Dhaka wants ‘legally equitable’ resolution of dispute with Myanmar

Shahidul Islam Chowdhury

Bangladesh has called for a 'legally equitable' resolution of its dispute with Myanmar over the maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal.

Dhaka made the appeal in it reply filed with the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea over Myanmar's claims concerning delimitation of maritime boundary between the two countries, according to ITLOS.

The foreign ministry said it had filed the reply on March 14 for a 'legally equitable' resolution of the dispute.

When his attention was drawn to the issue, additional foreign secretary M Khurshed Alam, also Bangladesh's deputy agent to ITLOS confirmed the filing of the reply.

'The reply was submitted as per the schedule set by the ITLOS,' he said.

Bangladesh was scheduled to file her reply by on March 15.

The ITLOS is a judicial body created by the 1982 United Nations Convention on the Law of the Seas. Bangladesh and Myanmar, on mutual consent, invited ITLOS in 2009 to exercise its jurisdiction over the maritime boundary dispute between the two countries.

Bangladesh submitted a 'memorial' on her claims in the Bay on July 1, 2010. Myanmar submitted a 'counter-memorial' on December 1, 2010.

Myanmar is scheduled to file its rejoinder on July 1, 2011 concluding the written proceedings of the case.

The tribunal is likely to start taking oral proceedings by the end of this year [2011].

The two countries, which had held prolonged negotiations over the dispute since 1974, failed so far to reach a settlement. 

It would take at least two years to settle the case concerning delimitation of the maritime boundary between Bangladesh and Myanmar in the Bay of Bengal, ITLOS president Jose Luis Jesus said at the UN headquarters in New York on October 25, 2010.

The ITLOS president described the case, which has been registered with the tribunal as 'Case No. 16' on disputes between Bangladesh and Myanmar as 'a milestone' for the tribunal since 'it is its first case on maritime delimitation'.

Bangladesh on February 25 this year submitted its claims to the United Nations in New York on the country's legitimate authority over 450 nautical miles from the coastline in the Bay of Bengal.

Foreign minister Dipu Moni, who is also the 'agent' for the country with ITLOS, handed over Bangladesh's 'position paper' to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (UNCLCS) for demarcating the outer limits of its continental shelf.

A country is supposed to enjoy its rights to fishing and exploring and extracting other marine resources in its 12–24 nautical miles of territorial sea from the coastline, 200 nautical miles of exclusive economic zone and a maximum 350 nautical miles of continental shelf from the baseline.

Bangladesh has, however, long-standing disputes with India and Myanmar on the issue of 'starting point' on how to mark the coastline to draw its marine boundary, with apparently overlapping claims of the three neighbouring countries because of the funnel-like coastline of the Bay of Bengal.

Under the UN provision, no claims submitted by a country should be taken for final consideration before settling the objection raised by a neighbouring country, which might have overlapping claims.

Establishing legal maritime boundaries would create scope for Bangladesh to undertake systemic programmes for utilising resources in the Bay, experts said.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

15 injured as BCL factions clash at Jagannath University

At least 15 people were injured as two factions of the Bangladesh Chhatra League, associate student body of the ruling Awami League, clashed at Jagannath University in the capital on Wednesday.

During the clash, the police arrested 20 people, including three BCL

leaders.

The police and the university authorities filed two cases against 200 BCL activists.

Eyewitness said the clash started when BCL activist Liton, loyal to the university unit president, beat up Arafat, loyal to the unit general secretary, on the campus at about 11:00am.

Informed, general secretary loyalists, led by Arif, Faruk, Bulbul and Maksud, chased the president group activists at about 12:00pm.

When the president group activists made a counter-chase, a clash took place that lasted for two hours and left 15 people injured.

Of the injured, Bulbul, Ashok, Liton, Pratyai, Jasim, Rajib, Sahadat, Arafat, Saim, Suman, Zahir, Rasel and Rifat were admitted to a local clinic.

During the clash, the BCL activists vandalised the university departments and cafeteria and a serious traffic jam ensued around the campus.

Later, acting proctor Asoke Kumar Saha, with the Kotowali police, brought the situation under control.

During the clash, the police arrested 21 BCL men for vandalising the university valuables. Of the arrested, nine were identified as Faruk, Shamim, Sohag, Najmul, Tarek, Shibbir, Milon, Jakir and Debashish.

The Kotowali police officer-in-charge, Salauddin Khan, told New Age, 'Some students often create disturbance on the campus, so we are taking stern action against them. We have filed a case against those who vandalised the university property.'

Acting proctor Asoke Kumar Saha said, 'We have filed a case against 200 BCL activists with the Kotowali police for vandalising university valuables.

'A probe body has also been formed with JnU science faculty dean Prof Hasna Hena Begum as its convener and the committee will submit report within seven working days,' he added.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Election schedule for 571 UPs finalised

The schedules for the union council elections have been finalised for 571 coastal upazilas.

The Election Commission on February 24 announced the schedules for 574 union councils under 72 upazilas of 12 coastal districts to be held in March 29-April 3.

Three of the councils were left out due to legal and other complexities.

District and upazila officials finalised schedules for the rest of 571 Union Parishads, EC secretariat senior assistant secretary (municipality and rural) Abdul Baten told reporters on Wednesday.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Indo-Bangla talks on drug control begins

A two-day director general-level talks between drug control nodal agencies of Bangladesh and India began at Regency hotel in Dhaka on Wednesday.

Sources said issues, such as sharing information on routes and spots of drug trafficking came up for discussion.

Director General of Department of Narcotics Control Khandaker Mohammad Ali is leading a 15-member Bangladesh delegation while his counterpart the director general of Narcotics Control Bureau, OPS Malik, is leading an 11-member Indian delegation.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Total knee replacement surgery conducted at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University

Total knee replacement surgery was conducted in the orthopaedic department of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University on Saturday.

A total of 12 surgeries were conducted and all the patients were okay and normal, said Abu Zafor Chowdhury, assistant professor of the department.

He said this while addressing a press conference held at the university.

A team of special surgeons from Singapore General Hospital took part in the surgery, he added.

The physicians of BSMMU will be sent to Singapore for higher training and specialised doctors of Singapore will come to Bangladesh for conducting the surgery, sources in the university authorities said.

Among others, BSMMU director Abdul Majid Bhuiyan was present at the programme.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Colonel Taher Sangshad gets new executives

Justice Golam Rabbani was elected president and Justice Mohammad Ali general secretary of Colonel Taher Sangshad through annual general meeting on Friday, said a press release.

The new committee was elected for the next two years. Monirul Islam was elected organising secretary while Haider Akbar Khan Rono and Professor Anwar Hossin were elected vice-presidents and Bina Shikder was elected joint general secretary.

Among other office bearers are Mustak Hossian as treasurer, Atikur Rahman Ranzu as publicity secretary, Atal Devnath as publication secretary, Mejbahuddin Badal as office secretary, Kala Chand Shil as information and research secretary and Abu Kaiser Jishu as website secretary.

Kamal Lohani, Afroja Haq Rina, Abu Sayeed Khan, Rafiqul Islam, Saiful Alam, Kamrul Hasan Jaigirdar, Rokonuzzaman, Mokhlesur Rahman, Nazrul Islam Chunno, Salahuddin Razzak Rana and Mizanur Rahman were elected members.

The meeting also elected a 101-member national committee and expressed satisfaction over progress in the Colonel Taher Murder case.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Bangladesh govt urged to allow Salauddin Quader Chowdhury to join parliament

Wife of detained BNP lawmaker Salauddin Quader Chowdhury has urged the government to take steps for his joining the current session of parliament.

Farhat Quader Chowdhury told journalists at a news conference at the National Press Club on Saturday that her husband, accused of crimes against humanity during the 1971 war of independence, sent a letter to the speaker expressing his interest to join parliament.

'A letter from the BNP has also been sent [to the speaker] … it is his [Salauddin's] constitutional right to take part in the parliament sessions,' she said at the conference organised by Salauddin Quader Chowdhury Mukti Parishad, a body formed to push for release of the BNP leader.

The government did not take steps in this regard, she alleged.

Organisation chief Ruhul Amin Shelly alleged that Salauddin was tortured after his arrest on 'fake charges'.

'The incumbent government filed the case by arranging fake and flimsy incident, which had been settled 39 years ago, in order to malign him politically and socially,' he said.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

12 India-aided railway projects under way in Bangladesh

Bangladesh Railway is hopeful of implementing 12 development projects taken with Indian credit of $1 billion on time, officials said.

They said the projects had already been approved by Executive Committee of the National Economic Council and Tk 6,100 crore had been earmarked for the projects.

Collection of 10 broad gauge diesel-run electric locomotives, 125 passenger-carrying broad gauge cars, 180 broad gauge compartment tanks, construction of rail lines from Khulna to Mongla port and 150 passenger-carrying meter gauge cars are included in the projects.

A source in the BR said technical evaluation of the tenders for the projects and appointment of consultants had already started and tenders of some projects were likely to be invited next month.

The 150 MG coaches and two BG inspection cars will cost Tk 556.31 crore and a tender of the project would be floated this month.

Planning officer of BR Sagar Krishna Chakbarti told BSS that the railway authorities were hopeful about implementation of the projects during the tenure of the government.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Poverty causes low birth registration in Bangladesh char areas

Birth registration rate in char and remote areas of coastal region is low as most of the people are unaware of its importance due to their extreme poverty and illiteracy.

According to representatives of local bodies at Hatiya in Noakhali, the birth registration rate in char and remote areas of the upazila is very poor.

They said 40 per cent people were registered in the Nijhum Dwip (island) of the district while 20 per cent birth registration took place in Naler Char and Boyar char.

There are nine chars in the Hatiya upazila, most of the people are illiterate. They are living there in extreme poverty. Very few people of the chars know the benefit of birth registration.

Rustam Ali, a rickshaw puller of the upazila, said he had collected his birth registration certificate. But he did not know the necessity of birth registration, Rustam said.

According to the upazila administration, the percentage of birth registration is 60 in the Hatiya upazila.

Local Government Division in association with UNICEF has taken a project of birth and death registration. A law was passed in the Jatiya Sangsad in 2004 considering its importance.

According to the law, birth and death registration is mandatory for all.

Mayor of the city corporation or his nominated officers or councilor, mayor of municipality, administrator or his nominated officials or councilor, concerned union parishad chairman or government officials have the authority to issue birth registration certificates to the people.

Similarly, concerned chiefs of the cantonment boards or his nominated persons, ambassador or his nominated officials also have the authority to provide birth registration certificates for the people of the respective areas.

Use of birth registration certificates is mandatory in some cases including issuance of passports, marriage registration, admission to educational institutions, appointments in government and non-government or autonomous organizations, issuing driving license, enrolment as voter land registration, opening bank account, providing gas, water and electricity connections, issuing trade license and national identity cards.

Rate of child marriage is very high in char and remote areas of the costal region, according to the locals. Child marriage could not be stopped in the country under the existing law due to absence of birth registration certificates.

According to the Birth Registration Act, those who are under the age of 18 years, will get birth registration certificates for free. On the other hand, those above the age of 18 have to pay Tk 50 as fee for birth registration certificate.

According to local body representatives, it is difficult for the poor people who are living in the costal and char areas to give money for birth registration certificates.

So the fee should be withdrawn to make the birth registration programme a success, the representatives said.

The government, they said, should take special initiatives for disadvantaged areas like costal and char areas for ensuring hundred per cent birth registration.

Read the original story on the daily New Age

Kanher lake as seen from the Kas plateau. Elevation 3300'