December 9, 2012
“Those who want to “help” (!) the country, they have some small addiction to hunting. To sate their hunger, it is the Bishyajits who have to be the hunted deer.”
Ruling Awami League party activists chop an innocent man to death. They suspected that he was an opposition activist supporting the nationwide blockade. Recently, Home Minister has urged party activists to take over law enforcement and resist opposition activities.
December 4, 2012
Source: bdnews24.com
The second term Sheikh Hasina Government has taken the country to a low of unbelievable proportion. Injustice, anarchy, suppression, hypocrisy — all have attained a level beyond the most skeptic’s wildest nightmarish imagination. Be it judiciary, be it defense forces, be it police forces, be it medical profession — all the government jobs are grabbed by political cadres and goons of the ruling party.
Let’s talk about assistant judge Javed Imam. This man was caught with a huge supply of illicit drugs when he was transporting those from a border district to capital city Dhaka. Definitely he and his handlers thought his position of a judge will ensure his protection and immunity from police checks. (more…)
October 12, 2012
Muhammad Yunus in front of a capacity crowd of young people on a Saturday evening in Central Park, New York.
“Nobel Laureate Professor Muhammad Yunus addressed the audience of young people of the Global Poverty Project concert. Artists Neil Young, Foo Fighters, The Black Keys, John Legend and many others performed at the event to raise awareness about global poverty”
October 10, 2012
A cartoon in the Daily Star During Awami league regime.
The cartoon is nice. That is not the point. The point is that if any such cartoon was drawn by the Daily Star and it’s sister concern daily Prothom Alo’s Shishir Bhattacharya on similar issue during BNP government time, among the three bad guys looting the money, you would have seen a Tarique rahman look alike, a Jamaat look alike and Safari clad man with a dark glass and a briefcase. But in this cartoon the absence of a Mujib coat is very obvious.
Another cartoon at Daily Prothom Alo, done by leading cartoonist Shishir Bhattacharya. In this cartoon too, conspicuously absent is a Mujib coat figure. This trend raises serious questions about the social responsibility of our cartoonists.
October 9, 2012
Elected local Government leader, Upazilla Chairman Sanaullah Nur Babu was chopped to death in broad day light in front of rolling cameras. National TV broadcast the footage. But PM Hasina personally defended the killer and as a result the killer became the most powerful man in that locality.
(more…)
October 7, 2012
The following is a documentary on Joseph Kony of Uganda Lord’s resistance Army. The documentary vividly describes the despicable crimes committed by Kony.
The man who was dispatched by the global community- International Criminal Court to be more specific, to investigate and prosecute this Joseph Kony, was Argentine Luis Moreno Ocampo. He led the investigation and prosecution. Before his assignment of leading the prosecution of Joseph Kony, he was instrumental in prosecuting the notorious military junta in Argentina. After Joseph kony, Mr Ocampo prosecuted Sudan’s Omar al Bashir and issued an arrest warrant for his involvement in Darfur atrocities.
So it seems after dealing with monstrous Joseph Kony, murderous Generals of Aregentina and radical Mullah of Sudan– Ocampo finally seems fit to investigate Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her government!
(more…)
October 4, 2012
Frankly speaking – Bangladesh this time has fallen at the grip of a grand lunatic. This is however is not that shocking a news. Many countries of the world has been run by grand lunatics many many times in the history of Mankind. However the specialty of this grand Lunatic of Bangladesh i.e., PM Sheikh Hasina is that her supporters and followers are equally lunatic as their leader. When a big part of the nation are blind lunatic followers of PM Hasina — then it becomes a big problem for the country.
September 28, 2012
Look at the Daily Star front page photo above. You will see someone’s photo has been cropped out from next to Michelle Obama. Now we have two question to our readers.
1. Whose photo was cropped out?
2. Why?
Spoiler alert!
The un-cropped version of the photo is over the fold…
September 15, 2012
Awami League political stalwart Tofael Ahmed and center left political icon Rashed Khan Menon declined a recent offer to be ministers for the last year of Awami League Government. Although some media reporting were laced with a strong element of surprise, there in fact should not be any surprise in this decision.
For Tofael and Menon, the decision was very easy. Although they risked alienating the all powerful elected dictator of the country — Sheikh Hasina and they made their re-election process a tad difficult — they earned much more long term dividends with this decision. First,they know very clearly that being a minister does not guarantee or even facilitate re-election if a fair election is allowed to happen under an anti-incumbency wave.
And then, As the current trend goes, i.e. it is very stylish to curse two major political party leaders and demand a 3rd political ( or even non political force) — Tofael and Menon just earned bumper scores in their resume to be considered for a any future 3rd ( political or non political) force front leader job. And in a phenomenon of reciprocity, while Tofael- Menon gain 3rd force credibility, 3rd force also gains traction with more credible 3rd force leadership contenders.
September 14, 2012
OK let’s compare. I know comparison is not a good thing and living with the past is another bad thing.But lets indulge for a few minutes.
1. Everyone called 2001 – 2006 rule as BNP-Jamaat rule and AL inclined people called it Khaleda Nizami misrule. Even in the middle, they called it Moinuddin Fakhruddin rule. But during this time although it is practically AL-JP Dilip government, now one says so. Even BNP won’t use the term Hasina Ershad government.
2. During 2001-2006 regime, for every wrong-doing or every perceived corruption, there was a face. Mamun and Tarique Zia.
3. Things have a changed radically under this Hasina II government.
September 11, 2012
Since PM Hasina’s party came to power, bloodshed by public lynching of opposition activists have become a commonplace thing. Invigorated followers of Prime Minister Hasina have been jumping on and making them bloody lump of meat and bone at the sight of any student belonging to opposition political spectrum. At some point when opposition party supporting students became an extinct species in the campuses, PM’s student forces started practicing bloodshed among themselves. In the universities they are being seen killing each other over booty share, in premier medical college of the country they would through their comrade from 4th floor dorm killing him, in nations’ most prestigious Engineering university they would beat the hell out of the teachers and students for protesting against a Vice Chancellor who also happen to be a political thug. Mrs. Hasina never felt much disturbed at all these anarchy, never ever her heart plunged at the bloodied body of innocent victims.
(more…)
June 6, 2012
The intellectual backbone of Ruling Awami League are their activists supporters among Dhaka University Teachers. As a part of serious infighting among these activists professors, the pro VC and treasurer ( #2 and #3 in DU leadership heirarchy) resigned after conflict with the Vice Chancelor).
The High Judiciary, infamous for their thuggish partisanship, dirty mouth treatment of respected citizens of the country blasted the speaker of the parliament terming him illiterate and accusing him of treason.
Same day, the ruling party menbers in the parliament, including senior most treasury bench mebers, thrashed the judiciary, calling a judge sadist, pervert and demanded his immediate removal.
June 6, 2012
I guess Humayn Ahmed’s upcoming novel “deyal” is going to win the distinction of second most talked about ‘book-in-writing’. ( I give it second place because for hype about a ‘not-yet-written’ novel, the top place all time in the history Bangla literature will unsurpassably remain with Tahmima Anam and her novel ‘A Golden Age’, ever). Dozen of articles and op-eds have already been published in several Bangladeshi outlets ( but nothing compared to New York Times, Guadian, NPR reviews and dozens of TV interviews of Tahmima Anam gave including BBC radio even before her first ever novel was published). Even this obscure blogger tried to write an amateurish piece in BDNews 24.com opinion page. The full piece is reproduced for AlalODulal readers across the fold.
But on the side of the fold let’s share with you one reader’s comment about the piece. The reader commented,
Humayun Ahmed has received so much help, financial assistance, and favors from the current government that he probably feels obligated to pay off some his debt, which is fine except he shouldn’t try to call his novel a piece of literature. He should, if he is honest, put the testimonial at the beginning of his novel that it is his way of paying off his debt to this government.
As the reader rightfully questions the literature value of this upcoming novel and our court and the government remains very concerned about the historical value, this blogger sees the novel as the litmus test for intellectual honesty of author-film maker Humayun Ahmed.
Complete piece is over the fold.
May 2, 2012
ধন্য আশা কুহকিনী তোমার মায়ায় অসার সংসার চক্র ঘোরে নিরবধি
ধন্য আশা কুহকিনী তোমার মায়ায় মুগ্ধ মানবের মন, মুগ্ধ ত্রিভুবন
I absolutely support and understand Mrs. Ali’s visit to the PM. Yes PM Hasina did tis to do politics with a battered family including a desperate wife, and three minor children. But on Mrs. Ali’s side, this family has to do everything possible to ensure the safety of the dear one. If that means going to the den of the devil, they would go.
I feel so bad for the children. The kids believe this PM is responsible for the disappearance of their father. Yet they are here begging for their father’s life. My heart breaks everytime I look at the stern face of the little daughter, her stern face with unmasked mixed emotion — ambivalence, hope against hope, fear, hate, discomfort.
It is a very unfair world. Very unfair.
April 26, 2012
April 19, 2012
Dhaka University Law profesor Asif Nazrul on the Forced Disappearance of opposition leader Ilias Ali
Bangladesh National Human Rights Commissioner on the forced disappearance of Ilias Ali
Dr Asif Nazrul on Forced Disappearance
PM Sheikh Hasina on forced disappearance of Ilias Ali
March 13, 2012
March 7, 2012
Mull over this: if a temple is ransacked in the forest, but no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?
As per bdnews, several temples and shops were burned. This ransacking went on for two days. Bdnews says:
The leaders of the Hindu minority there blamed the ‘indifference’ of the administration for the situation.
The problem is, the facts suggest otherwise. The local level administration tried to hold some meetings and head off any trouble before things got out of hand. Then Anisul Islam Mahmud, the local MP stepped in. Now, he isn’t just your typical Jatiyo Party MP who has trouble even doing something innocuous as taking over a local hospital. Mahmud, along with Ziauddin Bablu, is Sheikh Hasina’s enforcer in Jatiyo Party, and is tasked with making sure that JP Chief H. M. Ershad stays in line. As such, Mahmud has, at all times, the ear of the Prime Minister. When he was not successful (by some accounts, he was chased by local people and had to be rescued by police), Afsarul Amin showed up. Afsarul Amin is the senior representative from Chittagong in this current cabinet, and was probably the best person for the job since former mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury refused to get involved in this matter. Amin, too, failed to get things under control. It took the deployment of a heavy contingent of police and RAB to finally bring the situation under control.
And then, poof. The matter disappeared from our media. No follow-up reports to investigative articles. No allocation of the blame.
Or rather, some allocation of the blame. Four days after the incident, Nurul Islam, another MP from Chittagong and the leader of one of the three factions currently active in Chittagong AL, said this:
চট্টগ্রামে হিজবুত তাহরির, জেএমবি নিয়ে আমি দীর্ঘদিন চিৎকার করছি। শেষ পর্যন্ত তারা হাটহাজারীতে ঘটনা ঘটিয়েই ফেলল। ঘটনার বর্ণনা আমি দিতে চাই না। তবে চট্টগ্রাম-৮ আসনে সন্ধ্যা ৬টা থেকে রাত ১টা পর্যন্ত মন্দিরে মন্দিরে ঘুরে ঘুরে আমি পাহারা দিয়েছি।
I have been complaining for a long time about Hijbut Tahrir and the JMB. At last, they succeeded in causing the incident at Hathazari. I don’t want to go into the details of the incident, but I personally went from temple to temple between 6 pm and 1 am to guard everyone
The column was, ironically, titled “যার কাজ তাকেই করতে হবে”. Islam is silent on whether he thinks it is now his job to patrol the city at night to ensure law and order. Islam’s allegation that HiT and JMB are behind the attacks are also problematic. Both groups are banned in Bangladesh; people routinely get arrested for just owning literature that espouses their cause. That they would go on a violent rampage for two days, and be met with negotiation and discussion from the highest levels of the government, is fantasy, pure and simple.
Then day after, Abdul Mannan, the former Vice Chancellor of Chittagong University, who is now the designated pro-AL voice in Prothom Alo, wrote this:
একবাক্যে সবাই স্বীকার করেছে যারা এই দুদিন এমন একটি শান্তিপূর্ণ এলাকায় ধর্মীয় অনুভূতিকে উসকানি দিয়ে পরিস্থিতি ঘোলাটে করতে চেয়েছিল তাদের উদ্দেশ্য কী ছিল? ইসলামী ছাত্রশিবির চট্টগ্রাম বিশ্ববিদ্যালয়ের ঘটনাকে কেন্দ্র করে নন্দীরহাটের ঘটনার সূত্রপাতের দিন চট্টগ্রাম শহরে আধবেলা হরতালের নামে বেশ অনেকগুলো গাড়ি ভাঙচুর করেছে। তারা কোনো কোনো এলাকায় যুদ্ধাপরাধীদের দায়ে তাদের অভিযুক্ত নেতাদের মুক্তি দাবি করেছে। সবকিছু একসঙ্গে করলে সহজে এই উপসংহারে আসা যাবে যে এসব কোনো অপকর্মই হঠাৎ ঘটে যাওয়া কোনো বিষয় ছিল না। সবকিছুর পেছনে সুপরিকল্পিত প্রস্তুতি ছিল এবং উদ্দেশ্য একটাই, যুদ্ধাপরাধীদের বিচার বানচাল করা।
Everyone fully admits to being curious about the motive of those who instigated this incident in a previously peaceful area. Islami Chatra Shibir destroyed several vehicles on the day this incident started, which coincided with a hartal they had called. In some areas, they have demanded the release of their leaders who are now standing trial for war crimes. If all the dots are connected, we can easily come to the conclusion that this was not a solitary incident. There was a singular and well-planned motive, and that was to foil the trial of the war criminals
ICS, Jamaat’s student body, is currently under a state of siege, much like its parent organization. Awami League has consistently chosen to use overwhelming force anytime Jamaat or Shibir was bringing out even peaceful protests. Again, to suggest that the government would passively stand by and allow Shibir to take control of a key Chittagong suburb for two days and stand by passively is to show a reckless disregard to the ground reality of Bangladesh.
To sum up, we have what is, by all accounts, a communal riot, that the government did its best to nip in the bud. Its conduct afterwards, however, seems to have been less than honorable. That our media has gone completely silent on this story, while printing the self-serving allegations of Awami League politicians and intellectuals, is a stain on the entire industry. That the said politicians and intellectuals pin the blame on different groups only makes this matter more ridiculous. And as for the Awami League government, it would do well to remember one of the eternal truths of politics: it’s always the cover-up, not the crime itself, that gets you.
January 20, 2012
“The glorious role that the armed forces played in the reconstitution of the caretaker government saved the country from a one-sided Jan 22 election, full of clashes and confrontations. We thank them for this. Now the nation expects arrests of those who plundered people’s wealth in corruption, and recovery of the lost wealth.”
Abdul Jalil, Awami League General Secretary, January 14, 2007
“Everyone suffers when democracy is under attack. We (political parties) may have different points of view. But everyone will have to be united when the issue is democracy.Whoever they are, they will be identified, they will be brought to justice and they will be handed the maximum punishment.”
Syed Ashraful Islam, Awami League General Secretary, January 19, 2012
December 29, 2011
The Government of Bangladesh has suggested that it is going to form at least another bench to expedite the trial of the men accused of committing crimes against humanity. There are certain things that the government can do to avoid much of the controversy that is dogging the current tribunal.
If Awami League really wants to finish all the trial proceedings within the 2012 calendar year, then it has no choice but to constitute new tribunals. However, the absence of interlocutory appeals makes this process quite challenging, since different tribunals could potentially rule differently on the same issues, and the prosecution would be able to take advantage of forum-shopping. While the road ahead is certainly challenging for the government, if it chooses the members of the new tribunal with some foresight (which was very much missing was constituting the current tribunal), it may make its mission slightly easier.
