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BD parliamentary

body opposes

beauty contest

DHAKA: A Bangladesh paliamentary committee has condemned the country's first "Miss Bangladesh" contest held here last week and urged organisers to distance themselves from similar shows, officials said on Sunday.

Such beauty contests "are against the traditional cultural heritage of Bangladesh", the Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs, headed by state minister Jahanara Begum, said at a meeting on Saturday.

An official statement on the meeting called on the country's intellectuals not to involve themselves in such contests. But it did not clarify if violators would face any charges.

In Bangladesh's first publicised beauty contest held at a Dhaka hotel on August 12, a 22-year-old student, Yasmin Bilkis Sathi, won the 1995 Miss Bangladesh award out of 11 local beauties who took part in the final round.

There was no immediate comment on the parliamentary committee's condemnation from the local organisers, some of whom are reportedly expatriate Bangladeshis living in Britain.-AFP