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| Saturday,
March 10, 2001, Chandigarh, India   
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Khaleda
demands poll in May Mandelson
cleared in Hinduja affair Bush’s
tax plan gets shot in arm JKLF wants Annan to take up Kashmir AI crash:
prosecutors prefer direct trial Albanian
rebels driven out of village Spice
Girls ‘not to split’ |
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US sub
captain tenders apology
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Khaleda demands poll in May Dhaka, March 9 Later on Thursday evening, a delegation of the opposition Jatiya Party (JP) led by the party’s Secretary-General Naziur Rahman Manjur met President Ahmed and raised the same demand. JP Chairman, former President of the country, H.M. Ershad, is now in prison undergoing conviction in a corruption case. Jamat-e-Islami (JI) is also likely to meet the President and raise a similar demand. The news in the night bulletin of the private TV channel Ekushe Television (ETV) on Thursday came as a surprise to all quarters. Ms Zia’s demand came at a time when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is in Saudi Arabia to perform Hajj and is scheduled to return to Dhaka on Saturday. Earlier Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, at a tea party with diplomats, called upon the opposition leader to shun politics of violence through street agitations, return to parliament ending three years of boycott and demand polls. The PM assured her to arrange polls as per the desire of the Opposition leader. When the four party opposition alliance refused to return to parliament and demanded resignation of Hasina government first to pave the way for holding elections, Ms Hasina changed her stand slightly. She urged the Opposition leader to ask for elections in a statement and assured to oblige by handing over power to the caretaker government as provided in the Bangladesh Constitution. The Opposition again responded by demanding resignation of the government first. The Opposition BNP and its alliance partners – the JP, the JI and the Islami Oikkyo Jote (IOJ) took a stand that they will not raise the demand before the government; rather they would prefer to raise the demand before the Head of the State. Sources at Bangabhaban said President Shahabuddin Ahmed simply heard the leaders and suggested to make the demand to the government. He said he had no role at this stage as the term of the government would expire on July 13 this year and the Cabinet would decide whether they would hand over power earlier than scheduled. The ruling party was expecting that the opposition alliance will give an ultimatum to the government to resign to be announced at a public rally on March 21 in Dhaka city. The ruling party is also scheduled to hold a public rally on March 30 in the capital city. The venue of both the public rallies is Paltan Maidan. A parliament session has been summoned on March 29 morning and political analysts of most Dhaka dailies were holding firm views that this may be the last session of the current parliament. Meanwhile, Local Government Minister and Secretary-General of the ruling Awami League told the ETV that Ms Zia raised an impractical demand to hold elections in May, only two months away. He referred to the constitutional requirement to hold polls within 90 days of taking over by the caretaker government. He also said that in May there would be rains and it would be difficult to hold polls. In response, the BNP Secretary-General, Mr Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan, said the caretaker government was to decide and the requirement was to hold polls within 90 days — not after 90 days. He asserted that it was possible if the government was sincere. On the other hand, the opposition BNP has refused to attend a meeting called by the Chief Election Commissioner, Mr M.A. Sayeed, because to the party he is partisan. Earlier the party raised the demand for his removal. The ETV report said the BNP leadership was willing to meet other commissioners of the Election Commission. None can remove the EC and the only way to meet the Opposition’s demand was his voluntary resignation. The EC has called the meeting to discuss the proposed changes in the election rules and the code of conduct for the candidates. The EC has already held a meeting with the ruling Awami League. It will also hold discussions with other political parties. The Chief Election Commissioner, Mr M.A. Sayeed, in a recent interview with Daily Manabzamin claimed that printing of voters lists would be completed within this month and all other preparations were complete. The EC could hold parliament polls any time, he asserted. It is not yet sure whether polls will be held in the last week of May or in the early part of June this year. The ruling party may not agree to hold polls in May as demanded by the opposition. However, political analysts feel that it takes at least two months for the political parties also to contest elections. Even if the government announces its decision on March 30 at the public rally to step down on April 17, the birth day of the founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, it will not be possible to hold elections in May. There is also speculation that the decision maybe announced on the floor of parliament in the first week of April after transacting one important constitution amendment bill. The Bill is to provide 30 reserved seats to women elected by Parliament for 10 more years. The term of 15 years will end on April 5. The ruling party has appealed to the Opposition to participate and vote in favour of the Bill. If the Opposition does not vote, the ruling party will make it a poll campaign issue against the Opposition. The Prime Minister has to suggest in writing to the President to dissolve parliament and step down, handing over power to a caretaker government headed by the immediate past Chief Justice. Justice Latifur Rahman who has retired on March 1 as the Chief Justice has already hinted that he would take the responsibility if offered. Now politics in Bangladesh will centre round the forthcoming parliamentary polls in months to come. This will bring an end to politics of street agitations leading to violence. |
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Mandelson cleared in Hinduja affair London, March 9 The former Northern Ireland Secretary was fired in January amid allegations he helped the Indian billionaires Hinduja brothers to get British citizenship after they donated £1 million ($1.5 million dollars) to London’s Millennium Dome. “There is no evidence of any improper relationship between him and the Hindujas,” Sir Anthony Hammond, the lawyer who conducted the inquiry, said in the report. The report also cleared Foreign Office Minister Keith Vaz, who is responsible for Britain’s relations with Europe, of any wrongdoing in the affair. Political commentators say the inquiry’s conclusions raise questions about Mr Blair’s judgment in sacking Mr Mandelson — a key Labour election strategist — just months before the party fights a general election, probably in May. But in a statement from his Downing Street office, Mr Blair said the inquiry had been established “not to look into Mr Peter Mandelson’s resignation” but because allegations of corruption had been made and needed to be investigated. “Those allegations have now been firmly rebutted by an independent QC (lawyer) and will allow Peter to rebuild his life without any stain on his character,” the statement said.
Reuters |
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Bush’s tax plan gets shot in arm Washington, March 9 The House voted 230-198 for the $ 958 billion income tax cut, a key component in Mr Bush’s sweeping blueprint for $ 1.6 trillion in tax relief over 10 years. “I can’t thank you enough,” Mr Bush told Speaker Dennis Hastert, who told him of the win. “I’m really pleased.” In the phone call, which was broadcast live in the House, Mr Bush described the vote as sending “a strong message to the US people.” Mr Bush was in North Dakota before going on to spend the weekend at his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Although mostly a partisan vote, 10 Democrats threw their weight behind the cut, as the Republicans hold a thin 220-211 majority in the House. Two seats are held by Independents and two more are vacant. “Mr and Mrs America, help is on the way,” declared Republican Bill Thomas in the debate leading up to the vote. The passage of the legislation in the House is seen partly as a litmus test of how the tax-cut package will fare in the evenly-divided Senate, where the Republicans will be forced to win over some Democrat voters or see their Bill subject to a tie-breaking vote.
AFP |
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JKLF wants Annan to take up Kashmir Islamabad, March 9 “We are angered over reports that the Secretary-General Kofi Annan would meet neither Kashmiri leaders nor discuss the issue with Pakistan during the visit,” Khan said. “The Kashmir dispute is the greatest danger to world peace with two nuclear powers, India and Pakistan, at daggers drawn and the Secretary-General is duty bound to take initiatives to reduce tension,” he said. Mr Annan is due here late tomorrow and UN officials have said Pakistani military ruler General Pervez Musharraf is expected to raise the Kashmir issue with him. He will then travel to Nepal, Bangladesh and India before returning to New York on March
18. AFP |
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AI crash: prosecutors prefer direct trial Victoria (Canada), March 9 In documents filed in the supreme court of British Colombia yesterday, prosecutors waived their right to a preliminary hearing and would proceed directly to trial. The province’s Deputy Attorney-General had approved the process on Tuesday. Ajaib Singh Bagri and Ripudaman Singh Malik, who have been in police custody since October, face charges of first-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder in connection with the bombing of the Air India flight 182. All 329 persons on board were killed. A spokesman for the provincial Attorney-General’s office, Mr Geoffrey Gaul, said he would not speculate on when the trial would begin. Officials need to arrange for security, among other things, and pretrial motions filed by defence lawyers can delay the case, he said yesterday. One of Bagri’s lawyers, Narindar Kang, said the direct indictment decision was “expected.” He added that “we will, at the appropriate time, formulate and discuss in public our opinion of this process.” The two accused will make their first appearance today in the provincial supreme court. Both insist they are innocent. Two Japanese baggage handlers died the same day when a bomb exploded at Narita airport, near Tokyo, as luggage was being loaded onto an Air India flight 301. The police believes the two blasts were linked and that the bombs were hidden in luggage on flights that originated from Vancouver. Toronto:
“The decision could save eight months to a year”, said Richard Peck, Bagri’s lawyer. “Basically,it means we can start getting on with things. We’ll be able to get to the trial quicker,” he said. Malik, a Vancouver millionaire, and Bagri, a saw-mill worker from Kamloops, were arrested last October. Bagri also faces a charge of attempted murder for a 1988 assassination attempt on an Indo-Canadian publisher, who was later gunned down at his home. Inderjit Singh Reyat and Talwinder Singh Parmar are named as unindicted co-conspirators in the bombing in Japan. Reyat was extradited from UK in 1989 and convicted for his role in the bombing. The Crown is seeking permission from UK to charge Reyat, whose 10-year sentence ended in June, in the bombing of flight 182. The UK Government has decided to hear Reyat on the request of the Canandian Government to lay fresh charges in the case. UK extradition laws don’t allow new charges to be laid without it’s permission. Reyat holds both Canadian and UK citizenship. The terms of Reyat’s 1989 extradition from UK were based on charges stemming from explosion at Narita
airport. They didn’t include charges for bombing of flight 182. The criminal code allows Canadian prosecutors, with the written consent of the province’s Attorney-General or the Deputy Attorney-General, to proceed directly to the supreme court of British Colombia without holding a preliminary hearing. The direct indictments against Bagri and Malik were signed by British Colombia Deputy Attorney-General Gillian Wallace on March 6 and filed in court today.
AFP, PTI |
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Albanian rebels driven out of village Tanusevci (Macedonia), March 9 About 300 US peacekeepers from the Kosovo force
(kfor) fanned across the deserted village of Tanusevci, which straddles the border, following several hours of fighting between the Macedonian forces and the rebels. Macedonia Defence Ministry spokesman Georgi Trendafilov said around 50 Albanian rebels, driving horses ahead of them for the fear that the area could be mined, attacked Skopje’s forces in the early hours yesterday. The fighting stopped around 4a.m. (0730
IST) and the US troops moved in around five hours later. US Sergeant Robert Smith told an AFP reporter in the village that the NATO troops were expecting to face the Albanian gunmen, who instead fled in haste. NATO leaders in Brussels joined Pentagon officials and KFOR officers in Pristina in denying that their troops had crossed the border, saying that they had moved into a part of the village on the Kosovo side. But US troops on the ground, on being asked if they knew they were in Macedonia, answered
“yes”. AFP |
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Spice Girls
‘not to split’ London, March 9 “Everyone wants to say it’s over but it isn’t, the group still has strong ties,” said Spice Girls spokesman Alan Edwards. “As everyone knows, Spice Girls are pursuing their own solo projects, but Spice Girls still exists.” Group member Melanie Chisholm, who also goes by the names Mel C and Sporty Spice, has sparked rumours of a breakup with comments that she plans to focus on her solo career. Edwards said that while Spice Girls have no immediate plans to work together, they haven’t disbanded entirely.
AP |
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US sub captain tenders apology Honolulu, March 9 Cmdr, Scott Waddle, one of the three officers facing a US Naval court of inquiry into the collision, yesterday spoke privately with family members after Thursday’s court session to offer his condolences, Navy officials said. In testimony early in the day, a key US Navy investigator told the court that Waddle was “not criminally negligent” for the accident.
Reuters |
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