Sacked Mongla Port workers go on hunger strike
MONGLA, Feb 25: Around 4,000 workers, sacked after introduction of new systems in good handling in Mongla port, went on a fast unto death to press home their five-point demand, reports UNB.
As per their schedule, the workers gathered on the premises of Mongla Bandar Shramik Sangha Chattar in the morning and started their programme from 10am today.
Their demands include cancellation of dock abolishment order, removal of two top officials of the port and payment of arrears of 200 dead workers.
The strikers said nearly 4,000 workers were sacked after the immediate past Caretaker Government introduced a new system in goods handling in the port abolishing the Dock Workers Management Board, constituted on August 31, 1987. However, the authorities are yet to pay their pensions and other arrears.
The workers vowed to continue their strike action until their demands are met.
วันพุธที่ 25 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2552
US to emerge stronger than before, Obama tells Congress
US to emerge stronger than before, Obama tells Congress
WASHINGTON, Feb 25: To a nation reeling from recession and facing long-festering problems, President Barack Obama has a simple reminder: "We are not quitters," reports AP.
Whatever the problems, the new president promised in the first prime-time speech of his term, "We will rebuild, we will recover and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before."
Standing before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, Obama optimistically sketched an agenda that began with jobs, then broadened quickly to include a stable credit system, better schools, health care reform, reliable domestic sources of energy and an end to the war in Iraq. Specifics will follow, he said, although he conceded more billions may be necessary to stabilize the banking system.
The president drew loud cheers as he made his way down the center aisle, again when he stood, alone, at the podium to speak, and several more times in an address delivered in a hall packed with lawmakers, members of his administration, Supreme Court justices and diplomats.
Humorous and poignant moments took their turns on a night when virtually the entire government gathered under one heavily secured roof.
As when Obama explained his decision to have Vice President Joe Biden oversee implementation of his stimulus plan by saying, "Nobody messes with Joe."
Or when he urged lawmakers to pass education legislation named in part for Massachusetts'' Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, battling brain cancer. The 77-year-old lawmaker "has never stopped asking what he can do for his country," Obama said, rephrasing an enduring line from President John F. Kennedy''s 1960 inaugural address.
Biden followed up Wednesday morning by serving notice that the administration would be poised to take back unused stimulus money if governors refused to spend it.
Another option, he spelled out on ABC''s "Good Morning America," would be to "use the television and the radio and the media to embarrass them for not doing what they''re supposed to do."
Biden said the money "cannot be squandered" and warned that states will be held accountable for what they do with the money.
Little more than one month into the president''s term, Obama''s speech followed congressional passage of an $787 billion stimulus bill, coincided with pending proposals to stem an epidemic of mortgage foreclosures and served as prelude to a budget Obama pledged will cut projected deficits in half by the end of his term.
The new president submits his tax and spending plans to Congress on Thursday.
With solid Democratic majorities in both houses, Obama can count on a reliable base of support as he pushes his agenda. But his drive for bipartisanship depends in part on his standing in the polls - strong so far - and his speech was aimed at lawmakers as well as the viewing public.
"What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more," he said.
Republicans said they were ready to work with Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress - up to a point.
"Where we agree, Republicans must be the president''s strongest partners. And where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid and offer better ideas for a path forward," said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, tapped by party leaders to deliver the GOP response.
Jindal, the first Indian-American governor in history, also took the opportunity to pledge to voters his party would try to regain their trust after an election in which Democrats not only won, elevating the first African-American to the White House, but strengthened their majorities in Congress.
"We will do so by standing up for the principles that we share," he said.
The president seemed to do a little political positioning of his own.
He said the recently passed stimulus legislation was designed to "put people back to work and put money in their pockets. Not because I believe in bigger government - I don''t." And despite what his critics claim, he said, no family with an income of less than $250,000 would face higher taxes because of his plan.
While Obama''s speech was short on specifics, his remarks hinted at legislative battles ahead with Democrats as well as Republicans in Congress.
He said he had already identified $2 trillion in savings to be achieved over the next decade, adding: "We will end education programs that don''t work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don''t need them. We''ll eliminate no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq."
He also pledged to "root out the waste, fraud and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn''t make our seniors any healthier," an apparent reference to the subsidies the government pays to private insurance companies offering an alternative to traditional Medicare under a program long nourished by Republicans.
WASHINGTON, Feb 25: To a nation reeling from recession and facing long-festering problems, President Barack Obama has a simple reminder: "We are not quitters," reports AP.
Whatever the problems, the new president promised in the first prime-time speech of his term, "We will rebuild, we will recover and the United States of America will emerge stronger than before."
Standing before a joint session of Congress on Tuesday night, Obama optimistically sketched an agenda that began with jobs, then broadened quickly to include a stable credit system, better schools, health care reform, reliable domestic sources of energy and an end to the war in Iraq. Specifics will follow, he said, although he conceded more billions may be necessary to stabilize the banking system.
The president drew loud cheers as he made his way down the center aisle, again when he stood, alone, at the podium to speak, and several more times in an address delivered in a hall packed with lawmakers, members of his administration, Supreme Court justices and diplomats.
Humorous and poignant moments took their turns on a night when virtually the entire government gathered under one heavily secured roof.
As when Obama explained his decision to have Vice President Joe Biden oversee implementation of his stimulus plan by saying, "Nobody messes with Joe."
Or when he urged lawmakers to pass education legislation named in part for Massachusetts'' Democratic Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, battling brain cancer. The 77-year-old lawmaker "has never stopped asking what he can do for his country," Obama said, rephrasing an enduring line from President John F. Kennedy''s 1960 inaugural address.
Biden followed up Wednesday morning by serving notice that the administration would be poised to take back unused stimulus money if governors refused to spend it.
Another option, he spelled out on ABC''s "Good Morning America," would be to "use the television and the radio and the media to embarrass them for not doing what they''re supposed to do."
Biden said the money "cannot be squandered" and warned that states will be held accountable for what they do with the money.
Little more than one month into the president''s term, Obama''s speech followed congressional passage of an $787 billion stimulus bill, coincided with pending proposals to stem an epidemic of mortgage foreclosures and served as prelude to a budget Obama pledged will cut projected deficits in half by the end of his term.
The new president submits his tax and spending plans to Congress on Thursday.
With solid Democratic majorities in both houses, Obama can count on a reliable base of support as he pushes his agenda. But his drive for bipartisanship depends in part on his standing in the polls - strong so far - and his speech was aimed at lawmakers as well as the viewing public.
"What is required now is for this country to pull together, confront boldly the challenges we face, and take responsibility for our future once more," he said.
Republicans said they were ready to work with Obama and his Democratic allies in Congress - up to a point.
"Where we agree, Republicans must be the president''s strongest partners. And where we disagree, Republicans have a responsibility to be candid and offer better ideas for a path forward," said Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal, tapped by party leaders to deliver the GOP response.
Jindal, the first Indian-American governor in history, also took the opportunity to pledge to voters his party would try to regain their trust after an election in which Democrats not only won, elevating the first African-American to the White House, but strengthened their majorities in Congress.
"We will do so by standing up for the principles that we share," he said.
The president seemed to do a little political positioning of his own.
He said the recently passed stimulus legislation was designed to "put people back to work and put money in their pockets. Not because I believe in bigger government - I don''t." And despite what his critics claim, he said, no family with an income of less than $250,000 would face higher taxes because of his plan.
While Obama''s speech was short on specifics, his remarks hinted at legislative battles ahead with Democrats as well as Republicans in Congress.
He said he had already identified $2 trillion in savings to be achieved over the next decade, adding: "We will end education programs that don''t work and end direct payments to large agribusinesses that don''t need them. We''ll eliminate no-bid contracts that have wasted billions in Iraq."
He also pledged to "root out the waste, fraud and abuse in our Medicare program that doesn''t make our seniors any healthier," an apparent reference to the subsidies the government pays to private insurance companies offering an alternative to traditional Medicare under a program long nourished by Republicans.
Thaksin supporters demand PM''s resignation
Thaksin supporters demand PM''s resignation
BANGKOK, Feb 25: Thousands of supporters of ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra have taken to the streets of the capital, Bangkok, to call for the government to resign, reports BBC.
The red-shirted demons-trators, who say current ministers are stooges of the army, are threatening to blockade Government House for three days.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has moved his cabinet meetings to the southern resort of Hua Hin.
The protests come as Thailand prepares to host a regional political summit.
Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will gather for a three-day meeting in Hua Hin on Friday.
Barbed-wire cordons
The protesters - calling themselves the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) - say Mr Abhisit has no right to rule the country.
He came to power after a legal ruling barred many Thaksin supporters from parliament.
"The leaders of this government have toured many countries to try to win foreign recognition, but they have learned that this is a dictatorship in disguise," UDD leader Jakrapop Penkhair said in a speech from a makeshift stage.
The protesters then marched to Government House, cutting through barbed-wire cordons while chanting "we don''t want this government".
They were greeted by lines of hundreds of riot police, deployed to protect the prime minister''s office.
The army said about 2,000 troops were on stand-by.
The authorities estimated between 7,000 and 10,000 people had joined the march, with more expected over the coming days.
Correspondents at the protest described the mood as peaceful, and there have been no reports of arrests.
Continuing turmoil
The country has been wracked by political instability since Mr Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006.
After a year of army rule, elections were held in which Mr Thaksin''s supporters won the most votes and formed a coalition government.
But a vehemently anti-Thaksin lobby group known as the People''s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) then launched a series of large-scale protests which helped to bring the government down.
At one stage late last year yellow-shirted PAD protesters occupied Bangkok''s airports and government buildings, bringing the country to a stand-still for days.
Mr Abhisit then formed a government after some coalition lawmakers defected.
The latest protests by the UDD are not yet on the same scale as the PAD''s campaign, and analysts say they do not have the same organisation or backing as the PAD.
BANGKOK, Feb 25: Thousands of supporters of ousted Thai leader Thaksin Shinawatra have taken to the streets of the capital, Bangkok, to call for the government to resign, reports BBC.
The red-shirted demons-trators, who say current ministers are stooges of the army, are threatening to blockade Government House for three days.
Prime Minister Abhisit Vejjajiva has moved his cabinet meetings to the southern resort of Hua Hin.
The protests come as Thailand prepares to host a regional political summit.
Leaders from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) will gather for a three-day meeting in Hua Hin on Friday.
Barbed-wire cordons
The protesters - calling themselves the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) - say Mr Abhisit has no right to rule the country.
He came to power after a legal ruling barred many Thaksin supporters from parliament.
"The leaders of this government have toured many countries to try to win foreign recognition, but they have learned that this is a dictatorship in disguise," UDD leader Jakrapop Penkhair said in a speech from a makeshift stage.
The protesters then marched to Government House, cutting through barbed-wire cordons while chanting "we don''t want this government".
They were greeted by lines of hundreds of riot police, deployed to protect the prime minister''s office.
The army said about 2,000 troops were on stand-by.
The authorities estimated between 7,000 and 10,000 people had joined the march, with more expected over the coming days.
Correspondents at the protest described the mood as peaceful, and there have been no reports of arrests.
Continuing turmoil
The country has been wracked by political instability since Mr Thaksin was ousted in a coup in 2006.
After a year of army rule, elections were held in which Mr Thaksin''s supporters won the most votes and formed a coalition government.
But a vehemently anti-Thaksin lobby group known as the People''s Alliance for Democracy (PAD) then launched a series of large-scale protests which helped to bring the government down.
At one stage late last year yellow-shirted PAD protesters occupied Bangkok''s airports and government buildings, bringing the country to a stand-still for days.
Mr Abhisit then formed a government after some coalition lawmakers defected.
The latest protests by the UDD are not yet on the same scale as the PAD''s campaign, and analysts say they do not have the same organisation or backing as the PAD.
NBR chief suspects money laundering in guise of FDI
NBR chief suspects money laundering in guise of FDI
National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman Abdul Mazid Wednesday called for calculating the balance-sheet on the foreign direct investment as the government''s revenue chief suspects undercover money smuggling in the name of FDI, reports UNB.
"This is time we calculated the balance-sheet of the FDI," he said on a note of skepticism at a pre-budget meeting with the representatives from computer, ICT and telecommunications sectors in the NBR conference room.
He raised a serious allegation that in the name of FDI (foreign direct investment) people from abroad came in Bangladesh and took syndicated loans from banks and did business.
"Where is the FDI in this? You do business with the money from local sources, create employment of few people but send huge amounts of foreign currency to the native country," he said, indicating the state of business being done here by a section of foreign investors.
The NBR chairman categorically stated that this type of FDI and investment won''t be entertained in the next budget as the country is now stepping ahead towards graduating into a mid-level economy (shedding its LDC tag).
He also opined against the import of those types of software which are produced by local software manufacturers. "The government wants to facilitate the local software manufacturers," he said.
Association of Mobile Telecom Operators in Bangladesh (AMTOB) president Fazlur Rahman urged tax waiver on SIM (subscriber identity module). "This tax totally blocked the growth of telecommunications of the country," he said.
Bangladesh Computer Samity President Mostafa Jabbar noted that information technology is the only tool to provide employment to the educated unemployed people.
He pleaded for total duty waiver on computer and computer-related accessories, which are still too costly for the commoners to afford.
The IT sector leader also said that the government should consider VAT waiver on the internet users as the present government in its manifesto pledged to build a digital Bangladesh by 2021.
Mostaf Jabbar, a pioneer in IT, the present world''s fastest-growing sector, opened Pandora''s Box as he alleged that banks and corporate houses of the country are engaged in "money laundering in the name of software import".
"Higher tax and supplementary duty should be imposed on the import of software that the local software manufacturers are producing," he said.
Monjur Ahmed of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the apex body of country''s business community, corroborated Jabbar''s allegations, saying that money laundering is going on in the name of software import.
"This should be stopped. NBR should not allow import of software that is produced by the local companies. Higher supplementary duties can protect the local producers," he said.
Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) president Habibullah Karim urged the government to announce the income-tax-exemption facility for the software manufacturing sector till 2017.
"This will facilitate local and foreign investors to invest more in the country and the employment opportunity will increase a lot," he said.
National Board of Revenue (NBR) chairman Abdul Mazid Wednesday called for calculating the balance-sheet on the foreign direct investment as the government''s revenue chief suspects undercover money smuggling in the name of FDI, reports UNB.
"This is time we calculated the balance-sheet of the FDI," he said on a note of skepticism at a pre-budget meeting with the representatives from computer, ICT and telecommunications sectors in the NBR conference room.
He raised a serious allegation that in the name of FDI (foreign direct investment) people from abroad came in Bangladesh and took syndicated loans from banks and did business.
"Where is the FDI in this? You do business with the money from local sources, create employment of few people but send huge amounts of foreign currency to the native country," he said, indicating the state of business being done here by a section of foreign investors.
The NBR chairman categorically stated that this type of FDI and investment won''t be entertained in the next budget as the country is now stepping ahead towards graduating into a mid-level economy (shedding its LDC tag).
He also opined against the import of those types of software which are produced by local software manufacturers. "The government wants to facilitate the local software manufacturers," he said.
Association of Mobile Telecom Operators in Bangladesh (AMTOB) president Fazlur Rahman urged tax waiver on SIM (subscriber identity module). "This tax totally blocked the growth of telecommunications of the country," he said.
Bangladesh Computer Samity President Mostafa Jabbar noted that information technology is the only tool to provide employment to the educated unemployed people.
He pleaded for total duty waiver on computer and computer-related accessories, which are still too costly for the commoners to afford.
The IT sector leader also said that the government should consider VAT waiver on the internet users as the present government in its manifesto pledged to build a digital Bangladesh by 2021.
Mostaf Jabbar, a pioneer in IT, the present world''s fastest-growing sector, opened Pandora''s Box as he alleged that banks and corporate houses of the country are engaged in "money laundering in the name of software import".
"Higher tax and supplementary duty should be imposed on the import of software that the local software manufacturers are producing," he said.
Monjur Ahmed of the Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI), the apex body of country''s business community, corroborated Jabbar''s allegations, saying that money laundering is going on in the name of software import.
"This should be stopped. NBR should not allow import of software that is produced by the local companies. Higher supplementary duties can protect the local producers," he said.
Bangladesh Association of Software and Information Services (BASIS) president Habibullah Karim urged the government to announce the income-tax-exemption facility for the software manufacturing sector till 2017.
"This will facilitate local and foreign investors to invest more in the country and the employment opportunity will increase a lot," he said.
Call for ''help'' from BDR HQ
Call for ''help'' from BDR HQ
The son of the BDR''s Dhaka sector commander Mujibul Huq sent a ''Help'' sms from the gunbattle-wrecked BDR headquarters, reports bdnews24.com.
"Our house" has been set on fire and BDR members are positioned outside, the family of the sector commander told bdnews24.com.
Meanwhile, anxious parents and guardians were thronging the emergency department of the
Dhaka Medical College Hospital to inquire about their near ones who had gone out in the morning but did not come back yet.
Ruhul Amin, a private bank employee, said since his son did not come back from his private tuition, he had come to the hospital to look for him.
The son of the BDR''s Dhaka sector commander Mujibul Huq sent a ''Help'' sms from the gunbattle-wrecked BDR headquarters, reports bdnews24.com.
"Our house" has been set on fire and BDR members are positioned outside, the family of the sector commander told bdnews24.com.
Meanwhile, anxious parents and guardians were thronging the emergency department of the
Dhaka Medical College Hospital to inquire about their near ones who had gone out in the morning but did not come back yet.
Ruhul Amin, a private bank employee, said since his son did not come back from his private tuition, he had come to the hospital to look for him.
Home minister urges BDR to calm down
Home minister urges BDR to calm down
Assurance given to solve problems
Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun on Wednesday afternoon urged the BDR members to maintain calm, assuring that their problems would be solved, reports UNB.
Talking to journalists after meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the PM''s official residence Jamuna in Hare Road, the Home Minister said the premier has given the assurance of considering with sympathy the complaints of BDR.
Sahara urged the BDR members to uphold the reputation they have earned so far since country''s independence.
"This government is yours (BDR)," she told the BDR through the news media, in the wake of the revolt.
The Home Minister said misunderstanding and unrest took place among BDR members at its headquarters at Peelkhana this (Wednesday) morning.
Sahara said the government has already posted about the problems and allegations of the BDR soldiers.
Assurance given to solve problems
Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun on Wednesday afternoon urged the BDR members to maintain calm, assuring that their problems would be solved, reports UNB.
Talking to journalists after meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the PM''s official residence Jamuna in Hare Road, the Home Minister said the premier has given the assurance of considering with sympathy the complaints of BDR.
Sahara urged the BDR members to uphold the reputation they have earned so far since country''s independence.
"This government is yours (BDR)," she told the BDR through the news media, in the wake of the revolt.
The Home Minister said misunderstanding and unrest took place among BDR members at its headquarters at Peelkhana this (Wednesday) morning.
Sahara said the government has already posted about the problems and allegations of the BDR soldiers.
PM meets armed forces chiefs
PM meets armed forces chiefs
Holds video confce with mutineers
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with chiefs of army, navy and air force Wednesday to discuss the events at the BDR headquarters after heavy gunfire erupted in and around the compound from morning. At least one civilian was confirmed dead, and sources said a number of top BDR officers were killed inside the compound.
The BDR personnel in a letter alleged that they had been "long oppressed by army officers" and "stripped of basic rights". They handed a letter to the people gathered outside the sprawling compound around 2pm and ask them to give it to the media.
Army troops massed on the streets surrounding the BDR compound from about 10.30am.
bdnews24.com senior reporter Liton Haider reported a patrolling army helicopter shooting into the compound at one point.
Soldiers were taking up positions and arms on the streets, but making no move to take the compound. Army officers were urging the BDR personnel by loudspeaker to calm down and surrender their arms.
Gunfire broke out shortly after 9am and continued without break until 2pm. It went on sporadically through the afternoon.
Sources inside the headquarters told bdnews24.com BDR personnel began firing during the director general''s address at the annual Darbar.
They were seen carrying heavy arms and taking position at the main entrance to the Bangladesh Rifles Headquarters on Dhanmondi Road 2 in the morning.
bdnews24.com''s Rohan Ziad reported that the personnel fired shots out of the compound at civilians on at least two occasions, once around 10:30am and a second time around 11:15am.
A bullet-hit rickshaw puller brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital died on arrival at DMCH.
Traffic movement remained suspended on the roads around the BDR compound since troops took position.
An Inter Services Public Relations press release issued after the incident asked the BDR personnel to surrender their arms immediately and return to barracks.
The prime minister will speak to the BDR personnel and hear their complaints and grievances, it said.
If anyone is found taking the law in their hands violating the order, stringent punitive measures will be taken against them, the ISPR release warned.
Holds video confce with mutineers
Prime minister Sheikh Hasina held a meeting with chiefs of army, navy and air force Wednesday to discuss the events at the BDR headquarters after heavy gunfire erupted in and around the compound from morning. At least one civilian was confirmed dead, and sources said a number of top BDR officers were killed inside the compound.
The BDR personnel in a letter alleged that they had been "long oppressed by army officers" and "stripped of basic rights". They handed a letter to the people gathered outside the sprawling compound around 2pm and ask them to give it to the media.
Army troops massed on the streets surrounding the BDR compound from about 10.30am.
bdnews24.com senior reporter Liton Haider reported a patrolling army helicopter shooting into the compound at one point.
Soldiers were taking up positions and arms on the streets, but making no move to take the compound. Army officers were urging the BDR personnel by loudspeaker to calm down and surrender their arms.
Gunfire broke out shortly after 9am and continued without break until 2pm. It went on sporadically through the afternoon.
Sources inside the headquarters told bdnews24.com BDR personnel began firing during the director general''s address at the annual Darbar.
They were seen carrying heavy arms and taking position at the main entrance to the Bangladesh Rifles Headquarters on Dhanmondi Road 2 in the morning.
bdnews24.com''s Rohan Ziad reported that the personnel fired shots out of the compound at civilians on at least two occasions, once around 10:30am and a second time around 11:15am.
A bullet-hit rickshaw puller brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital died on arrival at DMCH.
Traffic movement remained suspended on the roads around the BDR compound since troops took position.
An Inter Services Public Relations press release issued after the incident asked the BDR personnel to surrender their arms immediately and return to barracks.
The prime minister will speak to the BDR personnel and hear their complaints and grievances, it said.
If anyone is found taking the law in their hands violating the order, stringent punitive measures will be taken against them, the ISPR release warned.
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