Extracts from Hotline Newsletter, Bangladesh

KALPANA PROBE BODY

A delegation of three tribes from the Hill Tracts met the PM July 31. She assured them that a 3-membe— judicial enquiry committee would be formed, headed by a retired Supreme Court Justice, to look into the disappearance of Kalpana Chakma, find out the responsible persons and see that such incidents do not occur in the future. The committee was formed on Sept .7. A report was to be submitted within 30 days. On Aug.5th ISPR said that the 24th Division report had been cleared by Army headquarters in advance. 

On Aug. 8 the Bangladesh Human Rights Commission (BHRC) reported that in an interview Kalpana’s mother revealed that she had received two letters from her from a village in Tripura. However, due to “time constraints” the BHRC agents were not able to learn how the letters had come!! (D.S. 9.8.96) The Sangbad (19.8.96) reported that the BHRC agents had gone to the CHT by helicopter (whose?) and first went to the Camp Commander. Then they went to Kalpana's house with police, VDF and some Bengalis. At the Press Club in Dhaka on Aug.18 Kalpana’s mother Banduni vehemently condemned the lie that she had received any letters or said anything about letters. She again demanded that Kalpana be rescued. Leaders of the Women’s Hill Federation said that if the BHRC report was correct, the government should have taken immediate steps to bring Kalpana back from Tripura.

The Humanity Protection Forum of Agartala thoroughly investigated the village and area in Tripura but there was no evidence of Kalpana being or having been there. So, what is the report based on? 

CUSTOMS KILLED PASSENGER

On Aug.2 it was announced that the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) was likely to charge sheet some of the Customs Surveillance Team who assaulted a British passenger, Siraj Miah (35), a highly successful Bengali businessman from Sylhet who lived in Britain for the past 20 years, at Zia Airport May 9, causing his death a few hours later, as confirmed by autopsy. The man is alleged to have been drunk and to have made an objectionable remark about a female customs person. Other reports said the customs officials had demanded a bribe but Siraj refused to pay. His widow and her barrister addressed a press conference at the Press Club Aug. 3 and demanded compensation.

On Aug.22 in Dhaka, Dr.Lion Fox, British Parliamentary Undersecretary of State, called for a just review of the murder case. The CID has charge sheeted two customs officials; the Home Minister told Dr.Fox that two supplementary charges may also be given. 

JAIL BREAK REPORT

Two enquiry reports on the 4 July 15 jail break, in which 13 prisoners escaped from Dhaka Jail, one under the Home Ministry and the other under the jail authorities, are being studied. Both blamed senior officials and wardens. According to the Aug. 2 Janakantha, one received one lakh taka and another 1½ lakhs, given by a “godfather” for a political aim. 

CHILD-LIFTER GANG 

Police were looking in early August for an “organized gang” of child-lifters, who bought a 10-year old boy July 19 for Tk 500 from the Sukrabad area of Dhaka. The boy had been lured by two teen-age boys of the area, who were arrested on July 30th and 31st. They confessed that they had picked up another child some time ago.

On Sept.1 police arrested two who from a house in Shahjahanpur on charges of trafficking women and children. Three women and three children were released from the clutches of an organized gang. 

AIDS/HIV CASES

It was reported in Parliament on Aug.11 that 61 persons in Bangladesh are infected with HIV, of whom 10 have come down with AIDS and three have already died.

On Aug.11 an HIV positive 21-year old woman who was deported from Bahrain in July was taken by police from her home village and sent to Mohakhali- Infectious Diseases Hospital for treatment. An editorial the next day in the Daily Star: “That unmarried girl’s reappearance in Charbhadrasan with the deadly AIDS (sic) on her person exposed the surroundings to a kind of danger we are so dreadfully unaccustomed to.” (Many NG0s are getting huge funding for educating the public about HIV and AIDS. They should begin with the police and journalists. Since no one answered the editorial, maybe they should begin with themselves!)

A group of physicians said on Aug.13 that there are no AIDS patients in Chittagong.

On Aug.22 the joint UN program on HIV/AIDS protested against the disclosure of names by some of the press as a violation of several human rights, including the rights to life, to privacy, to liberty and security and to equal protection by law

YASMIN CASE

On Aug.8 the Supreme Court ruled that a government sanction would be needed to frame the charge against the accused in seven killings following the Yasmin rape-murder in Dinajpur since an inferior officer had brought the charges against his higher officer. The delay makes it impossible for a primary investigation to take place. Moreover, the government has not withdrawn its cases against 118 persons involved in the agitation in which seven were killed.
The six policemen charged in Special Case 51/96 moved the High Court for transfer of the case to Bogia. On Sept.12 the case was shifted to Rangpur Judge Court and on Sept.20 was set for the nine accused to appear. A new hearing date of Oct.26 was then set. Bail was refused for the three main accused. 

TERRORISM

On Aug.11 the Home Minister expressed concern over the poor response to the amnesty for illegal arms possessers, since only 316 arms had been surrendered. He wanted to know from police officials why they are reluctant to arrest those whose whereabouts are well-known to then. By the end of the 7-day amnesty deadline only 658 weapons had been surrendered so a detailed plan was made to raid probable dens of illegal arms and continue the arms recovery drive for two month.
Transport workers on Aug.11 demonstrated in Dhaka and protested terrorism and extortion at the Syedabad bus terminal. A ruling party MP was said to have been patronizing the terrorists. 

FACTS REVEALED IN JS 

The Home Minister replied to questions in the Jatiya Sangsad on Aug.19, saying that 234 murders had occurred in the first month under AL rule, 133 rapings, 1143 thefts, 97 armed robberies, 233 muggings and terrorism. He also stated that since 21 June 323 have been arrested under the Special Powers Act. 

On Aug.21 the Finance Minister provided Parliament with a list of 29 present MPs who were loan defaulters to the tune of Tk 311.39 crore before announcement of the June 12 election schedule. Nothing was said about how many, if any, repaid their loans before the election.

INSANITY THROUGH POVERTY

A father who made no money on Aug.20 and whose family were hungry went berserk and injured his neighbour, the neighbour’s wife and son. then returned home and killed his wife, two sons and daughter. Finally, he committed suicide. 

CHT NEWS 

A report from Banderban said that the “Mukush Bahini” (Masked Army), the name given by tribals to the Anti-Terrorism group organized by MP Oli Ahmed, promised a karbari (village headman) Tk 10,300 if he would tell them if the Shanti Bahini had been to his house and how much he had given them. If he did not tell, they would pour hot water down his nose and beat him. He was asked to go to the camp and report there whenever the SB was coming and he would get “all facilities.” He received no money, even though he confessed that the SB had been there. The same is said to happen elsewhere. 

MASSACRE OF WOODCUTTERS

Police and army sources reported that 28 of 33 woodcutters kidnapped Sept.9 by armed Shanti Bahini for not giving tolls were found dead in a deep forest at Longadu of Rangamati Dt. One who was injured by a bullet as he ran away is said to have given the report of the kidnapping. Five bodies had been riddled by bullets and the others beheaded. Twenty bodies were identified by first name and age, father’s name and village (all different), but none was given to relatives. Four AL ministers who visited Longadu on Sept.12 said that the killing of the woodcutters could be an attempt by vested quarters to destabilize the existing truce between the government and the Shanti Bahini. (It was pointed out that this form of execution has never been used by the SB before and that many appeals had been coming from abroad for the removal of the army from the CHT.) The BNP named a 7-member body under Oli Ahmed, MP to probe the CHT massacre. On Sept.25 they reported that the bodies had the eyes gouged out and the ears, nose and genitals severed (all the signs to identify a tribal or a Bengali). A special 7-member committee of Parliament visited Longadu on Sept.15. Full-day hartals were observed in Rangamati and Khagrachari districts. On Sept.16 government appointed a 5-member enquiry committee. 

URBAN POVERTY

An Asian Development Bank report released on Sept.17 showed that 55% of Dhaka residents are living below the poverty line, with 32% below the hard-core poverty line. About 27% of the total poor live in the nearly 3,000 slums in Dhaka, 25% of them on government land, where 90% live in single rooms for which they pay high rents. There are few slums outside the Dhaka Corporation area. The actual number of people living in slums and squatter settlements would be higher than 1.1 million.

[Extracted from the Hotline Newsletter, Aug. - Sept., 1996 issue, published by the Justice and Peace Commission of Bangladesh].