Hasan Mahmud
Sabotage behind recent fire incidents: Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said it is becoming clearer that sabotage was behind the recent fire incidents including at BM Container Depot and a moving train.
The minister said this while replying to journalists at the secretariat on Monday.
Hasan Mahmud said he was saying from the beginning that investigation is needed to identify whether there was any sabotage behind the container depot fire. After that fire broke out inside a moving train in Sylhet from the toilet and another train caught fire in Khulna.
Also read: Online news portals cannot legally broadcast talk shows, bulletins: Hasan Mahmud
“The sabotage conspiracy has become clearer gradually. Actually these incidents are being planned to fade the celebratory atmosphere prevailing across the country by spreading panic,” said Hasan Mahmud.
“The matter is under investigation and it will become clearer after getting a report. I personally believe there was sabotage behind it.”
Earlier, Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) leaders handed a a memorandum with six demands: to stop online video broadcasting of newspapers, stop broadcasting news on IP TV, full implementation of clean feed, launch of TRP service, digitization of cable network and imposing special tax on companies producing advertisements with foreign models.
Also read: Journo Fazle Elahi to get justice: Hasan Mahmud
The minister said, “The online versions of newspapers were registered on condition that they will only upload the contents of the newspaper. Online versions of newspapers and news portals don’t have legal approval to broadcast talk shows or bulletins.”
ATCO’s other written demands will be tested by the ministry, he added.
Online news portals cannot legally broadcast talk shows, bulletins: Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud has said online versions of newspapers or news portals are not legally allowed to broadcast talk shows and bulletins.
The minister highlighted the gazette guideline in this regard on Sunday to journalists during a meeting at the ministry.
“Recently Association of Television Channel Owners (ATCO) leaders brought the matter to our attention that online versions of some newspapers and online portals are publishing talk shows and news bulletins for which they don’t have any approval," he said replying to the questions of journalists.
Also read: Journo Fazle Elahi to get justice: Hasan Mahmud
“We have skimmed through the laws in this regard and found that they cannot publish any such contents according to the subsection 2,4, and 6 of section two of National Online Mass Media Policy 2017,” said Hasan Mahmud.
"In the digital age, providing relevant video clips with news is not a violation of the rules, but the policy does not approve of broadcasting talk shows or news bulletins at all," he said.
"The online versions of the newspaper were registered without any investigation on the condition that the news published in the newspaper would be published online, which should not be different," he said.
Also read: Hasan trashes RSF report on press freedom as malicious & unacceptable
If ATCO gives a written objection in this regard, we will inform the concerned authorities by mentioning the sections and subsections of the law, said the minister.
Probe to reveal whether Ctg fire sabotage or accident: Info Minister
Investigation will reveal whether the Chattogram container depot fire was an accident or sabotage, said Information Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday.
Investigations are on to detect the real reason behind the devastating fire at BM container depot in Sitakund, he said.
Also read:2 probe bodies form over Ctg deadly fire
The prime minister herself is looking after the matter and she instructed all concerned to provide necessary support, said Hasan while speaking at a meeting with Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (Crab).
The death toll from the deadly fire at privately run inland container depot rose to 43 on Sunday, said fire service officials.
‘The death toll from the fire climbed to 43 and there were seven fire service members among the deceased,” said Anisur Rahman, deputy director of Fire Service and Civil Defense, while briefing reporters at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital over the deadly fire incident.
Also read:Firefighter Maniruzzman transferred to Kumira 2 months ago, says uncle
Besides, over 200 people suffered injuries, most of them from burns.
Two committees have been formed to investigate the blaze and blasts.
Padma Bridge is a symbol of Bangladesh's potential: Info Minister
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said that the Padma Bridge is not just a bridge of pride, it is a symbol of the potential of Bangladesh.
The minister said this before joining the golden jubilee celebration of the country's independence organized by Bangladesh Abrittishilpi Sangsad in Cox's Bazar on Friday evening.
Read: LGRD minister bins Bangladesh's comparison with Sri Lanka
Those who opposed the Padma Bridge are now suffering from jealousy after the end of Padma Bridge construction, the minister said, adding that not only BNP but also Centre for Policy Dialogue (CPD), Transparency International Bangladesh (TIB) and many others strongly opposed Padma Bridge.
Even, Dr Muhammad Yunus wrote a letter to the World Bank through Hillary Clinton to stop financing the Padma Bridge, he claimed.
"But Bangabandhu's daughter Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has overcome all conspiracies and built the Padma Bridge with our own funds," Hasan said.
The minister said BNP tried to create chaos in Dhaka University with the direction of its acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
"As far as we know, Tarique Rahman has contacted all the terrorists in different parts of the country and asked them to create chaos," he said. '
Read: Fake army man held in Satkhira
"I will request our leaders and activists across the country, along with the law enforcement agencies, to work with the people to prevent such chaos."
Saimum Sarwar Kamal, lawmaker from Cox's Bazar’s Ramu, Director General of the Bangla Academy, poet Muhammad Nurul Huda, Deputy Commissioner Mamunur Rashid, General Secretary of District Awami League and Municipal Mayor Mujibur Rahman were also present on the occasion.
India's support during 1971 Liberation War written in blood: Hasan Mahmud
Highlighting the growing Dhaka-Delhi ties, Information and Broadcasting Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud on Sunday said how India and its people had supported Bangladesh during the 1971 Liberation War is written in blood.
While launching the Bangladesh Youth Delegation 2022 programme with Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Vikram Kumar Doraiswami at the high commission in Dhaka, Hasan said the relations between the two countries reached new heights under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Indian counterpart Narendra Modi.
The information minister emphasised strengthening people-to-people relations and hoped that such a programme will play an important role.
Doraiswami said the youth delegation programme will help the young people know each other and take the relationship forward to the next generation.
Also read: India resumes Bangladesh Youth Delegation programme MAY 15, 2022
The programme this time will be more inclusive and it is their best effort to reach out to the young people across Bangladesh and motivate them to become ambassadors of Bangladesh and ambassadors of the two countries' friendship, he added.
Amnesty, RSF, TIB lost credibility in Bangladesh, says Info Minister
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Wednesday came down heavily on the organisations like Amnesty International, RSF and TIB for what he said their biased reporting on human rights, press freedom and corruption in Bangladesh.
“These organisations have lost their credibility because of their partiality against Bangladesh,” Hasan told the members of Overseas Correspondents Association Bangladesh (OCAB) in reply to a question.
He said that the Bangladesh branch of Transparency International (TI) issues statements like a political party instead of any research on an issue.
Also read:Hasan trashes RSF report on press freedom as malicious & unacceptable
In support of his criticism the minister cited a couple of recent examples such as TIB’s statement against the railway minister on the ticketless travel by three of his relatives and allegation of corruption in the treatment of Covid-19 patients in Bangladesh.
Hasan said TIB’s allegation of plundering about Tk 23,000 crore on Covid vaccines was baseless and a misreporting of what the health minister said.
Turning to the Amnesty International (AI) the minister said it was silent when BNP launched the petrol bomb campaign against the government in the name of agitation. It, however, was vocal against the trial of the war criminals in Bangladesh.
“This is how Amnesty International has lost its credibility here,” he observed.
The minister once again rejected the latest press freedom index published by Paris-based RSF (Reporters Without Border) in which Bangladesh slipped 10 notches to 162 among the 180 countries of the world where the survey was done.
How one can trust an organization which places Bangladesh behind even Afghanistan, not at all known for press freedom and security of journalists, he asked.
Responding to another question Hasan said Bangladesh Press Council and Press Institute of Bangladesh (PIB) have been asked to prepare a data base of journalists in the country.
This, he said, is aimed at identifying the genuine journalists so they get security in carrying out their work and keeping the job.
When done the proposed data base will also leave out those who are not journalists at all.
Hasan reiterated that the Digital Security Act (DSA) has been made for the overall security of the people from digital harassment and assaults on their dignity and privacy.
“This is absolutely not against journalists,” he reaffirmed though admitting abuses in some cases.
He said there have been some abuses of the law against journalists and the government acted to stop it.
Also read: Info minister considers legal action against TIB for lies
No case under the DSA can be filed now without permission from the police and no journalist can either be arrested in sweeping action, he said. “The interests of journalists are being protected,” he said.
In his opening remarks Hasan highlighted the achievements of his ministry in safeguarding the interests of journalists and creation of an environment congenial to their work.
He especially referred to the formation of Sangbadik Kallyan Trust by the order of the prime minister and distribution of about Tk 23 crore among media people since its start in 2014.
AL wants election with participation of all parties: Hasan Mahmud
The Awami League wants the next election to take place with participation of all the political parties, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Sunday.
“BNP was born through the back door yet we expect the party will participate in the next election,” the minister said replying to a journalist’s question after attending a Mother’s Day program at CIRDAP auditorium in the city.
He noted that after remaining suspended due to Covid-19 pandemic, the full AL Central Working Committee (ALCWC) meeting took place on Saturday, chaired by party president and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Also read: PM: AL comes to power through election, not by back door
Regarding the BNP’s demand for election under a non-partisan government, Hasan Mahmud said: “There is no possibility for it according to the constitution. The incumbent government performs the duties of election time government if we look at the democratic countries like India, England, Australia, countries of European continent and even USA.”
“Besides, the elections are held under the Election Commission, not the government. Fear of election has actually gripped BNP, that’s why they didn’t participate in any of the local government polls,” he said.
The information minister remarked the Press Freedom Index of Reporters Sans Frontières (Reporters Without Borders, or RSF) is a hateful report when questioned about Bangladesh ranking below Afghanistan this year.
Also read: Hasan trashes RSF report on press freedom as malicious & unacceptable
He said, ”By ranking Bangladesh below Afghanistan, where a female reporter was shot dead for presenting news, RSF themselves have proved they prepared the index out of hate.”
Regarding Railway Minister denying he knew his wife’s relatives, the minister said, ”I don’t think he was lying. Even I don’t know all my wife’s relatives. But it is not right to suspend someone following the direction of a minister’s wife,” said Hasan Mahmud.
Human rights situation in Bangladesh is better than US: Hasan Mahmud
The human rights situation in Bangladesh is better than the United States in many instances, said Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Thursday dismissing the report of the US on human rights issues in Bangladesh.
"We do not agree with the US human rights report," the minister told the reporters after attending a discussion 'Mahe Ramadan and Mass Media' and Iftar Mahfil organised by Bangladesh Sampadak Forum in the city.
Also read: Home Minister dismisses US HR report as misinformation
The data in this report might have been collected from certain sources. And the sources are one-sided and provide a lot of misinformation, he added.
“In fact, in many cases, the human rights situation in Bangladesh is better than in the United States, though not in all cases."
"There are no prisons in our country like the way people are tortured at Guantanamo Bay of the US," said the minister.
The unarmed black man George Floyd had been pinned down and killed by a police officer in the US, he added.
Hasan Mahmud further said four persons were killed even in the US parliament which never happened in Bangladesh.
"The judicial department is working very independently in Bangladesh," he said, adding that they are examining the report.
The minister also said the relation between Bangladesh and the US is very close. Besides, the security force mentioned in the report (RAB) has also taken technical assistance from the US.
Also read:Dhaka trashes US HR report as “lie, wrong and misinformation”
"I think there is an opportunity to correct any shortcomings in the future if we have any help with this technical assistance and other issues," he added.
Meanwhile, the World Bank hinted at higher growth of Bangladesh economy this year in a recent report, he said.
"Those who criticize our country all the time, I hope they will stop criticizing after this report," he said, referring to the World Bank's report as the country's economy has turned around after the pandemic.
BNP mixed up OTT with social media trying to make it political issue: Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has mixed up OTT and social media platforms trying to make it a political issue.
Hasan Mahmud made the remark on Monday at a seminar on OTT platforms at the Secretariat regarding BNP’s recent allegation of the government formulating what they calle two ‘repressive’ draft policies on digital and social media and OTT platforms.
The minister said “It’s shameful to see a former minister and the Secretary General of such a big political party make these kinds of mistakes. It’s not right to make this a political issue without having proper information.”
“The government is formulating a policy on Over The Top( OTT) platforms upon the demands of the involved authorities and necessity. OTT is not broadcast media, nor is it news or social media platform. It’s another platform of growing global entertainment media where cinema, drama and contents are released directly for audiences to watch with ease anytime from anyplace,” said Hasan Mahmud.
READ: US itself is an extreme violator of human rights, says Hasan Mahmud
“We have seen many foreign OTT platforms invading our local market. The contents uploaded on these platforms don’t go with our values and cultures which have been criticized in different national dailies,” he added.
The minister said,”As everything needs to have a policy we created a draft one on OTT after talking with the stakeholders. It has been published on the ministry's website and it will be finalized after receiving more opinion.”
READ: Political motivation behind demand for sending Khaleda abroad: Hasan Mahmud
Replying to a question Hasan Mahmud said, “The main aim of this policy is to ensure not publishing contents that clash with our value, culture on OTT misleading the young generation and protection of local OTT platforms from foreign invasion. No country allows foreign media to occupy their local market and for that India already has a policy for OTT platforms. Under the policy government’s approval is needed to upload anything on OTT media. Which, we don’t wish to follow."
US itself is an extreme violator of human rights, says Hasan Mahmud
Information and Broadcasting Minister Hasan Mahmud on Saturday stated the sanctions of the US on Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) are one-sided and invalid, saying, “Human rights is extremely violated in the US.”
The minister made the remark while replying to journalists at a program of the University of Information Technology and Sciences (UITS) in the city’s Baridhara.
The United States on Friday imposed human rights-related sanctions on 15 individuals and 10 organizations on the occasion of International Human Rights Day.
Benzir Ahmed, current Inspector General of the Bangladesh Police and former Director-General of Bangladesh’s Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and six other individuals were among them, besides RAB as an organization.
Read: Sanctions on RAB: FM says impact on relations depends on US
The minister said the US also imposed sanctions on Narendra Modi but later he was given a red-carpet reception, which proves that such sanctions are in fact ineffective.
The minister also said that UN human rights experts urged the US government to end police torture and racial discrimination this year. The Guardian stated in an article that 55% of all deaths in police custody in the United States between 1980 and 2018 were "unreported" or "mislabeled," which means the exact cause of death was not disclosed.
Not only that, the world did not forget the tragic scene of a black man’s death at the hands of police on the streets of the United States last year, the information minister said.
“When Palestinian children hurled stones at Israelis, they fired at them. Above situation, the US has not imposed sanctions on the Israelis. On the contrary, if any country proposes condemnation of these human rights violations at the United Nations, the United States vetoes it."
So, it’s very clear that their ban is motivated, one-sided and ineffective, the minister stated.
Read: Dhaka trashes HR violation allegations against IGP, 6 others
However, Hassan Mahmoud said the United States is our development partner and our law enforcement and security forces have been working together to curb militancy and terrorism.
Vice-Chancellor of UITS Prof. Mohammad Solaiman, UITS Chairman and Founder of PHP Family Sufi Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Turkish Ambassador to Bangladesh Mustafa Osman Turan, deputy Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University Dr ASM Maksud Kamal were present on the occasion.