Unheard Voices

Mohandas Gandhi, shot dead at prayer meeting by Nathuram Godse a year after partition of India. 1948.

Liaqat Ali Khan, PM of Pakistan, assassinated at public meeting in Rawalpindi. 1951.

Solomon Bandaranaike, President of Sri Lanka, shot dead by Buddhist monk. 1959.

Sheikh Mujib, first PM of independent Bangladesh after 1971 breakup of Pakistan, killed in military coup. Also killed are his entire family of twenty two, including heir apparents Sheikh Kamal, Sheikh Jamal and Sheikh Fazlul Huq Moni. 1975.

Mujib’s four closest advisors Nazrul Islam, Tajuddin Ahmed, Mansur Ali and Kamruzzaman killed in their jail cell by coup leaders. 1975.

Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, architect of breakdown leading to 1971 Bangladesh genocide and first PM of divided Pakistan, hanged by military court convened by General Zia-ul Haque. 1979.

Sanjay Gandhi, son of Indira and Rasputin-like Emergency period Advisor, killed in plane crash. 1980.

General Zia ur Rahman, President of Bangladesh since 1977 counter-coups, killed in military coup. 1981.

Indira Gandhi, PM of India, assassinated by Sikh bodyguards avenging her brutal attack on Amritsar Golden Temple. 1984.

Shahnawaz Bhutto, leader of anti-Zia-ul Haque groups in exile with links to Soviet-funded militant group al-Zulfiqar (formed to avenge hanging of Zulfiqar Bhutto), found dead in France. 1985.

General Zia-ul Haque, iron-fist military ruler of Pakistan, killed in mysterious plane crash that also kills top Generals & US Ambassador. 1988

Rajiv Gandhi, PM of India, killed by LTTE suicide bomber protesting Indian intervention in Sri Lanka. 1991.

Ranasinghe Premadasa, President of Sri Lanka, killed by Tamil Tiger suicide bomber at May Day rally. 1993.

Lionel Gamini Dissanayake, Sri Lankan presidential candidate and opposition leader, killed in suicide attack. 1994.

Murtaza Bhutto, leader of breakaway faction of PPP that campaigned against then PM Benazir, shot dead by Karachi police. 1996.

Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga, President of Sri Lanka, survives LTTE suicide attack but loses one eye. 1999.

King Birendra, Nepalese king, wife and family members shot dead during a rampage by Crown Prince Dipendra. 2001.

Sheikh Hasina, leader of Bangladesh opposition AL, survives bomb attack that kills Ivy Rahman. 2004.

Benazir Bhutto, returns from a decade long exile and immediately survives bomb blast that kills hundreds of supporters. 2007.

Benazir Bhutto, shot dead at rally. 2007.

Benazir Bhutto was assassinated today. As the details are still sketchy, this event is surely to have a tremendous impact in Pakistan and also South Asia in general. It will make countries rethink their strategies about various countries in South Asia including Bangladesh. The khichuri that has been created in Pakistani politics is a stark reminder of what unintended consequences may happen when artificial solutions to local problems are forced upon. Benazir was shot and then a suicide bomber blasted a bomb — almost reminiscient of August 21st, 2004 when Bangladeshi opposition leader Shaikh Hasina’s assasination was attempted when a bomb blast was followed by targetted shooting. We don’t want another Pakistan in Bangladesh.

It is perhaps an understatement to say that 2007 has been the most eventful year for Bangladesh since at least 1975. Even in such a year, rising food prices stand out as a problem that, if left unresolved, could derail all political calculations and spell disaster for the country in 2008. In this post, I point to a global cause behind rising food prices that needs co-ordinated attention of activists and policymakers.

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We recognize the leadership qualities for these new leaders this year. Leadership is a thankless task. But we want to recognize some of their efforts which have opened up new doors of opportunities. Our thanks to all the volunteers, donors, readers and friends of drishtipat. We wish you happy holidays and very happy new year.

Details here.

At approximately 2 am on Dec 22, one of the 13 crates in the 2nd shipment of artifacts to Musee Guimet in Paris vanished from the tarmac of ZIA International Airport, Dhaka.

The missing crate is Crate # 5, which corresponds to Item 19 & 20 in the Artefact List From French Embassy.

Visnu/Clay/70 x 36 x 14,5 cm/Bangladesh National Museum/E-94.2385/19
Bust of Visnu/Clay/47 x 39 x 17 cm/Bangladesh National Museum/E-69.123/20

Catalogue
Page 144 (Visnu Text)
Page 145 (Visnu Statue)

Page 146 (Visnu Bust)

Chronology
1. Storm: For months controversy rages over proposed lending of artifacts to Musee Guimet. Shipment bound for France is blocked by authorities. Court case, led by Advocate Tania Ameer, blocks shipment for two months, forcing postponementg of October opening of Guimet show.

2. Protest: Finally Upper Court vacates lawsuit, clearing path for shipment to France. First shipment leaves for Paris in the face of protests at national museum. Debate escalates on national television. French Embassy & Musee Guimet respond to protester charges.

3. On Patriotism: The rhetoric heats up. People supporting the show are accused of being “France er dalal”.

4. Final Countdown: A new court motion is filed by Barrister Amirul Islam, blocking the second shipment. Vacation bench of court overturns the Islam motion, clearing way for second shipment. On Eid day, second shipment of crates sent to ZIA airport.

[Photo: Munir Uz Zaman/Drik News]
5. The Fix: At 1:00 am French embassy officials complete all customs formalities for shipment of the artifacts. GOB videotapes proceedings. French officials leave airport. At 2 am representatives of Homebound count crates again and discover one crate has vanished. Joint Forces seal off ZIA Airport. Civil Aviation authorities questioned.

[Photo: Munir Uz Zaman/Drik News]
6. The Tamasha: Ansars working at Airport arrested. Jahangir Alam of National Museum & Zakaria of Varendra Museum arrested. Emergency meeting of Culture Ministry. Empty crate found at pond near airport.

7. The Big Payback: Crate 5 contained Statue of Visnu (terracota, black) & Bust of Visnu. High resale value on international underground art market as they are unique pieces.

Post Comments Here

[Image: Munem Wasif, DrikNews]
ADB is scheduled (March 2008) to provide US$100 million loan and US$200 million political risk insurance to the open pit coal mine in Phulbari, Bangladesh. Today local communities in Phulbari sent a letter to ADB president and executive directors asking them to reconsider ADB plan to finance Phulbari Coal Project. (more…)

Based on the recent developments, the following has been updated. Please check at the bottom for the latest developments. This entry was first published on September 3rd.

• In a seminar namely ‘Judicial Reform and Independence of Judiciary’, held on August 11, the chief justice said ‘I want to assure the nation that we will come forward. The Supreme Court played a role in the past at the critical juncture of the nation. It is doing so at present and will do so in future to pull the nation out of mire.’
• Current president’s term expires on September 5th
• Army chief General Moeen U Ahmed visits the president Aug 22nd amid the DU crisis
• Rumours of chief justice getting the post of president after the expiration of Iajuddin’s term while critical political cases are pending with Supreme Court

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“I see no hope for the future of our people if they are dependent on the frivolous youth of today, for certainly all youth are reckless beyond words… When I was young, we were taught to be discreet and respectful of elders, but the present youth are exceedingly disrespectful and unrestrained.”

Overheard at the Dhaka Club? Two retired colonels strolling through a park perhaps? An op-ed writer in the Daily Star? No, this quotation, from the Greek poet Hesiod, is just a little older than that. It dates back 2700 years in fact, and just goes to show how bemoaning the youth of today is an ancient and established custom. Much later, a mere two and a half thousand years ago, Socrates is said to have echoed these thoughts, in the following passage attributed to him:

“The young now love luxury. They have bad manners, contempt for authority, they show disrespect to their elders…. They contradict their parents, chatter before company, gobble up dainties at the table, cross their legs, and are tyrants over their teachers… They talk as if they alone knew everything, and what passes for wisdom with us is foolishness with them.”

Now Hesiod and Socrates have many advantages over your correspondent, whose words are unlikely to be read two and a half weeks from now, let alone two and a half millennia, but they suffer by comparison in one vital respect: they weren’t at the recent launch of the magazine “Voices of Hope”, and I was. If they had been, they might well have reconsidered their opinion about the youth of today, as there they would have met a highly impressive group of youngsters who are committed to making a difference and to shaping a better world, starting right here at home.

Read more here

By Priscilla Raj
Translation: Rahnuma Ahmed
Photo: Zaid Islam

This question surfaced yet again when I stood outside Rangs building on the morning of Dec 12.
Tonight I have learnt that 14 coffins have been taken inside. Since then, family members of the workers have refused to leave the area. Many of them think that the authorities will get rid of the bodies. They have come from outside Dhaka, they do not belong here, they have no networks of familial or social support in this city. They can only gather and resist with whatever they have.

Rangs, one of the largest business houses in Bangladesh, had their building plans approved by Rajuk (Rajdhani Unnoyon Kortripokkho, i.e., Capital Development Authority), and they built a huge edifice. Approval for high rises are generally not given in this area due to flight restrictions. Six storied buildings are the limit. However, Rangs built a 22 storied building which no one could miss. Except Rajuk, of course.

That is how things stood until the present caretaker government came into power and rushed headlong into its drive against corruption.

Which officials in Rajuk had okayed these plans? And why? That has remained a secret. Has anyone in Rajuk been punished for approving these plans?
The Supreme Court ordered the demolition of the building, and Rajuk appointed Six Star, a ship-breaking company to carry out the work. Who made the decision? On what basis? What qualifications did Six Star have? Was any corruption involved? If so, will those involved be tried?
After the demolition disaster, Six Star, Rajuk, Rangs — will they be made accountable for their misdeeds?

Is a life worth only one lakh taka — the sum that the government will pay as compensation for those who have died?

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Zafar Sobhan

Another year, another December 14. Once again, we mourn the loss of the intellectuals butchered on that day as well as the hundreds of others who were hunted down, tortured, and killed during the course of the none months long liberation war. And once again, once December 14 is safely behind us, we conveniently forget the martyred intellectuals for another year, and go back to our everyday lives.

December 16 will be no different, though the mood will be more festive and celebratory than somber and solemn. We will all fly Bangladeshi flags and lay wreaths and attend functions and watch television programs extolling the bravery of all those who fought and gave their lives for our freedom.

We will honour their memory and patriotism and pride will stir in our hearts, and then we will return to the actual living reality that is Bangladesh today. The living, breathing reality, which neither honours nor respects our martyrs or our heroes or anyone or anything else that should be precious and sacred to our hearts.

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From Daily Star:

Existing evidence enough to try killers
Zayadul Ahsan and Shakhawat Liton

Bodies of unknown intellectuals dumped at Rayer Bazar mass killing field by local collaborators of Pakistan army days before Bangladesh won the Liberation War. Photo: File Photo
The killers of intellectuals during the Liberation War can be prosecuted on the basis of evidence preserved by the government. It only needs to take a move to resume the long halted process of trial of the intellectuals’ murder cases.

Sufficient number of documents and records on the cases have been preserved since 1972 at the home ministry, Criminal Investigation Department, Ramna police station, district and sessions judges’ courts, chief metropolitan magistrates’ courts and deputy commissioners’ offices.

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A trip to London isn’t complete without a visit to the Speaker’s Corner in Hyde Park. About a year ago, when Bangladesh was sleepwalking towards 1/11, I happened to be in London. One Sunday, after a tour of the Hyde Park, I met up with some family friends at a Deshi eatery in the Banglatown. One of them asked if I had spoken at the Corner. I said no. She said she sang there when she first visited London. When I enquired what she sang, she replied: Keno? Amar Shonar Bangla!

Of course she’d sing that, what else would it be, what else would I have sang (no, make that recited, I can’t sing) if I did anything at the Speaker’s Corner? Those of us born in free Bangladesh tend to identify instinctively with Amar Shonar Bangla — along with the green-and-red flag and shapla — irrespective of differences in religion, class or political opinion. And yet, there is no clear articulation of why we should. While we tend to feel our Bangladeshi identity, seldom do we think what it means to be a Bangladeshi, and there is little clear articulation of what kind of a state our People’s Republic should be.

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Message from the organizer Dr. Farida Khan:

First Conference on Indigenous People and Bangladesh Environment (Adibashi Jonogoshti o Bangladesher Poribesh) is to be held on 17-18 December, 2007 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The conference is being jointly organized by Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BAPA) and Bangladesh Environment Network (BEN) in collaboration with six public major universities located in Bangladesh.

Early this year, the events surrounding Choles Ritchil’s death caught the attention of some members of BEN. Both BEN and BAPA realized that concern about the environment is in no way disconnected from concern about adibashis in Bangladesh. Adibashis can be seen as the stewards of our environment; they have long traditions and communities that are intimately connected to the particular region that they inhabit. This in no way precludes the idea that villagers in any particular area may also play that role in their native region. However, we realized that there has been gradual displacement of adibashis over the decades in Bangladesh and that displacement is intimately connected with a degradation of the natural environment.

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Accident of such magnitude took place — killing four persons and injuring many — yet nobody seems to care. And the authorities think that mere compensation is enough.
As the New Age report of December 10 says there might be people trapped under the debris.
What are the government doing to rescue them or are they really planning to abandon rescue work even after knowing that people who are trapped inside might still be alive!
I really don’t understand the psyche either of the government or the general people. How can both these groups remain so indifferent when people’s life is concerned? Have we become devoid of all human emotions during this emergency rule?
Zubair Khandker
Dhanmondi, Dhaka

We welcome the announcement by the Cabinet Division to approve the
long-pending draft law on a National Human Rights Commission.

We call for urgent steps to be taken to establish the Commission with full
powers and, most importantly, institutional independence to enforce the
human rights of all persons, citizens and non-citizens, and to address
violations of rights by any person, regardless of their identity or
institutional affiliation.

We further demand that the Commission’s jurisdiction extend to all
universally recognised human rights.

We express our concern that the proposed Selection Committee is too
executive-dependent and urge that it be revised to include persons with a
track record and credibility in promoting and protecting human rights,
including from within the Bar, media and academia.

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