Religion, Literature and Arts Conference



Sydney, February 1 : The Society for the Study of Religion, Literature and the Arts Announces its Tenth International Religion, Literature and Arts Conference. Venerable A Paññājoti will participate and speak on "Historical Background of Buddhism in Chittagong Hill Tracts of Bangladesh".

Melancholy, Nostalgia and the Religious Imagination
Key Note Speaker: Professor Norman Simms
The University of Waikato, New Zealand.
"Crypto-Jews: Quixotic Knights of the Sad Countenance"

Papers touching on the above themes will be given precedence in the conference timetable and will be considered for publication as a chapter in a collected edition to be published by Sydney University Press early in 2008. Other papers that consider the nexus between art, performance, literature and religion will also be considered for inclusion in this conference.

Venue: The Woolley Building
University of Sydney
Date: Thursday 20 and Friday 21 September 2007.

The cost of attending is projected at approx $100AUD for both days including catering.

Synopses of proposed papers (200-300 words) must be returned by Monday 2 July 2007. Please send abstracts to:

Dr Christopher Hartney
hartney@arts.usyd.edu.au
Studies in Religion
Woolley A20
University of Sydney
NSW 2006
Australia

Canadian jobs beckon Bangladeshi workers


Dhaka, January 31, 2007 : For the first time, Bangladesh is expecting to send workers to Canada, a lucrative job market that ensures high salaries and workers' rights at low service charges.

Bangladesh Overseas Employment and Services Limited (BOESL), a state-owned recruiting agency, has already prepared a draft contract with a Canadian outsourcing company that was attested by the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka recently.

Once the contract is approved, BOESL can start sending workers of various technical professions, including plumbers, truck drivers, electricians and welders, within the next few months, sources in the Ministry of Expatriates' Welfare and Overseas Employment said.

A worker has to pay only 4,000 Canadian dollars or Tk 2 to 2.5 lakh to get to Canada, while he can earn around Tk 1.5 to 2 lakh every month, a high official of the ministry pointed out while talking to The Daily Star.

"There are opportunities for the Bangladeshi workers to earn even more than that as they usually work after the scheduled working hours also," he added requesting not to be named.

The way the Canadian company approached Bangladesh shows that it has huge demands for technical professionals, he said adding, "We can earn huge remittance once we start sending workers as the salary is quite high over there. We can also train up our large number of unemployed youths to the standard preferred by the country."

The Canadian company, however, sets condition that BOESL has to bring back the workers at its own cost if they failed in medical tests or interviews conducted in the receiving country, which spells severe loss for the recruiting agency.

"We proposed that Canadian employers conduct the final interviews of workers and their medical tests in Bangladesh by the medical centres authorised by them instead of Canada," a BOESL official said adding that, in this way, there will be no case of workers' return.

"That is why we are now negotiating with the Canadian company," he said.

If necessary, BOESL, in association with the vocational training centres run by the Bureau of Manpower, Employment and Training (BMET), can provide further training to the aspirant workers required by the Canadian employers, the official said.

Though there is no official assessment on the actual condition of the labour market in Canada, it is learnt from various sources that Canada as well as other European countries are facing severe lack of workers from technical professions, he said.

According to a Canadian website 'Immigration Expert,' demand for more and more workforce is growing, fuelled by Alberta's red-hot oil economy and the construction booms in Ontario and British Columbia.

The lack of workers is made even worse by the fact that fewer Canadians than ever are joining the domestic labour force. The three provinces, the centre of Canada's economic engine, hope to use foreign workers to make up the shortage, according to the website.

UP chairman shot dead in Rangamati


Rangamati, January 31, 2007 : A Union Parishad (UP) chairman was shot dead Sunday night by unidentified armed assailants in Dharmaghar area in Kutukchhari in the Sadar upazila, some 25 kilometers from the district town.

Quoting family members, police and locals said three unidentified men carrying arms came to the house of Gayana Lal Chakma, 37, who is chairman of Kutukchhari Union Parishad, and asked him to go with them. As they went about one kilometer from Gayana Lal's house, the assailants fired several shots, killing him on the spot. His son is the son of Ananda Shova Chakma.

Police yesterday morning recovered his body bearing marks of several bullet injuries and cut marks. His two hands were tied behind.

Neighbors claimed that some unidentified persons sent a 'chit' to his (Gayana) wife earlier, demanding Tk 2 lakh.

Autopsy of the body was done at Rangamati General Hospital yesterday. A case was lodged with Kotwali police station, Sub Inspector Humayun Kabir said.

Gayana Lal Chakma was elected chairman of Kutukchhari UP for the second time.

3 PCJSS men killed in 2 weeks


Khgrachari, January 31, 2007 : At least three activists of Parbattya Chattagram Jana Sanghaty Samity (PCJSS) were killed in gun fire allegedly by rival activists belonging to United People's Democratic Front (UPDF) in Khagrachhari in last two weeks. Some others were also injured in the incidents.

Tension mounted in the hills as violence between the rivals increased abruptly.

According to police sources, Rinku Kumar Chakma,30, son of Sneha Kumar Chakma of Hasinsonpur village in Dighinala upazila was shot dead while he was visiting his fish farm at Chongrachhari village in the same upazilla at around 6 am on January 16. He was an activist of Jubo Samity, a youth front of Parbattya Chattagram Janasanghaty Samity (PCJSS).

PCJSS activists blamed UPDF for the murder.

In another incident, PCJSS activist Bipul Tripura, 32, was killed in a bordering village in Matiranga upaziula on January 23. Critically inured Bipul died while being taken to Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

The latest incident took place on Sunday when a bride, also an activist of Jubo Samity, was killed at his marriage ceremony at Kobakhali Borobridge village.

On the same day, two rival indigenous groups traded fire at Bibonchhara, critically injuring Suchil Kumar Chakma, who is now at Chittagong Medical College Hospital.

Security forces arrested a UPDF member--Den Chakma- in connection with the incident.

Asked by this correspondent, PCJSS Rangamati district unit secretary Sudakor Tripura said, "Our opponent group might be involved in killing our men".

UPDF district co-ordinator Samari Chakma refuted the allegation and said the incidents were the result of internal feud in PCJSS.

Rangamati Additional Police Superintendent Mohammad Tareq Ahamad said, they are investigating the incidents and combing operation is going on in the areas to arrest the killers.