EPACOLUMN ONEPursuing happiness behind the veil
EPAOTHER HALF: Saudi women hang out at a mall in Riyadh. Under the strict Saudi interpretation of Islam, women must be fully covered in public and are not allowed to drive or vote. Wives need their husbands' permission to leave the country.To be the American wife of a Saudi is to forsake familiar freedoms or enjoy them secretly in exchange for a secure, family-centered life.RIYADH, Saudi Arabia -- Teresa Malof knew she wasn't in Kentucky anymore when a cleric issued a fatwa against her secret Santa gift exchange.
Malof proposed the idea at the King Fahad National Guard Hospital, where she has worked for more than a decade. It was supposed to be discreet, but rumors were whispered amid veils and hijabs that the lithe, blond nurse, raised on farmland at the edge of Appalachia, was planning to celebrate a Christian tradition in an Islamic kingdom that forbids the practicing of other religions.
"Even though I'm a Muslim too, I like to celebrate the holidays and have gift exchanges," said Malof, a convert to Islam who is married to the son of a former Saudi ambassador. "But word got out and the religious people came with a fatwa [or edict] against the Santa party. My husband was having a heart attack. He was worried I'd be in a lot of trouble."
For American women married to Saudi men, such is life in this exotic, repressive and often beguiling society where tribal customs and religious fervor rub against oil wealth and the tinted-glass skyscrapers that rise Oz-like in the blurry desert heat. This is not a land of the 1st Amendment and voting rights; it is a kingdom run by the strict interpretation of Wahhabi Islam, where abayas hang in foyers, servants linger like ghosts, minarets glow in green neon and, as a recent court case showed, a woman who is raped can also be sentenced to 200 lashes for un-Islamic behavior.
"Haram, haram" (forbidden, forbidden). American wives know the phrase well. It is learned over years of peeking through veils at supermarkets or sitting in the back of SUVs while Filipinos behind the wheel glide through traffic. Their adopted Arab home is a traditionally close U.S. ally. But like much of the Islamic world, Saudi Arabia's relations with Washington have been strained since the rise of global jihad. Terrorist bombings, which have killed nearly 150 people here in recent years, have kept many American families in gated communities that have the aura of golf courses protected by small armies.
Most non-Muslim women convert to Islam as a prerequisite for marrying a Saudi and living in the kingdom. Many American women, including those who converted before they arrived, have embraced the Koran; for others, the adoption of Islam is a pantomime act, the disguise of a second self to hold them over until they peel off their head scarves and travel to the U.S. for summer vacations.
For both kinds of women, it is a life of sacrifices and measured victories: Women can't drive or vote in Saudi Arabia, but their children are largely safe from street crime and drugs; a wife can't leave the country without her husband's written permission, but tribal and religious codes instill a strong sense of family.
Freedom lies behind courtyard walls, where private swimming pools glimmer and the eyes of the religious police, known as the mutaween, do not venture. Rock 'n' roll (haram) is played, smuggled whiskey (haram) is sipped, and Christianity (haram) sometimes is practiced. This sequestered, contradictory experience, a number of American wives noted, can turn an expat into an alcoholic or a born-again Christian, and sometimes both.
"American women get together and we talk," said Lori Baker, a mother of two who met her Saudi husband at Ohio State University in 1982. "We ask one another, 'Where are you on your curve now? Have you hit bottom yet?' We all go through the highs and lows when it comes to moods and tolerance. . . . When I first got here, I felt naked without my head scarf.
"Then after the terrorist bombings in 2003, I even covered my face. Foreigners were a target then. I became very comfortable with my face covered. I felt safe. Nobody knows me. They can't see me, and if you're covered, they respect you. Sometimes without a covered face it's like walking down Main Street wearing a bikini."
Baker's husband holds three master's degrees, including one in architecture. Like many Saudi men of his generation, he left the kingdom to learn English and study in America. Baker converted to Islam in Ohio and moved with her husband to Saudi Arabia in 1992; both of her sons were born here.
As the wife of a Saudi living off a busy Riyadh street, she said she's not completely embraced by Americans living in gated communities, but she also feels estranged within Saudi society.
"My mother and father were just devastated at my conversion," said Baker, whose house was damaged in a 1995 bombing that targeted a U.S.-Saudi military office compound. "Neither family was receptive about our marriage. He was the oldest son, and after living for many years in America, it was time for him to come back. And the feeling was, 'If you have to bring her with you, go ahead.' . . . With Saudi women there's a politeness, an acceptance and a curiosity about American wives . . . but there's never long-lasting friendship."
It is a strange place, she said, to live between two worlds, one of quilting clubs and cookouts, the other of prayers and isolation. "You have to do soul searching and really define who you are," she said. "My husband is the man of my dreams, and I decided to go wherever that took us."
Sally Kennedy has a quick wit and miles of Texas charm. A former heart surgery nurse, she married the Saudi president of a consulting and engineering company and raised four children in the kingdom. She is fluent in Arabic, owns a restaurant and runs the Good Ship Lollipop, a party retail business that provides balloons, candy and children's rides to villas and palaces.
"When I first arrived here in 1981, there were dogs and sheep walking around the streets and one TV channel," she said, sitting in a living room of floor-to-ceiling windows. "There were no fax machines. We used to listen to the BBC on shortwave. There was no skyline. They opened a 'Pizza Riyadh,' and everyone thought that was a big deal.
"It was much more liberal back then. Non-Saudi women could wear short abayas, but now they've grown long and closed. Things changed and I sensed a separation of cultures after the first Gulf War in 1991. Then you had 9/11 and terrorist bombings. Americans withdrew to their compounds, and you had Osama bin Laden, and many Saudis didn't want to be friendly with the infidel. Saudi society became more conservative."
Kennedy navigates this sensitive landscape with humor and shrewd observation, a Dorothy Parker with a fading Dallas drawl. "My magician at the Good Ship Lollipop spent three weeks in jail for being a magician. They think that's black magic. He could have his head chopped off," she said, before easing into another vignette. "If you go to the south of France and sit on the terrace of the Carlton, you'll see your Saudi neighbors. But you can't compete with the rich people here. They're off the charts."
Sometimes, amid the pleasantries and courtyard diplomacy, American wives tighten with flashes of anger and frustration. Kennedy manages the Good Ship Lollipop, for example, but she doesn't go into the store for fear of coming into contact with men other than her husband, which is haram and could result in an arrest by the religious police. Such patriarchal attitudes, she said, "are things you never get used to."
One American wife, who asked not to be named, said the country's repression of women led her to counseling sessions with a psychiatrist. When she was contacted for an interview, she said she was worried that her husband would object; she struggled with the decision for an hour before finally agreeing. She was agitated during the meeting in a hotel lobby and said she felt lost between two cultures.
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Monday, January 14, 2008
[chottala.com] Pursuing happiness behind the veil
[chottala.com] Pakistan - JehaaDi ambush kills 30
Pakistan militant ambush kills 30
- Story Highlights
- Islamic militants ambush military convoy in northwestern Pakistan
- Clash leaves 23 fighters and 7 troops dead
- Pro-Taliban group claims responsibility for the attack
- Next Article in World »
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Re: [chottala.com] Demise of Selim al Deen
__._,_.___----- Original Message -----From: mannan@ewubd.eduSent: Monday, January 14, 2008 3:39 PMSubject: [chottala.com] Demise of Selim al DeenSelim al Deen, the noted playwright expired this afternoon at Labaid
Hospital. (Innah....Razeun). May Allah grant him peace.
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[chottala.com] Lift emergency, restore rights: Odhikar
Lift emergency, restore rights: Odhikar | ||||||||
Bdnews24.com , Dhaka | ||||||||
Human rights body Odhikar called for immediate lifting of the state of emergency and restoration of fundamental rights, in a report released yesterday. The domestic rights watchdog released the report marking a year under emergency rule since Jan 11, 2007. The organisation expressed grave concern over arrest and detention without due process, custodial torture and extra-judicial killings. Odhikar also recommended the release of all political prisoners and university teachers, students and employees arrested after the August 2007 campus protest. "Reports on serious and credible allegations of torture and violation of human rights continued to cause concern throughout the year of emergency," the report said on the matter of custodial tortures. "Suspects were picked up by the law enforcement agencies, detained and tortured while they were in custody." Another kind of torture was reported during the period of the past year, Odhikar said, as people were taken in to remand in order to extract evidence to use against them or others, especially those accused of corruption. "On many occasion arrestees were tortured into giving confessional statements, while some were even threatened with death by 'crossfire'," said the report. Since the state of emergency it is reported that 929 people were detained under the Special Powers Act alone. Among them 395 people are still under detention. "Most of these detainees are political persons," Odhikar reported. After arrest in many cases, it was reported that the detainees were no brought before the magistrate within the constitutionally mandated timeframe. The organisation expressed particular concern about the manner of arrest and continued detention of university teachers and students following the August 2007 campus protest, and that due process of law was not followed. Odhikar also highlighted the cases against jute mill garment workers and against numerous unnamed people for violating the state of emergency. The rights watchdog claimed extrajudicial killings "continued unabated during the one year of emergency". "Between 12 January 2007 and 10 January 2008, 176 people have reportedly been killed extra-judicially killed by Bangladeshi law enforcement agencies," the report said. "Among them a total of 66 people died while in the custody of law enforcement agencies . 123 people were killed in so called 'crossfire'/encounter/gunfight/shootout," the report said. "Odhikar is concerned about the impact of the Emergency Powers rules on freedom of expression and, in particular, on media freedom". It cited the August 2007 restrictions on Ekushey Television and CSB news as examples. Odhikar recommendations to the caretaker government included lifting the state of emergency and "creating an enabling environment for dialogue, change and democratic polity". It also called for the release of all "political prisoners" and independent judicial inquiries into all extra-judicial killings. odhikar.org
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Bangladesh
[PDF] Odhikar urges the Caretaker Government to ratify the Rome Statute ...
[PDF] Odhikar Report on Human Rights Violation situation in Bangladesh
Global Voices Online » Bangladesh: Odhikar Report
Human Rights in Bangladesh
BANGLADESH /INDIA: Report on human rights violations by the Indian ...
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RE: [chottala.com] Demise of Selim al Deen
Errol
To: chottala@yahoogroups.com
From: mannan@ewubd.edu
Date: Mon, 14 Jan 2008 15:39:58 +0600
Subject: [chottala.com] Demise of Selim al Deen
Selim al Deen, the noted playwright expired this afternoon at Labaid
Hospital. (Innah....Razeun). May Allah grant him peace.
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[chottala.com] Info for who want to go abroad
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[chottala.com] The SEC should create a CSR index of the corporates are created and disseminated
Also, if you thought the article was important enough so it should come under attention of the head of the government please forward the message to them.
Email address for the Chief Advisor: feeedback@pmo.gov.bd (please let us know if you think its not correct address)
or at http://www.cao.gov.bd/feedback/comments.php
Thanks for your time,
Innovation Line
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Note: This is a freelance column, published mainly in different internet based forums. This column is open for contribution by the members of new generation, sometimes referred to as Gen 71. If you identify yourself as someone from that age-group and want to contribute to this column, please feel free to contact. Thanks to the group moderator for publishing the article.
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Source: http://help.yahoo.com/l/us
Corporate Governance Quotient (CGQ®), a corporate governance rating system provided by Institutional Shareholder Services (ISS) on over 8,000 companies worldwide, evaluates the strengths, deficiencies, and risks of a company's corporate governance practices and board of directors.
CGQ uses a comprehensive set of objectives and consistently applied criteria for each of the companies rated. The database features corporate governance rankings on more than 8,000 companies worldwide, and includes underlying data points for up to 63 corporate governance variables, categorized under four areas of focus: 1) board of directors, 2) audit, 3) anti-takeover provisions, 4) executive and director compensation. Some of the variables are reviewed together under the premise that corporate governance is enhanced when selected combinations of these variables are adopted. To facilitate analytical comparison, each company is scored individually, relative to its market index and its industry group.
The data provided in CGQ is derived primarily from public disclosure documents, press releases and corporate websites. It then goes through a rigorous verification process by ISS' senior corporate governance analysts and is put in to the CGQ database.
Two CGQ ratings are generated on each company. Each company's CGQ is compared with other companies in the same index and industry group.
All scores are relative (percentile basis):
- CGQ Index Score: Compare to relevant market index including: S&P 500, Mid-Cap 400, Small-Cap 600, Russell 3000, ISS Small-Cap, S&P/TSX
- CGQ Industry Score: Compare to industry peer group using 24 Standard S&P "GICS" groups
Users can access CGQ data on Yahoo! Finance's Company Profile pages.
During the first six months [July-December] of the current fiscal year, the stock market regulator has already generated Tk 7 crore in income that is Tk 1.5 crore higher than the budget allocation from the government for the fiscal year 2007-08.
The total budget allocation for this fiscal has been fixed at Tk 5.5 crore by the government.
"Since our journey in 1993, we have a vision of becoming financially self-reliant and now we achieve the target," said Farhad Ahmed, executive director of SEC.
"We do not want to be a burden on the government exchequer," he said.
The commission is already using its revenue for its yearly expenditure and taking only the required amount from the government, he said.
Of the Tk 7 crore income, Tk 5 crore was received from BO account fee, which was imposed by the SEC in August last year. The SEC introduce the annual maintenance fee of Tk 300 on each BO account in a bid to stop fake or shadow BO accounts by using other person's information.
Of the Tk 300, the SEC gets Tk 50,while a depository participant get Tk 100 and Central Depository Bangladesh Ltd Tk 150.
BO account is like a bank account, where customer will deposit their scripless securities. While bank account contains money, BO account contains securities, or shares.
The rest Tk 2 crore was received from other income generating sources including initial public offering (IPO) consent fees, registration fees and penalties.
The increased revenue indicates that the SEC does not need to depend on government's budgetary allocation.
In 2004-05, the total expenditure was Tk 3.16 crore of which 56.18 percent was used from the commission's revenue, he said, adding that in 2005-06, of the total expenditure of Tk 4 crore, Tk 3.17 crore, or 78.27 percent, was used from the SEC's revenue.
In 2006-07, the commission's total expenditure was Tk 4.17 crore and of the amount Tk 3.36 crore was used from its revenue fund, he said.
Source: http://thedailystar.net/story
A seminar on corporate governance for board members and management of financial institutions was held at Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) in Dhaka yesterday.
Murshid Kuli Khan, deputy governor of Bangladesh Bank, inaugurated the seminar as chief guest, while Farooq Sobhan, president of BEI, presided over the meeting, says a press release.
"Bad governance practices will weaken the financial system's ability to lower the risk of financial fraud," Khan said.
YRK Reddi and Padma Kumar from India were resource persons at the seminar.
Lack of incentives obstacle to wider application of corporate governance
Finance adviser tells opening of Corporate Governance Week
Star Business Report
Source: http://thedailystar.net/story
Lack of adequate incentives is an obstacle to wider application of corporate governance in the country, Finance and Planning Adviser Mirza Azizul Islam said yesterday.
However, the Bangladesh Bank (BB) and other regulators are making efforts to encourage the practice here, added the adviser.
His comments came at the inaugural function of Corporate Governance Week 2008, organised by the Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI), in Dhaka.
Entrepreneurs are reluctant to practise corporate governance now since it involves costs for implementation, but the practice will definitely benefit corporate bodies in the long run, Azizul said without elaborating.
Bangladesh Bank Governor Salehuddin Ahmed said the BB has taken initiatives to ensure corporate governance practices in banking and financial sectors.
"We have made credit rating mandatory for all banks," he added.
Micro-credit Regulatory Authority (MRA) is going to frame a set of norms for micro-finance institutions to ensure governance practices, said the BB governor, who is also the chairman of the MRA.
Faruq Ahmad Siddiqi, chairman of the Securities and Exchange Commission that has introduced corporate governance guidelines for listed companies, said the SEC is getting good responses from companies.
Faruq Ahmad also said the practice of corporate governance is relatively a new phenomenon in Bangladesh where corporate entities are dominated mostly by family ownerships.
Farooq Sobhan, president of BEI, said the BEI has initiated a project with the support of the Netherlands embassy in Dhaka to raise awareness and set standards of corporate governance in Bangladesh.
The theme of the corporate governance week is 'Corporate Governance for Growth, Development and Sustainability'.
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[chottala.com] Another killed by the BSF in West Bengal [ AHRC Report] -Atten: Mr. Salauddin Ayubi
Read Odhikar report on human rights violations in the Indo-Bangladesh border [http://www.ahrchk.net/ua/mainfile.php/2005/938/ ]
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ASIAN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION – URGENT APPEAL PROGRAMME Urgent Appeal Case: AHRC-UAC-003-2008 9 January 2008 ISSUES: Extrajudicial killing; impunity; command responsibility; government inaction Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding the case of Kalidas Ghosh, a 17-year-old boy who was killed by the Border Security Force (BSF) stationed at the Indo-Bangladesh border on 28 December 2007. The AHRC has been informed by Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM), a human rights organisation working in West Bengal that Kalidas was shot dead by a BSF officer in the school compound where the boy was studying. Kalidas was in his school uniform when he was shot at point-blank range. CASE DETAILS: Kalidas Ghosh was a student at the Angrail Bidyamandir High School in Angrail Dakshinpara village. The school is within the jurisdiction of Gaighata Police Station. On 28 December 2007, Kalidas went to the school to help decorating the school playground for the annual sports meet of the school. Kalidas was along with his friends. Later, Kalidas was playing along with his friends in the school playground. During the game the ball with which the children were playing went near the BSF outpost number 6 which was very close to the playground. When the children started looking for the ball near the BSF outpost, the officers present at the outpost chased them away. Out of fear, some children returned to the school compound, while Kalidas continued searching for the ball. Mr. Ram Dhan Rathore, a constable stationed at the outpost, chased Kalidas away. Soon Kalidas also returned to the school compound. However Ram, the BSF constable, came looking for the boy into the school compound. Seeing the officer, the children out of fear went in hiding. At this juncture the BSF officer spotted Kalidas and started firing at him. Couple of shots missed the boy, but finally one shot hit him, fatally injuring the boy. Kalidas was still wearing his school uniform while he was shot at. At about 7pm on the same day Mr. Shubhendu Ghosh, the Sub Divisional Officer and Mr. Subas Sen, the Sub Divisional Police Officer stationed at Bangaon visited the place of incident. Kalidas' body was sent for autopsy at the J. N. Dhar General Hospital, Bongaon on the same day. The next day the local people staged a protest against the incident. A complaint was lodged at the Gaighata Police Station on 28 December 2007 by the maternal uncle of Kalidas against the BSF officer. The complaint is registered as case number 454 under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 against the BSF officer, Mr. Ram. It is alleged that the BSF also have filed a complaint at the same police station against Kalidas, which is registered as case number 455 on the same day under Sections 186 [obstructing public servant in discharge of public functions], 353 [assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty] and 307 [attempt to murder] of the Penal Code. This case, it is alleged, was filed by the BSF in an attempt to justify the murder. To support the position of his subordinates the Inspector General of BSF - South Bengal Mr. S. N. Tiwari had refuted the charges leveled against the BSF constable, saying that Kalidas was seen moving with '…smugglers and became victim of circumstances'. Refuting this statement the local Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) Jyotipriya Mallick has demanded removal of all BSF officers involved in murdering the local people in the name of being smugglers. MASUM has reported that the BSF had approached the victim's family and has forced the family to accept some money. For this, an officer from the BSF Mr. Manoj Kumar along with the member of the local Gram Panchayat Mr. Subrata Sarkar, a local doctor Mr. Dulal Sarkar and a local person Mr. Samir Mazumdar had met the victim's family and handed over some money to the boy's family. It is feared that now that money has been paid the chances for the murderer officer to be brought to justice is very little. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: The AHRC in the recent past has reported several cases of murder committed by the officers of the BSF stationed at various parts of India, particularly from West Bengal state and from the Northeastern states of India, particularly Manipur. From West Bengal alone the AHRC has reported more than a dozen cases in the past two years where the officers serving with the BSF has allegedly involved in murder, rape or brutal torture of innocent civilians. (To see more, please visit the website of Urgent Appeals: www.ahrchk.net/ua) The BSF being a para-military unit in India is feared by the local administration as well as the local police. Along the Indo-Bangladesh border the BSF is stationed to prevent illegal cross-boundary trades and migration. However, the BSF making use of their relatively higher degree of impunity often breach operational mandates and commit murder and other atrocities against the local populace. The repeated incidents of violence committed by the BSF are also an indicator to the state of affairs of the criminal justice system in India. This case, as it is evident from the facts and circumstances, is one of cold-blooded murder committed by a BSF officer. The officer, not only entered the school premises without express authority of his commanding officer, but also shot at a student which eventually killed the student. No law in India prohibits the local police from investigating the case and filing a charge-sheet against the officer. If the law is to be followed, the local police have to register a case against the officer and if they find that a case is likely to made out write to the commanding officer of the unit to which the officer under investigation belong, asking for the custody of the officer. The commanding officer may at his discretion deliver the officer to the civil authorities or choose to detain him under his command until the investigation of the case is over and a charge-sheet filed in an appropriate court. But for all this the local police must carry out their job effectively and without any failure. From past experience, the AHRC is aware that the local police often are scared of the BSF and try to settle the matter or rather force the matter to be settled against the law and write off the case without proper investigation. It is also often a practice that the local police make use of such opportunities to bargain with the BSF, to facilitate the police officers also to involve in illegal activities, like cross-border smuggling as it is often reported from West Bengal state. The chances in this case too are that the local police will try to do a shoddy job. Even though this is a case of cold-blooded murder committed by an officer of the BSF, the officer while committing the crime was under the direct command of his commanding officer. In such circumstances the commanding officer also will have to share the responsibility of the acts committed by his subordinate officers, whether such an act was committed under his express permission or knowledge. This is because similar incidents of murder and other atrocities committed against innocent civilians by the BSF is too common in West Bengal, particularly from the region where this case is reported from. Under these circumstances, the commanding officer immediately responsible for the murderer officer in this case must have exercised adequate caution against his subordinate officers to not to indulge in such crimes. The most common strategy adopted by the BSF and other para-military and law enforcement units in India and in other countries in the region like Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka in cases where their officers are charged with crimes is to register a counter case against the victim and if possible the witnesses in the case. This is to 'soften' the prosecution from charge-sheeting the erring officer for a serious offense. Such false counter cases are used as a 'defense strategy' during prosecution. Yet another strategy is to rule out the possibility of a trial in a civilian court by evoking the often misused 'impunity clause' in the statute that legitimizes these armed units. For example, in India, any act committed by a para-military officer or a military officer during the legitimate course of engagement with an enemy, within or outside the boundary of the country, carries immunity from prosecution. This provision is misused by the armed units to avoid any prosecution for their ill deeds. Another strategy is to prevent the erring officer from being handed over to the civilian authorities on the pretext of internal court martial. The obvious defense by the armed unit will be that since the erring officer has faced disciplinary proceedings under the court-martial, the officer's right against double jeopardy will be breached if the officer is handed over to a civilian court for additional prosecution. Since in many cases the victims involved are poor peasants or farmers, the cases against the para-military units are often not taken up in appropriate courts for proper prosecution. Even if a case is charge-sheeted and finally brought to the court, the officer escapes liability since no witness would appear in the court and testify. This exposes the absence of a witness protection mechanism in India. SUGGESTED ACTION: In these circumstances the AHRC request you to intervene in this case, and to write to the authorities named below, urging them to take immediate actions against Mr. Ram Dhan Rathore serving with Battalion 126 – E Company of the BSF stationed at BSF outpost number 6 at Angrail Dakshinpara village, North 24 Parganas district, West Bengal. The AHRC is also writing to the UN Special Rapporteur on extrajudicial and arbitrary execution calling for an intervention in this case. |
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[chottala.com] Rangs building: The death of chotolok workers - Rahnuma Ahmed
Rangs building: The death of chotolok workers
Not all bodies have been recovered from the Rangs building. Not yet. Two or three remain. A faint smell of death, of decomposed flesh, still hangs over the fourth floor area.
The bodies of all Sidr cyclone victims have not been recovered either , one keeps coming across newspaper reports of a child's body found in a paddyfield, a father's body being identified by his son. But that, I feel, is different. Difference hinges partly on the word nature, a word, that I admit needs to be re-thought in the context of global warming since 'natural' disasters are no longer natural.
Rangs is a profoundly urban disaster. Compounded by the fact that the hapless workers who died come from villages, the stories that frame their migration, 'they came to the city in search of work' hide continued urban enrichment at the cost of villages. Images haunt me as I read what is written in the newspapers: it happened in five seconds, the roofs came tumbling down, they do not give us our dead, I cannot go off with my brother's dead body, there are others from Modhukhali, their mothers and sisters and wives are waiting too. My two brothers got buried in the rubble. They are no longer alive. They must have died.
Demolition workers who have set up their own emergency team, warm themselves at night. 8th December 2007. Dhaka. Bangladesh. © Zaid Islam
I piece together the names of the dead. The names are scattered. Some crop up in the newspapers when bodies found are identified: Amirul 26, Zillur 24. Farid Mian. In other places, names of missing relatives mentioned by surviving workers. There are so many: Farid Sheikh, Delwar Sheikh, Jiru Molla, Kaijar Molla, Jahid Molla, Ruhul Amin, Mannan Shikdar, Abdur Rahim Sheikh, Daud Munshi, Jiblu. They are mentioned in passing, as if attached to bodies, to morgue identifications. A few days later, some more names. Some missing have now been found dead: Farid Mian 26, Zero Molla 25, Kaiser Molla 26, Mannan Sikder 35, Daud Munshi. A day later, another name, Abdur Rahim. Again very young, only twenty five. But, I think, what about Jahid, Jiblu, Firoj? A news item catches my eye: the Rangs group claims that security guard Shahid's body is buried beneath the rubble. Four. It's been nearly three and a half weeks now.
The still fingers of an unidentified worker. The bodies of three demolition workers were found on the morning of the 9th December 2007. Rangs Building. Dhaka. Bangladesh. © Zaid Islam
I cannot imagine the extent of the nightmare for family members who have been wandering about in the rubble of Rangs Bhaban, looking for traces of their beloved, maybe a pillow, the corner of a lungi, a shirt sleeve. Priscilla Raj, independent journalist, had written of an elderly, bearded man, standing outside Rangs, bitterly saying, "We are cchotolok, why should anyone bother?" He was right. No one did. There was no moddholok collective presence outside the building, no strong suport for Nirman Sromik Union's demand that compensation for the dead be four lakh taka, not one. Dhaka's moddholok, no doubt horror-struck, were witnesses to the disaster from a distance made safe by television and print media. I myself and many others were outside the National Museum. We were protesting archaeological artifacts being sent to Guimet. Those who joined in the wake outside the Rangs building were people like those dead or missing, part of the urban dispossessed. They witnessed grief at close quarters.
In this city's landscape, the history of Rangs workers will be one of dignity. And ours that of betrayal.
Rahnuma Ahmed
*Pavel Partha, "Odhipoti Shelai Machine O Fali Fali Shalbon" (A Dominant Sewing Machine and Rows of Shal Trees), unpublished.
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