Tortured as a child in U.S. custody‏

Tortured as a child in U.S. custody‏


Omar Khadr, a Canadian national, has been in U.S. custody since age 15. After years of torture and abuse, he now faces an unfair trial by military commission at Guantánamo.
Urge President Obama to drop military commission proceedings against Omar Khadr and ensure a fair trial or release.

Omar Khadr, a Canadian national, has grown up in Guantánamo quite literally. He was detained as a child at the age of 15 and has endured torture and abuse since being held in U.S. custody.

As if torture and abuse weren't enough, now Omar Khadr must stand trial before Guantánamo's unfair military commissions - a system that President Obama himself has denounced as being unconstitutional. In fact, on the campaign trail the President said that military commissions were too flawed to fix, but last year, he worked with Congress to tweak and revive them.

Stop military commission proceedings for Omar Khadr and ensure his fair trial or release.

There is something so clearly wrong with this system of justice because even if Khadr is acquitted by the military commission - which is a long shot - he could still be returned to detention indefinitely.
15 and detained at Guantánamo

The situation grows grimmer for Khadr now that Canada has turned its back on him. Just last week, the government of Canada punted responsibility when they appealed a Canadian judge's previous ruling that the country must act to protect Khadr's rights.

For 8 years now, Khadr has been denied basic legal rights as well as special rights afforded to children under international law. Canada's decision to absolve itself of the situation is disappointing to say the least.

That's why President Obama is Omar Khadr's last hope. He is the only one who has the power to stop this sham trial, repatriate Khadr to Canada, or ensure his fair trial in civilian court.

Remind President Obama of his promise to reject military commissions and restore human rights at Guantánamo.

We have seen justice become reality for other Guantánamo detainees. Earlier this month, your messages helped send Mohammed al-Odaini, another young man who had been held without charge or trial for more than 8 years at Guantánamo, back home.

Just as the odds were stacked against Mohammed then, they are stacked against Omar now and he needs your support.

Please don't let someone who was tortured as a child be unfairly tried as an adult. Stop the injustice now.

(Source: Amnesty USA)

PM urges physicians to provide treatment to common people staying at respective stations:

PM urges physicians to provide treatment to common people staying at respective stations:

DHAKA, July 29 (BSS)-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon physicians to provide adequate treatment to the common people especially the poor and distressed by staying at their respective working places in rural areas. "You have to render adequate medicare services to the common people living in rural areas and keeping in mind that you have become doctors with tax payers' money," she said. The Prime Minister said this while addressing the "Doctors Conference-2010" organized by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust at Ganabhaban here this morning. Sheikh Hasina, also the chairperson of the trust, said her present government, like the previous DHAKA, July 29 (BSS)-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon physicians to provide adequate treatment to the common people especially the poor and distressed by staying at their respective working places in rural areas.

"You have to render adequate medicare services to the common people living in rural areas and keeping in mind that you have become doctors with tax payers' money," she said.

The Prime Minister said this while addressing the "Doctors Conference-2010" organized by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust at Ganabhaban here this morning.

Sheikh Hasina, also the chairperson of the trust, said her present government, like the previous one, is working relentlessly to reach healthcare facilities to the doorstep of the people.

Referring to the country's health services run with fund from the exchequer, she said the physicians must render their due service to the people specially the poor and the distressed staying beside them as every citizen has an enormous contribution to producing a doctor in the country.

The Prime Minister said politics of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman was for the poor and the hapless to attain their socio-economic emancipation.

Referring to the long struggle of Bangabandhu for building an independent and sovereign Bangladesh, she said her government is working hard to materialize the dream of Bangabandhu through building a happy and prosperous Bangladesh where none will die for lack of food and treatment.

She said following the path of the Father of the Nation her present government, like in the past, have taken beneficial programs, including setting up community health clinics, appointing doctors, nurses and other medical staff and raising facilities at the hospitals, for the wellbeing of the poor.

Listing her government's endeavours for the development of the country's health sector to build a healthy nation, she said it has undertaken massive programmes, including reintroducing community health clinics, imparting modern training to physicians, increasing their facilities and raising beds at different hospitals.

The Prime Minister said her government has taken steps to set up at least one burn unit at all government hospitals across the country along with increasing facilities at the existing DMCH burn unit to facilitate treatment of the burn injured.

Besides, she said steps are underway to upgrade all the 35-bed upazila hospitals to 50-bed and 250-bed district level hospitals to 500-bed.

Regarding training of the doctors, she said her government will send doctors abroad for acquiring expertise on modern treatment.

If needed, we will bring foreign trainers in Bangladesh so that maximum of the doctors could participate in the training programme.

About promotion of doctors, she said her government will take speedy measurers to give promotion to doctors for fulfilling the vacant posts of teachers in different medical colleges across the
country.

"If needed, we will take steps to enact new laws and bringing amendments to the existing rules and regulations to this end," she said adding that she is ready to take any risk in this regard.

The Prime Minister said her previous government after assuming office took steps to set up 18,000 community clinics across the country to reach healthcare facilities to the doorsteps of the people.

But, she regretted that the past BNP- Jamaat government suspended the project and turned a number of clinics into goat rearing farms.

Now, we have revived the community clinic projects for the greater national interest.

In these connections, she said her government has already appointed 35,00 doctors on an ad-hoc basis and another 5,000 would be given appointment soon to provide better healthcare services to the people.

In this context, she referred that her previous government reduced taxes on medical equipment and in some cases it withdrew the same against some emergency appliances.

Referring to the activities of the Bangabandhu Memorial Trust, she said the trust has been set up for doing something good for the poor and distressed humanity and extending support for reducing their sufferings.

She said under its student's stipend programme, 1000- 1200 students are providing stipend to run their studies while Sheikh Russel Stipend has been launched at University Laboratory School and Sheikh Kamal Stipend at Sociology Department of Dhaka University for the meritorious students.

Apart from this, she said work on setting up a specialized hospital and a nursing institution in Gazipur is progressing fast under the initiative of Bangabandhu Memorial Trust.

Expressing her gratitude to the physicians who voluntarily provided healthcare service under the "Free Medicare Service" of the trust, the Prime Minister said they have set a rare example in the world's history by providing their services for the cause of distressed humanity.

Among others, Health Minister Dr. AFM Ruhal Haque, Health Advisor to the Prime Minister Prof Dr. Syed Modasser Ali, State Minister for Health Dr. Captain (retd) Mujibur Rahman Fakir, president of Bangladesh Medical Association (BMA) Prof. Mahmud Hasan, member secretary of Bangabandhu Memorial Trust Sheikh Hafizur Rahman, Nazmul Hasan, MP, adviser of the trust Habib-e-Millat, MP, and member of the trust Syed Siddiqur Rahman also spoke on the occasion.

About 8,000 physicians from across the country who took part in the Free Treatment Program of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Memorial Trust attended the conference.

Nearly nine lakh poor people in 476 upazilas across the country were given free treatment under the program from January 10 to March 17 this year in which over 10,000 physicians provided volunteer services to the patients. The Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Memorial Trust was formed in 1994.
(Source : BSS)

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Hasina calls on Dcs to 'serve the people'/Ready Made Garments owners reluctant to meet minimum wage demand:

Hasina calls on Dcs to 'serve the people'


Dhaka, Jul 25: Prime minister Sheikh Hasina urged deputy commissioners to work with a mentality of serving the people, pointing out that they were responsible for conveying findings to the government about the situation at the local level so that it can address the issues.

She was speaking at the inauguration of the three-day Deputy Commissioner conference, the 22nd since the country's independence, at the international conference centre in the prime minister's office on Sunday that started around 10am.

The prime minister also urged the highest district-level administrative officers to keep a keen eye on any possible terrorist activities and attempts to destabilise the country.

Cabinet secretary Abdul Aziz gave the welcome speech at the inauguration.

Chittagong divisional commissioner Mohammed Sirajul Haque Khan, Dhaka's deputy commissioner Mohammed Muhibul Haque and others also spoke at the programme.

The prime minister declared the conference officially open at around 12pm.

In her speech, Hasina also said, "The speed of work will have to be increased through proper coordination between district and upazila-level public representatives. Work will have to be done by alleviating, above all, fear, anguish, hatred and partisanship."

She also urged the DCs to keep a close watch on the demand, supply and stock situations in the market in a bid to bar corrupt syndicates from hiking prices during Ramadan.

Members of the cabinet, prime minister's advisors, secretaries of various ministries and other administrative officials were present at the inauguration.

Earlier, the cabinet secretary told bdnews24.com that discussions will be held on the deputy commissioners' role in different ministerial and departmental activities including the local government, agriculture, education, home, land, primary and mass education, health and law ministries.

President Zillur Rahman will deliver the concluding speech on the third day of the conference.

Source: bdnews24/July 25,2010

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garment factory owners are not interested in providing more than Tk 2,400 as minimum wage a month against the workers' demand of Tk 5,000, a parliamentary panel has been told. >>

Ready Made Garments owners reluctant to meet minimum wage demand:

Dhaka, July 25 (bdnews24.com)—Ready-made garment factory owners are not interested in providing more than Tk 2,400 as minimum wage a month against the workers' demand of Tk 5,000, a parliamentary panel has been told.

Considering the owners refusal, the watchdog on the labour and manpower ministry had recommended providing the workers with conveyance, accommodation facilities and other allowances for the poorly-paid workers.

Ministry officials informed the standing committee meeting that the minimum wage for the RMG workers could be announced a day later than the previously announced time-frame of July 28, which is a public holiday.

"The officials have informed us that the owners are not interested in paying more than Tk 2,400 per month," Israfil Alam, the standing committee chairman, told reporters after the meeting at parliament building.

He said the government was in consultation with the RMG owners to persuade them to pay more.
"We have recommended that the workers can survive if the owners provide them conveyance and other allowances plus accommodation facilities for the workers," said Alam, a labour leader, adding that only pay hike was not the solution for the workers' woes.

He said the standing committee suggested that the owners could build dormitories for the workers with loan from the government with only one percent service charge per year.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina last Wednesday announced in parliament that the government was ready to give loans to the RMG owners for constructing dormitories for the workers.

She termed the present minimum wage (Tk 1,662.50 per month) not only "inadequate but also inhuman".

The government formed a wage board headed by a justice to set a fresh minimum wage structure for the ready-made garment sector. Labour minister announced in parliament that the wage board would be made public on July 28.

The RMG sector contributes account for about 80 percent of the country's $18 billion export earnings.
Poorly paid RMG workers often take to the streets demanding pay hikes and other allowances.


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JS SPECIAL PANEL
BNP wants it recast with equal representation

The BNP standing committee member Moudud Ahmed on Saturday said his party would join the parliamentary special committee for review of the constitution if the panel was recast with equal number of members from the treasury and opposition benches.
Moudud, also former law minister, castigated the way the chief whip had sent a letter to the BNP asking it to nominate a representative for the committee, saying the party was given just 24 hours to do so with an ‘evil intention’ to give the public an impression that the government was doing everything after consulting with the opposition.
‘A single member in the committee can do little. If they want to form the committee proportionate to the strength [of the ruling party and opposition] in the house, it would be nothing but a single party committee,’ he said while taking to newsmen in his chamber at Motijheel.
Moudud said that should the ruling party bring amendments to the constitution changing its basic character, his party would nullify everything when it would return to power and restore the constitution to its present shape.
He said he found ‘no rationale’ for going back to the constitution as it was adopted in 1972 as many years had already passed and the amendments were brought to it to meet the requirements of time.
‘The Awami League will never be able to return to the “original” constitution as it would require taking back the Berubari enclave from India. There was no provision for declaring a state of emergency in the original constitution; the provision will have to be dropped if they want to go back to the original constitution,’ he said.
‘Even the prime minister herself is against restoring the 1972 constitution as she has already said that “Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim” [in the name of Allah, the most beneficent, the most merciful] will not be removed from the constitution and the religion-based parties will not be banned,’ he said.
‘How could the constitution be secular with Islam as the state religion and Bismillahir Rahmanir Rahim remaining in its preamble,’ he asked.
Referring to the government’s claims that it had taken the initiatives in line with a court verdict, Moudud said, ‘The reality is that the Appellate Division is yet to give the details of the verdict.’
‘Even the High Court verdict on the fifth amendment to the constitution does not give any instruction to go back to the 1972 constitution,’ he said.
Moudud said secularism and socialism were never the ideals of the war of independence.
‘Nothing called secularism or socialism was included in the proclamation of independence announced by the government in exile,’ he said.
‘Those who claim that secularism was the spirit of the war of independence, do not speak the truth. The spirit of the war of independence was establishing an oppression-free democratic Bangladesh,’ he said.
In response to a question, Moudud said the High Court verdict on the fifth amendment did not make any comments on the provision for caretaker government. ‘The question of changing the caretaker government provision does not arise.’
The BNP secretary general, Khandaker Delwar Hossain, on Wednesday said the formation of all-party parliamentary committee on constitutional amendments was ‘anti-constitutional’ and ‘against the parliamentary rules of procedure.’
The prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, on July 16 announced that an all-party parliamentary committee would be formed to review the constitution in line with the directives of the High Court, which has declared the Fifth Amendment to the constitution ‘illegal.’


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Courtesy :Various News paper