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To the Editor...
Letters will only be considered if they carry the writer's full name, address and telephone number (if any). The identity of the writers will be protected. Letters must be limited to 300 words. All letters will be subject to editing.
Too poor to tour France
My older brother is going on a tour to Europe that combines business and pleasure. It has been amusing watching him run about to different embassies, and then come home panting and reporting to us their various wonderful attributes. Bhaiya, who is so proud of holding his Bangladeshi passport called me after he finally got the visa to France.
"Its awful, I got it cause I was able to show them all the papers needed for a business visa, the other families here were all denied!" he declares on the phone.
According to him the employees of the French Embassy, that's located in Gulshan 2, have serious
issues giving us Bengalis tourist visas! So if any of you people out there are dreaming of honeymooning in Paris, either get hold of a politician, someone with influence or scrounge up all the "business" matters that were needed for your marriage (?). Those of you who are wondering why I am babbling on about the difficulties of obtaining a visa to France; and have already been there well... still read on for the love of your country!
I admit that we Bengalis do have a tendency to want to escape many of us leave the country for a better future. And we all know that the developed nations do not really treat our nation with proper respect. Our politicians are well...but how are they any different from those that rule the New Roman Empire (That's
what I like to call America and Britain). No difference at all! All you have to do is turn on BBC and look very closely at their faces. Don't they all look somewhat guilty? I know that's no excuse, but it seems bearable if you think of politics in this fashion.
So what is it? Why can't a normal patriotic Bangladeshi who dreams of beholding the city that gave birth to impressionism be denied this opportunity. Is it our fault then?
I remember when I had landed in France on the way to US only a year back. A French employee at the entrance of the flight smiled at me and told my father "Yurr dotor is vary prettii". I remember going tomato red and grinning like a fool.
But now, after the present expperience I think, maybe it's not
worth taking that minor in Art History or avidly admiring Van Gogh, Camille Pissaro or Claude Monet. But then you cannot fight discrimination by hiding under the pillow and doing nothing.
Karishma Sinha
On e-mail
Probe blames faulty design
The subject report in the Daily Star dated August 4, 2003, does not
surprise anyone at all. However, the report has raised more questions than its findings.
- who approved the faulty design?
- was there any deviation in the construction? Who approved the construction?
- who surveyed and approved
registration of the ship?
The report has very conveniently put the blame on two minor officials while the main and principal culprits are not even identified or protected. Identifying the real culprits will be pointing the finger at the very committee, is it? The probe report is not worth until it answers above questions.
The simple truth is you can not recommend reforms until you do not get your own act together. This is where our policy makers always go wrong, they assign the very people to investigate who themselves are often responsible for the events. The Department of Shipping can not absolve themselves of the responsibility and liability for the disasters in inland water transport, after all, it is this regulatory authority
which is supposed to survey and issue registration to only those ships which qualify the stringent regulations in relation to ship survey. Registration of faulty ships whether by design or construction puts them on the dock first.
Kindest regards
K R Zaman
Allseas Shipping Limited, Dilkusha Commercial Area, Dhaka
A page on education
It is needless to say that The Daily Star is the most popular English daily. it provides us with the latest stories. It provides us the Star City, Star weekend Magazine, Star Health, Star Tech and many others but no pages on education. As a renowned daily, I think The Daily
Star should bring out a page on education, as the students cover a major portion of its readership. So please consider this issue keeping in mind about students' interest.
Saumitra Sarder Piklu
LL.B, Final year, Faculty of Law, DU
Let the bridge be widened
We, the inhabitants of Chittagong metropolitan city feel proud of our communication system, unlike Dhaka there is no traffic jam. The reasons why the city dwellers feel comfortable while travelling is because a huge number of city services alongside taxicabs, tempos ply in the town as well as rickshaws. But the passengers of the route from Muradpur to
Andarkilla or New Market endure endless suffering. There is a metalshed bridge near Shuganda area, little far away from Muradpur that is too narrow even for a mini bus. The passengers of this route depend only on tempos or rickshaws. Almost all the time there is a long queue of vehicles in both edges of the bridge. There is no need of a large amount of budget to rebuild the bridge, rather what is needed here is sincerity. Hope the authority concerned will take an attempt promptly and release thousands of people from sufferings.
Md. Abu Musa
Chittagong