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Friday, May 29, 2009

RE: [chottala.com] Article on Marine Profession



Sajid,
I remember those golden days with you.
We are doing okay.
Waiting to read your book.
Have fun
We are very happy about you.
 
How is your family?
If you have any chance to come to Monmtreal, please do not hesitate to be our guest. We will love that.
Farid Bhai
 

To: chottala@yahoogroups.com
From:
Date: Mon, 25 May 2009 17:04:24 -0700
Subject: RE: [chottala.com] Article on Marine Profession



Dear Farid bhai
 
Thank you for your message. Hope you, bhabi and kids are well there in Canada. BTW I, as a member of a 14-member ILO Team, am going to Australia/Malayasia from 29th May to 10th June. I have an amateur attachment with ILO.
 
Farid bhai, are you keeping your & bhabi maintaining your cultural activities there. Hope so.
 
Warm regards
Sajid

--- On Sun, 24/5/09, Capt. Farid Hossain <farid2002hossain@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: Capt. Farid Hossain <farid2002hossain@hotmail.com>
Subject: RE: [chottala.com] Article on Marine Profession
To: chottala@yahoogroups.com
Date: Sunday, 24 May, 2009, 12:28 AM

M5. Sajid,
Good afternoon.
Thanks for the outstanding article. It will help a lot of people is knowing and making decission.
Keep it up.
Capt. Farid (12).
Montreal.
 

To: chottala@yahoogroup s.com
From: sajidocean@yahoo. com
Date: Fri, 22 May 2009 17:34:24 -0700
Subject: [chottala.com] Article on Marine Profession



Dear Brothers
 
You may find the following article worth-reading (todays Prothom Alo). A must-read for (1) prospective HSC passed students in selecting this profession and also for (2) those who are interested to know about seafaring.
 
 
Best regards
 
Sajid Hussain
Chief Engineer, Marine Academy (1995-2005) 
Chittagong


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[chottala.com] An Important Article from John Hopkins: April 2009



From:  John Hopkins Update -
(Please read this article for the sake of health

AFTER YEARS OF TELLING  PEOPLE CHEMOTHERAPY IS THE ONLY WAY TO TRY ('TRY', BEING THE KEY WORD) TO  ELIMINATE CANCER, JOHNS HOPKINS IS FINALLY STARTING TO TELL YOU THERE IS AN  ALTERNATIVE WAY. 

Cancer Update from Johns  Hopkins: 

1. Every person has  cancer cells in the body. These cancer cells do not show up in the standard  tests until they have multiplied to a few billion. When doctors tell cancer  patients that there are no more cancer cells in their bodies after  treatment, it just means the tests are unable to detect the cancer cells  because they have not reached the detectable size. 

2. Cancer cells occur  between 6 to more than 10 times in a person's lifetime. 

3 When the person's  immune system is strong the cancer cells will be destroyed and prevented  from multiplying and forming tumors. 

4. When a person has  cancer it indicates the person has multiple nutritional deficiencies. These  could be due to genetic, environmental, food and lifestyle  factors. 

5. To overcome the  multiple nutritional deficiencies, changing diet and including supplements  will strengthen the immune system. 

6. Chemotherapy involves  poisoning the rapidly-growing cancer cells and also destroys rapidly-growing  healthy cells in the bone marrow, gastrointestinal tract etc, and can cause  organ damage, like liver, kidneys, heart, lungs etc. 

7. Radiation while  destroying cancer cells also burns, scars and damages healthy cells, tissues  and organs. 

8. Initial treatment  with chemotherapy and radiation will often reduce tumor size. However  prolonged use of chemotherapy and radiation do not result in more tumor  destruction. 

9. When the body has too  much toxic burden from chemotherapy and radiation the immune system is  either compromised or destroyed, hence the person can succumb to various  kinds of infections and complications. 

10. Chemotherapy and  radiation can cause cancer cells to mutate and become resistant and  difficult to destroy. Surgery can also cause cancer cells to spread to other  sites.. 

11. An effective way to  battle cancer is to starve the cancer cells by not feeding it with the foods  it needs to multiply.

CANCER CELLS FEED ON:  

a. Sugar is a  cancer-feeder. By cutting off sugar it cuts off one important food supply to  the cancer cells. Sugar substitutes like NutraSweet, Equal, Spoonful, etc  are made with Aspartame and it is harmful. A better natural substitute would  be Manuka honey or molasses but only in very small amounts. Table salt has a  chemical added to make it white in color. Better alternative is Bragg's  aminos or sea salt. 

b. Milk causes the body  to produce mucus, especially in the gastro-intestinal tract. Cancer feeds on  mucus. By cutting off milk and substituting with unsweetened soy milk cancer  cells are being starved. 

c. Cancer cells thrive  in an acid environment. A meat-based diet is acidic and it is best to eat  fish, and a little chicken rather than beef or pork. Meat also contains  livestock antibiotics, growth hormones and parasites, which are all harmful,  especially to people with cancer. 

d. A diet made of 80%  fresh vegetables and juice, whole grains, seeds, nuts and a little fruits  help put the body into an alkaline environment. About 20% can be from cooked  food including beans. Fresh vegetable juices provide live enzymes that are  easily absorbed and reach down to cellular levels within 15 minutes to  nourish and enhance growth of healthy cells. To obtain live enzymes for  building healthy cells try and drink fresh vegetable juice (most vegetables  including bean sprouts) and eat some raw vegetables 2 or 3 times a day.  Enzymes are destroyed at temperatures of 104 degrees F (40 degrees  C).   

e. Avoid coffee, tea,  and chocolate, which have high caffeine. Green tea is a better alternative  and has cancer fighting properties. Water-best to drink purified water, or  filtered, to avoid known toxins and heavy metals in tap water. Distilled  water is acidic, avoid it.

12. Meat protein is  difficult to digest and requires a lot of digestive enzymes. Undigested meat  remaining in the intestines becomes putrefied and leads to more toxic  buildup. 

13. Cancer cell walls  have a tough protein covering. By refraining from or eating less meat it  frees more enzymes to attack the protein walls of cancer cells and allows  the body's killer cells to destroy the cancer cells. 

14. Some supplements  build up the immune system (IP6, Flor-ssence, Essiac, anti-oxidants,  vitamins, minerals, EFAs etc.) to enable the bodies own killer cells to  destroy cancer cells. Other supplements like vitamin E are known to cause  apoptosis, or programmed cell death, the body's normal method of disposing  of damaged, unwanted, or unneeded cells. 

15. Cancer is a disease  of the mind, body, and spirit. A proactive and positive spirit will help the  cancer warrior be a survivor. Anger, un-forgiveness and bitterness put the  body into a stressful and acidic environment. Learn to have a loving and  forgiving spirit. Learn to relax and enjoy life. 

16. Cancer cells cannot  thrive in an oxygenated environment. Exercising daily, and deep breathing  help to get more oxygen down to the cellular level. Oxygen therapy is  another means employed to destroy cancer cells. 

1. No plastic containers  in micro. 

2. No water bottles in  freezer. 

3. No plastic wrap in  microwave.

Johns Hopkins has  recently sent this out in its newsletters. This information is being  circulated at Walter Reed Army Medical Center as well. Dioxin chemicals  cause cancer, especially breast cancer. Dioxins are highly poisonous to the  cells of our bodies. Don't freeze your plastic bottles with water in them as  this releases dioxins from the plastic. Recently, Dr. Edward Fujimoto,  Wellness Program Manager at Cast le Hospital, was on a TV program to explain  this health hazard. He talked about dioxins and how bad they are for us. He  said that we should not be heating our food in the microwave using plastic  containers. This especially applies to foods that contain fat. He said that  the combination of fat, high heat, and plastics releases dioxin into the  food and ultimately into the cells of the body. Instead, he recommends using  glass, such as Corning Ware, Pyrex or ceramic containers for heating food  You get the same results, only without the dioxin. So such things as TV  dinners, instant ramen and soups, etc., should be removed from the container  and heated in something else. Paper isn't bad but you don't know what is in  the paper. It's just safer to use tempered glass, Corning Ware, etc. He  reminded us that a while ago some of the fast food restaurants moved away  from the foam containers to paper. The dioxin problem is one of the reasons.  

Also, he pointed out  that plastic wrap, such as Saran, is just as dangerous when placed over  foods to be cooked in the microwave. As the food is nuked, the high heat  causes poisonous toxins to actually melt out of the plastic wrap and drip  into the food. Cover food with a paper towel instead.

This is an article that  should be sent to anyone important in your life.  

 

Regards,

Dr Mizanur Rahman,

Manager, Medical Affairs,

Eskayef Bangladesh Limited

www.skfbd.com

 

 



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.Re: [chottala.com] Madhury is now an MD (Doctor of Medicine), Congratulations



 
Our heartiest congratulations to Ms. Madhury for her excellent achievement of M.D. It is really a great news.

--- On Fri, 29/5/09, mahbubkhan@ieee.org , <mahbubkhan25@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: mahbubkhan@ieee.org , <mahbubkhan25@hotmail.com>
Subject: [chottala.com] Madhury is now an MD (Doctor of Medicine)
To: mahbubkhan@ieee.org
Date: Friday, 29 May, 2009, 1:19 PM

Dear Friends,

 

Our daughter Madhury is now an MD (Doctor of Medicine).

 

Madhury's MD Graduation Ceremony was held on May 15, 2009 in a huge big Theatre Hall in Philadelphia. She got her MD from the Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennslyvania, USA.

 

Our whole family flew from the West Coast California to the East Coast Philadelphia in order to attend this very Special Ceremony on May 15, 2009. We flew from Berkeley/Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego to join Madhury's Graduation. Madhury's very dear friends Lia and Sharif also flew from California to Philadelphia and attended this Ceremony.

 

Madhury's MD Graduation Ceremony was a very joyous,  enormously pleasant and deeply satisfying occasion for us and for our whole family. We have no end of thankfulness for this grand gift in our lives.

 

Madhury matched her Medical Residency at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Brooklyn, New York. She will be doing her Residency there in OB/GYN for 4 years. Madhury is very happy with the OB/GYN program there at the SUNY DownState in Broklyn, NY. She will be working there at two huge big hospitals including the SUNY Hospital and also the Kings county Hospital. Madhury just rented an apartment near the SUNY Hospital, and her Residency starts there on June 15, 2009.

 

It was during her transition from the Elementary school to the Middle School (from 5th grade to the 6th grade), when Madhury told me that, Dad, I want to be a Medical Doctor and I want to help the women and Mothers. I was quite surprised then, seeing this young child setting up her aim in life at such an early age. I did not know then, and I never asked Madhury wherefrom she got that inspiration so early on to be a Doctor.  However, recently my father-in-law (Dr. Mirza Quamarul Haque) passed away in San Jose, California, and in a community gathering for special Du'a for him, Madhury told everyone in her speech that it was her this Grand father (Nana), who inspired her to be a Doctor so early on. My father-in-law (Dr. Mirza Quamarul Haque) was a professor of Medicine at Dhaka Medical College. He had his MRCP from London, and later he was awarded the FRCP. Madhury visited him in Dhaka, Bangladesh when she was in Elementary school, and she saw her Nana in the Dhanmondi house as a big doctor, and that is what inspired Madhury. Now I know.

 

Madhury was identified as a GATE student early on. (GATE = Gifted And Talented Education). Madhury was the Valedictorin in all of her schools (Elementary School, Middle School, and High School). Madhury also received Presidential Award from the US-President. Madhury also made onto the list of the Hall of Fame of Silicon Valley for her extraordinary level of volunteer work and services for the Community through various clubs and organizations.

 

Madhury studied at UC-Berkeley for her undergraduate with several Scholarships, including the Alumni scholarship and the prestigious UC-Regents scholarship. Madhury also received the prestigious IBM T. J. Watson Memorial Scholarship in a worldwide competition among the kids of the IBM employees worldwide, when I was working at IBM as a Senior Scientist.

 

Madhury also studied at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She also studied at the Georgetown University in Washington DC for her pre-Med SMP (Special Masters Program). Then she moved on to the Drexel University in Philadelphia for her MD. Now she is on her way to New York at SUNY for her Medical Residency.

 

I will briefly mention here about two of the overseas trips of Madhury.

 

During her UC-Berkeley days, Madhury went to Bangladesh to work as a volunteer at a clinic. There she helped and nursed the AIDS patients, and she also helped and nursed many of the very young and immature girls who became ill because of working as prostitutes in unhealthy circumstances in order to support their desperately needy and poor families. I did not initially agree to her going to Bangladesh alone, but when Madhury came back to USA and told me what she did there in Bangladesh, I was simply moved.

 

Madhury also went to Africa during her Georgetown University days. There she helped and nursed some of the young mothers who were rejected by their husbands and the society because of a condition that they develop after their first delivery of their first baby. I did not know that any society treats their women that badly, and Madury went to Africa on her own expense to help those rejected mothers.

 

Madhury is our first child, and she is a delight of our family. She is happy, jolly, Kind, thoughtful, and an active kid, and she is very respectable to others. Madhury guides our family in many different ways.

 

Madhury is an inspiration for the youths and kids of our community and beyond, and she is a good role model for them as well.

 

Once again, we have no end of thankfulness for this grand gift in our lives.

 

Please pray for Madhury.

 

With best regards,

 

Reena and Mahbub Khan

Kamal, Jamal, Monika

San-Jose/Los- Angeles, California, USA408-859-3566, 408-942-0256, mahbubkhan@ieee. org



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Re: [chottala.com] Madhury is now an MD (Doctor of Medicine)--Best Wishes



Dear Mahbub bhai and Reena bhabi,
     Thanks for sharing Madhury's joyful achievements!  Congrats to Madhury and to you for raising her and her achievements! 
     We thoroughly enjoyed your joy and inspiration in Madhury's success since her early age.  We pray for Mahdury's continued success--all parents will like to see their offsprings achieve success!!
      Regards,
                      Sultan and Rehana Chowdhury
                      Potomac, MD
                      301-738-6863

--- On Fri, 5/29/09, mahbubkhan@ieee.org , <mahbubkhan25@hotmail.com> wrote:

From: mahbubkhan@ieee.org , <mahbubkhan25@hotmail.com>
Subject: [chottala.com] Madhury is now an MD (Doctor of Medicine)
To: mahbubkhan@ieee.org
Date: Friday, May 29, 2009, 2:19 PM

Dear Friends,

 

Our daughter Madhury is now an MD (Doctor of Medicine).

 

Madhury's MD Graduation Ceremony was held on May 15, 2009 in a huge big Theatre Hall in Philadelphia. She got her MD from the Drexel University in Philadelphia, Pennslyvania, USA.

 

Our whole family flew from the West Coast California to the East Coast Philadelphia in order to attend this very Special Ceremony on May 15, 2009. We flew from Berkeley/Oakland, San Jose, Los Angeles and San Diego to join Madhury's Graduation. Madhury's very dear friends Lia and Sharif also flew from California to Philadelphia and attended this Ceremony.

 

Madhury's MD Graduation Ceremony was a very joyous,  enormously pleasant and deeply satisfying occasion for us and for our whole family. We have no end of thankfulness for this grand gift in our lives.

 

Madhury matched her Medical Residency at the State University of New York (SUNY) in Brooklyn, New York. She will be doing her Residency there in OB/GYN for 4 years. Madhury is very happy with the OB/GYN program there at the SUNY DownState in Broklyn, NY. She will be working there at two huge big hospitals including the SUNY Hospital and also the Kings county Hospital. Madhury just rented an apartment near the SUNY Hospital, and her Residency starts there on June 15, 2009.

 

It was during her transition from the Elementary school to the Middle School (from 5th grade to the 6th grade), when Madhury told me that, Dad, I want to be a Medical Doctor and I want to help the women and Mothers. I was quite surprised then, seeing this young child setting up her aim in life at such an early age. I did not know then, and I never asked Madhury wherefrom she got that inspiration so early on to be a Doctor.  However, recently my father-in-law (Dr. Mirza Quamarul Haque) passed away in San Jose, California, and in a community gathering for special Du'a for him, Madhury told everyone in her speech that it was her this Grand father (Nana), who inspired her to be a Doctor so early on. My father-in-law (Dr. Mirza Quamarul Haque) was a professor of Medicine at Dhaka Medical College. He had his MRCP from London, and later he was awarded the FRCP. Madhury visited him in Dhaka, Bangladesh when she was in Elementary school, and she saw her Nana in the Dhanmondi house as a big doctor, and that is what inspired Madhury. Now I know.

 

Madhury was identified as a GATE student early on. (GATE = Gifted And Talented Education). Madhury was the Valedictorin in all of her schools (Elementary School, Middle School, and High School). Madhury also received Presidential Award from the US-President. Madhury also made onto the list of the Hall of Fame of Silicon Valley for her extraordinary level of volunteer work and services for the Community through various clubs and organizations.

 

Madhury studied at UC-Berkeley for her undergraduate with several Scholarships, including the Alumni scholarship and the prestigious UC-Regents scholarship. Madhury also received the prestigious IBM T. J. Watson Memorial Scholarship in a worldwide competition among the kids of the IBM employees worldwide, when I was working at IBM as a Senior Scientist.

 

Madhury also studied at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. She also studied at the Georgetown University in Washington DC for her pre-Med SMP (Special Masters Program). Then she moved on to the Drexel University in Philadelphia for her MD. Now she is on her way to New York at SUNY for her Medical Residency.

 

I will briefly mention here about two of the overseas trips of Madhury.

 

During her UC-Berkeley days, Madhury went to Bangladesh to work as a volunteer at a clinic. There she helped and nursed the AIDS patients, and she also helped and nursed many of the very young and immature girls who became ill because of working as prostitutes in unhealthy circumstances in order to support their desperately needy and poor families. I did not initially agree to her going to Bangladesh alone, but when Madhury came back to USA and told me what she did there in Bangladesh, I was simply moved.

 

Madhury also went to Africa during her Georgetown University days. There she helped and nursed some of the young mothers who were rejected by their husbands and the society because of a condition that they develop after their first delivery of their first baby. I did not know that any society treats their women that badly, and Madury went to Africa on her own expense to help those rejected mothers.

 

Madhury is our first child, and she is a delight of our family. She is happy, jolly, Kind, thoughtful, and an active kid, and she is very respectable to others. Madhury guides our family in many different ways.

 

Madhury is an inspiration for the youths and kids of our community and beyond, and she is a good role model for them as well.

 

Once again, we have no end of thankfulness for this grand gift in our lives.

 

Please pray for Madhury.

 

With best regards,

 

Reena and Mahbub Khan

Kamal, Jamal, Monika

San-Jose/Los- Angeles, California, USA408-859-3566, 408-942-0256, mahbubkhan@ieee. org




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[chottala.com] Amnesty International Report 2009 - Bangladesh



Amnesty International Report 2009 - Bangladesh
 
In the first national parliamentary elections in seven years, the Awami League won a landslide victory in predominantly peaceful polls held on 29 December. Before the election, despite the relaxing of emergency measures and institutional reform, restrictions on freedom of assembly and association remained and tens of thousands of political activists reportedly attempting to gather peacefully in their party offices were detained throughout the country. Police used excessive force to disperse peaceful rallies, injuring participants. At least 54 people were estimated to have died in suspected extrajudicial executions by police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in the first half of the year alone. No one was held accountable for the deaths. At least 185 people were sentenced to death, and five men were executed. Throughout the year the caretaker government strengthened institutional reforms. In September, the ordinance establishing a national Human Rights Commission came into effect. The Right to Information Ordinance was enacted in October, under which citizens can request access to information held by public bodies. However, eight security agencies were exempt from the ordinance unless the information requested related to corruption and human rights violations.

Background

The year began with the caretaker government backed by the military, continuing the enforcement of restrictions under the state of emergency imposed on 11 January 2007. It ended with elections that delivered an overwhelming majority to the Awami League only weeks after the state of emergency was lifted on 17 December.

Uncertainties about the military authorities' commitment to allow the democratic process to resume were dispelled when parliamentary elections were held on 29 December. Two political alliances – one led by Sheikh Hasina of the Awami League and another by Begum Khaleda Zia of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party – contested the elections. It remained to be seen if the new government would use this unique opportunity to make good its election pledges and strengthen human rights protection.

Women continued to be discriminated against in law and in practice, and violence against women including beatings, acid attacks and dowry deaths, were reported. In March, the government announced amendments to the National Women Development Policy in order to further promote equality for women. However, the amendments were not implemented after the announcement met with fierce resistance from Islamist groups who rallied in protest saying the amendments defied the Islamic law of inheritance.

"Thousands of slum dwellers were forcibly evicted in Dhaka and other major cities."

Bengali settlers continued to seize land from Jumma Indigenous inhabitants of Chittagong Hill Tracts. Three UN Special Rapporteurs – on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, on adequate housing and on the right to food – expressed concern that there may be a systematic campaign to support the relocation of non-Indigenous peoples to the Chittagong Hill Tracts in order to outnumber the local Indigenous community.

Thousands of slum dwellers were forcibly evicted in Dhaka and other major cities. Their homes were demolished without any provision for compensation or alternative accommodation. Court orders were usually issued to evict people from land allocated to property development projects.

The Anti-Terrorism Ordinance came into effect. Its broadly formulated definition of acts of terror further eroded safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention.

Fair trial standards continued to be undermined and were further exacerbated by emergency regulations as defendants' access to due process of law was limited.

The government continued to use the army, alongside the police, the RAB and other security forces to maintain law and order. The army, which had been deployed to maintain law and order since January 2007, was temporarily withdrawn in early November but redeployed on 18 December until after the elections.

Freedom of expression, assembly and association

"Police and RAB carried out at least 54 suspected extrajudicial executions during the first half of the year..."

Restrictions on freedom of expression were not strictly enforced and were eventually lifted in November. Although some restrictions on freedom of assembly and association were lifted in May and November, many restrictions remained under the state of emergency until it was lifted on 17 December.

The ban on indoor political meetings was lifted in May but some 30,000 political activists from various parties were arrested reportedly as they gathered in their party offices soon after the announcement. Police detained them for between several days and two months before releasing them, either without charge or on bail after charging them with apparently unrelated criminal offences.

On 3 November, the government announced the partial withdrawal of the ban on political rallies but this was not implemented until 12 December.

Excessive use of force

Police used excessive force against peaceful demonstrations on several occasions. On 6 July, police attacked several hundred Bangladesh Nationalist Party activists who had gathered peacefully on the premises of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University hospital to see a detained party leader being taken from hospital to a court hearing on corruption charges. At least 15 people were injured including a photojournalist who was covering the event.

On 11 November, police used sticks and rifle butts to disperse thousands of Jamaat-e-Islami activists at Baitul Mukarram Mosque in Dhaka. Despite the government announcement on 3 November that the ban on election-related political rallies was lifted, police told rally organizers that the lifting of the ban had not yet taken effect and forcibly dispersed the peaceful rally, injuring at least 30 demonstrators.

Extrajudicial executions and impunity

Police and RAB carried out at least 54 suspected extrajudicial executions during the first half of the year with scores more believed to have taken place in the second half of the year. No police or RAB personnel were prosecuted. According to the government, mandatory judicial inquiries were carried out into all fatal shootings by police and RAB, and found them to be justified. The number of judicial inquiries conducted and the findings of such inquiries were not made public.

A mother and child at a BRAC Microfinance Village Organization meeting in Tangail, Bangladesh.
A mother and child at a BRAC Microfinance Village Organization meeting in Tangail, Bangladesh.
© Amin/Drik/AI

  • On 27 July, police announced the death of Dr Mizanur Rahman Tulul, leader of the outlawed Purbo Banglar Communist Party (Red Flag Faction) in a so-called "crossfire" incident – a term often used to describe extrajudicial executions. Dr Tulul's mother had reported his arrest to journalists on 26 July and publicly appealed to the authorities for his safety.

Past human rights abuses

In April, Foreign Adviser Iftehkar Ahmed Chowdhury discussed with the UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, the possibility of UN involvement in ending impunity for the 1971 violations. However, as in the past, no official Commission of Enquiry was established to investigate the war crimes, crimes against humanity and other serious violations of human rights and humanitarian law as a first step towards establishing truth, justice and full and effective reparations for victims. No concrete action was taken by the government to implement the 1973 International Crimes (tribunals) Act.

Death penalty

At least 185 people were sentenced to death, bringing the estimated number of prisoners on death row to at least 1,085. Five men convicted of murder were executed, one in June and four in December.

In December, Bangladesh voted against a UN General Assembly resolution calling for a worldwide moratorium on executions.

Amnesty International visits

In January, Amnesty International's Secretary General Irene Khan visited Bangladesh and met with victims of human rights violations, civil society groups and political party officials.

Amnesty International reports

 
 
 


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[* Moderator's Note - CHOTTALA is a non-profit, non-religious, non-political and non-discriminatory organization.

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[chottala.com] Culture of impunity encourages extra-judicial killings : The Amnesty International annual report



AI REPORT
Culture of impunity encourages
extra-judicial killings

Staff Correspondent

The Amnesty International, in its annual report, claimed that at least 54 people died in suspected extra-judicial executions by the police and the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) in the first six months of this regime, but no police or RAB personnel were prosecuted for the killings.
   AI's secretary general Irene Khan on Thursday unveiled the report that pointed out that thousands of slum-dwellers were forcibly evicted in the capital and other major cities, and their homes were demolished without any provision of compensation or alternative accommodation.
   The report said that according to the government, mandatory judicial inquiries into all fatal shootings by police and RAB were carried out, and found them to be justified. The number of judicial inquiries conducted and the findings of such inquiries were not made public.
   The report also mentioned that the police used excessive force against peaceful demonstrators on several occasions.
   It also pointed out that Bengali settlers continue to grab the land belonging to the indigenous inhabitants of the Chittagong Hill Tracts.
   'Three UN Special Rapporteurs — on the situation of human rights and fundamental freedoms of indigenous people, on adequate housing and on the right to food — expressed concern that there may be a systematic campaign to support the relocation of non-indigenous people to the Chittagong Hill Tracts in order to outnumber the local indigenous community,' said the AI annual report.
   In March the government announced amendments to the National Women Development Policy in order to further promote equality for women but they were not implemented because the policy faced fierce resistance from Islamist groups who rallied in protest, saying the amendments defied the Islamic laws on inheritance.
   The report said women continue to be discriminated against in law and in practice, and violence against women, including beating, acid attacks and dowry deaths, is still widespread.
   The AI's report pointed out that restrictions on freedom of expression were not strictly enforced and were eventually lifted in November, and although some restrictions on freedom of assembly and association were lifted in May and November, many restrictions remained under the state of emergency until it was lifted on December 17.
   'The ban on indoor political meetings was lifted in May but some 30,000 political activists from various parties were arrested, reportedly as they gathered in their party offices soon after the announcement. The police detained them for periods between several days and two months before releasing them, either without charge or on bail after charging them with apparently unrelated criminal offences,' said the report, adding that though the government announced the partial withdrawal of the ban on political rallies on November 3, it was not implemented until 12 December.
   The right to fair trials continued to be undermined and was further exacerbated by the emergency regulations, as defendants' access to due process of law was limited, mentioned the report.
   The report pointed out that the government continued to use the army, alongside the police, the RAB and other security forces, to maintain law and order.
   'The army, which had been deployed to maintain law and order since January 2007, was temporarily withdrawn in early November but redeployed on December 18 until after the elections,' observed the AI's report.
   It pointed out that the political struggle between the military-backed caretaker government and veteran political leaders dominated the headlines in 2008.
   The report also said that hundreds of millions of people of the countries in the Asia-Pacific region are suffering due to government policies.


Family of slain polytech student
to file murder case

Two RAB 'crossfire' victims were BCL activists

Staff Correspondent
The family of Mohsin Sheikh, one of the two students of the Dhaka Polytechnic Institute, who were killed in a Rapid Action Battalion 'crossfire' in the capital early Thursday, will file a case against the RAB on charge of murder.
   'We have decided to file a murder a case against RAB as they committed the extra-judicial killing being instigated by some expelled activists of Chhatra League,' Mohsin's brother Farhad Sheikh told New Age.
   Mohsin Sheikh, a fourth-year student of electrical engineering department and Mohammad Ali Jinnah, a third-year student of mechanical engineering department of the institute, were killed in what Rapid Action Battalion described as a 'shootout' at Manik Mia Avenue near Asad Gate early Thursday.
   The bodies of the slain students were handed over to their families after post-mortem examination at Dhaka Medical College Hospital morgue on Thursday afternoon and they were buried in family graveyards at their village homes in Bhola and Faridpur.
   The director general of RAB, Hasan Mahmud Khandakar, told New Age, 'Two students were killed in a "shootout" when they were engaged in "snatching".'
   'Two separate cases were filed in this connection and we are investigating the incident,' he said.
   To a query about continued extra-judicial killings by the law enforcers, the RAB chief said, 'If lawmen come under attack from miscreants, they can return fire in self-defence and it may result in loss of lives which cannot be called extra-judicial killing.'
   RAB claimed that the two slain students were 'criminals' and 'muggers' but the teachers and students of the institute insisted that the two boys had no criminal records.
   Students of the institute said Mohsin and Jinnah were activists of the Bangladesh Chhatra League and linked to 'Zakir group' ousted by their rivals from the campus.
   Students of the institute alleged that RAB men in plainclothes picked up Mohsin and Jinnah when they came out of the hall for having tea on the campus in the night.
   A classmate of Mohsin told New Age, 'After hearing the news of their [Mohsin and Jinnah] being picked up by RAB, we tried to contact them over mobile phone but some people identifying themselves as members of RAB-2, received the calls and even said who they were.'
   Tension was simmering on the campus following the killing of the two students. General students alleged that two groups of BCL, led by Shahin and Shaon and with the blessing of a local ward commissioner, had unleashed terror on the campus and forcibly occupied several rooms of Latif Hall.
 
 
 


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