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.
Negotiations on
Negotiations on
Four members Bangladesh Rifles came out from the BDR Headquarters, following a day-long mutiny, to sit in talks with the home minister at a nearby hotel from around 9.45pm Wednesday, bdnews24.com.
State minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak, two local MPs Mirza Azam and Fazle Noor Tapash were also present at the meeting in the Ambala Inn a few metres from the main gates of the Rifles complex in Dhanmondi.
Nearly 12 hours into an armed rebellion to seek better pay and break army control, the Bangladesh Rifles said Wednesday night they would not surrender arms until the army was fully withdrawn from around the Peelkhana headquarters and 46 BDR units countrywide.
Heavy gunfire again rocked the compound at around 9:25pm.
The mutinous BDR men had earlier agreed to surrender their arms after a two-hour meeting with the prime minister at her official residence, government spokesman Nanak told reporters.
But border guards inside the compound began demanding through loudspeakers that the army withdraw otherwise, as they feared the military could "finish them at any time".
Four members Bangladesh Rifles came out from the BDR Headquarters, following a day-long mutiny, to sit in talks with the home minister at a nearby hotel from around 9.45pm Wednesday, bdnews24.com.
State minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak, two local MPs Mirza Azam and Fazle Noor Tapash were also present at the meeting in the Ambala Inn a few metres from the main gates of the Rifles complex in Dhanmondi.
Nearly 12 hours into an armed rebellion to seek better pay and break army control, the Bangladesh Rifles said Wednesday night they would not surrender arms until the army was fully withdrawn from around the Peelkhana headquarters and 46 BDR units countrywide.
Heavy gunfire again rocked the compound at around 9:25pm.
The mutinous BDR men had earlier agreed to surrender their arms after a two-hour meeting with the prime minister at her official residence, government spokesman Nanak told reporters.
But border guards inside the compound began demanding through loudspeakers that the army withdraw otherwise, as they feared the military could "finish them at any time".
Rebels refuse to surrender until army recalled
Rebels refuse to surrender until army recalled
The BDR rebels have said they will not surrender arms if the army was not fully withdrawn from the headquarters of the border guards, reports bdnews24.com.
They agreed to talk to the prime minister in a video conference. State minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam MP were told of the BDR position when they had gone to the Jigatola access to the headquarters at 8:25pm.
Azam and the police officials present there urged the paramilitary personnel to let go of the women and children. The BDR men said they could not do that and would act on the situation.
The BDR representative team that had a successful meeting with the prime minister was negotiating with the mutineers at the BDR headquarters Wednesday evening as a local MP gave them half an hour to say when they will surrender arms.
Ruling Awami League MP Fazle Noor Tapas along with inspector general of police Noor Mohammad went to the Jhigatala gate to the headquarters around 7:50pm.
He asked the BDR leaders about the surrender of arms, which they had agreed to in the meeting with the prime minister.
One of the members of the border guards told the MP they had been trying to talk the other members to lay down arms.
The MP told them, "I''ll be waiting at the entrance and let me know your decision on surrender in half-hour." One BDR member asked the MP if the army would storm the compound or any measures would be taken against the rebels. He assured them that nothing of that sorts would happen to them.
Earlier, the state minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak briefed reporters at around 5:45pm on the outcome of the meeting between the prime minister and the BDR mutineers.
After the announcement, the chiefs of the army, navy and air force, the director general of Rapid Action Battalion and the inspector general of police came out of the prime minister''s Hare Road residence at around 6:20pm.
The BDR representative team, which went to meet the prime minister, came out of the residence in three cars behind the car of home minister Sahara Khatun at 6:30pm.
The prime minister has pledged to meet "our just demands", the BDR team announced through loudspeaker after returning to the headquarters around 6:40pm.
The prime minister announced general amnesty to the rebels and no case will be filed for the incident, they told their expectant comrades.
The representatives added that the home minister would visit them and they would surrender arms to her.
They further said they talked to the army chief and he assured them that the army members, who had been sent to the headquarters, will get back to barracks.
"And we will also get back to barracks surrendering our arms," a member of the team said.
They also said the army officers living inside the headquarters would be allowed to leave with their families.
Some 25 gunshots fired when the meeting outcome was being announced.
The BDR rebels have said they will not surrender arms if the army was not fully withdrawn from the headquarters of the border guards, reports bdnews24.com.
They agreed to talk to the prime minister in a video conference. State minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam MP were told of the BDR position when they had gone to the Jigatola access to the headquarters at 8:25pm.
Azam and the police officials present there urged the paramilitary personnel to let go of the women and children. The BDR men said they could not do that and would act on the situation.
The BDR representative team that had a successful meeting with the prime minister was negotiating with the mutineers at the BDR headquarters Wednesday evening as a local MP gave them half an hour to say when they will surrender arms.
Ruling Awami League MP Fazle Noor Tapas along with inspector general of police Noor Mohammad went to the Jhigatala gate to the headquarters around 7:50pm.
He asked the BDR leaders about the surrender of arms, which they had agreed to in the meeting with the prime minister.
One of the members of the border guards told the MP they had been trying to talk the other members to lay down arms.
The MP told them, "I''ll be waiting at the entrance and let me know your decision on surrender in half-hour." One BDR member asked the MP if the army would storm the compound or any measures would be taken against the rebels. He assured them that nothing of that sorts would happen to them.
Earlier, the state minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak briefed reporters at around 5:45pm on the outcome of the meeting between the prime minister and the BDR mutineers.
After the announcement, the chiefs of the army, navy and air force, the director general of Rapid Action Battalion and the inspector general of police came out of the prime minister''s Hare Road residence at around 6:20pm.
The BDR representative team, which went to meet the prime minister, came out of the residence in three cars behind the car of home minister Sahara Khatun at 6:30pm.
The prime minister has pledged to meet "our just demands", the BDR team announced through loudspeaker after returning to the headquarters around 6:40pm.
The prime minister announced general amnesty to the rebels and no case will be filed for the incident, they told their expectant comrades.
The representatives added that the home minister would visit them and they would surrender arms to her.
They further said they talked to the army chief and he assured them that the army members, who had been sent to the headquarters, will get back to barracks.
"And we will also get back to barracks surrendering our arms," a member of the team said.
They also said the army officers living inside the headquarters would be allowed to leave with their families.
Some 25 gunshots fired when the meeting outcome was being announced.
Rebels refuse to surrender until army recalled
Rebels refuse to surrender until army recalled
The BDR rebels have said they will not surrender arms if the army was not fully withdrawn from the headquarters of the border guards, reports bdnews24.com.
They agreed to talk to the prime minister in a video conference. State minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam MP were told of the BDR position when they had gone to the Jigatola access to the headquarters at 8:25pm.
Azam and the police officials present there urged the paramilitary personnel to let go of the women and children. The BDR men said they could not do that and would act on the situation.
The BDR representative team that had a successful meeting with the prime minister was negotiating with the mutineers at the BDR headquarters Wednesday evening as a local MP gave them half an hour to say when they will surrender arms.
Ruling Awami League MP Fazle Noor Tapas along with inspector general of police Noor Mohammad went to the Jhigatala gate to the headquarters around 7:50pm.
He asked the BDR leaders about the surrender of arms, which they had agreed to in the meeting with the prime minister.
One of the members of the border guards told the MP they had been trying to talk the other members to lay down arms.
The MP told them, "I''ll be waiting at the entrance and let me know your decision on surrender in half-hour." One BDR member asked the MP if the army would storm the compound or any measures would be taken against the rebels. He assured them that nothing of that sorts would happen to them.
Earlier, the state minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak briefed reporters at around 5:45pm on the outcome of the meeting between the prime minister and the BDR mutineers.
After the announcement, the chiefs of the army, navy and air force, the director general of Rapid Action Battalion and the inspector general of police came out of the prime minister''s Hare Road residence at around 6:20pm.
The BDR representative team, which went to meet the prime minister, came out of the residence in three cars behind the car of home minister Sahara Khatun at 6:30pm.
The prime minister has pledged to meet "our just demands", the BDR team announced through loudspeaker after returning to the headquarters around 6:40pm.
The prime minister announced general amnesty to the rebels and no case will be filed for the incident, they told their expectant comrades.
The representatives added that the home minister would visit them and they would surrender arms to her.
They further said they talked to the army chief and he assured them that the army members, who had been sent to the headquarters, will get back to barracks.
"And we will also get back to barracks surrendering our arms," a member of the team said.
They also said the army officers living inside the headquarters would be allowed to leave with their families.
Some 25 gunshots fired when the meeting outcome was being announced.
The BDR rebels have said they will not surrender arms if the army was not fully withdrawn from the headquarters of the border guards, reports bdnews24.com.
They agreed to talk to the prime minister in a video conference. State minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak and Mirza Azam MP were told of the BDR position when they had gone to the Jigatola access to the headquarters at 8:25pm.
Azam and the police officials present there urged the paramilitary personnel to let go of the women and children. The BDR men said they could not do that and would act on the situation.
The BDR representative team that had a successful meeting with the prime minister was negotiating with the mutineers at the BDR headquarters Wednesday evening as a local MP gave them half an hour to say when they will surrender arms.
Ruling Awami League MP Fazle Noor Tapas along with inspector general of police Noor Mohammad went to the Jhigatala gate to the headquarters around 7:50pm.
He asked the BDR leaders about the surrender of arms, which they had agreed to in the meeting with the prime minister.
One of the members of the border guards told the MP they had been trying to talk the other members to lay down arms.
The MP told them, "I''ll be waiting at the entrance and let me know your decision on surrender in half-hour." One BDR member asked the MP if the army would storm the compound or any measures would be taken against the rebels. He assured them that nothing of that sorts would happen to them.
Earlier, the state minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak briefed reporters at around 5:45pm on the outcome of the meeting between the prime minister and the BDR mutineers.
After the announcement, the chiefs of the army, navy and air force, the director general of Rapid Action Battalion and the inspector general of police came out of the prime minister''s Hare Road residence at around 6:20pm.
The BDR representative team, which went to meet the prime minister, came out of the residence in three cars behind the car of home minister Sahara Khatun at 6:30pm.
The prime minister has pledged to meet "our just demands", the BDR team announced through loudspeaker after returning to the headquarters around 6:40pm.
The prime minister announced general amnesty to the rebels and no case will be filed for the incident, they told their expectant comrades.
The representatives added that the home minister would visit them and they would surrender arms to her.
They further said they talked to the army chief and he assured them that the army members, who had been sent to the headquarters, will get back to barracks.
"And we will also get back to barracks surrendering our arms," a member of the team said.
They also said the army officers living inside the headquarters would be allowed to leave with their families.
Some 25 gunshots fired when the meeting outcome was being announced.
Mutiny at BDR HQs
Mutiny at BDR HQs
Three officers, three civilians confirmed dead: PM announces amnesty for rebels: They assure her of laying down arms
News Report
General soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) staged an armed rebellion against their high command at BDR Headquarters at Peelkhana on Wednesday in which at least two senior officers and three civilians were confirmed dead and score others injured.
Col Mujibul Huq, commanding officer of the Dhaka Sector and head of the emergency government''s Operation Daal-Bhat and Lt Col Enayet, commander of 36 Battalion were killed at the early stage of the mutiny.
Bodies of the two senior army officials were dumped in a drain behind the BDR compound, Kamrangirchar police said.
Amjad Ali (50), a rickshaw-puller who was bullet-hit died in DMCH and 13 people injured by stray bullets in Jigatala and nearby areas as heavy gunfire erupted in and around border guards headquarters in the morning.
Eight of the injured -- Amjad Ali (50), Monir (18), Zahir (22), Kamrun Nahar (22), a Dhaka University student, Akhter (16), BDR lance corporal Babul Khan (40), Al Amin, Milton (25), an inmate of Dhaka central jail, and Sayeed Ahmed Rana, a student of Dhaka College are now under-going treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Five other injured-- Rubel, 12, Shakil, 23, Sajjad, 35, and Ifad, a BBA student of the United International University, and Sumon -- were admitted to Bangladesh Medical College Hospital. BDR sources said defiant BDR jawans took up arms and started firing gunshots targeting their officers during a Darbar (grand meeting) at 9:30am when the DG reportedly refused to accept their demands.
At one stage of the agitation, the jawans held the officers-about 30 sector and battalion commanders as well as the DG and DDG-hostage in the Darbar Hall and went on raiding their homes inside the sprawling BDR HQs compound known as Peelkahana. The armed troops started firing, detained the entire BDR top brass in the Durbar Hall and seized control of the compound.
They set up heavy weapons on the three gates and fired out into adjacent areas of Dhanmandi, Azimpur and New Market.
The BDR jawans fired shots out of the compound at civilians on at least two occasions in the morning, witnesses said.
Soon after the incident, army personnel with heavy guns took position in and around strategic points including Nilkhet, New Market and Azimpur area.
The BDR jawans carrying heavy arms were seen taking position at the main entrance of the Bangladesh Rifles Headquarters at Dhanmondi Road 2.
bdnews adds: The head of the border guards-major general Shakil Ahmed-was widely believed throughout the day to be among the dead.
Khondoker Md Tariq Aziz, 20, was shot near Zigatola and died at the DMCH.
Fourteen-year-old Mohammad Hridoy, a street vendor, was the third civilian confirmed dead. He died on way to the DMCH.
Of the injured, 15 lay at DMCH and 10 at Bangladesh Medical College Hospital in Dhanmondi, hospital officials said.
SI Ataur said the bodies of both colonels were sent to the CMH.
Reports of casualties also came from within the BDR complex, as calls were received by family members on the outside.
School teacher Rajab Ali told bdnews24.com that his brother Md Abul Kashem, a deputy assistant director of BDR, was killed by rifle fire inside the BDR complex.
"My brother''s wife told me his body was lying where he fell in front of Darbar Hall," said Ali.
"She said more civilian bodies could be seen lying inside the battle-wrecked BDR complex," he said.
Ali quoted Kashem''s wife, whom he would not name, as saying her husband had been present at the Rifles Week programme at Darbar Hall in the morning.
"He was shot as he was escaping the gunfire which erupted in the hall, his wife told me", said Ali.
"My brother was living in a flat near Durbar Hall," said Ali.
"My sister-in-law called me by mobile around 2.30pm," he said.
The BDR rebels agreed to surrender their arms after a two-hour meeting with the prime minister at her official residence Jamuna, state minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak told reporters at a briefing in the evening.
Our Staff Reporter adds: In the morning, hundreds of BDR jawans covering their faces with yellow cloth were seen staging armed procession in front of the gates.
The army moved in to quell the unrest but it caused a heavy exchange of gunfire all day long.
Heavy weapons like cannons have been used in the fighting while the BDR soldiers driving armored vehicles were shooting towards Bangladesh Army soldiers who were trying to enter the BDR perimeter.
The mutiny by the jawans of the Bangladesh Rifles broke out during a meeting between junior and senior officers.
There is a heavy army and police presence at the scene that is also in the centre of the capital. Panic spread to the streets. The streets have been cleared and shops have been closed.
Due to the violent situation, all the adjacent markets including the New Market have been closed. Doors and windows of all nearby buildings have been closed.
Large column of smoke could be seen rising above the sky of the BDR headquarters.
Thousands of people who have homes in the BDR headquarters area have remained stranded while many relatives of BDR officers and soldiers who had either came out of the perimeters or have just arrived from other places were seen crying for their near and dear ones who might have been held hostage by the situation
At around 11:45am, army personnel encircled the headquarters and were trying to advance slowly to enter the perimeter with firing gunshots.
At that time, one BDR soldier was heard over a loudhailer urging the locals to stay in saying the army is trying to come in, and BDR will stop them by any means.
At one stage, army personnel were offering to talk with the rebel BDR soldiers over loudspeaker while the rebel soldiers were firing gunshots from inside the headquarters.
The battle continued the whole day with military helicopters overhead.
Several bystanders outside the complex were injured and taken to state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The fighting occurred a day after Hasina visited the headquarters and addressed the troops, urging them to become "more disciplined and remain ever ready to guard the country''s frontiers."
UNB adds: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced general amnesty for the BDR soldiers who staged revolt at the Bangladesh Rifles Headquarters Wednesday to press their demands concerning salary and other benefits.
The announcement came following a meeting between the Prime Minister and a delegation of the mutineers of the paramilitary force at the PM'' s official residence Jamuna.
State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanok, who brought the delegation from the besieged BDR Headquarters acting as government emissary, disclosed the Prime Minister''s amnesty declaration at a press briefing at the Jamuna in the evening.
The head of government also called upon the rebels through their representatives to make "safe passage" for women and children out of the besieged BDR garrisons.
The 14-member BDR delegation left the PM''s house at 6:30 pm after the talks.
Nanok, flanked by Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun, said that the prime minister also assured the BDR members that the government would meet their demands gradually.
He said that the DBR members, being convinced by the Prime Minister''s mercy overtures and assurances, promised to lay down their arms and return to barracks.
"During the meeting, the BDR members presented their professional problems and also the problems facing in their routine family lives," the state minister stated.
The Prime Minister gave them a patient hearing, Nanok told the press, adding that through the parley the government overcame an "unfortunate situation".
BDR Deputy Assistant Director Tohid, who was present at the meeting with the Prime Minister, told reporters that the PM announced a general amnesty for the rebel BDR members and assured them of meeting their demands gradually.
"We have promised to the Prime Minister that we would lay down our arms and go back to the barracks," he said.
Nanok, who entered the BDR headquarters holding a white flag (the symbol of truce), said a panicky situation was created across the country following the revolt by the border-protection force''s lower orders.
Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Mirza Azam accompanied Nanok when he went to BDR headquarters at about 3 pm on the peace mission.
Meanwhile, City-dwellers were rushing home while markets, shopping-malls and business establishments closed in the capital sensing curfew in the afternoon following revolt at the Peelkhana BDR Headquarters.
The city almost looked vacant as commuters and vehicle movements were seen gradually thinning from 11am to 3pm.
The shopping-malls, other businesses and educational institutions adjacent to the besieged BDR headquarters and Mirpur Road and Dhanmondi areas were closed as soon as the news of the commotion spread all around.
"Many shopping centres and markets in Malibagh-Mouchak and other areas were also seen shuttered around 2:30pm," says a firsthand report.
The whole of the capital city got gripped by panic within couple of hours of the outbreaks of armed turmoil inside the BDR headquarters at around 9am today (Wednesday).
Speculations were rife in the city that curfew might be imposed anytime after 3pm.
Three officers, three civilians confirmed dead: PM announces amnesty for rebels: They assure her of laying down arms
News Report
General soldiers of the Bangladesh Rifles (BDR) staged an armed rebellion against their high command at BDR Headquarters at Peelkhana on Wednesday in which at least two senior officers and three civilians were confirmed dead and score others injured.
Col Mujibul Huq, commanding officer of the Dhaka Sector and head of the emergency government''s Operation Daal-Bhat and Lt Col Enayet, commander of 36 Battalion were killed at the early stage of the mutiny.
Bodies of the two senior army officials were dumped in a drain behind the BDR compound, Kamrangirchar police said.
Amjad Ali (50), a rickshaw-puller who was bullet-hit died in DMCH and 13 people injured by stray bullets in Jigatala and nearby areas as heavy gunfire erupted in and around border guards headquarters in the morning.
Eight of the injured -- Amjad Ali (50), Monir (18), Zahir (22), Kamrun Nahar (22), a Dhaka University student, Akhter (16), BDR lance corporal Babul Khan (40), Al Amin, Milton (25), an inmate of Dhaka central jail, and Sayeed Ahmed Rana, a student of Dhaka College are now under-going treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Five other injured-- Rubel, 12, Shakil, 23, Sajjad, 35, and Ifad, a BBA student of the United International University, and Sumon -- were admitted to Bangladesh Medical College Hospital. BDR sources said defiant BDR jawans took up arms and started firing gunshots targeting their officers during a Darbar (grand meeting) at 9:30am when the DG reportedly refused to accept their demands.
At one stage of the agitation, the jawans held the officers-about 30 sector and battalion commanders as well as the DG and DDG-hostage in the Darbar Hall and went on raiding their homes inside the sprawling BDR HQs compound known as Peelkahana. The armed troops started firing, detained the entire BDR top brass in the Durbar Hall and seized control of the compound.
They set up heavy weapons on the three gates and fired out into adjacent areas of Dhanmandi, Azimpur and New Market.
The BDR jawans fired shots out of the compound at civilians on at least two occasions in the morning, witnesses said.
Soon after the incident, army personnel with heavy guns took position in and around strategic points including Nilkhet, New Market and Azimpur area.
The BDR jawans carrying heavy arms were seen taking position at the main entrance of the Bangladesh Rifles Headquarters at Dhanmondi Road 2.
bdnews adds: The head of the border guards-major general Shakil Ahmed-was widely believed throughout the day to be among the dead.
Khondoker Md Tariq Aziz, 20, was shot near Zigatola and died at the DMCH.
Fourteen-year-old Mohammad Hridoy, a street vendor, was the third civilian confirmed dead. He died on way to the DMCH.
Of the injured, 15 lay at DMCH and 10 at Bangladesh Medical College Hospital in Dhanmondi, hospital officials said.
SI Ataur said the bodies of both colonels were sent to the CMH.
Reports of casualties also came from within the BDR complex, as calls were received by family members on the outside.
School teacher Rajab Ali told bdnews24.com that his brother Md Abul Kashem, a deputy assistant director of BDR, was killed by rifle fire inside the BDR complex.
"My brother''s wife told me his body was lying where he fell in front of Darbar Hall," said Ali.
"She said more civilian bodies could be seen lying inside the battle-wrecked BDR complex," he said.
Ali quoted Kashem''s wife, whom he would not name, as saying her husband had been present at the Rifles Week programme at Darbar Hall in the morning.
"He was shot as he was escaping the gunfire which erupted in the hall, his wife told me", said Ali.
"My brother was living in a flat near Durbar Hall," said Ali.
"My sister-in-law called me by mobile around 2.30pm," he said.
The BDR rebels agreed to surrender their arms after a two-hour meeting with the prime minister at her official residence Jamuna, state minister for local government Jahangir Kabir Nanak told reporters at a briefing in the evening.
Our Staff Reporter adds: In the morning, hundreds of BDR jawans covering their faces with yellow cloth were seen staging armed procession in front of the gates.
The army moved in to quell the unrest but it caused a heavy exchange of gunfire all day long.
Heavy weapons like cannons have been used in the fighting while the BDR soldiers driving armored vehicles were shooting towards Bangladesh Army soldiers who were trying to enter the BDR perimeter.
The mutiny by the jawans of the Bangladesh Rifles broke out during a meeting between junior and senior officers.
There is a heavy army and police presence at the scene that is also in the centre of the capital. Panic spread to the streets. The streets have been cleared and shops have been closed.
Due to the violent situation, all the adjacent markets including the New Market have been closed. Doors and windows of all nearby buildings have been closed.
Large column of smoke could be seen rising above the sky of the BDR headquarters.
Thousands of people who have homes in the BDR headquarters area have remained stranded while many relatives of BDR officers and soldiers who had either came out of the perimeters or have just arrived from other places were seen crying for their near and dear ones who might have been held hostage by the situation
At around 11:45am, army personnel encircled the headquarters and were trying to advance slowly to enter the perimeter with firing gunshots.
At that time, one BDR soldier was heard over a loudhailer urging the locals to stay in saying the army is trying to come in, and BDR will stop them by any means.
At one stage, army personnel were offering to talk with the rebel BDR soldiers over loudspeaker while the rebel soldiers were firing gunshots from inside the headquarters.
The battle continued the whole day with military helicopters overhead.
Several bystanders outside the complex were injured and taken to state-run Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
The fighting occurred a day after Hasina visited the headquarters and addressed the troops, urging them to become "more disciplined and remain ever ready to guard the country''s frontiers."
UNB adds: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina announced general amnesty for the BDR soldiers who staged revolt at the Bangladesh Rifles Headquarters Wednesday to press their demands concerning salary and other benefits.
The announcement came following a meeting between the Prime Minister and a delegation of the mutineers of the paramilitary force at the PM'' s official residence Jamuna.
State Minister for LGRD Jahangir Kabir Nanok, who brought the delegation from the besieged BDR Headquarters acting as government emissary, disclosed the Prime Minister''s amnesty declaration at a press briefing at the Jamuna in the evening.
The head of government also called upon the rebels through their representatives to make "safe passage" for women and children out of the besieged BDR garrisons.
The 14-member BDR delegation left the PM''s house at 6:30 pm after the talks.
Nanok, flanked by Home Minister Advocate Sahara Khatun, said that the prime minister also assured the BDR members that the government would meet their demands gradually.
He said that the DBR members, being convinced by the Prime Minister''s mercy overtures and assurances, promised to lay down their arms and return to barracks.
"During the meeting, the BDR members presented their professional problems and also the problems facing in their routine family lives," the state minister stated.
The Prime Minister gave them a patient hearing, Nanok told the press, adding that through the parley the government overcame an "unfortunate situation".
BDR Deputy Assistant Director Tohid, who was present at the meeting with the Prime Minister, told reporters that the PM announced a general amnesty for the rebel BDR members and assured them of meeting their demands gradually.
"We have promised to the Prime Minister that we would lay down our arms and go back to the barracks," he said.
Nanok, who entered the BDR headquarters holding a white flag (the symbol of truce), said a panicky situation was created across the country following the revolt by the border-protection force''s lower orders.
Whip of Jatiya Sangsad Mirza Azam accompanied Nanok when he went to BDR headquarters at about 3 pm on the peace mission.
Meanwhile, City-dwellers were rushing home while markets, shopping-malls and business establishments closed in the capital sensing curfew in the afternoon following revolt at the Peelkhana BDR Headquarters.
The city almost looked vacant as commuters and vehicle movements were seen gradually thinning from 11am to 3pm.
The shopping-malls, other businesses and educational institutions adjacent to the besieged BDR headquarters and Mirpur Road and Dhanmondi areas were closed as soon as the news of the commotion spread all around.
"Many shopping centres and markets in Malibagh-Mouchak and other areas were also seen shuttered around 2:30pm," says a firsthand report.
The whole of the capital city got gripped by panic within couple of hours of the outbreaks of armed turmoil inside the BDR headquarters at around 9am today (Wednesday).
Speculations were rife in the city that curfew might be imposed anytime after 3pm.
วันพฤหัสบดีที่ 19 กุมภาพันธ์ พ.ศ. 2552
New Recipe For Dwarf Galaxies: Start With Leftover Gas
ScienceDaily (Feb. 19, 2009) — There is more than one way to make a dwarf galaxy, and NASA's Galaxy Evolution Explorer has found a new recipe. The spacecraft has, for the first time, identified dwarf galaxies forming out of nothing more than pristine gas likely leftover from the early universe. Dwarf galaxies are relatively small collections of stars that often orbit around larger galaxies like our Milky Way.
The findings surprised astronomers because most galaxies form in association with a mysterious substance called dark matter or out of gas containing metals. The infant galaxies spotted by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer are springing up out of gas that lacks both dark matter and metals. Though never seen before, this new type of dwarf galaxy may be common throughout the more distant and early universe, when pristine gas was more pervasive.
Astronomers spotted the unexpected new galaxies forming inside the Leo Ring, a huge cloud of hydrogen and helium that traces a ragged path around two massive galaxies in the constellation Leo. The cloud is thought likely to be a primordial object, an ancient remnant of material that has remained relatively unchanged since the very earliest days of the universe. Identified about 25 years ago by radio waves, the ring cannot be seen in visible light.
"This intriguing object has been studied for decades with world-class telescopes operating at radio and optical wavelengths," said David Thilker of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. "Despite such effort, nothing except the gas was detected. No stars at all, young or old, were found. But when we looked at the ring with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, which is remarkably sensitive to ultraviolet light, we saw telltale evidence of recent massive star formation. It was really unexpected. We are witnessing galaxies forming out of a cloud of primordial gas."
In a recent study, Thilker and his colleagues found the ultraviolet signature of young stars emanating from several clumps of gas within the Leo Ring. "We speculate that these young stellar complexes are dwarf galaxies, although, as previously shown by radio astronomers, the gaseous clumps forming these galaxies lack dark matter," he said. "Almost all other galaxies we know are dominated by dark matter, which acted as a seed for the collection of their luminous components--stars, gas and dust. What we see occurring in the Leo Ring is a new mode for the formation of dwarf galaxies in material remaining from the much earlier assembly of this galaxy group."
Our local universe contains two large galaxies, the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy, each with hundreds of billions of stars, and the Triangulum galaxy, with several tens of billions of stars. It also holds more than 40 much smaller dwarf galaxies, which have only a few billion stars. Invisible dark matter, detected by its gravitational influence, is a major component of both giant and dwarf galaxies with one exception-tidal dwarf galaxies.
Tidal dwarf galaxies condense out of gas recycled from other galaxies and have been separated from most of the dark matter with which they were originally associated. They are produced when galaxies collide and their gravitational masses interact. In the violence of the encounter, streamers of galactic material are pulled out away from the parent galaxies and the halos of dark matter that surround them.
Because they lack dark matter, the new galaxies observed in the Leo Ring resemble tidal dwarf galaxies, but they differ in a fundamental way. The gaseous material making up tidal dwarfs has already been cycled through a galaxy. It has been enriched with metals--elements heavier than helium-- produced as stars evolve. "Leo Ring dwarfs are made of much more pristine material without metals," said Thilker. "This discovery allows us to study the star formation process in gas that has not yet been enriched."
Large, pristine clouds similar to the Leo Ring may have been more common throughout the early universe, Thilker said, and consequently may have produced many dark-matter-lacking, dwarf galaxies yet to be discovered.
The results of the new study reporting star formation in the Leo Ring appear in the February 19, 2009, issue of the journal Nature.
Caltech leads the Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission and is responsible for science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. South Korea and France are the international partners in the mission.
For images and information about the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, visit
http://www.galex.caltech.edu/
The findings surprised astronomers because most galaxies form in association with a mysterious substance called dark matter or out of gas containing metals. The infant galaxies spotted by the Galaxy Evolution Explorer are springing up out of gas that lacks both dark matter and metals. Though never seen before, this new type of dwarf galaxy may be common throughout the more distant and early universe, when pristine gas was more pervasive.
Astronomers spotted the unexpected new galaxies forming inside the Leo Ring, a huge cloud of hydrogen and helium that traces a ragged path around two massive galaxies in the constellation Leo. The cloud is thought likely to be a primordial object, an ancient remnant of material that has remained relatively unchanged since the very earliest days of the universe. Identified about 25 years ago by radio waves, the ring cannot be seen in visible light.
"This intriguing object has been studied for decades with world-class telescopes operating at radio and optical wavelengths," said David Thilker of Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Md. "Despite such effort, nothing except the gas was detected. No stars at all, young or old, were found. But when we looked at the ring with the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, which is remarkably sensitive to ultraviolet light, we saw telltale evidence of recent massive star formation. It was really unexpected. We are witnessing galaxies forming out of a cloud of primordial gas."
In a recent study, Thilker and his colleagues found the ultraviolet signature of young stars emanating from several clumps of gas within the Leo Ring. "We speculate that these young stellar complexes are dwarf galaxies, although, as previously shown by radio astronomers, the gaseous clumps forming these galaxies lack dark matter," he said. "Almost all other galaxies we know are dominated by dark matter, which acted as a seed for the collection of their luminous components--stars, gas and dust. What we see occurring in the Leo Ring is a new mode for the formation of dwarf galaxies in material remaining from the much earlier assembly of this galaxy group."
Our local universe contains two large galaxies, the Milky Way and the Andromeda galaxy, each with hundreds of billions of stars, and the Triangulum galaxy, with several tens of billions of stars. It also holds more than 40 much smaller dwarf galaxies, which have only a few billion stars. Invisible dark matter, detected by its gravitational influence, is a major component of both giant and dwarf galaxies with one exception-tidal dwarf galaxies.
Tidal dwarf galaxies condense out of gas recycled from other galaxies and have been separated from most of the dark matter with which they were originally associated. They are produced when galaxies collide and their gravitational masses interact. In the violence of the encounter, streamers of galactic material are pulled out away from the parent galaxies and the halos of dark matter that surround them.
Because they lack dark matter, the new galaxies observed in the Leo Ring resemble tidal dwarf galaxies, but they differ in a fundamental way. The gaseous material making up tidal dwarfs has already been cycled through a galaxy. It has been enriched with metals--elements heavier than helium-- produced as stars evolve. "Leo Ring dwarfs are made of much more pristine material without metals," said Thilker. "This discovery allows us to study the star formation process in gas that has not yet been enriched."
Large, pristine clouds similar to the Leo Ring may have been more common throughout the early universe, Thilker said, and consequently may have produced many dark-matter-lacking, dwarf galaxies yet to be discovered.
The results of the new study reporting star formation in the Leo Ring appear in the February 19, 2009, issue of the journal Nature.
Caltech leads the Galaxy Evolution Explorer mission and is responsible for science operations and data analysis. NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Pasadena, Calif., manages the mission and built the science instrument. The mission was developed under NASA's Explorers Program managed by the Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, Md. South Korea and France are the international partners in the mission.
For images and information about the Galaxy Evolution Explorer, visit
http://www.galex.caltech.edu/
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