Bp Oil Spill

Television if full of advertisement and propaganda. As well as the internet with advertisement popups and clips on the sides of every webpage. Propaganda is information put out by an organization or government to promote and idea or cause. Many of these are misleading and bias, trying to make you believe in the same things they do and convince you to participate in whatever cause they are in. Think about some of the commercials you seen on television such as news reports, movies, political ads, and recall ads. The most memorable to me are recall ads such as lawyers making announcements for medicines and compensation. As well as when election time comes around and all of the runners are putting their names out there. Also, every day, watching the news on new crimes going on in the world and previews for my next favorite movie. Those are all different techniques of propaganda. The purpose of me writing this essay is to show you the propaganda in a simple informative commercial or newscast. My main focus will be on the BP oil spill. The first sociology theory I will compare with is symbolic interactionism. Symbolic interactionism is the use of symbols or face to face interaction. The way that this relates to the BP oil spill is the way that the owner of the company, Kenneth R. Fineburg, said that he was going to help and compensate the victims of the oil spill. Commercials and speeches were made about his plans to pay back for the damage and loss of wages that his company had caused the Gulf of Mexico and victims. The second theory will be functionalism. Functionalism is the relationship between parts of society. In this situation, the society came together and fought to be compensated to get their lost wages back. Claiming they have mortgages, bills, car payments, and children to pay for and they have not been working in 8 months. Citizens of the affected area appeared on news cast and commercials were made explaining their situations, trying to reach out to someone that they needed help. The last theory is the conflict theory. Conflict theory means competition of scarce resources or the elite control the poor and weak. This relates to this situation as the big man, Mr. Fineburg, having the money and resources to help the people out with their lost wages. As, well his colleagues were trying to tell him that he was over compensating the victims. They had all of the control over whether or not the victims were going to be able to get paid and bailed out of this mess that one man was responsible for. In conclusion, propaganda was used in ways to reach out to people about the real problems going on in the Gulf of Mexico during the time of the BP oil spill. I used the 3 main theories of sociology to compare how each of them relates to the oil spill. The rich over powering the poor, how society came together to get help, and the interaction between the people when the word needed to be put out. RESOURCE Schwartz, J. (2011, February 17). Gulf of Mexico Oil Spill Blog. Retrieved from http://gulfofmexicooilspillblog. com/2011/02/17/gulf-of-mexico-oil-spill-blog-bp-propaganda/ Bp Oil Spill BP OIL SPILL Under the Deepwater Horizon, an offshore drilling ring of British Petroleum (BP) caused an oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. The incident occurred on April 20th 2010, where equipment failed and caused the explosion sinking the ring, and causing the death of 11 workers and more than 17 workers injured. The British based energy company also faced other problems at the site of the oil spill. More than 40 million gallons (estimated data) of oil spewed into the Gulf of Mexico.Oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico is a very serious threat for the wildlife as it causes water pollution. The oil spill effected many coastal areas in the US, like the Louisiana, Alabama, Mississippi and Florida. The oil spill disaster strongly damaged wildlife cycle in the Gulf of Mexico, and many species were thrown into extinction. Similarly, thousands of businesses were thrown into extinction. Many people has questioned the ethical decisions and core value system that BP used to cut corners with the acc ident; namely, the race to maximize profits at all costs.We are all aware that one of the main causes that let to the disaster were the result of bad decisions, in which a less expensive option (whether to run a test or use a particular kind casing pipe, for example) would save lives. There has been â€Å"zero dollars spent on research concerning how to handle oil spills for off-shore drilling by BP despite the company's NET profits – above and beyond all salaries, bonuses, or overhead costs- of more than $59 BILLION† (â€Å"The Rachel Maddow Show† on MSNBC, aired at 7 p. m.EST on June 28, Monday). The paperwork submitted to the U. S. Minerals Management Services (MMS) by BP in 2008 was 582 pages long, supposedly covering all of BP's operations in the Gulf of Mexico. However, they omitted their ability to deal with oil spills in a worst-case scenario just to get their permits for drilling. Another very unethical act by BP was when President Obama was scheduled t o visit Louisiana back than, BP hurriedly â€Å"hired† temporary workers and handed out gear (paper haz-mat uniforms, etc. , but told these temps not to talk to anyone. As soon as all the TV cameras and the president's motorcade left the area, these â€Å"for show only† hires immediately stopped working (a local government official took photos and attempted to question a few, who advised him they were â€Å"not supposed to talk to anyone, on BP's orders†). They did not come back on the following day or any day thereafter.On the zero dollars spent for developing back-up systems, BP informed â€Å"The Rachel Maddow Show's† representative that they â€Å"rely† on an organization which they claimed â€Å"does spill research† even though the investigators from the show discovered the organization named by BP does not receive any money from BP nor do they do research for ways to stop oil spills. In other words, BP was unethical and lied again. Thi s British Petroleum is listed as the fourth wealthiest corporation in the entire world, and yet they lie about the extent of their spill.They fudged figures and information (against the law) in order to get a license to drill in American waters, they did not even bother to change the batteries for the system they claimed was their â€Å"back-up†. BP, as most oil companies (and other business), are aimed at making as much money as possible. In this case because of the big cover up the media did, BP was forced to fix the problem, and it is a problem that its costing them major money, both through clean up and lost product. BP has so far committed $42 billion to cleaning up.I really hope that BP (and other companies) learned the lesson, that cutting corners and cost reduction is not the only point that organizations should focus on. It is not safe to cut corners and presume that things will not happen. Make ethical decision, have back up plans, and ‘worst case scenarioâ₠¬â„¢ preparation. If BP would be more ethical and do the right things either by using the latest safety precautions when drilling (not cutting corners, and reducing costs), and moving faster and more dynamically when the disaster occurred, they could have avoided billions in cleanup and damages that they faced and are still facing now.The BP oil spill has offered a moment for reflection for leaders around the world about their most basic beliefs. To many people, the BP oil spill has brought home the idea that future corporate leaders must develop personal ethical standards for making decisions that go beyond just a financial calculation. There are plenty of business practices that are legal, but fall short in being ethical. But I believe being ethical does pay off, slowly and steadily. You may lose some opportunities, but your reputation and self-perception is invaluable.

Patient-Centered Care

Evidence Based Practice: Patient-centered Care1 Evidence Based Practice: Patient-centered Care Evidence Based Practice: Patient-centered Care2 Patient-centered Care In the definition of patient-centered care it states that we should recognize the patient as the source of control in providing compassionate and coordinated care based on respect for patient’s preferences, values, and needs(NAP, 2003). In this quantitative teaching strategy by Pamela Ironside, PhD, RN, FAAN she aims to do that, along with physical comfort and some emotional support for the family.In a culture as diverse as the United States it is of great importance that individuals in the health care field learn to communicate and understand each patient. We must remember when implementing a communication strategy, that there are many elements that affect the experience: cultural variations, personal dignity, and interpersonal relationships. Gathering knowledge of patient’s beliefs, and values, along with community preferences can be an effective strategy to overcoming diversity and improving communication.It is important to understand not only that people are different but also how to embrace these differences in order to supply individuals with appropriate healthcare. This is a teaching strategy about a couple who thought they were doing the best for their first born child but in return was possibly going to lose them forever. There were decisions that they were going to have to make, whether to continue with the treatment or stop it. This was not a usual couple though, they were Buddhists and the staff had no idea what the rituals for death and dying were, along with looking different the couple had dread locks, tattoos, andEvidence Based Practice: Patient-centered Care3 multiple piercings but they also were a mother and father who may be losing their baby. As the nurse introduces herself, which is every time we enter the patient’s room, she is determined to find some sort of connection with the mother. Who turned out to be a very distraught mother who was unable to make any important decisions. The nurse realizes the mother is unable to make clear decisions and talks to her supervisor to set up a care conference so they could talk about this baby’s quality of life.There comes the time when you have to say â€Å"goodbye† to a loved one. Could you do it? Or would you want the doctor to do anything and everything possible to save your loved ones life? Each person has his or her own set of values, norms, and beliefs. Individuals share these with others from their own culture; however with the vast number of separate cultures today it is important to understand not only that people are different but also how to embrace these differences in order to supply individuals with appropriate healthcare.There are many ways in which differences and cultures can affect health care services. Different cultures have different beliefs about health, wellne ss, and healing. This couple wanted to keep their newborn away from all the â€Å"bugs† in the hospital, but that is possibly where his/her life ended. Showing support and respect for different health beliefs creates a better interpersonal relationship between patient and nurse along with the physician. Health care providers should seek and obtain knowledge of their patient’s diverse cultures.In today’s world of diversity, knowledge is a valuable resource. The more the health care providers know the more they will Evidence Based Practice: Patient-centered Care4 understand. When treated with dignity, respect, and genuine concern, a patient along with the entire family is more relaxed and at ease. Evidence Based Practice: Patient-centered Care5 Ironside, P. M. Exploring the Complexity of Advocacy: Balancing Patient-Centered Care and Safety. (n. d. ). Retrieved May 21, 2007, from http://www. qsen. org/teachingstrategy. php? id=58

Social Media and Freedom of Speech

Survey This survey is designed to authenticate for the designation of an industrial psychologist. It will just take 3-5 minutes. You are free to leave it at any time. Name: ________________________ Gender: * Male * Female Age: ______ Education: * Under Graduate * Post Graduate * Graduate Q1. What is your Qualification? _________________________________________________ Q2. Do you think you’re well qualified? * Yes * No Q3. What made you want to pursue a career in Industrial Psychology? ______________________________________________________________________________Q4. What are your goals and future plans as an Industrial Psychologist? ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Q5. How do you judge people by their history appearance or some other things? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________ ________________________________________ PROBLEM SOLVING: Q6. What common workers anxieties are you aware of? Unrealistic or excessive worry * Sleep Disturbance * Jitteriness * Fatigue * Other (Please Specify in the provided area below). ______________________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Q7. What will you do if such a situation occurs? _____________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________ Q8.If a worker or an employee asks help regarding anything will you help them as well as keep things secret? ___________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Q9. If a worker is stressed out or have any mental problem how will you treat him? ___________________________________________________ _______________________ ___________________________________________________________________________ COMMON SITUATIONS: Q10.Will you hang out with a famous football player or a fundraiser? * Football player * Fundraiser Q11. Will you hang out with 10 years old boy or a solider? * 10 years old boy * Solider Q12. Will you hang out with a rapper or an Islamic member of the UK Muslim Organization? * Rapper and songwriter. * Islamic member of the British Islamic community. Q13. Will you hang out with a world class bowler or a person with physical defect? * World class bowler * Person with physical defect in arms FOR FURTHER INFORMATION YOU MAY CONTACT RESEARCHER

Sociology in Healthcare Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Sociology in Healthcare - Essay Example Modern and reliable research into present day healthcare practice is thus becoming increasingly important. Healthcare researchers involved in both qualitative and quantitative research, need to be aware of and understand the issues associated with the research. Quantitative research carried out with care and caution is very influential and provide crucial information on the effects of new drugs on high sample populations. Qualitative research is more directed to understanding human nature, and helps us understand how nursing or healthcare can affect the patient. The qualitative aspect of the research is linked to social anthropology and sociology. These are normally undertaken when not much is known of a topic and strive to put forth a theory (Bassett, 2004). Medical anthropology may be defined as the study of how people of differing cultures and social groups perceive health and health issues. Medical anthropology also associates theses beliefs and practices to biological, psychological and social changes, during health and disease. The cultural background has an important influence on health related beliefs and behaviour. However, one's perception of health and health issues is also influenced by other factors like individual attributes (like age, gender, size etc.), educational attributes, socio-economic criteria and environmental attributes of the individual. As cultures are never homogenous, people's beliefs and behaviour should not be generalized. Differences within members of a cultural group may exist which may even be comparable to differences existing among differing cultures. These cultures are further subdivided through professional sub-cultures like medical, nursing, legal etc.. Students corresponding to such professions, pa rticularly medicine and nursing are subject to enculturation as they acquire the culture of the chosen profession (Helman, 2000). In medical profession, this sub-culture incorporates the existing social divisions and prejudices, which can interfere with healthcare and doctor-patient communication. Research into behavioural and social sciences incorporates a broad aspect of health relevant areas. Such research plays a crucial role in highlighting the important health issues in our society.With the development of such studies, the importance of research findings in understanding, treating and preventing health problems has been considered crucial. The behaviour and social science sectors have begun to be increasingly sought by governmental agencies to advice on policy formations, with regard to health issues. The National Research Council's Division of Behavioural and Social Sciences and Education (DBASSE) have released over three hundred publications in the last ten years, which are directly or indirectly related to health concerns. These include children, education, family, employment and training. At the individual level, these studies provide knowledge and understanding of health issues like drug, obesity, alcohol abuse, violent behaviour, smoking, stress management, illness coping and health decision making. Such knowledge helps in

Divorce Regulations in Great Britain Research Paper

Divorce Regulations in Great Britain - Research Paper Example One answer no doubt lies in what could be called 'the spirit of the age'. 1963 was, after all, the year in which (according to Philip Larkin) 'sexual intercourse began'. It was also the year of the so-called Profumo affair in which a Minister of the Crown admitted lying to Parliament about his relationship with a woman, and unprecedented press publicity was given to the surrounding events and rumors. (For example, another Minister was said to indulge in 'weird sexual practices' involving his appearing naked--save for a mask--at parties.) Lord Denning's exhaustive investigation into these matters (concluding that although there had indeed been orgies where guests indulged in 'sexual activities of a vile and revolting nature' and that it was true dinner had been served by a naked masked man yet there was not a 'shred of evidence' that the man in question was a Minister) did little to calm the fevered atmosphere. In the circumstances, it became increasingly difficult to believe that civ ilisation would be endangered by allowing the thousands of (often elderly and usually eminently respectable) couples living together in what came to be called 'stable illicit unions' to crush the 'empty legal shell' of an earlier marriage so that they could become in law what they had long been in fact (Castles and Flood, 1991). The massive increase in divorce associated with ...At a somewhat less lofty level, those concerned with the administration of the family justice system became preoccupied with avoiding its collapse under the apparently relentless pressure of divorce petitions. 1But even amongst those who firmly believed the ideal of marriage--in particular as a way of providing children the 'settled and harmonious life on which so much of their future happiness depends' --to be the traditional union 'for better for worse, for richer for poorer . . . till death we do part' there was concern about a lot of the hundred thousand or more people living apart from their legal spouses in stable unions to which the law denied recognition. The impossibility of legalizing such relationships against the will of an 'innocent' legal spouse denied many men and women (and in particular the children they bore) adequate social and financial protection (Ceschini, 1995).In 1951 in an attempt to meet this concern, Mrs. Eirene White had introduced a Private Member's Bill into the House of Commons, avowedly intended 'to deal with marriages in which the spouses have lived separately for seven years, but in which no hitherto recognized ground for divorce exists or in which one partner, having grounds for action, declines to take it and keeps the other partner tied against his or her will, generally for life'. The Bill did this by invoking 'a new principle, in that it looks to the breakdown of the marriage as the ground for divorce (whilst not prejudicing the right of an injured party to seek divorce under the existing matrimonial offense provisions). This was to be achieved by adding seven years' separation to the existing grounds for divorce.

Responsibility Audit Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Responsibility Audit Report - Essay Example Moreover, Greggs employ over 20,000 numbers of employees ranging from its retail outlets, savoury production units and the entire supply chain management networks that are located in different regions in the UK and other global destinations (Greggs plc, 2012). According to the past financial performance of Greggs, the organisation can be apparently observed to attain considerable growth in terms of gaining better financial results from its different bakery and savoury foods production units. Moreover, the company gained better business reputation for its exceptional roles emphasising serving towards the environment and the customers as well (1Greggs plc, 2013). With regard to the current business portfolio of the organisation, this essay aims to critically examine the business practices of Greggs regarding its contribution made towards the environment, demonstrating responsible corporate behaviour. Additionally, the essay would also analyse the ethical practices that perform by the o rganisation along with its other responsible acts that enabled it to accomplish superior competitive position. In this regard, the essay also tends to suggest effective business practices ensuring enhancing the efficiency of the responsible acts that perform by the organisation and most vitally refurbishing its leading position in delivering environmental and customer based practices in the respective business industry. 2. Examining the Business Practices of Greggs 2.1 Environmental Business Practices of Greggs In relation to the present business performance of Greggs, the organisation has been recognised to operate huge number of bakery and savoury production units across different parts of the UK. Currently, Greggs tends to manufacture its range of bakery items and savoury products through its well-developed production units and delivers quality based products through its wide supplying networks. In this similar context, the organisation also ensures its existence within different locations such as high streets, commercial and business places, universities and other local shopping parades across different locations of the UK (Greggs plc, 2012). It is worth mentioning that Greggs tends to comply with strong environment protection policies and regulations while practicing its wide bakery production and delivery related operations. In relation to the business practices of Greggs, it can be affirmed that the formulation of several strong along with effective environment protection policies might lessen unfavourable impacts that are imposed upon the environment. Although the organisation is viewed to impose considerable impact on the environment through its wide range of production and supply operations, it also tends to perform a responsible role in terms of encouraging wellbeing of each community across the UK (1Greggs plc, 2013). With respect to the recent environmental related practices of Greggs, the formulation of effective environment protection strategies have significantly empowered the organisation to minimise its potential impacts on the environment. In this regard, the organisation has also been observed to maintain its effective operational control and management in terms of using natural resources and protecting them from any sort of hazard. The various initiatives of the organisation

Ubiquitous Computing Technology Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words

Ubiquitous Computing Technology - Essay Example Many researchers from whole world are at the present working in the ubiquitous computing structure. Their effort impacts all regions of computer science, including hardware components (like chips), interaction substrates, applications, privacy, network protocols and computational techniques (Banavar et al, 2002). Ubiquitous computing or normally called â€Å"ubicomp† is an away desktop or post desktop model of human computer interaction in which data and information processing has been comprehensively incorporated interested in daily life matters and actions. As different to the desktop working and processing, in which a sole user deliberately engages a single device for a meticulous task, someone "employing† ubiquitous computing employs several computational devices and systems at the same time, in the track of normal actions, and possibly will not essentially even be conscious that they are doing so (Stajano, 2002). Ubiquitous computing is the visualization of a world in which computing power and digital infrastructure are tremendously economical property, so low-priced they are entrenched in all the daily things that enclose us. We can say that ubiquitous computing is not virtual reality, it is not a Personal Digital Assistant or PDA like Apples Newton, and it is not an individual or friendly computer with agents responsible for your bidding. Different from virtual reality, ubiquitous computing actions to put together information exhibit into the daily physical world. It believed that nuances of the authentic world to be magnificent, and plans plainly to augment them. Unlike PDAs, ubiquitous computing visualizes a world of completely associated devices, with inexpensive wireless networks all over the place (Kenneth, 1998); unlike PDAs, it is assumed that you are required nothing with you, because information will be available all over the place. Unlike the intimate agent computer that reacts t o ones tone or voice and is an individual

The Arrival of the Europeans Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 1

The Arrival of the Europeans - Essay Example They were a part of the Virginia Company of London (Morgan, 18). Much of the history of this time does not talk of the atrocities that were committed upon the people who were Native Americans. This points to the historical inaccuracies that are created by colonialism as an economic and political phenomenon. Jamestown experienced severe difficulties in setting up a local economy and for a very long time was dependent upon the economy of the mother country, that is, England. This was the case with many new colonies around this time. They were unable to find a firm footing in the new lands. This was attributed in many cases to the lack of labor in these new lands. The situation was different where the colonization was not accompanied by a genocide and labor could be had from the local populations. This was however, not the case with Jamestown. Edmund S. Morgan talks of the reasons as to why the English were unable to begin the production of food in the new colony. The composition of the population is touted as the major reason for this failure. The composition of the colonial population consisted of, to a large extent, the nobility of England. This meant that there was not enough labor available in the new colony, to work in the fields. This hampered the production of food to a great extent. Morgan attributes the failure of the production of food to the â€Å"poor organization† of the colonial enterprise and Jamestown in particular. This then resulted in alliances with the natives of America. In a short while, thus, the colonizers were dependent on the natives for a large part of their lives (19-21). One of the main reasons for the survival of the English settlement in Jamestown was the success of John Smith. John Smith was an experienced man and knew how to deal with the Indians and was also well versed in warfare. The cruel manner in which he dealt with the Indians was

Impact of modern Western social Evolutionism Essay

Impact of modern Western social Evolutionism - Essay Example Even after Buddhism stopped to be the key religion of India, there was prolonged influence of development of material culture in china. Majority of the Buddhist scriptures and philosophers eliminated the existence with great enthusiasm and anxiety. The believers embraced the existing objects and doctrines as a way of expressing their religious beliefs. Majority of the Chinese in the communities tended to reject the roles which seemed to be indifferent (Morreall, John, and Tamara 32). Buddhism was preferable as it was antithetical to Daoism, which was the main religion in China. The major difference was the fact that Daoism started and inculcated harmony while Buddhism was aimed at mastering the internal world. The Chinese aspect was diverse from the religion of the Central Asian travelers and their religions. Concepts such as monasticism and personal spiritual enlighten directly contradicted the Confucian ethics that governed the family and emperors. The Chinese officials questioned how the monk’s personal attainment benefited the empire at whole. Buddhism has transformed into a system that exists and is advantageous among the Chinese way of life. Hence, the Indian sutras have managed to advocate for the filial piety which makes up the main text of china’s monarchial system (Morreall, John, and Tamara 41).... The Red River Delta was used as efficient impede due to the successful trade of the Chinese millennium. There were numerous goods and ideas that were brought by the Vietnamese. Buddhism was brought from India, and during most of the periods a lot of people embraced Buddhism and adopted the indigenous religions and world values. As the Red River Delta thrived, the population began to grow southwards towards the narrow coastal regions (Morreall, John, and Tamara 46). The Vietnamese settlers flooded into the untilled lands and turned them into rice plantations. The inability of ruling the Le dynasty or deal with other predicaments resulted to the partitioning of the country by nobility in the sixteenth century. The Chinese constructed roads and harbors where the government derived their revenue through the public works project to facilitate the administration of new territories. Agriculture was enhanced through the advancement of irrigation methods and the use of plough and animals, the se innovations had been noticed among the Vietnamese who had practiced in a lower scale. When new lands were initiated for agriculture, majority of the Chinese settlers eventually intermarried with the Vietnamese and together they formed and settled on their homeland. During the first and second centuries, there was the rise of the Han Viet class that conveyed large portions of rice plantations (Morreall, John, and Tamara 51). The Vietnamese had settled in China and adopted their society and languages. The Chinese vocabulary and practical words were used in their new generation and culture. During the second A.D, there occurred a rebellion that was a result of the

International Journal of Accounting and Financial Essay Example for Free

International Journal of Accounting and Financial Essay ABSTRACT The role of Indian mutual fund industry as significant financial service in financial market has really been noteworthy. In fact, the mutual fund industry has emerged as an important segment of financial market of India, especially in channelizing the savings of millions of individuals into the investment in equity and debt instruments. Mutual funds are seemingly the easiest and the least stressful way to invest in the stock market. Quiet a large amount of money has been invested in mutual funds during the past few years. Any investor would like to invest in a reputed Mutual Fund organization. Mutual funds are financial intermediaries concerned with mobilizing savings of those who have surplus and the canalization of these savings in those avenues where there is a demand for funds. These intermediaries employ their resources in such a manner as to provide combined benefits of low risk, steady return, high liquidity and capital appreciation through diversification and expert management. Reforms in the  Indian economic system and the opening up of the economy have been the reasons for the tremendous growth in the Indian capital market. This study analyzes the impact of different demographic variables on the attitude of investors towards mutual funds. Apart from this, it also focuses on the benefits delivered by mutual funds to investors. To this end, 200 respondents of Solapur City, having different demographic profiles were surveyed. The study reveals that the majority of investors have still not formed any attitude towards mutual fund investments. KEYWORDS: Mutual Fund, Investors, Solapur City INTRODUCTION Mutual fund is a pool of money collected from investors and is invested according to certain investment options. A mutual fund is a trust that pools the saving of a no. of investors who share a common financial goal. A mutual fund is created when investors put their money together. It is, therefore, a pool of investor’s fund. The money thus collected is then invested in capital market instruments such as shares, debentures and other securities. The income earned through these investments and the capital appreciations realized are shared by its unit holders in proportion to the no. of units owned by them. The most important characteristics of a fund are that the contributors and the beneficiaries of the fund are the same class of people namely the investors. The term mutual fund means the investors contribute to the pool and also benefit from the pool. The pool of funds held mutually by investors is the mutual fund. A mutual fund business is to invest the funds thus collected according to the wishes of the investors who created the pool. Usually the investor’s appoint professional investment managers create a product and offer it for investment to the investors. This project represents a share in the pool and pre status investment  Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi  objectives. Thus, a mutual fund is the most suitable investment for a common man as it offers an opportunity to invest in a diversified, professionally managed basket of securities at relatively low cost. EVOLUTION OF INDIAN MUTUAL FUND INDUSTRY The formation of Unit Trust of India marked the evolution of the Indian mutual fund industry in the year 1963. The primary objective at that time was to attract the small investors and it was made possible through the collective efforts of the Government of India and the Reserve Bank of India. The history of mutual fund industry in India can be better understood divided into following phases: Establishment and Growth of Unit Trust of India 1964-87 Unit Trust of India enjoyed complete monopoly when it was established in the year 1963 by an act of Parliament. UTI was set up by the Reserve Bank of India and it continued to operate under the regulatory control of the RBI until the two were de-linked in 1978 and the entire control was transferred in the hands of Industrial Development Bank of India (IDBI). UTI launched its first scheme in 1964, named as Unit Scheme 1964 (US-64), which attracted the largest number of investors in any single investment scheme over the years. UTI launched more innovative schemes in 1970s and 80s to suit the needs of different investors. It launched ULIP in 1971, six more schemes between 1981-84, Childrens Gift Growth Fund and India Fund (Indias first offshore fund) in 1986, Mastershare (Inidas first equity diversified scheme) in 1987 and Monthly Income Schemes (offering assured returns) during 1990s. By the end of 1987, UTIs assets under management grew ten times to Rs 6700 crores. Entry of Public Sector Funds 1987-1993 The Indian mutual fund industry witnessed a number of public sector players entering the market in the year 1987. In November 1987, SBI Mutual Fund from the State Bank of India became the first non-UTI mutual fund in India. SBI Mutual Fund was later followed by Canbank Mutual Fund, LIC Mutual Fund, Indian Bank Mutual Fund, Bank of India Mutual Fund, GIC Mutual Fund and PNB Mutual Fund. By 1993, the assets under management of the industry increased seven times to Rs. 47,004 crores. However, UTI remained to be the leader with about 80% market share. 1992-93 UTI Public Sector Total Amount Mobilised 11,057 1,964 13,021 Assets Under Management 38,247 8,757 47,004 Mobilisation as % of Gross Domestic Savings 5.20% 0.90% 6.10% Emergence of Private Secor Funds 1993-96 The permission given to private sector funds including foreign fund management companies (most of them entering through joint ventures with Indian promoters) to enter the mutal fund industry in 1993, provided a wide range of choice to investors and more competition in the industry. Private funds introduced innovative products, investment techniques and investor-servicing technology. By 1994-95, about 11 private sector funds had launched their schemes. Growth and SEBI Regulation 1996-2004 The mutual fund industry witnessed robust growth and stricter regulation from the SEBI after the year 1996. The mobilization of funds and the number of players operating in the industry reached new heights as investors started showing more interest in mutual funds. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Investors interests were safeguarded by SEBI and the Government offered tax benefits to the investors in order to encourage them. SEBI (Mutual Funds) Regulations, 1996 was introduced by SEBI that set uniform standards for all mutual funds in India. The Union Budget in 1999 exempted all dividend incomes in the hands of investors from income tax. Various Investor Awareness Programmes were launched during this phase, both by SEBI and AMFI, with an objective to educate investors and make them informed about the mutual fund industry. Growth and Consolidation 2004 Onwards The industry has also witnessed several mergers and acquisitions recently, examples of which are acquisition of schemes of Alliance Mutual Fund by Birla Sun Life, Sun FC Mutual Fund and PNB Mutual Fund by Principal Mutual Fund. Simultaneously, more international mutual fund players have entered India like Fidelity, Franklin Templeton Mutual Fund etc. There were 29 funds as at the end of March 2006. This is a continuing phase of growth of the industry through consolidation and entry of new international and private sector players. Indian mutual fund industry reached Rs 1,50,537 crore by March 2004. It is estimated that by 2010 March-end, the total assets of all scheduled commercial banks should be Rs 40,90,000 crore. The annual composite rate of growth is expected 13.4% during the rest of the decade. In the last 5 years there is an annual growth rate of 9%. According to the current growth rate, by year 2010, Mutual fund  India assets will be double FEATURES THOSE INVESTORS LIKE IN MUTUAL FUND If mutual funds are emerging as the favorite investment vehicle it is because of the many advantages. They have over other forms and avenues of investing parties for the investors who has limited resources available in terms of Capital and ability to carry out detailed reserves and market monitoring. These are the major advantages offered by mutual fund to all investors: Professional Management Mutual Funds provide the services of experienced and skilled professionals, backed by a dedicated investment research team that analyses the performance and prospects of companies and selects suitable investments to achieve the objectives of the scheme. Diversification Mutual Funds invest in a number of companies across a broad cross-section of industries and sectors. This diversification reduces the risk because seldom do all stocks decline at the same time and in the same proportion. You achieve this diversification through a Mutual Fund with far less money than you can do on your own. Convenient Administration Investing in a Mutual Fund reduces paperwork and helps you avoid many problems such as bad deliveries, delayed payments and follow up with brokers and companies. Mutual Funds save your time and make investing easy and convenient. Return Potential Over a medium to long-term, Mutual Funds have the potential to provide a higher return as they invest in a diversified basket of selected securities. Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi Low Costs Mutual Funds are a relatively less expensive way to invest compared to directly investing in the capital markets because the benefits of scale in brokerage, custodial and other fees translate into lower costs for investors Liquidity In open-end schemes, the investor gets the money back promptly at net asset value related prices from the Mutual Fund. In closed-end schemes, the units can be sold on a stock exchange at the prevailing market price or the investor can avail of the facility of direct repurchase at NAV related prices by the Mutual Fund Transparency You get regular information on the value of your investment in addition to disclosure on the specific investments made by your scheme, the proportion invested in each class of assets and the fund managers investment strategy and outlook Flexibility Through features such as regular investment plans, regular withdrawal plans and dividend reinvestment plans, you can systematically invest or withdraw funds according to your needs and convenience Affordability Investors individually may lack sufficient funds to invest in high-grade stocks. A mutual fund because of its large corpus allows even a small investor to take the benefit of its investment strategy. Well Regulated All Mutual Funds are registered with SEBI and they function within the provisions of strict regulations designed to protect the interests of investors. The operations of Mutual Funds are regularly monitored by SEBI. DISADVANTAGES OF MUTUAL FUNDS Above I have mentioned the various advantages of Mutual Funds but it also suffers from a lot of drawbacks as the market is volatile and it is ever affected by national as well as international factors, these days we can see that crude oil prices in International market has become an important factor  in determining the market movement. Here are some disadvantages as cited by me and by survey: Fluctuating Returns Mutual funds are like many other investments without a guaranteed return: there is always the possibility that the value of your mutual fund will depreciate. Unlike fixed-income products, such as bonds and Treasury bills, mutual funds experience price fluctuations along with the stocks that make up the fund. When deciding on a particular fund to buy, you need to research the risks involved just because a professional manager is looking after the fund, that doesn’t mean the performance will be always good Diversification Although diversification is one of the keys to successful investing, many mutual fund investors tend to over diversify. The idea of diversification is to reduce the risks associated with holding a single security; over diversification (also known as diversification) occurs when investors acquire many funds that are highly related and, as a result, don’t get A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City the risk reducing benefits of diversification. At the other extreme, just because you own mutual funds doesn’t mean you are automatically diversified. For example, a fund that invests only in a particular industry or region is still relatively risky. For example: Sect oral Funds Cash and More Cash As you know already, mutual funds pool money from thousands of investors, so everyday investors are putting money into the fund as well as withdrawing investments. To maintain liquidity and the capacity to accommodate withdrawals, funds typically have to keep a large portion of their portfolios as cash. Having ample cash is great for liquidity, but money  sitting around as cash is not working for you and thus is not very advantageous. Costs Mutual funds provide investors with professional management, but it comes at a cost. Funds will typically have a range of different fees that reduce the overall payout. In mutual funds, the fees are classified into two categories: shareholder fees and annual operating fees. The shareholder fees, in the forms of loads and redemption fees are paid directly by shareholders purchasing or selling the funds. The annual fund operating fees are charged as an annual percentage usually ranging from 1-3%. These fees are assessed to mutual fund investors regardless of the performance of the fund. As you can imagine, in years when the fund doesn’t make money, these fees only magnify losses. Figure 1: Structure of Mutual Fund A mutual is a set up in the form of trust, which has sponsor, trustee, assets management company (AMC) and custodian. Sponsor is the person who acts alone or in combination with another body corporate and establishes a mutual fund. Sponsor must contribute at least 40% of the net worth of the investment managed and meet the eligibility criteria prescribed under the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Funds) regulations, 1996. The sponsor is not responsible or liable for any loss or shortfall resulting from the operation of the schemes beyond the initial contribution made by it towards setting up of Mutual Fund. The Mutual Fund is constituted as a trust in accordance with the provisions of the Indian Trusts Act, 1882 by the Sponsor. Trustee is usually a company (corporate body) or a board of trustees (body of individuals). The main responsibility of the trustee is to safeguard the interest of the unit holders and also ensure that AMC functions in the interest of investors’ and in accordance with the Securities and Exchange Board of India (Mutual Fund) Regulations 1996 the provisions of the Trust deed and the offer Document of the respective schemes. The AMC is appointed by the Trustees Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi as the investment Manager of the Mutual Fund. The AMC is required to be approved by SEBI to act as an asset management company of the Mutual Fund. The AMC if so authorized by the Trust Deed appoints the Registrar and Transfer Agent to agent the mutual fund. The registrar processes the application form, redemption requests and dispatches account statements to the unit holders. The Registrar and Transfer agent also handles communications with investors’ and updates investor records. REVIEW OF LITERATURE Lenard et., al. (2003) empirically investigated investor’s attitudes toward mutual funds. The results indicate that the decision to switch funds within a fund family is affected by investor’s attitude towards risk, current asset allocation, investment losses, investment mix, capital base of the fund age, initial fund performance, investment mix, fund and portfolio diversification. The study reported that these factors are crucial to be considered before switching funds regardless of whether they invest in non-employer plans or in both employer and non-employer plans. Bollen (2006) studied the dynamics of investor fund flows in a sample of socially screened equity mutual funds and compared the relation between annual fund flows lagged performance in SR funds to the same relation in a matched sample of conventional funds. The result revealed that the extra-financial SR attribute serves to dampen the rate at which SR investors trade mutual funds. The study noted that the differences between SR funds and their conventional counterparts are robust over time and persist as funds age. The study found that the preferences of SR investors may be represented by conditional multi-attribute utility function (especially when SR funds deliver positive returns). The study remarked that mutual fund companies can expect SR investors to be more loyal than investors in ordinary funds. Walia and Kiran (2009) studied investor’s risk and return perception towards mutual funds. The study examined investors perception towards risk involved in mutual funds, return from mutual funds in comparison to other financial avenues, transparency and disclosure practices. The study investigated  problems of investors encountered with due to unprofessional services of mutual funds. The study found that majority of individual investors doesn’t consider mutual funds as highly risky investment. In fact on a ranking scale it is considered to be on higher side when compared with other financial avenues. The study also reported that significant relationship of interdependence exists between income level of investors and their perception for investment returns from mutual funds investment. Saini et., al. (2011) analyzed investor’s behavior, investors’ opinion and perception relating to various issues like type of mutual fund scheme, its objective, role of financial advisors / brokers, sources of information, deficiencies in the provision of services, investors’ opinion relating to factors that attract them to invest in mutual and challenges before the Indian mutual fund industry etc. The study found that investors seek for liquidity, simplicity in offer documents, online trading, regular updates through SMS and stringent follow up of provisions laid by AMFI. Singh (2012) conducted an empirical study of Indian investors and observed that most of the respondents do not have much awareness about the various function of mutual funds and they are bit confused regarding investment in mutual funds. The study found that some demographic factors like gender, income and level of education have their significant impact over the attitude towards mutual funds. On the contrary age and occupation have not been found influencing the investor’s attitude. The study noticed that return potential and liquidity have been perceived to be most lucrative benefits of investment in mutual funds and the same are followed by flexibility, transparency and affordability. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM Mutual funds have their drawbacks and may not be for everyone. No investment is risk free. If the entire stock market declines in value, the value of mutual fund shares will go down as well, no matter how balanced the portfolio. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Investors encounter fewer risks when they invest in mutual funds than when they buy and sell stocks on their own. However, anyone who invests through a mutual fund runs the risk of losing money. All funds charge administrative fees to cover their day-to-day expenses. Some funds also charge sales commissions or â€Å"loads† to compensate brokers, financial consultants, or financial planners. When he invests in a mutual fund, they depend on the fund’s manager to make the right decisions regarding the fund’s portfolio. If the invests in Index Funds, they foregoes management risk, because these funds do not employ managers. Though these are the problems in the investment of mutual funds, in the recent days most of the investors preferred to invest their funds on mutual funds. In this background, the research has made an attempt to study the investors’ preference for mutual funds in Solapur City. LIMITATIONS OF THE STUDY The present study is based upon the results of survey conducted on 200 mutual fund investors. The implications of the study are subject to the limitations of sample size, psychological and emotional characteristics of surveyed population. SCOPE OF THE STUDY This paper provides Future of Mutual Funds industry information as well as awareness level amongst people for Mutual Funds. Also this project report of Mutual Funds gives an outlook to management as to how the mutual funds are performing in the current market situation as a result what may be the future of this industry. This paper on mutual funds is informative the students who want to understand and undertake assignments in the industry. This study also facilitates the general people who can understand the importance and explore the new option for investment in Mutual Funds. Different financial institutions provide services that are both complementary to and competitive with each other. A well built financial system directly contributes to the growth of the country. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY This study is descriptive in nature based on survey method. The study aims at finding out the attitude of the investors towards investment in mutual funds in Solapur city. This study was based mainly on primary sources. The primary data was collected from the investors of mutual funds with help of the questionnaire. The secondary data were collected from the books, records and journals. By adopting convenience sampling, 200 respondents were selected for this study. The essential data were collected with the help of questionnaire. The data collected from the period of January 2011 to April 2011. DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION Figure: 2 Showing Pattern of Investment Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi From above figure it is clear that 75% investors are invested in open ended schemes where as 15% invested in closed ended schemes in mutual fund. Figure: 3 Reason for Investment in Mutual Fund From above figure it is clear that and 42% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for tax assumption. 33% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for higher returns. 16% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for value creation in fund. 9% investors say that they invested money in mutual fund for other reason. Figure: 4 Showing the Reason of Investors that not Invested Money in Mutual Fund From above figure is clear that 50% investors say that they not interested to invest money in mutual fund. 33% investors say that they have imperfect knowledge in mutual fund, so they are not invested. 8.5% investors say that they invested in govt. bond. 8.5% investors has other reason so they not invested money in mutual fund. Figure: 5 Showing Type of Investment Investors Should be Preferred A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City From above figure it is clear that investors invest money in fixed deposits. 15 25% investors invest money in gold/real estates. 17% investors invest money in mutual fund. 8% investors invest money in bond/debentures. Remaining 17% investors invest money in shares. Figure: 6 Showing Returns Investor get from their Investment From above figure it is clear that 70% investors are gaining 5-15% returns from their investment. 23% are gaining 15-30% returns from their investment. 5% investors are gaining 30-45% returns from their investment. Remaining only 2% investors is gaining above 45% returns from their investment. Figure: 7 Showing Duration of Investment From above it is clear 80% investors are dealing in short term duration whereas 20% investors are dealing in long term duration. Figure: 8 Showing the Investors Experience in Mutual Fund Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi From above figure it is clear that 73% investors say that they are having bad experience in mutual fund. 12% investors say that they are having good experience in mutual fund. Remaining 15% investors say that their experience is ok. FINDINGS AND SUGGESTIONS Findings †¢The trend for investment is changing rapidly besides the traditional pattern of investment and people today they are ready to undertake risk and also bear the volatility of changing mutual fund market scenario. †¢This shows that people with Middle Income Group are more attractive this market and are ready to bear the risk. †¢It is observed that 75% investors have invested open ended schemes that they want higher returns on their investment rather than investing in closed ended schemes in mutual fund. †¢It is observed that 42% investors have invested money for tax assumption.33% investors have invested money for higher returns in their investment.16% investors have invested money for value creation in fund. And remaining 9% investors have invested money for other reason. †¢It is observed that 50% investors have not interested to invest money in mutual fund.33% investors have imperfect knowledge so they not invested money in mutual fund.9% investors find govt. securities bond is better that’s way they not invested money in mutual fund. And remaining 8% investors have other reason so they not invested money in mutual fund. †¢It is observed that more businessmen were inclined towards investing in current account. The ladies were inclined to invest their money in Gold and jewelleries. Service class people and retired class people prefer more saving and fixed deposits People with high income. †¢It is observed that 70% investors have invested to getting returns in the range of 5-15% which shows in short span of time they are getting good returns and more than expectations. †¢It is observed that 80% investors have invested in short term duration which indicates the investors have not ready to invest in long term period due to various risks associated with long term duration of investment. †¢On asking how they get knowledge of mutual fund a large number of them attributed to print media. Even banks today follow the role of the investment advisors. Very few get any information from the e-media or Hence, AMCs must increase the awareness about their product through Electronic media (TVs, Cables, Radios etc.) as well as and should not just constrained itself to the print advertisement those who do not read newspaper. SUGGESTIONS Investor’s Point of View The question that entire customer, irrespective of the age group and financial status, think of is- Are mutual funds are a safe option? What makes them safe? The basis of mutual fund industry’s safety is the way the business is defined and regulation of law. Since the mutual fund invests in the capital market instruments, so proper knowledge is essential. Hence the essential requirement is well informed seller and equally informed buyer who  understands and helped them to understand the product (here we can say the capital market and the money market instruments) is the essential preconditions. A Study of Investors Attitude towards Mutual Fund with Special Reference to Inversotrs in Solapur City Being Prudent Investor One Should †¢Ask one’s agent to give details of different schemes and match the appropriate ones. †¢Go to the company records or the fund house regarding any queries if one is not satisfied by the agents. †¢Investors should always keep an eye on the performance of the scheme and other good schemes as well which are available in the market for the closed comparison. †¢Never invest blindly in the investments before going through the fact sheets, annual reports etc. of the company. Since, according to the Guidelines of SEBI The AMCs are bound to disclose all the relevant data that is necessary for the investment purpose of investors. Company’s (Mutual Fund Companies) Point of View  Following measures can be taken by the company for getting higher investments in the mutual fund schemes: †¢Educate the agents or the salesmen properly so that they can take up the queries of the customer effectively. †¢Set up separate customer care divisions where the customers can anytime pose their query, regarding the scheme or the current NAV etc. These customer care units can work out in accordance with the requirements of the customer and facilitates them to choose the scheme that suits their financial status. †¢Conduct seminars or programs about mutual fund where every information about the product is outlined including the risk factor associated with the different classes of assets. †¢Brokers should reduce the brokerage charges for intra day and delivery based so that the investor can save more amounts to generate extra investment for the investor as well as for the Mutual Fund companies. †¢Mutual Fund companies should try to increase the promotion and advertisement strategies for awareness of Mutual fund in solapur city. CONCLUSIONS The mutual fund industry is growing at a tremendous pace. A large number of plans have come up from different financial resources. With the stock markets oaring the investors are attracted towards these schemes. Only a small segment of the investors still in Mutual Funds and the main source  sources of information still are the financial advisors followed by advertisements in different media. The Indian investors generally invest over period of 2-3 years. Also there is a tendency to invest in fixed deposits due to the security attached to it. In order to excel and make mutual funds a success, companies still need to create awareness and understand the psyche of the Indian customer. REFERENCES Agapova, Anna, 2011, „The Role of Money Market Mutual Funds in Mutual Fund Families , Journal of Applied ‟ 1. Finance, Vol. 21, Issue. 1, pp. 87-102. Agarwal, Vikas; Boyson, Nicole M.; Naik, Narayan Y, 2009, „Hedge Funds for Retail Investors? An Examination of Hedged Mutual Funds , Journal of Financial Quantitative Analysis, Vol. 44, Issue 2, pp. 273-305. ‟ 2. 12 Pritam P. Kothari Shivganga C. Mindargi 3. A. Vennila, R. Nandhagopal(2012) â€Å"Investors’ Preference towards Mutual Funds in Coimbatore City European Journal of Social Sciences ISSN 1450-2267 Vol.29 No.1 (2012), pp. 115-125 4. Binod Kumar Singh (2011) â€Å"A Study on Investors’ Attitude towards Mutual Funds as an Investment Option† JOURNAL OF ASIAN BUSINESS STRATEGY, VOL. 1(2): 8-15 5. Badrinath, S.G Gubellini, S, (2011), „On the characteristics and performance of long-short, market-neutral and bear mutual funds , Journal of Banking Finance, Vol. 35 Issue 7, pp.1762-1776. ‟ 6. Dranikoff L, Koller, T. and Schneider, A, â€Å"Divestiture: Strategy’s Missing Link†, Harvard Business Review, May 2002, 80 (5). 7. Dr.Nishi Sharma (2009) â€Å"Indian Inverstors Perception towards mutual funds† Business Management Dynamics Vol.2, No.2, Aug 2012, pp.01-09 8. Gil-Bazo, Javier; Ruiz Verd, Pablo, 2009, „The Relation between Price and Performance in the Mutual Fund Industry , Journal of Finance, Vol. 64, Issue 5, pp. 2153-2183. ‟ 9. Hansen M and Nohria N, â€Å"What’s your Strategy for Managing Knowledge?† Harvard Business Review, MarchApril, 1999, 77 (2).1 10. Journal of Marketing, 32 (October), 65-68, 1968. 11. Rajeswari, T.R., and V.E. RamaMoorthy, 2001, An Empirical Study on Factors Influencing the Mutual Fund Scheme Selection by Retail Investors . Retrieved on May 2010 http://www.utiicm .com/Cmc/PDFs/ ‟ 2001/rajeswari.pdf. 12. Singh, Chander, 2004, „Performance of mutual funds in India – an empirical evidence , ICFAI journal of applied ‟ finance December, pp. 81-98. 13. Subbash C. Jain, â€Å"Marketing Planning and Strategy†, South Western College Publishing, Sixth Edition, 2000. 14. Singh, B. K. and Jha, A.K. 2009, „An empirical study on awareness acceptability of mutual fund , Regional ‟ Student s Conference, ICWAI, pp. 49-55. ‟ 15. Winer, C. Strategic Thinking: An executive Perspective, Upper Saddle River, Prentice Hall, 2000

Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Goods: Impacts and Policies

Illicit Trafficking in Cultural Goods: Impacts and Policies Title: Illicit trafficking in cultural goods with special emphasis on Mauritius. INTRODUCTION The international market place for cultural goods is a billion rupees market. Every day in the world thief or looters are smuggling out cultural goods from their countries of origins and sold them to foreign countries. My aim in this project is to improve our understanding of trafficking in cultural objects in order to make people aware that illegal trading of cultural goods is an offense as cultural objects function as a repository of memory and which enable each culture around the world to speak about themselves and about their origins. Furthermore cultural goods are the only evidences left for us to promote and to safeguard one’s culture and origins. Cultural goods are the key artefacts and are part of universal story of humanity so once those cultural objects are crossing boundaries of countries to be sold illegally to foreign countries, at the same time our cultural identity is fading. And once those cultural goods are stolen, looted or destroyed, they will be lost forever, thus we must stop illicit trafficking in cultural objects. LITERATURE REVIEW Definition What is cultural good? We often see the terms cultural â€Å"property†, â€Å"heritage†, â€Å"goods† and â€Å"objects† interchanged. Each state has its own definition of cultural â€Å"goods†, â€Å"heritage† or â€Å"property†. And that’s why the two big international conventions addressing illicit trafficking in cultural objects, the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Export, Import and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention on Stolen or Illegally Exported Cultural Objects was created for the purpose of helping each state to get a more appropriate legal definition of the term cultural goods so as for them to be able to prevent trafficking in cultural objects and also to prevent the provenance of an cultural good. Under article 1 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Export, Import and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and under article 2 of the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention, both convention define the term ‘cultural property’, â€Å"as property which, on religious or secular grounds, is specifically designated by each State as being of importance for archaeology, prehistory, history, literature, art or science†[1]. And both conventions have set up a categories of cultural objects so as for each states to get a clear understanding of what cultural goods really consist of and as well this will help states to classify and draw a list of heritage which their countries possessed with the reference to the listed categories of cultural objects which both Convention have catered for.[2] Types of cultural heritage: 1) Tangible heritage 2) Intangible heritage tangible heritage is one that can be stored and physically touched. This includes items produced by the cultural group such as traditional clothing, utensils (such as beadwork, water vessels), or vehicles (such as the ox wagon). Tangible heritages include great monuments such as temples, pyramids, and public monuments An intangible heritage is what exists intellectually in the culture. It is not a physical or tangible item. Intangible heritage includes songs, myths, beliefs, superstitions, oral poetry, as well as various forms of traditional knowledge such as ethno botanical knowledge. For example for the Southern Kalahari San, each tree and many other physical sites are part of their intangible heritage as their history is associated with these sites through stories, names and songs.[3] WHAT IS ILLICIT TRAFFICKING IN CULTURAL GOODS? The illicit trafficking of cultural goods is a very complex problem. Illicit trafficking can be classified under various forms and it is a lucrative business. Factors like geography, political environment and socio –economic, are sometimes responsible for the rise of illegal trafficking of those cultural goods.[4] Illicit trafficking in cultural objects is when an individual or a group of people is generating a profitable underground market at the expenses of stolen artefacts or objects, of illegal excavation of archaeological and paleontological sites and of illegal import and export of cultural property. Trafficking in cultural objects allows criminals to seize an opportunity to deal with high amount of items that are very often lack protection. Thus, since these merchandise are poorly protected, the thieves or looters can do illegal import and export from countries to countries. In the paper, Perspective on the organisation and control of the illicit traffic in antiquities in South East Asia written by Christine Alder, associate researcher in criminology University of Melbourne, Duncan Chappell, Professorial Fellow, Center for Transnational Crime Prevention,University of Wollongong,Australia and by Kenneth Polk,Professor of Criminology,University of Melbourne, Australia during the International Conference on â€Å"Organised crime in art and antiquities† Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Italy12-14 December 2008 , the authors noted that since illicit tracfficking is a lucrative business, thus that type of market can become very dangerous as it dealt with a huge amount of laundered money. And when money is made while selling cultural goods, those making that money are often connected to police or military authorities, and take an unpromising and gloomy view of interference in their lucrative business.[5] The fact that illicit trafficking often deals with political development and economic crisis; this further worsens the fight of illegal trafficking of cultural goods. Moreover when a country possesses a rich culture, it is more vulnerable to cultural pillage. For example countries like Cambodia, Italy, Africa, Oceania, Eastern Europe, Greece and Turkey are very prone to plundering of cultural materials. Countries like Cambodia with a rich culture but with a poor economy are more likely to be victims of illicit trafficking of cultural goods. As Etienne Clement, UNESCO,Director saysâ€Å" Cambodia’s culture is very rich, but the country itself is very poor. It’s an ideal situation for illegal trafficking† (BBC online, 2004)[6]. In Cambodia since there economic situation are poor, the looters are usually local people hoping to earn a few dollars. In Cambodia has faced massacre of its cultural goods and the problem is still going on even if the UNESCO has intervene in Cambodia. Hundreds of statues are without heads and walls are often marked with Graffiti. Hundreds and hundreds of sites are being dug up every day, said Dougald ORe illy, the director of Heritage Watch, an independent group aiming to safeguard Cambodias cultural heritage. In Cambodia heritage sites are often difficult to get access and that’s why it is difficult for the authorities to police the sites. And as Dougald O’Reilly said to the BBC online, sometime UNESCO tend to focus on particularly size only then paying less attention to other important sites which dated from Bronze and Iron Ages(BBC online)[7]. And something which is more sad and alarming is when we witness how people little by little are selling their cultural identity and destroying their origins just for the sake of a few coins. This demonstrate that those thief or looter who are selling those cultural treasure lack notions on the history of their countries and on other hands they are forced to indulged themselves to this illegal act because they are also living in a poor conditions. Mr O’Reilly put further to the BBC online that in Cambodia, In some parts of the country, you can buy 10 kilograms of ancient iron from these cemeteries for just 25 cents, its very openly sold in local markets.[8] Moreover cultural objects can easily be sold as shop owner or dealers to promote their goods they even present evidences of plunder as a means of guaranteeing the authenticity of their merchandise.[9] Another problem why cultural goods are being able cross boundaries and reach foreign countries is because there is a lack of documentation regarding the provenance of cultural goods. And also, officials working in the field of exporting and importing have no or minimum knowledge of archaeology or lack notion of cultural studies therefore it is difficult for them to capture criminals and identify cultural goods. All these factors, contribute further for â€Å"heritage plundering†. And today, the illicit traffic in cultural property continues internationally and is estimated to be worth $4.5 million dollars a year.[10] Furthermore according to Dr. George Abungu, an archaeologist and the founding Director at Okello Abungu Heritage Consultant, he said that colonialism and the spread of Christianity are also responsible for the huge plunder of African heritage. African heritage was destroyed with the new religion such as for example, â€Å"the evangelisation of the African continent and the Black man’s heart†, and other were collected and transported in the name of His or Her majesty’s government.[11] Invasion by the British, German and the French are also responsible for heritage destruction. For example the British expedition in Benin City, Nigeria and those of the Asante Kingdom at Kumasi in Ghana. And such expedition were undertaken in Asia, South America, and in Africa and as well as in North America. And cultural goods were looted and those responsible for this illegal act were considered as lawful collecting rather than plunder.[12] The fact that cultural goods has the ability to communicate, either directly or by association, an aspect of reality which transcends time or space gives it special significance and is therefore something to be sought after and protected. Legal instruments to combat illicit trafficking in cultural goods Every day around the world, massive pillage of cultural heritage is taking place. Cultural heritage since it is irreplaceable by nature; therefore it should be protected at any cost. The illegal trafficking of cultural goods affects humanity greatly. This type of trafficking affects museums, private and public collections, legitimate owner or possessors, worship buildings, cultural institution and as well as archaeological sites if we do not take actions immediately. As we all know if cultural goods are destroyed completely, nothing will be left for our future generations. And today since many people want a rich and better future for their children and family and for their countries as well so as not to kill the rich culture of one’s family or country, many states have decided to work together to create severe laws so as to punish those responsible for the destruction of our only cultural objects left by our people and by nature. The magnitude of this type of trafficking is becoming very alarming and developed countries are not excluded from illicit trafficking like developing countries. For example countries like France, Poland, Russia, Germany and Italy are known to be the most targeted countries for heritage traffickers. For example in 40 years, the Italian Carabinieri ( The National Military Police of Italy) has recovered 800 thousands stolen or illegally excavated artefacts[13]. Furthermore, the destruction of our world cultural heritage should not be held responsible mainly by theft or looters, as factors like climate change, globalisation, wartime, pollution and uncontrolled tourists are also factors contributing to the destruction of cultural objects. Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria are facing massive heritage plundering. For example in Afghanistan, according to the Afghan Ministry of Culture, 35 artefacts and approximately 7000 books, housed in the department building were destroyed in the 4th September attack. Over a hundred cultural artefacts were rescued as well as 5000 books.[14] And the Director and the Representative of the UNESCO in Afghanistan, Mr Paolo Fontani has put forward in a statement at the UNESCO office in Kabul and has expressed his deepest concern on the protection of the cultural artefacts that, â€Å" Our first thoughts go to the victims of this ruthless act, and to their families†, adding that â€Å"the irreversible loss of these unique artefacts should be equally condemned, since such artefacts underpin the cultural identity of the local communities and provide the foundation over which the fabric of society should be rebuilt†.[15] For the purpose to protect the culture of the humanity and in order to preserve and conserve our cultural goods, a set of legal instrument has been created. The three main legal instrument to cater for our cultural heritage are the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Export, Import and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property of 1970, the UNIDROIT 1995 Convention and the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The Hague convention was adopted in 14 of May 1954 during the Second World War so as to combat massive destruction of cultural heritage. And the Hague convention was the first international convention aimed to protect cultural goods during armed-conflicts. The Hague convention deals with both movable and immovable cultural heritage including architecture, art or history, archaeological sites, work of art , manuscripts , books and other objects of artistic, historical and of archaeological inter est and as well as scientific collections of all kinds regardless of their origins and ownership. The article 4(3) of the Hague convention as follows â€Å"The high contracting parties further undertake to prohibit, prevent, and if necessary, put a stop to any form of theft, pillage or misappropriation of, any acts of vandalism directed against, cultural property. They shall refrain from requisitioning movable cultural property situated in the territory of another high contracting party† clearly said that each country should respect their cultural property and the cultural property of other foreign states. Concerned about the new phenomenon of trafficking in cultural property in times of peace, the international community, through the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)adopted in 1970 the Convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Import, Export, and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property, which currently has 116 States Parties, including Mauritius. The 1970 UNESCO convention has set up 3 measures as follows: efforts in drawing up inventories, in certification and in education in order to fight illicit trafficking in cultural goods. The convention recommends each party who has ratified the UNESCO 1970 convention to prohibit the exportation of cultural property from its territory unless these cultural properties are accompanied by an export certificate. And the 1970 Convention also states that each nation should define their national treasure in a list and then these will be protected when stolen. The convention also provides mechanism for states to recover stolen property, but the nominated cultural property must be of national importance. The convention also consider that the protection of cultural heritage can be effective only if organized both nationally and internationally among States working in close co-operation and that that, as cultural institutions, museums, libraries and archives should ensure that their collections are built up in accordance with universally recognized moral principles. Furthermore, since we lack a list of cultural goods and services at the international level, the UNESCO has established a list to define cultural goods and services namely the UNESCO Framework for cultural statistics (FCS). This list classified each cultural goods and services in their respective categories. But this FSC was created in the 1980’s and has not been revised since then, nevertheless the FSC still serves us to get the proper definition of cultural goods and services.[16] The UNESCO also raises questions on previous cases which the 1970 convention does not covered which is a very good initiative taken so as to protect our heritage at the maximum. And moreover, in 1978 the UNESCO during intergovernmental committee, for promoting the return of cultural property for its country of origin or its restitution in case of illegal appropriation the ICPRCP[17] was established as a permanent intergovernmental advisory body by the UNESCO. Set up in 1978 by the resolution 20 C4/ 7.6/5 at the 20th Session of the UNESCO General Conference of UNESCO, the return and restitution committee comprises 22 Member States, which meet every two years and can also organize meetings. The main objective of this committee, is, to search for new solutions and means of facilitating bilateral negotiations, promoting multilateral and bilateral cooperation purposely to the restitution or return of cultural property as well as encouraging a public information campaign on the issue, and promoting exchanges of cultural property. Moreover, the 1970 Convention’s most important attribute are a provision for export certification. The cooperative measures are often enshrined in international agreements, that were noted earlier and also a mandate that parties restitute properties within their jurisdiction stolen from museums, monuments and so on. The UNESCO regime to protect cultural heritage also include non-binding declarations and recommendation to amplify the treaty framework. For example the 2003 declaration concerning the International Destruction of cultural Heritage largely responded to the demolition of two colossal Buddhist statues in Bamiyan, Afghanistan by the Taliban government of that country. This declaration addresses the problem of intentional destruction, whether in peace time and wartime. mnbb [1] Article 1, 1970 UNESCO CONVENTION http://www.unesco.org/new/en/culture/themes/illicit-trafficking-of-cultural-property/1970-convention/text-of-the-convention [2] article 1 of the 1970 UNESCO convention on the Means of Prohibiting and Preventing the Illicit Export, Import and Transfer of Ownership of Cultural Property and also see the Annex of the 1995 UNIDROIT convention .Article 1 of the 1970 UNESCO Convention and the Annex to the 1995 UNIDROIT Convention read as follows: â€Å" (a) Rare collections and specimens of fauna, flora, minerals and anatomy, and objects of palaeontological interest; (b) property relating to history, including the history of science and technology and military and social history, to the life of national leaders, thinkers, scientists and artist and to events of national importance; (c) products of archaeological excavations (including regular and clandestine) or of archaeological discoveries; (d) elements of artistic or historical monuments or archaeological sites which have been dismembered; (e) antiquities more than one hundred years old, such as inscriptions, coins and engraved seals; (f) objects of ethnological interest; (g) property of artistic interest, such as: (i) pictures, paintings and drawings produced entirely by hand on any support and in any material (excluding industrial designs and manufactured articles decorated by hand); (ii)original works of statuary art and sculpture in any material; (iii)original engravings, prints and lithographs; (iv) original artistic assemblages and montages in any material; (h) rare manuscripts and incunabula, old books, documents and publications of special interest (historical, artistic, scientific, literary, etc.) singly or in collections; (i) postage, revenue and similar stamps, singly or in collections; (j) archives, including sound, photographic and cinematographic archives; (k) articles of furniture more than one hundred years old and old musical instruments.† [3]www.sanculture.org [4] Illicit trafficking in cultural goods is, as other types of illicit traffics, a complex, vast and multifaceted issue. http://icom.museum/programmes/fighting-illicit-traffic/. [5] Organised crime in art and antiquities, Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Italy12-14 December 2008,p 93 edited by Stefano Manacorda,2009. [6] Race to save cambodia’s heritage, Kate Mcgeown, BBC online,2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3784135.stm [7] Race to save cambodia’s heritage, Kate Mcgeown, BBC online,2004. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3784135.stm [8]Kate McGeown, Race to Save Cambodias Heritage, BBC News. 9 June 2004 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/3784135.stm [9] Organised crime in art and antiquities, Courmayeur Mont Blanc, Italy12-14 December 2008,p 98 edited by Stefano Manacorda,2009 [10] UTIMUT, Discussion on repatriation in the 21st century, Copenhagen 2008,p36, by Mille Gabriel and Jens Dahl. [11] UTIMUT,â€Å"UNIVERSAL MUSEUMS†:NEW CONTESTATIONS, NEW CONTROVERSIES, by George Abungu,p34 [12] UTIMUT,â€Å"UNIVERSAL MUSEUMS†:NEW CONTESTATIONS, NEW CONTROVERSIES, by George Abungu,p35 [13]www.unesco.org, 40 Years of Fighting the Illicit Trafficking of Cultural Goods | Culture and development UNESCO Multimedia Archives [14] UNESCO office in Kabul, Statement by the Director UNESCO Kabul Office concerning the destruction of ancient artefacts in Ghazni, Afghanistan, www.unesco.org. [15] UNESCO office in Kabul, Statement by the Director UNESCO Kabul Office concerning the destruction of ancient artefacts in Ghazni, Afghanistan, www.unesco.org . [16] A note on the list of cultural goods and services,2004, http://www.unesco.org/culture/culturaldiversity/docs_pre_2007/clt_cpd_note_list_goods_services_en_092004.pdf [17] http://www.unesco.org/culture/laws/returncommittee Extra judicial Killing: Myth or Reality? Extra judicial Killing: Myth or Reality? How interesting it is that in Bangladesh the elite force named as Rapid Action Battalion [RAB] kills the arrested persons by the name of cross-fire and name them the criminals. Extra-judicial, thus the term is used to state the killings. It is called extra judicial because of its type, which works as a process outside the judiciary system of Bangladesh. Farid Ahmed in a non periodical web journal (2010), Such killings are often described in police reports as involving crime suspects who resisted arrests or attacked the police. Many of the victims, human rights groups charge, were killed while in police custody. But in their official statements, police said they were killed in the crossfire during violent incidents in prison facilities. The police were compelled to open fire at those attacking them, they said.  [1]   According to the Human Rights Watch (2006): One of the first publicized RAB killings was of the wanted criminal suspect Pichchi Hannan in Dhaka on August 6, 2004. This is when the era of extra judicial killing has started and still going on. Not only the RAB but also some other armed forces are involved in this kind of activity.  [2]   Whether extrajudicial killing is a myth or is it a reality is the main motive for me to conduct this research. A lot of people are being killed by the armed force, often named as elite force, but is it truly extra judicial killing or is the crossfire the reality, which one is true? We see a lot of incidents addressing the extra-judicial killings everyday when looking at the newspaper. Theres hardly any day with no crossfire news, and thus I think people should be clear about the extra judicial killing matter and to reveal the original fact as I conduct the research. My research will give a clear cut idea about the extra judicial killing and the scenario of our countrys perspective. However, it is often said by the authority and also by the political leaders that these so called extra-judicial killings are only the unfortunate deaths of the suspected criminals in the cross-fire. According to the Bangladesh Media article No extrajudicial executions carried out: RAB DG (2010): The director-general of the RAB, Hasan Mahmud Khandakar, addressing the media at the sixth anniversary of the elite law enforcement body in its headquarters on Sunday, told newsmen, A total of 622 suspected criminals were killed in by the RAB in crossfire across the country in the last six years, including 14 suspected criminals who were killed in the last three months. The RAB chief, however, claimed that no extra-judicial killing was carried out by the battalions personnel in the last six years.  [3]   The issue of extra-judicial killing is one of the big concerns for a country like Bangladesh where the chance of misuse of the theme, under the name of crossfire is highly possible for a 3rd world country like us. The concern of different human right organizations have argued about the extrajudicial killings and raised a lot of questions. My report will reveal whether the extra-judicial killing under the name of crossfire is true or just a myth. The History of Extra Judicial Killing As its name suggest, it is done outside the framework of the judiciary system of Bangladesh, which is the killings of a suspected criminal under the custody of the armed force, often using the term self protection or accusing the suspected criminal to escape; which is a violation of the rule of law. From the very beginning of Bangladeshs birth in 1971, different political parties used their political power to impetus the killings by the armed forces and used these forces in in violation of the law to consolidate power and maintain control. The continuous process started during the time period of BNP led govt. after forming coalition with three smaller parties: Jamaat-e-Islami (which won 4.3 percent), Jatiya Party-Naziur (1.1 percent), and Islamic Okye Jote (0.7 percent) in 0ctober, 2001. After taking power, to fulfill the one election agenda to fight against crime, and to tackle criticism from people, the govt. then deployed fourty thousand military personal to fight crime under the name of Operation Clean Heart. Thousands of people were arrested and at least 50 people were reported to be dead under their custody. Due to the failure of the operation, the government then decided to form an elite force group with a special unit of police with commando training called the Rapid Act ion Team, or RAT, which is now known as Rapid Action Battalion or RAB. As stated by the law, The main tasks of the RAB, according to the law, are to: Provide internal security Conduct intelligence into criminal activity Recover illegal arms Arrest criminals and members of armed gangs Assist other law enforcement agencies Investigate any offense as ordered by the government.  [4]   According to the Asian Human Rights Commission: The army killed 58 people in custody. See Asian Legal Resource Center and Asian Human Rights Commission, Lawless Law-enforcement the Parody of Judiciary in Bangladesh, August 2006.According to the Bangladesh NGO Forum for Secular Bangladesh, the army killed 53 people in custody and physically abused 7,000. See Forum for Secular Bangladesh, Violation of Human Rights by the Coalition Government of Bangladesh, September 2006.  [5]   However, the Operation Clean Heart did not succeed in bringing crime under adequate control, and vigilantism against so-called criminals continued. Hence the special police force proved unsuccessful in combating crime due to the lack of trained professionals, disorganization, and corruption in the force. Structuring from the experience from Operation Clean Heart, the government took steps to give the military a law enforcement role. Then, later on the RAB was created with the motto to fight criminals and reduce crime. According to a human rights lawyer: Critics complained that, rather than building a new crime-fighting force, the government should undertake efforts to reform law enforcement and the courts. Creating RAB, they feared, would undermine the police. With Operation Clean Heart in mind, some worried about using the military for civilian policing. They saw RAB as a way for the government to deploy the army for policing tasks, with one lawyer even calling it martial law in disguise. Other Facts Various human right watchdogs claimed that 1,142 victims have so far been slain in extrajudicial killings since 24 June, 2004 when the RAB began its journey by killing people in crossfire. Among the 1,142 victims, 149 were killed in 2004, 340 in 2005, 290 in 2006, 130 in 2007, 136 in 2008 and 97 in 2009. During the immediate-past emergency regime which continued for about two years, 322 people were killed in an extrajudicial manner. On the other hand, DG of RAB claimed that no extra-judicial killing is carried out but some criminals were caught in crossfire during the battle. He also claimed that 6,931 firearms have been seized by the RAB in the last six years 580 in 2004, 909 in 2005, 889 in 2006, 1,416 in 2007, 1,374 in 2008, 1,338 in 2009 and 425 in the last three months. The RAB arrested a total of 64,664 suspected criminals, after conducting drives throughout the country, on charges of various crimes including murder, kidnapping, extortion, tender manipulation, militancy and possession of illegal firearms. Of them 2569 in 2004, 4929 in 2005, 7277 in 2006, 13569 in 2007, 13378 in 2008, 16730 in 2009 and 4012 in last three months of 2010.  [6]   The attitude of people in law enforcement agencies has not changed, at least on the issue of extra judicial killings despite the judiciary ordering them to stop killing people under the guise of crossfire, encounter, and gunfight. Although much of such action has stopped, it is not a sustainable solution. But the decision has been hailed an eye-opener by many including human rights organizations. The High Court issued the suo motto order over extra judicial killings on November 17. It gave the government two weeks, initially, to explain why the killing of two brothers, Lutfor and Khairul Khalasi by law enforcement agencies in Madaripur on Nov.16 should not be declared extrajudicial. The government has yet to reply and the Attorney General has sought more time, presumably until the court resumes on January 3, 2010. During the year although there were some positive activities by the government, most sectors in the country were devoid of any human rights, the rule of law and good governance. Religious minorities were oppressed and press freedoms were violated almost every other day.  [7]   Only a few human rights organizations have long been asking the government to stop the killings, terming them extrajudicial. Moreover, the High Court of Bangladesh, on June 29, 2009, High Court of Bangladesh asked the government to explain why killing people without a trial, in the form of extrajudicial killings, is not being declared as illegal, and why measures are not being taken against the perpetrators. After this ruling, we still havent seen anything happen. However in recent times, after the Awami League came to power, many thought the Awami govt. will abolish the RAB. But, in march 2006, Seikh Hasina said, But we will not do so. Rather Rab will be given a special assignment to capture corrupt people.  [8]   Extrajudicial killings continue even in violation of the High Courts ruling. How can they continue? Its very alarming for human rights, democracy and the right to life. And why is the High Court silent regarding this gross human rights violation? Both governmental and nongovernmental sources have said that the death toll has reached 133 from such extrajudicial killings labeled as crossfire killings, encounter killings or gunfight killings by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) and the police since Jan. 6, when the Awami League-led government assumed office. In Bangladesh, we have a so-called democracy, but there is no rule of law if we consider extra judicial killing. Every day sees more killings of citizens by the state machinery, killings which are both well-planned and covered up. However, RAB never said that its extrajudicial killing. In contrast, Rab Director General (DG) Hassan Mahmood Khandker recently stated that, A total of 633 persons were killed in encounters with its members while 750 RAB men were punished for their unlawful acts. Among the 750 punished RAB members, 350 were sacked while the rest 400 suffered imprisonment in different tenures. Also RAB intelligence personnel are only on duty to tackle the criminal activities.  [9]   However, on contrary, extrajudicial killing have been going on very rapidly of violating the highest court ruling order, the Constitution and the Universal Declaration by law enforcers. The term extrajudicial killing means execution without justice. This is a grave human rights violation. Its both a violation of Bangladeshs constitution and of the UNs Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  [10]  But these types of killings still occur frequently in Bangladesh. The government of Bangladesh has been violating the constitution and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights day after day since 2002 (including operation clean heart). In 2004, the BNP-Jamaat government made a decision about extrajudicial killings and formed the RAB. From March 26, 2004 until January 31, 2009, around 1,600 people (including 58 58 killed peoples in operation clean heart of 2002) have been killed without justice. The government of Bangladesh has sided with the extrajudicial killings. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has also said, in an indirect way, that extrajudicial killings will continue. She spoke clearly, upholding crossfire killings. What was said by our popular Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New York is very unfortunate for the rule of law, democracy, the constitution, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, as well as the people of Bangladesh. According to the Bdnews24.com, Sheikh Hasina talked with journalists in New York on Sept. 27, 2009. Referring to crossfire killings at the time, she said, I do not believe in extrajudicial killings. But if anyone launches an armed attack (against a law enforcer), then they shouldnt be allowed to kill them like sitting ducks.  [11]   Bangladeshs elite Rapid Action Battalion continues to engage in extrajudicial killings despite Supreme Court directives to halt it. Although the court is handling the issue of extrajudicial killings, RAB does not seem to be bothered either about the judiciary or the countrys laws. The assertions of responsible people in the present government are shocking. Home minister Sahara Khatun recently said that, there was no crossfire. It seems, either directly or indirectly, the home minister and other ministers are defending the perpetrators of such crossfire killings. Finally we can say that, in Bangladesh has no rule of law. We want to say that the reports of so-called crossfire killings, encounter killings or gunfight killings that are made by the RAB and the police are totally false. We believe that terrorism should never be combated or controlled through state killings. It is the establishment of the rule of law that is essential to control terrorism. Conclusion Finally we can say that, numerous killings are being carried out extra-judicially; the perpetrators remain above the law; and the victims have no recourse to protection or redress under the law. This represents a violation of Article 31 of the Constitution, which reads: To enjoy the protection of the law, and to be treated in accordance with law, and only in accordance with law, is the inalienable right of every citizen, wherever he may be, and of every other person for the time being within Bangladesh, and in particular no action detrimental to the life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person shall be taken except in accordance with law.  [12]   However, beyond impunity, those responsible for such killings are being rewarded for their actions. Torture and the threat of extra-judicial killing are used by the police and the RAB to extract money from persons that they arrest. Furthermore, the RAB was even awarded the prized Independence Award to the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) on March 23, 2006, as part of Bangladeshs 35th Independence Day celebrations, for its activities. Therefore, it is revealed that this kind of activities by the RAB is clearly a false ideology to name the extrajudicial killing under the name of crossfire, is just only to eye wash the general public, and some day it may have negative effect on the society and country as a whole. So the govt. and the people of Bangladesh should raise its voice against it and it should be stopped soon.