Author: Nava Thakuria
Publication: News Track
Date: August 25, 2008
URL: http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/13406
The militants from Assam are not only taking
shelter in Bangladesh, but they had also invested money in the local media.
It is suspected that the United Liberation Front of Asom (ULFA) has taken
stakes in a popular English daily publication. The Daily Star, a Dhaka based
newspaper had reportedly received money from the leaders of ULFA at the initial
stage.
The office of the daily was contacted for
clarification on the issue, but the response was not convincing.
The issue comes alive with a series of articles
with concern in the international media. First it was Sunita Paul, who made
a comprehensive article on media's link to 'evil forces or vested interest'.
Mentioning about the Bangladesh's leading media group (Transcom Media), which
owns the English newspaper 'The Daily Star' with a Bengali daily 'Prothom
Alo' and two periodicals namely 'Shaptahik 2000' and 'Anandadhara'. Known
as the 'Daily Star Group' in Bangladesh, which enjoys highest circulation
among English dailies in the country, also owns an FM radio named 'Aina Broadcasting
Corporation'.
In the article titled 'When the media turns
into evil' and released by the portals of Global Politician and American Chronicle
recently, the writer elaborated the back ground of the media group. She mentioned
that one Latifur Rahman, the man behind the success of the media house, came
in contact with a powerful ULFA leader. Anup Chetia, the then ULFA secretary
(presently behind bars in Dhaka's central jail), came forward to help him
in business.
"It is learnt that a few million dollars
were placed with Latifur Rahman in re-organising his collapsed business and
ULFA kept a secret stake of shares in all businesses initiated by Latifur
Rahman after receipt of this secret fund," the writer explained.
Latifur Rahman soon launched a company named
Transcom, which began businesses as the sole distributor of Nestle brand milk
products in Bangladesh. Soon, it emerged as one of the mightiest enterprises
in the country. Meanwhile, when Dhaka's well respected journalist S M Ali
took the initiative of launching an English language newspaper, Latifur was
suggested by ULFA to buy shares, as such investment would buy media influence
for the separatist group, revealed by the writer.
"S M Ali was successful in placing Daily
Star at the forefront of Dhaka's English press, because of his extra-ordinary
qualities and courage. Just in few years, this newly launched newspaper subsided
most of the competitor dailies such as Bangladesh Observer, Bangladesh Times
(now defunct), New Nation, Morning Sun (now defunct) and Financial Express.
But sudden demise of S M Ali opened the opportunity for Latifur Rahman to
swallow the newspaper. He brought Mahfuz Anam as the editor of the newspaper,
who subsequently ousted ancestors of S M Ali and grabbed his shares. This
was the beginning of notorious journey of Daily Star group," the writer
documented.
More recently, a Guwahati based English daily
'The Assam Tribune', made an important news item describing about ULFA's investment
in the Bangladesh Daily Star group. Quoting, of course, Sunita Paul's write
up, the acclaimed daily reported that ULFA's business interests in Bangladesh
was no secret, but 'what has come as a surprise is the revelation about its
stakes in a leading media house in the neighbouring country'.
"Even as Indian security agencies kept
up pressure on Dhaka to shut down the enterprises run by ULFA, the militant
outfit has quietly expanded its business portfolio in the country. New Delhi
had, a couple of years ago, furnished a list of businesses suspected to be
owned by ULFA along with a series of account numbers. None of the business
entities could be traced, Dhaka had told India. ULFA's business interests
were diverse, ranging from driving schools, nursing homes, hotels to garment
export houses to deep-sea trawlers," the Assam daily described.
Following the exposure, this writer tried
to contact the editor of the Bangladesh daily by telephone. As the editor
was out of the country for quite some times, a senior journalist from the
news desk of 'The Daily Star' responded to this writer to deny this allegation.
But he was not ready for initiating any official clarification to the issue.
Later he wanted the details of the article and report through e-mail, which
was sent to him with a request to clarify their stand on the issue, but no
response came till date.
The issue became a matter of discussion and
concern among many senior editor-journalists of Dhaka as well. Responding
to my queries, a senior Bangladeshi journalist told that he had no idea about
the issue, but he did not rule out the possibility of such nexus between the
militant group and the media group. Moreover, he emphasised for an open debate
on the issue. But a Dhaka based editor asserted that the information put by
the writer on ULFA's money in the media group was correct. And hence, the
newspaper authority remained silent though the allegation was raised by the
media and even later their office was contacted (by telephone and e-mail)
with full details.
- The author is a Guwahati, Assam, based independent
journalist writes for various newspapers and portals. He can be reached at
navathakuria@gmail.com
