Monthly archive

M.A. Kader-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Bangladesh

Another educational institute of Bangladesh--Bangladesh College of Leather Technology ---was closed indefinitely on Saturday following a clash between police and students in Dhaka in front of the college street that left at least 15 injured including three police personnel. The college authority asked the students to vacate hostels by 6:00 pm on Friday. According to sources, around 200 students blocked the Dhanmondi-Jigatola street blocking up the movement of traffics to press their demands including bringing down fees. The students' six-point demands include awarding the students engineering degrees under the engineering and technology faculty of Dhaka University, relocation of the exam centre to the college campus, keeping form fees within Tk 5,000 and hold exams on schedule.

M.A. Kader-Asian Tribune Correspondent in Bangladesh

About 1000 children and women suffering from diarrhoea were admitted on Saturday to Dhaka city hospitals including mostly to the International Centre for Diarrhoeal Disease research, Bangladesh (ICDDR,B) in Dhaka. ICDDR,B doctors said all on a sudden the situation of diarrheoa has been deteriorated. Patients are mainly coming from Mirpur, Mohammadpur and Malibagh areas of the Dhaka city, the attending doctors said. Children and lower income group mainly slum dwellers were the worst victims of diarrhoea in its recent outbreak, said the scientists of ICDDR,B on Saturday.

By M Rama Rao, India Editor, Asian Tribune

India has dismissed the Lahore police chief’s charge that Delhi was involved in the attack on Lanka cricketers. 'It (the allegation) is a usual tactic to divert attention,' Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said and dismissed the statement 'with the contempt it deserves'. 'The comment of the Lahore chief of police should be treated with the contempt it deserves. I completely deny that anybody in India had any hand in the attacks on the Sri Lankan cricketers in Lahore', Manmohan Singh told a media interaction during an event organised by Indian Women’s Press Corp here. He reiterated Delhi’s refrain that if Pakistan wants to resume dialogue with India, it must show willingness to act against the plotters and perpetrators of 26/11 Mumbai mayhem.

By Ravi Ladduwahetty- Sri Lanka Editor- Asian Tribune

In an emergency meeting of the Sri Lankan Cabinet of Ministers this afternoon, President Mahinda Rajapaksa in his capacity as Minister of Defence and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, has directed the Armed Forces to restrict their operations their operations to those of a defensive nature. The President at an emergency Cabinet meeting, was deeply conscious of the need to give the civilian population entrapped as hostages by the ruthless actions of the LTTE, the opportunity to celebrate these festivities which falls on April 13 and 14 in a suitable atmosphere and to have uninhibited freedom of movement from the No Fire Zone to the cleared areas at the as the nation celebrates the traditional Sinhala and Tamil New Year, top political sources told Asian Tribune.

Sri Lanka Embassy in Oslo, Norway is attacked and vandalized this afternoon. According to Embassy sources, Sri Lanka Mission located at Nedre Vollgate, is supposed to be in a high Security Zone area in Oslo . In the same building, Embassy of Kazakhstan is located in the 2nd Floor and the Sri Lanka Mission is in the 5th Floor. When "Asian Tribune" Contacted Ambassador Esala Weerakone, he said that Police contacted him and informed about the incident and they sent their vehicle to escort him from his residence to the Mission. Ambassador said that he was working yesterday all alone in the embassy and as it was Sunday he did not go to the Mission.

Hemantha Abeywardena writes from London……

On 4th April, a huge crowd filled up the Feltham Assembly Hall in West London for an event that is celebrated by the Sri Lankans all over the world this time of the year – the Sinhala and Tamil New Year – in a unique reconciliatory spirit; all three major communities took part in the celebration as the members of the same family. As the Sri Lankans descended into the place, pleasantries were exchanged in an atmosphere where hypothetical barriers of divisions on racial or religious grounds suddenly became non-existent; everyone wanted to greet each other in the spirit of friendship and warmth.

By Ramu Sharma - Syndicate Features

Australian John Buchanan, coach of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the Indian Premier League, (IPL), has, perhaps without meaning to, started a controversy which could well turn out to be all embracing in the near future. The reaction to his theory of multiple captains has been interpreted as expected --with a vast majority of the cricketers and the Bengal public naturally viewing it as a measure to curtail Sourav Ganguly’s authority in the team. Though some understanding has been reached and Ganguly reportedly calmed, the idea as such needs to be studied before being dismissed.