Their rights must be protected both at home and abroad
India must respect international norms in border conduct
Constructive engagement must to resolve ongoing debates and challenges
At this stage in the proceedings, there is broad agreement between the major political parties and alliances and the EC on all major issues, and, as such, there should be no bar to the holding of parliamentary elections participated in by all parties on December 29 as scheduled.
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One could call it a storm in a teacup. And yet what happened in the Dhaka University area on Monday turned out to be something worse. An argument at a tea stall between students and the stall owner over change for a hundred taka note took an unexpected turn when policemen tried to calm everyone who happened to be getting agitated. And so what followed was predictable. Students of the university tried to resist the police, who in turn went into action to discipline the young men. What happened to the tea stall owner is not known. That is natural, for all too often the causes of a bad situation often get lost when bigger elements are thrown into the chaos.
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NOTHING speaks as eloquently of the Bharatiya Janata Party's massive Rightwards shift as prime ministerial-hopeful LK Advani's falling in line with his colleagues' hard-Hindutva position on the Malegaon blasts. His statement attacking Maharashtra's Anti-Terrorism Squad as "politically motivated" and his defence of Pragya Thakur and Lt.Col. Prasad Shrikant Purohit is a big departure from his earlier attempt at "moderation" by saying that "terrorism has no religion."
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A World Bank survey shows that poverty alleviation, the focal point of MDGs, has not taken place on the basis of a need-based plan, as less than one-fourth of the poor in the bottom rung have so far got the benefits of the government's safety net. The point will be made clear by the fact that Rajshahi Division, where the number of the poor is higher than any other region, got the lowest coverage of the safety net compared to other divisions where poverty rate is lower.
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IN these past few weeks, conditions in Sri Lanka have taken a serious turn with government forces and the LTTE engaged in what seems like a fierce struggle for supremacy in the north and east of the country. Sri Lankan forces have been pounding away at LTTE positions, with the government claiming that it has been scoring major victories in its drive against Velupillai Prabhakaran and his men. If that is one side of the picture, there is another as well. And it is the claim of the Tigers that they have been inflicting heavy losses on government forces and are far from the defeat the government in Colombo claims is near at hand for them.
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In the sequel to the Election Commission rescheduling the national and upazila poll dates thereby meeting the political parties' principal demand, we are heartened by the EC's announcement that it would stick to the restrictions contained in the amended RPO. The EC's decision not to further relax the provisions of RPO is well in order; for, we think, it needs the power to conduct the election effectively and credibly.
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We are appalled at the report of Dhaka College students and local shopkeepers getting involved in a brawl on petty matters that left fifteen people injured. The two-hour long brick-batting and vandalism that ensued caused damage to a number of shops in a local market place and a building of the college. It is not really clear why a minor altercation over the purchase of a shoe-rack ended up with the two sides going on a war path. Clearly both sides ran out of patience and sense of propriety taking recourse to violence. It is extremely regrettable that their mindless acts caused three-hour long traffic congestion on Mirpur Road that ultimately spilled all over Dhanmondi residential area.
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