both on and o� the � eld. Mashrafe has a good captaincy knowledge, motivates the players very much. O� the � eld, he’s also a funny guy. Great personality.

Mashrafe led the team despite being injured, the squad also have a few injuries, how difficult has it been to cope with the setbacks?It’s very di� cult, especially for the captain of the side. When a bowler gets injured on � eld, the captain has to make new plans as the bowling quota of four overs also needs to be bowled. It’s a pressure situation, but

Mashrafe has been fantastic.

How would you rate your Comilla teammate and bowling partner Abu Haider Rony? Does the left-arm pacer seek bowling advice? Rony is a very talented bowler. He has pace, swing, variation. He has an excellent future I reckon. Good prospect for the Bangla-desh national cricket team. He tries to learn everything. He asks me, other seniors, for-eign players. Rony is a good learner.

Tell us something about your Pakistani teammate Ashar Zaidi and his impact on the team.Well, I haven’t met him before. He played in the UK and has a lot of experience. Zaidi is an asset for our team. A very con� dent player. The way he played so far, he is almost like a local player here. He is a � ghter sort of a player and has good knowledge and cricketing brain.

How did your journey with cricket begin? Any cricket idol or someone you follow?I played softball (tennis ball) cricket initial-ly when I was young, loved playing with softball. It is a nature in Sri Lanka, many big names were also softball players in their youth. Slowly I was attracted to playing with leather ball, but it was a lot later.

I followed a few cricketers, especially Vaas because he was also a very good swing bowl-er. But I never tried to be like someone. You see, you can follow, but can’t be that person. I have my own natural talent and I worked

on my strengths and planned my own way. I cannot be like Vaas, Brett Lee or Lasith Ma-linga. I have the same bowling action from childhood and I worked according to my nat-ural abilities.

Test, ODI or T20?As a cricketer, Test cricket is my favour-ite. It’s the real cricket according to me. ODI and T20 came a lot later. Who knows, six-a-side is there, there can be even 10-10 over format in future, but Test is the real cricket. Although, I do feel comfortable play-ing all the formats.

Best memory in international cricket?It was in Lord’s, the � rst Test against England in 2006. Me and Vaas, we batted for around three and a half hours after lunch and saved the Test. (Kulasekara scored 64 o� 133 balls batting at No 10 while Vaas scored an unbeaten 50. Their 105-run stand saved the match for Sri Lanka by the scant margin of a wicket).

Your opinion on Mustafizur Rahman?Musta� zur has a good future. He however, needs a lot more strength I think. He will build it up with time. Variation-wise he is learning I think. With time he should get better.

Australia cancelled their tour last month citing security reasons. You have come here earlier for international cricket, playing the BPL now, how do you feel?Well, I found it pretty safe in my previous visits, at the moment there is no problem I feel. I do know what security reasons they had, but its ok here, I feel. The nation loves cricket, good people, they love the Sri Lankan guys especially. I always have a good time here. l

QUICK PICKSBest friend in the team: Abu Haider RonyFunniest in the dressing room: Mashrafe

Favourite ground: Lord’s and DhakaFavourite past time: Watching TV and sleep

Sport 27D

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Siddikur jumps to 11th in Ho Tram OpenBangladesh gol� ng star Siddikur Rahman jumped 22 places to 11th place after the second day of the inaugural $1.5m Ho Tram Open yes-terday. Siddikur, who started o� with a 69 in the opening round, com-pleted the front nine yesterday in which he played three birdies and a single bogey before the game got suspended due to darkness at the wind-interrupted course. Strong gusts in the afternoon, which reached up to 25mph and moved golf balls on the greens forced o� cials to sus-pend play for two hours. Fifty eight players including Siddikur will now return today at 6:30am to complete their remaining holes. Meanwhile, a rock-steady Lin Wen-tang of Chinese Taipei � red a four-under-par 67 in gusty conditions to grab the second-round clubhouse lead.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Uttar Baridhara held by Young Men’sUttar Baridhara Club were held to a 1-1 draw by Fakirerpool Young Men’s Club in the Minister Fridge Bangladesh Championship League at Bangabandhu National Stadium yesterday. Shitol put Uttar Baridhara ahead in the 31st minute before Alamgir cancelled out the lead nine minutes later.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

T20 Corporate Cricket League beginsThe Twenty20 Corporate Cricket League 2015, organised by Clan Management Ltd and co-sponsored by Anowara Group and Kingstar Mobile, got underway yesterday at Dhaka Residential Model College. In the day’s opening matches, Bondhon Trading (217 runs) thrashed Nahee Group (66) by 151 runs, Bando Design (206) thumped First Security Islami Bank (134) by 72 runs, Anowara Group (114) beat Ekattor TV (113) by � ve wickets and Spike Technology (149) defeated SA TV (148) by four wickets.

–TRIBUNE REPORT

Cazorla could be out till March: WengerArsenal’s Santi Cazorla could be out until March although manager Arsene Wenger was reluctant to commit to a time frame for the in-jured mid� elder until he hears from a specialist. Cazorla hurt his knee in the 1-1 draw with Norwich City on Sunday, but stayed on the pitch as Wenger had already used up his substitutions, with the Frenchman saying the Spaniard had ended the game “on one leg”.

–REUTERS

Perez denies Real broke rulesReal Madrid president Florentino Perez believes the rules were not broken by � elding Denis Cheryshev in their King’s Cup clash with Ca-diz on Wednesday as neither the player nor the club were noti� ed he was banned. Cheryshev was taken o� at halftime when it appeared that Real became aware he was suspended, having being shown a third yellow card playing for Villarreal in the competition last season and having failed to serve the ban.

–REUTERS

Ronaldinho to open academyBrazilian legend Ronaldinho will arrive in Singapore next week to establish a football academy in the soccer-mad city-state, a local club said yesterday. The World Cup winner will partner with local football club Tampines Rovers and the International Football Group to jointly establish the Ronaldinho Football Academy, a Tampines Rovers state-ment said. A memorandum of understanding to establish the soccer school will be signed at a ceremony next Thursday.

–AFP

Ronaldo doesn’t deserve to be a Ballon d’Or � nalist: AlvesThe Portuguese has been named among the � nalists to win the award, along with Lionel Messi and Neymar, but the Barca star has now criticised his Real Madrid rival. Barcelona right-back Dani Alves insists Cristiano Ronaldo does not deserve to be a Ballon d’Or � nalist, and says Neymar has become the second best player in the world behind Lionel Messi.

–GOAL.COM

QUICK BYTES

28DT Sport

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

FIXTURES M’gladbach v Bayern Munich Hamburg v Mainz 05 Cologne v Augsburg Hertha Berlin v Bayer Leverkusen Ingolstadt v Ho� enheim VfL Wolfsburg v Dortmund

New milestone beckons for history man Vardyn AFP, London

Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy can make history for the second weekend running when the Premier League’s early-season over-achievers visit slip-sliding Swansea City tonight.

Vardy’s goal in the 1-1 draw against Man-chester United saw him set a new Premier League record of scoring in 11 consecutive matches, eclipsing the mark set by United old boy Ruud van Nistelrooy in 2003.

Should he score at Swansea, Vardy will equal an even more historic mark: Jimmy Dunne’s English top-� ight record from 1931-32 of scoring in 12 successive games for Shef-� eld United.

But the England striker has played down the signi� cance of the new milestone, telling Sky Sports: “I just have my eyes on helping Leicester get three points at the weekend.

“If someone else gets the winning goal, then I am more than happy.”

While Leicester go into the weekend lev-el on points with leaders Manchester City, Swansea are just four points above the rele-gation zone following a run of one win in 10 matches. It has led to speculation about the future of manager Garry Monk, who knows that his side’s ability to contain former non-league player Vardy could be a determining factor in the outcome of the match.

Manchester City have an opportunity to put pressure on the chasing pack as they visit Stoke City, their fellow League Cup semi-� -nalists, in today’s lunchtime � xture.

With progress assured in both the League Cup and the Champions League, Manuel Pellegrini’s side can plough all their resources into the league campaign ahead of a sequence of six matches in 24 days. Third-place Manchester United could be forgiven for having their thoughts elsewhere as they gear up for tonight’s home game against West Ham United.

On Tuesday they visit Wolfsburg for a match they are likely to have to win to secure a place in the Champions League last 16, leav-ing manager Louis van Gaal with a dilemma over who to select for the visit of West Ham.

Chelsea will expect to continue their recent improvement at home to a Bourne-mouth team who have gone eight games without a win and shipped 18 goals in six outings. While Spurs, who visit West Brom-wich Albion, remain unbeaten in 13 league games, they are at risk of being out� anked by Liverpool, whose 6-1 League Cup win at Southampton on Wednesday was their sev-enth in eight games.l

Gladbach out to break Bayern’s aura n AFP, Berlin

Borussia Moenchengladbach captain Granit Xhaka says his side has a chance of proving to the German league tonight that runaway leaders Bayern Munich can be beaten.

Xhaka and Gladbach’s stars are relishing the prospect of testing themselves against Germany’s top team at Borussia Park with their side fourth in the table while Bayern are already eight points clear.

“It’s clear Bayern are at a di� erent level at the moment, where, if we’re being honest, no other team in Europe or the world is at,” the Swiss mid� elder told German Sky Sports.

“But Bayern are also beatable. Every team is beatable, you just have to � nd the right solutions to break them down.

“[Today], we will of course try everything to be successful and above all else, we are a power at home.” In-form Gladbach want to be-come only the second team this season to take German league points o� Bayern.l

Unknown Lira vies with Messi for best goaln AFP, Sao Paulo

When Wendell Lira soared through a rainy night sky to score the opening goal of a mid-season match in a Brazilian regional football league, there were 342 people in the stands.

None of them could have imagined that the unknown forward, who was released by his club, Goianesia, several months later, would end up competing with Lionel Mes-si for the Puskas Award, FIFA’s prize for the best goal of the year.

Lira, 26, was startled when he found out - quite literally.

He had just left his house in Goiania, in the heart of Brazil, on Monday morning when a car suddenly pulled up and blocked his path.

He thought he was about to be robbed.But the driver got out, asked him for a

photo, and told him his stunning bicycle kick against defending champions Atletico Goianiense eight months back had returned from the past to change his life.

“When I got the news, I didn’t believe it at � rst. Then my wife called me, crying, and I started crying with her. I couldn’t believe it. It was very emotional,” Lira told AFP, still dazed by the news.

Lira, a journeyman footballer schooled in the humble stadiums of Brazil’s lesser leagues, will share the stage on January 11 in Zurich with Barcelona superstar Messi and Roma’s Alessandro Florenzi, the other two

� nalists for the coveted award.The prize, whose past winners include

Cristiano Ronaldo, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Ney-mar and James Rodriguez, will be awarded during the Ballon d’Or ceremony for best player of the year - a star-studded, red-carpet gala watched in millions of homes around the world.

The journey since that rain-drenched March night led � rst to the opening round of the contest.

Lira learned on November 6 that world football’s governing body had shortlisted his goal as one of the 10 best scored and cap-tured on video in o� cial tournaments world-wide in the past year.

At the time, Lira - who earned about $1,300 a month when he scored the goal of his life - had been unemployed for three months, since the end of his season with Goianesia and a brief stint at third-tier side Tombense.

He was in the process of searching for a new club to continue making a living from the game he loves - like many of the work-ing-class players who scrape by in foot-ball-crazed Brazil’s lower leagues.

An estimated 20,000 professional foot-ballers in Brazil go unemployed each year when the regional leagues end in May.

“Life is complicated for a footballer who’s not in the � rst division. You go through a lot. A lot of times you don’t receive your pay-check, and we have to support our families,” said Lira, who has had to � nd odd jobs to pay the bills in the past.

When Lira’s nomination started generating buzz, a leading club in his hometown, Vila Nova, signed him as its star recruit for its return to Brazil’s second-tier league next year.

“It’s changed my life. People know me, they want to take photos with me, they ask for my autograph and I’ve had new job o� ers. But thank God, now I’ve got a job. It’s crazy,” he said.

Lira still doesn’t know how his goal traveled some 10,000 kilometers (6,000 miles) from Goiania to FIFA headquarters in Zurich.l

FIXTURES Arsenal v Sunderland Chelsea v Bournemouth Manchester United v West Ham United Southampton v Aston Villa Stoke City v Manchester City Swansea City v Leicester City Watford v Norwich City West Brom v Tottenham

Sport 29D

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SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Ten Action2:30PM

A-League 2015/16Western Sydney Wanderers v Brisbane Roar 6:30PM

Sky Bet Championship Ipswich Town v Middlesbrough10:00PM French Ligue 1 2015/16Olympique Lyonnais v Angers SCO Ten Sports 9:00PM

Sky Bet Championship Burnley v Preston North End Sony SixItalian Serie A 8:00PM Torino v Roma 1:30AM Inter Milan v Genoa Sony KixSpanish La Liga8:30PM Real Madrid v Getafe 11:30PM Granada v Atletico Madrid 1:30AM Valencia v FC Barcelona 3:30AM Deportivo La Coruna v Sevilla 4:30AM Celta Vigo v Sporting Gijon Star Sports 110:00AM South Africa Tour of India 4th Test, Day 3 Star Sports 211:00AM Yonex Sunrise Indonesian Masters Semi� nals 7:20PM Indian Super League Pune v Chennai 11:30PM German Bundesliga Wolfsburg v Borussia Dortmund Women’s FIH Hockey World League 1:30AM Netherlands v Germany 3:45AM Australia v China 6:00AM Argentina v Great Britan Star Sports 4English Premier League 6:35PM Stoke City v Manchester City 9:00PM Manchester United v West Ham United 11:30PM Chelsea v AFC Bournemouth

DAY’S WATCH

Valencia’s new coach Gary Neville (L) poses with his shirt next to the club’s president Chan Lay Hoon during his presentation at the Mestalla stadium in Valencia, Spain on Thursday REUTERS

Valencia’s Neville set for on-� re Barca testn AFP, Madrid

New Valencia coach Gary Neville will be a mere spectator as his side face the daunting task of halting European champions Barcelo-na’s free-scoring form today.

Neville doesn’t o� cially take charge at the Mestalla until tomorrow leaving the caretak-er team of his brother Phil and Voro in con-trol this weekend. “Wednesday was the an-nouncement and Thursday was the � rst day I was able to come over so it wasn’t fair for me to come in and do sessions just before such a big match,” Neville explained. l

Mayweather Jnr gets early Christmas present n Agencies

Floyd Mayweather has successfully fought o� a number of southpaw op-ponents over the years but this is taking things to another level.

The current holder of the WBA, WBC and WBO welterweight titles, who announced his retirement after beating Andre Berto in September to take his record to 49-0, has been pictured holding a tiger on a lead.

The undefeated � ghter regularly � aunted his lavish lifestyle during his career, which earned him around £462million from � ghts alone, and he is showing no signs of abating now it is over. The 38-year-old was pictured sat on the top of a marble staircase with the young tiger laying down next to him attached to a leash. The big cat had been given to Mayweather as a present and he invited his fans to suggest names for his pet. l

Real Madrid v Getafe Granada v Atletico Madrid Valencia v Barcelona Deportivo v Sevilla Real Betis v Celta Vigo

INDIA 1ST INNINGS R B(overnight 231-7)A. Rahane c de Villiers b Tahir 127 215R. Ashwin c de Villiers b Abbott 56 140U. Yadav not out 10 30I. Sharma lbw b Abbott 0 2Extras: (b8, w1, nb3) 12Total (all out, 117.5 overs) 334

BowlingMorkel 24-5-58-0 (nb1, w1), Abbott 24.5-7-40-5 (nb1), Piedt 38-6-117-4 (nb1), Tahir 16-2-66-1, Elgar 11-0-33-0, Duminy 4-0-12-0SOUTH AFRICA 1ST INNINGS R BD. Elgar c Saha b Yadav 17 50T. Bavuma b Jadeja 22 55H. Amla c Saha b Jadeja 3 34AB de Villiers c Sharma b Jadeja 42 78F. du Plessis c Rahane b Jadeja 0 2J.P. Duminy b Yadav 1 8D. Vilas b Sharma 11 21K. Abbott lbw b Ashwin 4 6D. Piedt c Rahane b Jadeja 5 18M. Morkel not out 9 17I. Tahir c sub (Rahul) b Ashwin 1 9Extras: (b5, nb1) 6Total (all out, 49.3 overs) 121

BowlingSharma 12-5-28-1 (nb1), Yadav 12-3-32-2, Ashwin 13.3-5-26-2, Jadeja 12-2-30-5

IND v SA, DAY 2Rahane and Jadeja put India in box seatn Reuters, New Delhi

India rode Ajinkya Rahane’s cultured centu-ry to post a series-high 334 before returning to skittle out South Africa for 121 to take full control of the fourth and � nal Test yesterday.

Rahane (127) crafted the � rst century in the low-scoring series over � ve pains-taking hours and also featured in a 98-run eighth-wicket stand, the highest in the se-ries, with Ravichandran Ashwin (56).

Spinner all-rounder Ravindra Jadeja (5-30) then orchestrated South Africa’s rout in glori-ous sunshine at the Ferozeshah Kotla stadium as the hosts thoroughly dominated the second day’s play but did not enforce the follow-on.

India paceman Umesh Yadav dismissed Dean Elgar (17) to draw � rst blood but it was Jadeja’s triple strike soon after the tea break which completely unhinged the visitors.

Temba Bavuma (20) dragged a Jadeja de-livery onto his stumps, Hashim Amla (three) fell after his 34-ball ordeal and Faf du Ples-sis recorded his third duck of the series after playing an outrageous scoop shot.

The India pacers, content playing the sec-ond � ddle to their spin colleagues in the se-ries, drove home the advantage with Yadav uprooting JP Duminy’s o� -stump and Ishant Sharma castling Dane Vilas.

With wickets tumbling at the other end, AB de Villiers waged a lone battle before hol-ing out for 42.

Earlier, India resumed day two on 231-7 and Rahane, on 89 overnight, stitched a third 50-plus partnership in the match with Ashwin before bringing up his � fth Test century with an immaculate straight drive past fast bowler Kyle Abbott. An industrious batsman in a line-up teeming with � amboyant strokeplayers, the 27-year-old raised his arms and looked sky-wards in a mixed sense of relief and elation, having failed to go past 15 in the ongoing series.

Celebration followed with Rahane launch-ing o� -spinner Dane Piedt over mid-wicket and long on for two sixes in three deliveries.

The number � ve fell to a soft dismissal, driving Tahir to AB de Villiers at cover to depart after crafting a stellar knock over � ve hours with the help of four sixes and 11 boundaries.l

Okapia Mobile launches the lightest and the most innovative smartphone solution

National ICT Debate Festival

On December 3, Okapia Mobile launched Freedom, a unique mobile device to add a new dimension in the lives of mobile phone users. Okapia Mobile’s Freedom handset is the lightest phone currently in the market, weighing only 37.67grams. Freedom is packed with features which are unique and provides innovative solutions for smartphone users. The powerful device which is sleek in design has a dimension of 113x38x8.2mm, and takes only 25 minutes to be fully charged. Priced at Tk1,990 only, the one-of-a-kind device is poised to change people’s pattern of smartphone and tab usage.

Freedom can pair with any Android, iOS and Windows smartphone or tab, and operate its call, SMS, phonebook, camera,

and music functions. Once a user connects Freedom to a smartphone or tab, it copies call logs, SMS and contact lists from the device. From Freedom, the user can then receive calls originating in the original device, make calls, take pictures with the smart device using Freedom as the remote shutter, check SMSs originating on the smart device, and access, browse, or listen to his or her playlist. As soon as the pairing is turned o� , the information copied to Freedom is automatically removed. Freedom can also be used with a SIM as an individual handset.

During the launch, Md Tofazzul Hossain, managing director, Okapia Mobile said, “Okapia Mobile was founded with an ambition to serve people with supreme quality smartphones and other handheld

devices that would make people’s lives easier. Freedom is an example of our untiring endeavours in that direction. In the month of July this year, we have also launched another unique handset named Maa which was introduced for elder members of a family, those who are not accustomed to technology.”

The device is a member of Okapia’s smartphone and feature phone family. Since start of operation in 2014, Okapia Mobile has been introducing quality and unique products in the market, and is planning to launch an array of new products. Currently, the Okapia Mobile has 350+ SIS, 40+ brand shop and 35+ customer service points and employs 600 employees across the country. l

“We want to know young people’s ideas to transform the country into Digital Bangladesh. Many young people come to us with their ideas that they can’t execute by themselves. We want to utilise their ideas in our government’s policy making and increase their participation in that process,” Zunaid Ahmed Palak, Honorable State Minister of ICT Division stated while inaugurating the “National ICT Debate Festival 2015-26” on December 3 at the VIP Lounge of the National Press Club.

Shyamshundar Shikdar, secretary of ICT Division presided over the event and Nahim Razzak, Member of the parliamentary committee of the Ministry of Youth and Sports was present as the special guest. Razzak said, “This festival is an occasion to involve the young generation with di� erent initiatives by the government. I am very inspired to by this. While implementing the National Youth Policy, we will organise a similar debate festival from the Ministry of Youth and Sports.”

With the slogan “Information-logic-technology”, the festival was jointly organised by the ICT Division of the Ministry of Post, Telecommunication and Information Technology, Campus2Career (campus2career24.com) and Bangladesh Debate Federation, while Center for Research and Information (CRI) supported the initiative. Techshohor.com, Monash University, Oxfam and Practical Action were the partners of the festival.

Executive dditor of Campus2Career, Anjali Sarker and president of Bangladesh Debate Federation, Sanjib Saha presented the roadmap of the debate festival to the audience. Deputy Secretary of ICT Division Syed Mojibul Huq and representative of CRI,

Tonmoy Ahmed spoke at the event.The regional competitions will be held in

December and January. Students from the top universities and colleges in 64 districts will be participating in the debate festival which will take place in 16 zones across the country. The � rst regional debate was held yesterday at Jahangirnagar University as part of the Dhaka zone. l

News30DT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

Showtime 31D

TSATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

InceptionHBO 6:32pmDom Cobb is a thief with a di� erence. He is more dangerous than the regular ones. Cobb steals dreams. He has the ability to walk into people’s dreams and steal secrets that are invaluable. He is the ultimate in corporate espionage. But that also makes him the most wanted criminal. Then, he is o� ered a chance at redemption. He has to just do one big heist and he is free to live his life unhindered. Cobb has to not steal, this time round, but to implant an idea in someone’s dream. Will Cobb be able to perform this impossible task?Cast: Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Harry Potter and the Goblet of FireWB 3:34pmHarry Potter, his friends Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger return to the Hogwarts School of Magic for their fourth year. This year the Triwizard Tournament is to be held at Hogwarts. Only students above the age of 17 can enter the tournament. But someone has entered Harry’s name for it. Will he survive the dangers that are to be faced during the event?Cast: Daniel Radcli� e, Rupert Grint, Emma Watson

World War ZZee Studio 9:30pmWatch Brad Pitt race against time as he plays a UN employee who is trying to prevent the deadly outbreak of a Zombie Pandemic which is toppling armies, nations and more so, threatening to wipe out humanity.Cast: Brad Pitt, Mireille Enos, James Badge Dale

BattleshipStar Movies 12:00pmBased on the classic Hasbro naval combat game, Battleship is the story of an international � eet of ships who come across an alien armada while on Naval war games exercise. An intense battle is fought on sea, land and air. What do the aliens want?Cast: Alexander Skarsgard, Rihanna, Brooklyn Decker

The Fast and the FuriousStar Movies Action 9:30pmThe � lm gives one an inside view of the street racing world. Dominic Toretto is a gang leader who is accused of hijacking trucks and stealing a million dollars worth of electronics. Brian O’Conner, an LAPD o� cer, is assigned the task of penetrating the ring and getting to the truth. Watch the � lm to see what happens when Brian becomes Dominic’s friend and also falls in love with his sister, Mia Toretto.Cast: Paul Walker, Vin Diesel, Jordana Brewster

WHAT TO WATCH

n Promiti Prova Chowdhury

Theatre Week 2015 has just begun at the Jatiya Natyashala auditorium of Bangladesh Shilpakala Academy in the capital. The week features seven productions by leading theatre group called Theater. The Dhaka Tribune interviewed acclaimed actor and stage director Ramendu Majumdar, the leader of the group. Ramendu is the second Asian to be elected as the president of International Theatre Institute. Chairman of Expressions Ltd, an advertising � rm, Ramendu received the Ekushey Padak in 2009.

What measures can be taken to increase viewership for stage dramas?For this festival, we have given � ve tickets to each artist, for them to sell to their friends. If anyone buys a ticket from the artist, they get another one for free, allowing them to bring another guest. This is one way in which we are bringing in more people. However, the biggest obstacle to increasing viewership for theatre productions is de� nitely the tra� c congestion in the city.

To begin with, the ticket price isn’t that high. If you go to a multiplex to watch a movie you have to spend triple the amount you spend for a theatre show. However, the cost they have to bear is the cost of pushing through tra� c jams to get to the Natyashala, losing valuable time.

Do you feel that television dramas are a threat to theatre productions?

No. When there was only BTV, they used to telecast a particular TV series on Tuesdays. We used to notice that on Tuesdays no one

was willing to provide us a hall on rent. Or, if we held any show, very few people would show up. But now, around 250 dramas are broadcast on TV channels on a daily basis. No one bothers to remember what time they are broadcast, and neither do people religiously follow these shows. So, no, we don’t think that TV dramas are a factor to reduce the popularity of theatre productions.

During Theatre Week 2015 are you planning to hold any drama to commemorate the month of victory?We have Syed Shamsul Haq’s Payer awaj pawa jai among the seven productions. We plan to stage it at di� erent venues around the city this month.

You are leading a number of organisations alongside Theater. How do you manage to keep up?Previously, I used to work as the director of Bitopi Advertising Ltd. I had plenty of freedom there so I could always accommodate my rehearsals alongside my work. I used to rehearse in the evenings and go to factories or exhibitions as per the requirements of my day job at night. So, I used to divide my time e� ciently. I could do that only because I had the freedom. But if someone is engaged in a nine to � ve job then it is hard for them to manage both. Today, I have my own organisation Expressions, so I can manage. Time management is a huge factor.

Today many youths say that although they are interested to work in theatre groups, they cannot manage time alongside the fact

that it isn’t feasible either. What are your thoughts?I do agree with them since it is true that we can never earn money just by staging dramas. On the contrary, we have to spend from our own pockets. I believe that even in the near future, it will not be possible to become a full-time, professional threate artist. Theatre actors have become professionals by working for TV plays and � lms. Afterwards, many of them are not able to provide time for theatre anymore.

So if anyone is very passionate about theatre he has to have a � xed source of income and then work in theatres by managing time for both.

What do you think is the current state of theatre in Bangladesh?Recently, many new productions are doing really well. However, some of them aren’t given enough opportunity to stage shows since the number of halls are inadequate. I feel that Jatiya Natyashala should not just be a building, they should expand further. If they outsource and provide contracts to di� erent theatre groups to stage shows, within a certain period of time, in exchange for decent salary, a level of professionalism can be attained.

If the government cannot provide money for these endeavours, then we can seek sponsorship instead. They sponsor football teams and cricket teams - why can’t we get similar sponsorship as well? In foreign countries there are a number of municipal theatres where municipality provides the fund. Perhaps we can create something like that here. l

‘The biggest obstacle for theatre is the tra� c’A tete-a-tete with Ramendu Majumdar

Back Page32DT

SATURDAY, DECEMBER 5, 2015

A TETE-A-TETE WITH RAMENDU MAJUMDAR PAGE 31

A DARK HORIZON PAGE 13

MOVING FROM TABOO TO AN AGREEMENT PAGE 14

Local strongmen wrestle climate adaptation projects from farmersn Nure Alam Durjoy back from

Rajshahi and Naogaon

Farmers in Rajshahi and Naogaon say they are not bene� ting from government climate change adaptation schemes because ruling party strongmen have e� ectively taken over the projects.

A visit to a number of climate adaptation projects by the Dhaka Tribune revealed that local elites belonging to the ruling party had monopolised the bene� ts of canal re-excava-tion projects.

Canal re-excavation provides much need-ed supplementary irrigation to this dry re-gion, known as the Barind tract, that su� ers from depleted groundwater reserves.

Some 20,000 farmers dependent on deep tube wells could have bene� ted from supple-mentary irrigation this season if they had fair access to it.

The Dhaka Tribune found such com-plaints by farmers to be common at several projects � nanced by the Bangladesh Climate Change Trust (BCCT).

In Bianabona village in Godagari upazila of Rajshahi district, supplementary irrigation for the Aman paddy by re-excavating canals is being undertaken by the Barind Multi-pur-pose Development Authority (BMDA), a gov-ernment agency.

Local farmers said people connected to the ruling party had e� ectively taken control of the bene� ts of the project.

Farmer Farque Hossain of Bianabona vil-lage, said the three shallow machines in the area were being run by ruling party men.

Sirajul Islam, another farmer, said there was not enough water to support his � ve bighas of land as he waited for deep tube well water.

“The paddy is not in good shape. I do not know if even 12 maunds of rice can be har-vested per bigha of land this year,” he said. Last year he harvested 80 maunds of rice from the same plot of land.

One maund, the local unit of mass for bulk agricultural produce, is just over 37 kilo-grammes.

Kristo Kujur, 38, from nearby Chaitan-yapur, another village in Godagari upazila, said: “I do not get water from deep tube wells when it is needed.”

Chaitanyapur’s farmers said local strong-men had grabbed the deep tube well which was intended to irrigate about 500 bighas of land.

A bigha is equivalent to 0.13378 hectares.The farmers said that a lack of fair access

to water could destroy this season’s harvest, meaning lower yields for farmers and higher prices for consumers.

Many farmers were not aware that the ir-rigation schemes in their areas were adapta-tion projects � nanced by the BCCT.

The target area, the Barind tract in Ra-jshahi and Naogaon, is the country’s most drought-prone region. It is extremely vulner-able to the adverse e� ects of climate change.

In the remote area of Godagari upazila, 55 kilometres north-west of Rajshahi city, the BMDA claimed to have re-excavated a 5km canal, 12 metres wide and three metres deep to irrigate 900 hectares of land.

Local farmers disputed this, saying they had seen only 3km of canal re-excavated.

The project cost Tk1.2 crore. Farmers told the Dhaka Tribune that rul-

ing party strongmen control access to the canal and bar outsiders from � shing in it or using its water to irrigate their paddy � elds.

Farmers said they are forced to use groundwater extracted by deep tube wells for irrigation.

But it is not easy to get the water and it is getting harder with the passage of time.

The average queue for deep tube well use is 100 to 150 farmers per well. Continuous load-shedding adds to the di� culties and puts the paddy � elds in danger, they said.

The BMDA claims it has re-excavated just under 7 hectares of land at Kusum Kunda in Porsha upazila in Naogaon district for sup-plementary irrigation at a cost of Tk2 crore.

During a recent visit to this project area, the Dhaka Tribune found similar allegations surrounding the project.

An ongoing baseline study on the project at Godagari upazila conducted by Trans-parency International of Bangladesh (TIB), found that 95% of people said they were not informed about the project. Some 52% said they knew nothing about the project. The rest say they only found out when the exca-vation work was started by the contractors.

Most of the poor and ultra-poor, repre-senting 88% of the population of the area, said they had not been asked by the imple-menting agency for opinions, according to the study.

Some 58% said there was no opportunity for local farmers to be involved in monitoring the project.

The farmers said they did not dare to mon-itor the project out of fear of local ruling par-ty political elites who they alleged received illegal bene� ts from the contractors.

Barind tract groundwater“The groundwater recharge rate in these � ood-free areas is very slow because the soil is very dense compared to other regions of the country”, Chowdhury Sarwar Jahan, professor of geology and mining at Rajshahi University, said.

“The only source of groundwater is rain. But it can hardly enter into the ground. Only 10% of the rainfall goes underground,” he added.

There are 60,000 to 70,000 deep tube

wells in the region for irrigation which has caused groundwater levels to decrease. But demand for water continues to rise, Profes-sor Sarwar said.

“Groundwater levels in 2002-03 came down to such a low level that it is yet to re-cover,” he added.

Md Abdur Rashid, superintending engi-neer of BMDA at Barind Bhaban located on Cantonment Road in Rajshahi, said the pres-sures on groundwater in the Barind tract was increasing every day.

He rebu� ed the farmers’ allegations, say-ing: “All three projects were implemented properly.”

“Our responsibility is only to dig ponds and re-excavate canals in Khas lands. The rest of it is for the ministry of land to take care of,” he said.

Besides implementing agencies, the Bang-ladesh Climate Change Trust has its own mechanisms for monitoring and evaluating climate change trust fund projects.

Headed by a director, BCCT has a moni-toring and evaluation branch that receives monthly progress reports from its project di-rectors, sends inspection team for � eld visits and convenes regular monitoring meetings with project directors.

But it does not have a culture of disclosing monitoring and evaluation reports, said Jane Alam, assistant director for protocol. l

This canal in Chhoyghati village in Rajshahi’s Godagari upazila was excavated to supply water to local farmland in dire need of irrigation during the dry season. Residents say in� uential men have taken over the canal and are depriving local farmers. The picture was taken recently AZAHAR UDDIN

Editor: Zafar Sobhan, Published and Printed by Kazi Anis Ahmed on behalf of 2A Media Limited at Dainik Shakaler Khabar Publications Limited, 153/7, Tejgaon Industrial Area, Dhaka-1208. Editorial, News & Commercial O� ce: FR Tower, 8/C Panthapath, Shukrabad, Dhaka 1207. Phone: 9132093-94, Advertising: 9132155, Circulation: 9132282, Fax: News-9132192, e-mail: news@dhakatribune.com, info@dhakatribune.com, Website: www.dhakatribune.com