Compiled News stories from Bangladesh

At least eight Philippine journalists, mainly rural radio broadcasters, "were gunned down in retaliation for their work," according to CPJ's report titled "Attacks on the Press in 2004."

"Threats to press freedom spiked throughout Asia in 2004, even as the news media claimed significant accomplishments" with their "key roles" covering elections in Afghanistan and elsewhere, the report said.

A CPJ delegation concluded that Bangladesh was the most dangerous country for journalists in the region, as three were murdered in retaliation for their work. Journalists received scores of threats from extremists and suffered routine harassment and physical attacks.

China continued to hold the most journalists in prison in the world, with at least 42. The report said 122 journalists were imprisoned worldwide last year.

"It was a disappointing year for those who hoped that President Hu Jintao would allow a greater degree of freedom for China's increasingly market-oriented press," the report said.

In military-ruled Myanmar, conditions for journalists "deteriorated" as hardliners tightened their grip on power and cracked down further on the official media and "the few remaining independent writers and editors," the report said.

"One thing remained certain in 2004" in Stalinist North Korea, the report said, "There is no press freedom in the country, only government outlets that voice the pronouncements of Kim Jong Il's authoritarian regime."

In Indonesia's Aceh province, 80 employees of the Serambi Indonesia newspaper died in the December 26 tsunami disaster, wiping out nearly half its staff, the report said.

Prime Minister Khaleda Zia in parliament yesterday warned the donor agencies and foreign nations against interfering in the country's domestic affairs.

"I want to tell them firmly that we won't put up with such interference," she said amid loud desk thumping by treasury bench deputies, and denied existence of any Islamist militancy or religious extremism in the country.

"We don't care for anyone's browbeating and dictation," the prime minister said. "We'll build the nation with the help of 28 crore hands of its 14 crore people."

"I want to tell the foreigners categorically that Bangladesh will not be run by any diktats or orders of any foreign force," Khaleda told the house discussing on a thanksgiving motion on the president's speech to parliament amid a boycott by Awami League (AL) lawmakers.

"We've parliament and laws to govern the country, and there's no necessity of any one dictating us," she said, "We've won our independence through a bloody war and sacrificed lives for our mother tongue, and these sacrifices won't move at any body's frown or dictates."

The leader of the house accused the main opposition AL of conspiring with foreign agencies to oust her government and of projecting Bangladesh as a failed state. She urged the opposition to desist from such activities.

Khaleda said sensing defeat in the next parliamentary elections AL has launched an anti-state campaign at home and abroad. She rejected the opposition's demand for reforms in the caretaker government system and stressed that the next general elections will be held under the caretaker government in its current form.

She, however, urged the opposition to table its reform proposals pertaining to electoral laws in parliament.

During her over an hour speech, the prime minister made a blistering attack on AL for its absence in parliament. She said, "Instead of discharging its constitutional duties, the party [AL] is rather busy on the streets creating anarchy."

On reported existence of Taliban and al-Qaeda in Bangladesh, the leader of the house said that there is no such element in Bangladesh. "It's a propaganda against the government and the country. And it [the propaganda] is aimed at causing a rift within the four-party alliance," she claimed.

Referring to recent arrests of some people for their suspected involvement in Islamist militancy and religious extremism, Khaleda said, "That were not problems of extremism and fundamentalism, rather we believe those were law and order problems."

She said her government would not let anyone indulge in unlawful and anti-social acts in the name of religion or politics or any thing else.

"We're not a fundamentalist government," she said, "The alliance government is resolved to take stern action against those who would try to destabilise the country."

"We won't give any one scope to tarnish the image of Bangladesh as a moderate Muslim democratic country," she added.

Without mentioning any particular organisation, the prime minister said, "Islamic organisations have long been working to spread the message of Islam and its ideology. They've also made an important contribution to maintaining social integrity and harmony; and there's no allegation against them."

Listing the development activities of her government in the last three years she said internationally renowned economists are now suggesting many countries to follow development strategies of Bangladesh. "This proves that we're not a failed nation, but successful."

The 15th session of parliament was prorogued yesterday amidst a boycott by AL lawmakers. Speaker Jamir Uddin Sircar read out the president's prorogation order in the house at the end of the session, the first this year, which had 22 working days.

The AL lawmakers refrained from taking part in the session, as their demand for adjourning the session after the condolence motion on the death of Shah AMS Kibria was not met.

The government yesterday sniffed at the opposition's demand for reform of the caretaker government system, asking it to table its suggestions for ensuring free and fair elections in parliament rather than at roundtables.

"The demand is irrational," Prime Minister Khaleda Zia told the house while speaking on a thanksgiving motion on president's speech to parliament.

"Nothing worthwhile will come of roundtables or street agitation on the issue," she said, 'The caretaker government system exists and will be the same in the constitution. And the next parliamentary elections will be held under the caretaker government."

Opposition parties led by Awami League (AL) at a roundtable in the city Monday demanded that the chief of caretaker government should be appointed by a consensus of all. The opposition leaders there put forward a number of proposals to ensure credible elections and strengthen the election commission (EC).

The leader of the house said, "The main opposition is raising the demand, as it has no valid issues at hand and knows for sure that it won't be able to win out the four-party alliance in the next general election."

Regretting that they (AL) are now opposing the same caretaker system they once called the 'world's best', Khaleda said her government is willing to take part in any discussion on reform proposals to electoral laws, provided those are tabled in the house.

"Join parliament," she told AL, "and place your proposals here on how to make the elections more perfect within the existing caretaker government system."

Taking part in the thanksgiving discussion, Finance Minister M Saifur Rahman, too, dubbed the ideas broached by the opposition roundtable as absurd. "It's very much impossible to choose a chief adviser through consensus," he said.

He termed AL 'an undemocratic party' and came down on it heavily for what he said was using the media to destroy the country's image.

Newspapers are a major player in a democracy, he noted, adding, "Awami League leaders are now using the negative headlines of the newspapers as a weapon to destroy the country's image."

Saifur urged newspapers to make constructive criticism of the government and to avoid anything that might harm the greater interest of the nation, saying, "It'll be of no benefit to destroy the image of the country, rather will mean loss for us all."

BNP Secretary General and LGRD and Cooperatives Minister Abdul Mannan Bhuiyan said AL has to come to parliament to bring changes in the existing provisions of the non-party caretaker government.

"Holding roundtables outside parliament on the issue will not bring any positive result to this end, as parliament is the right place to bring any amendments to the existing caretaker government system," Bhuiyan told the Jatiya Sangsad (JS).

The law minister's criticism of the opposition demand was more pointed. Barrister Moudud Ahmed said, "Caretaker government is a settled issue and one of the basics of the constitution," and blamed the opposition for trying to unsettle the case and creating unrest in the society.

Moudud said if the opposition has any practical suggestions within the framework of the constitution to make elections free and fair and clean and protect it from the influence of black money, it can present them in parliament.

During the discussion yesterday, Communications Minister Nazmul Huda presented a new formula for making elections fair, and free of influence of black money.

He proposed to introduce a four-page passport come citizenship certificate for every one aged 18 and above and to confine election campaign to seven days, which he said "will reduce expenditure and influence of black money."
Huda described two pages of the passport to bear the person's curriculum vitae. Of the rest two pages, one will carry information relating to the person's travels abroad and the last about his voting activities.

The minister, also a barrister, said the presiding officers of the elections the persons will have participated in will sign on the page on voting. "It'll prove if the person has voted or not; consequently, it'll reduce the tendency of ballot-rigging and fake vote-casting," he maintained.

PCG: an organization of the Jumma indigenous people for policy research and human rights advocacy in the Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT). There are about 200,000 Jummas, mostly belonging to the Chakma community, in India. Many of them migrated from the CHT due to political and economic reasons in 1947 and in the early 1960s.