PM flies to London today en route to Belarus
The private visit of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to London turns into an official one, raising eyebrows both at home and abroad.
The change of the trip status means taxpayers will have to bear the expense of the visit by the premier and her 43-member tour party.
However, Hasina will not get any protocol or security from the British government during her five-day stay, from July 4 to 8, in London where she is expected to meet the British foreign minister and some lawmakers.
Hasina, who leaves for London this morning for an eight-day tour to two nations, added London en route to her bilateral visit to Belarus.
“This is basically her private visit to attend the wedding reception of her niece Tulip Siddiq, eldest daughter of Sheikh Rehana and granddaughter of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman,” said a senior official on condition of anonymity.
“But this trip turns into an official visit, as British Foreign Minister William Hague will call on her and hold breakfast meeting with the members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Bangladesh,” the official added.
Labour Party politician and an elected councillor from London’s Regent Park, Tulip married a few months ago British civil servant Chris, who studied at Cambridge University.
The wedding reception is scheduled for Sunday (July 7), when Tulip’s aunt Sheikh Hasina will attend a private ceremony for family and friends.
She is not meeting the UK prime minister or having any bilateral meeting with any UK leader, but for the whole five days, the government will have to bear the cost of her 43-member entourage in expensive Hotel Hilton.
Official sources confirmed that this was neither prime minister’s bilateral visit nor she was on any invitation from the British government.
Asked, a senior official at the British High Commission in Dhaka yesterday told The Daily Star over the phone that there was no invitation from the British government and the Bangladesh prime minister was going to London on a private visit.
So, she (PM) will not get any protocol or security from the British government during her stays in London, the official added.
Reached by phone, a senior official of Bangladesh High Commission in London confirmed that the PM would not get British protocol or security as she would be on a private visit.
“But we informed the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office about the programme details of the visit,” he added.
Officials in Dhaka said a 15-member team of Special Security Force (SSF) would accompany the PM during her London visit.
A VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG-015) carrying the Prime Minister and members of her entourage, including Foreign Minister Dipu Moni, will leave Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport for London at 9:30am today.
On arrival at 2:50pm (London time), the premier will be received at Heathrow International Airport by Bangladesh High Commissioner to the UK Mijarul Quayes.
As per the programme book published by the Foreign Ministry, there is no mention of any British government official who will be present at the airport to receive the PM.
On the first day of her visit, UK Foreign Minister William Hague will call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her hotel suit at 6:30 pm (London time).
On Friday (July 5) evening, the prime minister will meet with Bangladeshi citizens living in UK at the hotel.
On Saturday (July 6), the Prime Minister will give an interview to Belarusian Television at 10:00am for half an hour.
On Sunday (July 7), she has no programme.
On Monday (July 8), the Prime Minister will hold breakfast meeting with the members of the All Party Parliamentary Group for Bangladesh at 9:00am for an hour.
The same day, Hasina will leave London for Belarus at 3:00pm (London time) for a four-day bilateral visit. Bangladesh High Commissioner Mijarul Quayes will see the Prime Minister off. Again, no British government official will be present at the airport at the time.
On arrival in Minsk International Airport by VVIP flight of Biman Bangladesh Airlines (BG-006), Belarusian Prime Minister Mikhail V. Myasnikovich will receive the Bangladesh Prime Minister.
She will lead an 81-member Bangladesh team, including a 29-businessmen delegation. The businessmen usually travel with the Prime Minister at their own cost.
Source: The Daily Star
Sultana Chakrabarty, a foreign funded NGO employee in Bangladesh, an agnostic believes, “society, state, government got no right to say who marries whom and consenting sexual intercourse, or live-together between the adult cannot be banned by anyone that is against our secular SACRED CONSTITUTION & human rights. We have to nurture the spirit of Freedom struggle (MUKTIJUDDO) and exterminate “COMMUNALISM”(aka Islam?)
SINCE GHADANIK FELLOW ARIFIN SIDDIQI GOT HIS POLITICAL APPOINTMENT AS THE V.C.
OF DHAKA UNIVERSITY SOME SAY THE INSTITUTION HAS BECOME A SEX PARLOUR
IF YOU ARE A VILLAGE GIRL WANTS TO STUDY IN ANY UNIVERSITY IN THE CAPITAL, PARTICULARLY DHAKA UNIVERSITY, CONTACT A LEADER OF STUDENT LEAGUE, THE CADRE OF THE RULING PARTY, YOU WOULD HAVE NO PROBLEM IN GETTING ADMISSION IF YOU LET HIM AND HIS MATES HAVE SEX WITH YOU THAT INCLUDES SOME TEACHERS. AS A STUDENT YOU WOULD NEVER FACE ANY PROBLEM WITH MONEY. YOU WILL GET ACCOMMODATION IN ANY GIRL HOSTEL, AND NO MATTER WHAT IS YOU’RE MERITS YOU WILL GET A SECOND CLASS DEGREE CERTIFICATE AT THE END AND A LUCRATIVE GOVERNMENT JOB AFTERWARDS:NOW YOU KNOW WHY THE UK DOES NOT RECOGNISE DEGREE CERTIFICATE FROM BANGLADESH”. -A girl student from Begum Sufia Kamal Hall, Dhaka on condition of anonymity. – Monnujan Ara Kumkum, Dhaka:04.07.13
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Not enough facilities for girls at DHAKA UNIVERSITY
Mohiuddin Alamgir and Sardar Mahabbat Ali . http://www.newagebd.com. 03.07.2013.Female students in Dhaka University continue to face sexual harassment by fellows and teachers and an acute accommodation crisis, suffer because of poor sanitation and games facilities in their academic life. Girl students alleged that they often fell victim to sexual harassment by their fellows and male teachers. They hardly lodge complains with the authorities as offenders fearing social harassment and also because the offenders in almost no cases were punished. Officials in the proctor’s office said that they had received at least 60 complaints against students and 25 against teachers in three years.‘No teachers have been punished even after allegations of sexual harassment are proved in the past 10 years. Only 14 students were expelled for three months to two years in the past three years,’ a proctorial body member of the university said.
He said that investigations proved true allegations of sexual harassment a girl levelled against political science teacher Amran Hossain in 2012 and the teacher was forced to go on leave. Also in 2012, the authorities sent economics teacher Rushad Faridi on forced leave for an indefinite period on charges of sexually harassing a female student of the department, he said. Mahmood Hasan, a fisheries science professor, was sent on forced leave by the authorities for sexually harassing the department’s female students in 2012. ‘The incidents of sexual harassment continued apace as the offenders are not punished,’ he said. Female students lodged complaints against tourism and hospitality department chair Afjal Hossain, assistant professor of Persian Abu Musa Arif Billah, assistant professor of Urdu Muhammad Ishrafil, lecturer in statistics Ehsanuddin, professor of Arabic ATM Fakhruddin, Islamic history teacher Mahmudur Rahman Bahalul and othersin the past three years, the proctorial member said. A number of female students alleged that they had faced stalking, obscene remarks, indecent proposals and vulgar bodily gestures. According to the registrar’s office, there are 47,800 students, including examines of fine-year bachelor’ and master’s courses and at least 17,000 of them are female.
According to the DU engineering office, the university can accommodate only 4,300 female students in four halls and a hostel and more than 9,000 female students live in the halls and the hostel. The Bangladesh-Kuwait Maitri Hall has 360 seats, the Begum Fazilatunnesa Mujib Hall 508 seats, the Roquiah Hall 1,618 seats, the Shamsunnahar Hall 688 seats and the Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani Hostel 160 seats and the Sufia Kamal Hall 1,000 seats. A number of residential students if the Roquiah Hall and the Kuwait Maitree hall alleged that they had no games facilities. ‘In our hall, we have a games room but the table tennis board is folded and carrom board is in a bad shape’ a Roquiah Hall resident said.
A sociology student said that they faced an acute problem of sanitation in the arts faculty building. There are only two washrooms in the girls’ common room but there are at least 30 washrooms for boys. Former Dhaka University vice-chancellor SMA Faiz said that the proctorial body should be more vigilant regarding sexual harassment.‘All teachers should be brought under disciplinary action if they are found involved in such activities. The administration should not take side with teachers,’ he said. The acting proctor AM Amzad said that they followed a zero tolerance policy regarding sexual harassment on the campus. ‘We always take immediate action against offenders whether they are students or teachers if they are found guilty.’
Asked why teachers are only sent on forced leave even after allegations are proved true, Amzad said, ‘This is unfortunate. They should be severely punished.’The vice-chancellor, AAMS Arefin Siddique, said that they took action against offenders. He said that the number of female students was almost similar to that of male students but the number of toilets for female students was not adequate.‘We are trying to provide adequate sanitation facilities for female students in the new buildings still under construction. But it is not possible to increase the number of toilets in the existing buildings,’ he said.‘We have built the Sufia Kamal Hall to ease the accommodation crisis,’ he said.
ON POOR BANGLADESHI TAXPAYERS EXPENSE?
Her Royal Highness went to UK to attend her niece’s wedding with an entourage costing Bangladeshis a lot of money. So now she wants to make it look like an official visit. Her flying foreign minister and she keep flying all over the world with a big entourage basically on useless pursuits. She is comparing Bangladesh parliament to that like UK. In order to have a UK style parliament, she should have resigned as the party Chief when she lost the last election in 2001. She could still demonstrate it by resigning from the Chairmanship of her party if she loses the next election, handing over the party to other dignified party stalwarts. She should introduce “no confidence” votes in the parliament. She talks from both sides of her mouth. Someone got to tell her that she is a corrupt dictator. The sycophants and the communists around her make it look like a politburo. She should never utter the world democracy or democratically elected government; because she does not understand the meaning of it.