Ban on Facebook to go soon: Palak

Social networking website Facebook, which has been blocked since November 18, will be unblocked within a few days, said Information, Communication and Technology State Minister, Junaid Ahmed Palak. “We got some positive results after closing some social networking sites. The government and Facebook will hold talks. The authority too is keen to discuss with us. I hope this popular site will be opened soon,” said Palak. The minister was speaking to journalists at the National Press Club yesterday after inaugurating the National Information Technology Debate Fest 2015-16. However, he was quick to add, “I cannot give you any fixed date of unblocking Facebook but it will be opened soon.”
Facebook, its messenger apps, and a few other micro-blogging platforms have been blocked since November 18 owing to security reasons after the Supreme Court upheld death penalties of BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid. Inaugurating the National Information Technology Debate Fest 2015-16, Palak said 70 per cent youth in the country can deliver innovative ideas and their participation in policy making will be very significant. The minister said social media is a platform for debate, through which, youth can be made more rational and sincere.
He declared that topics of the debate fest will be based on technology and ideas of the participants can be presented to the Prime Minister after evaluating them.
This year, debates will take place in 16 regions of the country. Some 400 students from 130 colleges and universities will participate in the debate festival to be held over two months. The fest will start today in the Dhaka region covering Gazipur, Manikganj, Dhaka, Munshganj and Narayanganj districts. The slogan of the debate festival is “Information Argument and Technology” and it is being organised by ICT Division-Government of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Debate Federation andcampus2career24.com, in association with eight organisations including NGOs and Ekattor TV. The winning team will be awarded three MacBooks and each member of the winning team will get a pen-drive and a copy of The Unfinished Memoirs, the autobiography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The runners-up team will get three iPhones.
Also present at the inauguration ceremony were member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Youth and Sports Ministry, Nahim Razzaq; Secretary, ICT Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Shyam Sunder Sikder; and executive editor of campus2career and president of Bangladesh Debate Federation Anjuli Sarker, among others.  

 

Ban on Facebook to go soon: Palak

Social networking website Facebook, which has been blocked since November 18, will be unblocked within a few days, said Information, Communication and Technology State Minister, Junaid Ahmed Palak. We got some positive results after closing some social networking sites. The government and Facebook will hold talks. The authority too is keen to discuss with us. I hope this popular site will be opened soon, said Palak. The minister was speaking to journalists at the National Press Club yesterday after inaugurating the National Information Technology Debate Fest 2015-16. However, he was quick to add, I cannot give you any fixed date of unblocking Facebook but it will be opened soon. Facebook, its messenger apps, and a few other micro-blogging platforms have been blocked since November 18 owing to security reasons after the Supreme Court upheld death penalties of BNP leader Salahuddin Quader Chowdhury and Jamaat-e-Islami Secretary General Ali Ahsan Mohammad Mujahid. Inaugurating the National Information Technology Debate Fest 2015-16, Palak said 70 per cent youth in the country can deliver innovative ideas and their participation in policy making will be very significant. The minister said social media is a platform for debate, through which, youth can be made more rational and sincere. He declared that topics of the debate fest will be based on technology and ideas of the participants can be presented to the Prime Minister after evaluating them. This year, debates will take place in 16 regions of the country. Some 400 students from 130 colleges and universities will participate in the debate festival to be held over two months. The fest will start today in the Dhaka region covering Gazipur, Manikganj, Dhaka, Munshganj and Narayanganj districts. The slogan of the debate festival is Information Argument and Technology and it is being organised by ICT Division-Government of the Peoples Republic of Bangladesh, Bangladesh Debate Federation andcampus2career24.com, in association with eight organisations including NGOs and Ekattor TV. The winning team will be awarded three MacBooks and each member of the winning team will get a pen-drive and a copy of The Unfinished Memoirs, the autobiography of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. The runners-up team will get three iPhones. Also present at the inauguration ceremony were member of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Youth and Sports Ministry, Nahim Razzaq; Secretary, ICT Division, Ministry of Posts, Telecommunications and Information Technology, Shyam Sunder Sikder; and executive editor of campus2career and president of Bangladesh Debate Federation Anjuli Sarker, among others.