Unheard Voices

We are regularly updating the blog as we are finding information on the Mohiuddin’s case. The following is Mash’s summary of other blogs where the issue is covered extensively. Thanks Mash. Great research. I am just copying your links for others benefit.
• The main thread now in this blog where you can post your research and comment is here

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(this was written a thursday — a day before the militants’ execution took place unannounced )

One of the over-simplifications the commentariat (myself included) is often guilty of is to look at all political questions in the country from an AL versus BNP point of view: political discourse in Bangladesh seems to revolve around this binary understanding of the world.
This understanding of Bangladeshi politics was never 100 per cent accurate. After all, Bangladesh is replete with those of dubious morality from all walks of life who have prospered regardless of who was in power. These self-serving chameleons, surely, are the people we really need to watch out for.

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On DP Blog we have already had various discussions on the extrajudicial killings in Bangladesh, so it will be no surprise to learn that Bangladesh features on this UN report. The link for the entire report can be accessed here.
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Siddiqul Islam Bangla Vai was hanged to death last night.
So was the son in Law of Shayokh Abdur Rrahman, Mr Abdul awal.

Bangla Vai’s young wife and daughter.

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More publicity for the fundraising campaign today courtesy of the Star Weekend Magazine, whose editor was kind enough to allow me to devote an article to the cause.

See the article here.

Did not see much discussion on the new move by the CG to create a National Human Rights Commission. The Daily Star had an editorial on March 21 and a follow up article by Md. Anisur Rahman today:

Can we take on the challenge of human rights?
Md Anisur Rahman

The decision of the CG to form a National Human Rights Commission (HRC) is a very welcome one. This should be the time to understand the provisions of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) toward social and economic conduct of the nation, which would be the tasks of the HRC to oversee.

More here

Update: A very good rebuttal - A terrorist Hides in the United states

Update: AP account of Aug 15th 75

Update: Sajeeb Wajed Joy’s spirited counter reply

Update: LA Times interviews Joy

A letter written by AKM Mohiuddin’s son Rouben Mohiuddin that claimed his father’s innocence is posted here. It was a tough call on whether to post or not something that contradicts the known facts in many ways. But then again we can allow our readers to make their own judgement from reading the letter and comparing with what they knew, read or heard.

Here are some links to help you refresh your memory or knowledge on the incident of Aug 15 1975:

The court verdict

A report from Amnesty International on the murder trial and their recommendations

An article on the historic Verdict

Part of Indemnity Ordinance 1975 (signed by Khondokar Moshtaq):
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Arnob, the star of the Bangladesh music scene, described by many as the finest musician of his generation, has agreed to visit the BNWLA hostel with me next month. We’ve recently begun to collaborate musically (see BlueNote blog for info) and are playing a concert tonight for the British High Commissioner. Photos will appear here soon. He is unquestionably a musical genius and it’s a privilege to be able to work with him.

As I’ve got to know him, I’ve also seen he has a strong social conscience. He immediately offered a percentage of tonight’s fee for example to the hostel. So when I suggested coming, he agreed straight away. We’ll perform our new set for the kids, and they will in turn put on a song and dance show for us. This will bring huge publicity to the hostel - as his presence will guarantee media attention. Salma Ali (head of BNWLA) is delighted. A couple of TV interviews with any of us will further bolster the cause. This is a better start to the campaign than we dreamed of.

For other updates on the campaign, please visit the campaign blog.

The Global Information Technology Report by World Economic Forum has become a valuable and unique benchmarking tool to determine national ICT strengths and weaknesses, and to evaluate progress. It also highlights the continuing importance of ICT application and development for economic growth.

The Report uses the Networked Readiness Index (NRI) to measure the degree of preparation of a nation or community to participate in and benefit from ICT developments. The NRI is composed of three component indexes which assess:
- environment for ICT offered by a country or community
- readiness of the community’s key stakeholders (individuals, business and governments)
- usage of ICT among these stakeholders.

The 2006-2007 report report is published today. And where do we, Bangladesh, stand?

At the bottom, where else!

The Duckponds of Jibanananda
It was the mention of duckponds that brought Jibanananda Das to my mind. If only the poet of Ruposhi Bangla had been alive today. More than seventy years ago, mesmerized by the beauty of his native land, Jibanananda mused on his own reincarnation and wrote some of the most celebrated lines in all of Bengali literature:

When I return to the banks of the Dhanshiri, to this Bengal,
Not as a man, perhaps, but as a shalik bird or a white hawk,
Perhaps as a dawn crow in this land of autumn’s new rice harvest,
I’ll float upon the breast of fog one day in the shade of a jackfruit tree.
Or I’ll be some young girl’s pet duck — ankle bells upon her reddened feet —
And I’ll spend the day floating on duckweed-scented waters..
(Clinton Seely’s translation)

What then would he have made of Nandigram? What would he have made of Singur? The Tehelka reporter Shoma Chaudhury starts her exposé with a vivid description of shujola-shufola rural Bengal:

Singur is emerald country. Even an urban cynic, unmoved by pastoral idylls, can see in an instant that this is no poor man’s burden. Land here is wealth. Singur is merely 45 kilometres from Kolkata… Almost every villager’s house here is pucca, a secure shelter of cement and polished red stone. The fields are lush with crop — rice, jute, potato, and a myriad vegetables. And every 500 yards there is a pond swimming with ducks.

The next line reads:
Beauty never plays a role in the reckonings of macroeconomics.
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In front of a very selectively invited media and personnnel, in the 9th Division ( Gen Masud’s) hosted event he also adds that

He would raise issue of prosecuting war criminals;
Asserts that it is time to fight corrupt politicians;
Proposes auction of seized cars to build hospitals for poor.

Among other attendees, prominent were AL MP freedome fighter Asaduzzaman Noor and Golam Kuddus of shommilito Shangskritik jote.

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How should we react? Should we be happy and thank the Army chief for doing the right thing and speaking the truth? Should we start looking for any hidden meaning? Should we suspect any long term planning or conspiracy? Or Should see it as an indicator of a new polarization in Bangladesh politics? Or it is only a lip service to somehow convince the Awami League supporters and leadership to support the current CTG?

What do you think?

Convict of the 15th August Killing AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed’s today’s flight back to Bangladesh is held for a week by Homeland security chief Michael Chertoff.

Apparently the story was initially picked up southern California Public Radio, Mohiuddin Ahmed was interviewed from detention and several follow up stories were broadcast in different public radio systems. The message that went out was that Mohiuddin would be immediately executed once he returns to Dhaka. As a result, this case turned quite high profile, California Senators Feinstein and Boxer, Governor Schwarzenegger, Michael Chertoff, the secretary of Homeland security and possibly US president got involved.

Looks like our foreign ministry could have done a better job.

Bangladesh has been trying to develop its natural beauties for tourism mostly with the help of private initiatives. The potential of turning the tourism sector into a very lucrative one is very good given the political stability. We have already seen much advancement in this sector like development of hotels like Seagull Hotel in Cox’s Bazaar and well organized tours to Kaptai and St. Martin’s Island, visits of multiple foreign investors looking to develop tourism etc. Unfortunately, with all advancements come some negative aspects. After reading a BBC report recently on a popular travel destination in India awakened me to a stark reality of the potential undesirable issues that the authorities should avoid at all cost as our tourism sector develops.

BBC reported on Goa, one of the most popular travel destinations for beach goers in India. It is reported that due to increasing sex tourism there involving children; it may well be added to the list of many other destination in Asia that has infamously claimed the title of “pedophile’s paradise”. What is more worrisome is that child sex trade is rather organized and fairly institutionalized there. Sex trade involving children wasn’t as big in countries like Thailand, Vietnam and now in India but as tourism developed there, they became paradise for pedophiles. There are few reasons for it and I am sure there could be more:

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Thirty five year ago, even longer perhaps, just a camera in hand, they had gone out to bring back a fragment of living history. Today, those photographs join them in protest. Peering through the crisp pages of the newly printed history books, they remind us, “No, that wasn’t the way it was. I know. I bear witness.”

The black and white 120 negatives, carefully wrapped in flimsy polythene, stashed away in a damp gamcha, have almost faded. The emulsion eaten away by fungus, scratched a hundred times in their tortuous journey, yellowed with age, they bear little resemblance to the shiny negatives in the modern archives of big name agencies. They too are war weary, bloodied in battle.

So many have sweet talked these negatives away. The government, the intellectuals, the publishers, so many. Some never came back. No one offered a sheet of black and white paper in return. Few gave credits. The ones who risked their lives to preserve the memories of our language movement, have never been remembered in the awards given that day.

35 years ago, they fought for freedom. They didn’t all carry guns, some made bread, some gave shelter, some took photographs.

Some briliant pics at Shahidul Alam’s blog.

In the Bangla diaspora in London, in spite of such a large community, there are still dearth of Asian candidates. A big part of it is due to the Brahminism that goes in nominating candidates for both Labour and Tory. This leads to MPs with absolutely no idea about the community and their wishes. I am really excited about one candidate, however, who is trying to break this circle of Brahminism. Ayub is proud of his working class background. He left school at 16 to work as a mechanist due to economic pressures (we are talking about the UK here). Joined British politics at a very young age. Worked his way through the system to win support of the most powerful ward in the party, Unison. He has to cross different stages before the nomination can be bagged. But it is imperative that candidates like him actually represent the community in the mainstream. Ayub’s strength is his strong roots to the community. I have had a numerous interactions with him over the last couple of years. He is articulate, has firm grips with the issues in the community and has a clear vision to where he wants to take the community. He has launched his own blog recently. There is also an important lesson on local leadership for Bangladeshi politics.
Recently he wrote a piece for New Statesman which can give an insight to his views. Take a look at his blog.