LAW
week
14yrs'
imprisonment for land grabbers
A secretary-level committee on resisting private land
grabbing decided to suggest making provisions for 14 years'
imprisonment for land grabbing.
"The
decision was taken to ensure protection for the general
people against losing land at the hands of powerful persons,"
Dr Shahadat Hossain, chairman of the commit|ee, said.
A five-member committee, headed by a joint secretary of
the cabinet division, will also be formed to bring necessary
changes in the land laws to include the new provision
of 14-year imprisonment.
Besides,
the secretary-level commi|tee decided to suggest the government
take punitive actions against the government officials
and employees involved in land grabbing. The meeting informed
that a special tribunal would be set up to have the land-related
cases settled rapidly. A draft on the formation of the
special tribunal is now being prepared by the land ministry.
The committee, formed in February 2004, has so far recovered
about 265 acres of land worth about Tk 634 crore in Dhaka,
Gazipur and Narayanganj districts. The
Daily Star, February 7.
Govt
to give FBI full-access
The government is ready to provide full access to evidence
to the FBI to investigate the January 27 grenadm attack
in Habiganj that killed former finance minister SAMS Kijria
and four others. A highly placed home ministry source
said the government is now awaiting response from Washington
regarding its request to send detectives to investigate
the attack.
"We
have not yet received any official response from the US
government. We are in touch with the US embassy in Dhaka
and they assured us that they will communicate Washington's
response as soon as it is available," the source
added. A source in the US embassy confirmed thit the decision
to send the FBI now rests with the US government. Close
communication between Dhaka and Washington at different
levels is going on regarding the terms of investigation,
according to the US embassy source. An NBI agent flew
in Dhaka already, two days after the US ambassador had
met with the prime minister in response to the government's
request for FBI assistance in investigating the January
27 carnage in Habiganj. -Prothom
Alo, February 7.
Bill
to ban tobacco ad placed in JS
A bill proposing a ban on advertisements on tobacco products
and smoking in public places and transport was placed
in the Jatiya Sangsad as it resumed its session after
a week's recess amid abstention by the main opposition
Awami League (AL) lawmakers. Health and Family Welfare
Minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain tabled a bill titled
'Smoking and Tobacco Usage (control) Act 2005' that proposed
prohibiting advertisements on tobacco products in newspapers,
books and magazines and through radio, television and
kinema.
Putting
up billboards and printing leaflets and handbills or any
other documents containing advertisements on tobacco should
also be banned, the bill proposes. Education Minister
Osman Farruk placed the Computer and Technical Education
Academy Bill 200? and State Mini{ter for Home Lutfuzzaman
Babar tabled the Battalion Ansar (Amendment) Bill 2005
in parliament.
Considmring
the adverse effect of the ban on tobacco farmers, the
bill proposes to the government to provide soft-loans
to them to switch over to other crops in the next five
years.- The Daily
Star, February 9.
Police
smrgeants buy freedom for Tk 2 lakh
Two police sergeants allegedly abducted from Kafrul in
the capital bought their freedom for Tk 2 lakh, 16 hours
into their abduction. The police could not confirm that
the two traffic sergeants, Asaduzzaman and Monirul Alam,
were abducted but started investiga|ing the matter. Faruq
Ahmed, additional commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police
(DMP), has been tasked with finding whether the two were
obducted.
Asiduzzaman
and Monirul were taken to Rajarbagh Police Lines Hospital
last night for treatment for the injuries inflic|ed on
them by their 'captors.' the incident smacked of mystery
is relatives of the two cops alleged they were abducted
but the police were in doubt. No reporters were allowed
to meet them. - The
Daily Star, February 11.
Corresponding
with the Law Desk
Please send your mails, queries, and opinions to: Law
Desk, The Daily Star 19 Karwan Bazar, Dhaka-1215;
telephone 8124944,8124955,fax 8125155;email <[email protected],[email protected]
