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.

HBFC , or a loan shark?

I am a retired government servant, and have built a house in a residential area. I took Tk 25 lakh as loan from the House Building Finance Corporation (HBFC) to construct the house. Needless to say, I also spent all my savings in the project. I felt quite lucky to get the loan sanctioned without much hassle. But I had to start repayment even before the construction was complete. Since 1999, I have paid Tk 10 lakh and 93 thousand in instalments. Yet, the statement issued by the HBFC in July 2003 showed Tk 28 lakh still unpaid. On query, I am shown a complex calculation where interests are added on daily basis at a rate of 15 per cent . It appeared even interest was charged on pre-calculated interests. Perhaps, Kabuliwallas and Mahajans of bygone days would

feel ashamed to see what the HBFC is doing. It may be mentioned here that the rent I earn from the building is much less than the instalment I am to deposit every month.

The present government is pressurising private banks to reduce interest rates. Many banks are offering loans for different purposes at a much lesser rate. But the fully government owned HBFC is charging at a most exorbitant rate and causing miseries to people like me.

I would request the finance minister to please look into the HBFC affairs with a little touch of humanity, otherwise loaners like us will face total ruination.

M Sanaul Huq

Uttara, Dhaka

Good news for people under dictators

America has occupied Iraq by brute military force. It is unnecessary to go into the details of America's false pretexts for occupation of Iraq. But it is really hard to forget the memories of wanton destruction of houses, buildings, industrial installations, schools, power houses etc. Even killing of innocent people including women, children by mistake and use of cluster bombs, by mistake too, are difficult to erase from our minds. The Americans are continuing killing of Iraqi people because they are not receiving the American troops with garlands.

The Americans very recently killed 15 Afghan children in their homes by mistake. The Americans are killing Iraqi police by friendly fires. Maybe, we are yet to understand the democratic western free world and their theories. When Israeli troops kill Palestinian peo-

ple and destroy their homes deep into their territory on the excuse of security and self defence, they are neither aggressors nor terrorists. The Palestinian people have no gunships or arms of mass destruction. They sacrifice their lives to protest illegal occupation, killings and destruction of their homes they are terrorists and suicide bombers! The Americans and Israelis have the right to kill anyone anywhere for self-defence and by mistake because they are democratic this simple truth we do not understand!

The Americans and their collaborators (they call it a coalition force) are now fighting among themselves to rebuild Iraq over who will get the major share of the Iraq booty. President Bush has destroyed Iraqi installations by using his country's taxpayers' money, so the companies of his country have the right to get the work

of reconstruction. After all, the American people have paid for the destruction of Iraq so they should get the benefit of reconstruction to make profit out of their investments.

However, there is one good news for the third world countries with hidden natural wealth. Allow your leaders to be a western-prescribed dictator. If he can earn the western media coverage and prove himself defiant to the western leaders, especially the American president, then your country have the chance to be the focal point. The American president would have the opportunity to invade and occupy your country, destroy everything you have at present and then rebuild your country anew. Your hidden wealth would be brought to light and exported to meet the bills of reconstruction for years to come. You would be educated, have democracy run by the leaders chosen by the occupying

power. You would have good food, western lifestyle, education and your brain washed!

M Hossain

Chairman Bari, Gazipur

Libya's surrender to uS-uK

Libya announces it would give up all the weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD), together with Nuclear weapons and long range ballistic missile programmes. This is indeed a good news for the US-UK-Israel trio and so is for the rest of the world.

If Libya's abandoning of WMD brings peace to the world, then Israel's abandoning will surely bring heaven to this earth. Does the US-UK axis have enough courage to urge Israel to scrap its WMD as well? If Israel follows Libya's suit,

only then peace will prevail in the Middle East. We hope, the west realises this, the sooner, the better.

Aminul Islam

4th year, Economics Dhaka University.

DCC reshaping road islands and dividers

On the one hand, innumerable roads and streets, lanes and by-lanes are damaged, cracked and full of pot holes, the roadside drains are stagnated with dirty and noxious water breeding mosquitoes, the manholes are lying without covers and tons of garbage are piled up in many places in the city.

On the other hand, in the name of development work, beautification of the city and control of road traffic, the DCC is digging and destroying costly metalled and carpeted roads demol-

ishing, reshaping road islands and road dividers again and again with taxpayers' public money. The DCC is also whimsically erecting steel frame boundary railings on the footpaths.

Were not the steel frame costly boundary railings, erected a few years ago, destroyed and uprooted by the members of the public holding rallies and processions?

Is it not true that the space inside the steel frame boundary railing of the footpath is being illegally occupied and used by extortionists and miscreants for toll collection from the poor hawkers and vendors obstructing the movement of the pedestrians?

Would the authorities concerned stop the wastage of tax payers' money by the DCC?

OH Kabir

6, Hare Street, Wari, Dhaka 1203