parlament
UN wants full investigation into arson attack on train that killed 4 including mother and child
The United Nations wants to see a full investigation into the arson attack on a moving train recently that claimed four lives, including a mother and her child.
"I think it is incumbent on the authorities in Bangladesh to fully investigate the source and to bring those responsible to justice," Spokesman for the UN Secretary-General, Stéphane Dujarric, told reporters in a regular briefing in New York on December 21.
Also read: Case filed over arson attack on train that killed 4
The UN extended its condolences to all victims of the arson attack.
Bangladesh’s foreign ministry yesterday said that in the Mohanganj Express derailment incident, the local administration, police, and fire departments responded "swiftly" to the derailment caused by the removed rail tracks.
Two suspects have been apprehended, linked to the sabotage, said the government.
Also read: ‘My sister, nephew could not get out of burning bogie’, says Tejgaon arson victim Nadira’s brother
"Investigations suggest that this act was premeditated, with meetings held to plan this deadly act. This sabotage is a direct attack on the state and its people, aiming to disrupt the upcoming election and the nation's progress," said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Responding to a question, Stéphane Dujarric also said they call for "free and fair" elections in Bangladesh where people can vote without any sort of intimidation.
"Obviously, we may have things to say after the elections, but our position remains unchanged," he said.
Also read: 'Not seeking justice from anyone': Husband of woman killed in Tejgaon train fire
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said the government and people of Bangladesh "stand firmly" against terrorism and acts of violence as the election draws near.
"They are determined to uphold peace and continue the country's socio-economic development, despite these challenges," said the MoFA on Thursday.
Meanwhile, MoFA Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin in a weekly briefing on Thursday afternoon said nine countries have confirmed to observe the 12th national parliamentary election scheduled for January 7.
India, Japan, Sri Lanka, China, Russia, Japan, Uzbekistan, Mauritius, Georgia and Palestine are sending observers, she said.
OIC, Commonwealth and Arab Parliament will also observe the elections, she mentioned.
A four-member EU expert panel is already in Dhaka to observe the election.
Also read: Tejgaon train arson a plot to crack down on opposition: Ganatantra Mancha
A diplomatic source told UNB that NDI-IRI small team will also observe the polls.
After failing to gain popular and political support, a faction of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and their allies have intensified their efforts to enforce a blockade, aiming to create significant impediments to the upcoming election, the foreign ministry said.
This strategic move by the BNP has led to a disturbing increase in vandalism and arson attacks across the country, according to the ministry.
Their supporters have engaged in these destructive acts to instill panic and exert undue pressure on the government to concede to their controversial demands, the foreign ministry said.
Also read: Hartal enforcers behind burning train in Tejgaon: DMP chief
Denmark wins 2nd Bangabandhu diplomatic tennis cup
Team Denmark has won the second Bangabandhu Diplomatic Tennis Cup.
The team of Pakistan High Commission ended up as the runners-up.
Denmak’s Ambassador Christian Brix Møller won the best player medal in the tournament.
The tournament was organised by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh on the occasion of the 52nd Victory Day.
Ashrafuzzaman Khan (Puton), President of the Dhaka Club was the chief guest of the prize giving ceremony and Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen was present as the special guest.
140 more Bangladeshis return home from Libya
A fresh batch of 140 Bangladeshi citizens returned home from Libya on Thursday by a chartered flight of Buraq Air.
Among them, 113 people were affected by floods in the city of Derna in the eastern Libya and 27 were detained at Ganfouda detention centre in Benghazi, according to a foreign ministry press release.
Over 60 people have drowned in the capsizing of a migrant vessel off Libya, the UN says
A flight of Buraq Air carrying the Bangladeshi nationals landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 6:30 am on Thursday, said the release,
Foreign ministry officials and officials of International Organisation for Migration (IOM) received them at the airport.
Upon their arrival at the airport, the IOM provided Tk 5,919 and some food to each of the returnees.
136 more Bangladeshis repatriated from Libya
At that time, Mostofa Jamil Khan, director (Welfare) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, inquired about the repatriated Bangladeshis. He advised the returnees who were detained at Ganfouda detention centre to talk to neighbours and relatives about their terrible experiences in Libya.
He said that the returnees can play an important role in creating awareness about illegal migration among people.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with the financial support of the IOM, is facilitating the return of illegal Bangladeshi migrants stranded in Libya.
145 more Bangladeshis return from Libya
As part of this initiative, a total of 975 Bangladeshis have been brought back to the country from Libya from July 2023, according to the foreign ministry press release.
All irregular Bangladeshi citizens will be repatriated from Libya soon, reads the press release.
Holy See to Bangladesh urged to encourage Myanmar for sustainable Rohingyas repatriation
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen on Thursday urged Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Bangladesh Archbishop Kevin S. Randall to encourage Myanmar authorities to create a conducive environment for the sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas.
He said this while Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Bangladesh Archbishop Kevin S. Randall met Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
China sees brighter future with Bangladesh: Chinese envoy to Dhaka
The foreign secretary congratulated His Excellency Archbishop Kevin S. Randall on his assumption of responsibilities as the Apostolic Nuncio of the Holy See to Bangladesh and assured him full support in discharging his responsibilities.
He also highlighted Bangladesh’s glorious history of religious harmony and age-old tradition of peaceful coexistence of the people of different religions.
He commended the significant role played by the Christian community in Bangladesh through their noticeable involvement in promoting education and social services.
Bangladesh remains extra vigilant about Myanmar violence: MoFA spokesperson
The Apostolic Nuncio appreciated religious harmony in Bangladesh and expressed satisfaction at the constitutional guarantee to freedom of religion.
Momen also commended the Holy See’s constructive role in promoting global peace and harmony and hoped that the Holy See would apply its high moral standing to impress people across the globe to respect the sacred values and religious symbols of all religions.
‘If US can raise hourly wage, we can follow that model; inflation is high there’: Momen
He deeply appreciated His Holiness Pope Francis’ personal commitment to the cause of over 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas, who fled atrocities in their homeland in Myanmar, and briefed the Apostolic Nuncio about the Rohingyas in Bangladesh and the need for their safe, voluntary and dignified return to their homeland Myanmar at an early date.
China sees brighter future with Bangladesh: Chinese envoy to Dhaka
Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Thursday said China stands ready to further integrate development strategies with Bangladesh, deepen practical cooperation in various fields and bring the Bangladesh-China strategic partnership of cooperation to a new level.
He said that China is also keen to deliver more benefits to the people of the two countries.
"After Bangladesh’s national parliament election to be held on January 7th next year, China-Bangladesh relations and practical cooperation in various fields will develop in a wider range," he said while speaking at a seminar in Dhaka.
Beyond the bilateral level, Ambassador Yao said the Bangladesh-China cooperation would further extend to regional and international arenas and play a greater role in maintaining peace, stability and development for the sake of the entire mankind.
"Thus it calls for people from all walks of life of the two countries, including all of you present here, to cherish, care for and shape the China-Bangladesh relations," he said, adding that think tanks and scholars of the two countries can play a unique and irreplaceable role.
Bangladesh deserves the best, says Kosovo envoy to Dhaka
The Centre for Alternatives (CA), in collaboration with the Embassy of China in Bangladesh, hosted the seminar on “National Image of China in Bangladesh.”
The keynote presentation was delivered by Dr. Imtiaz Ahmed, Professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka and Executive Director of the Centre for Alternatives (CA).
Two speakers Dr. Sk. Tawfique M. Haque, Professor, Director, SIPG Programme, Chair, Department of Political Science and Sociology, North South University, Dhaka, and Dr. Shahab Enam Khan, Professor, Jahangirnagar University, delivered the speech.
Dr. Amena Mohsin, Professor of International Relations at the University of Dhaka, delivered the vote of thanks.
Dr. Imtiaz pointed out China’s national image among Bangladeshis, especially their socioeconomic, political, developmental, and geographical differences.
Bangladesh remains extra vigilant about Myanmar violence: MoFA spokesperson
The primary focus was on what young people were thinking about the Bangladesh-China relationship.
Dr Tawfique Haque addressed two areas the Chinese government needs to consider
regarding Bangladesh; firstly, China should clarify that its way of resolving the Rohingya crisis differs from that of other Western nations. Secondly, China should create a counter-narrative against the debt trap narrative, as Bangladeshis are still suspicious of this narrative.
Dr. Shahab Enam Khan pointed out that ‘acts of balancing’ best describe relations between Bangladesh and China. Regarding supply chain management, failing traditional international institutions and national economic priorities, Bangladesh must ensure a balanced relationship with
China and other development partners.
"We welcome and support the top minds of China and Bangladesh to further strengthen in-depth research on our bilateral relations, in particular from the perspectives of country studies, regional cooperation and geopolitics, and make valuable suggestions," said Ambassador Yao.
It is also expected that the academia of the two countries could pay closer attention to China-Bangladesh economic and trade cooperation, think about the way to cope with a series of new challenges that the two countries are facing, and propose creative suggestions for the betterment of China-Bangladesh relations under new circumstances, he said.
‘If US can raise hourly wage, we can follow that model; inflation is high there’: Momen
Yao said that the report and relative data show a positive perception of China among Bangladesh's young people, as well as identifying several areas where China can concentrate more to improve its image in the future.
Former Ambassador Tariq Karim, former Foreign Affairs Adviser to a caretaker government Dr. Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, former Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque, Dr. Zaidi Sattar, Professor Dr. Barkat-E-Khuda also attended the seminar.
Bangladesh remains extra vigilant about Myanmar violence: MoFA spokesperson
Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Seheli Sabrin on Thursday said that Bangladesh is carefully monitoring the current situation in Myanmar.
“In this situation, all concerned, including the Border Guard Bangladesh, are alert to prevent infiltration from Myanmar to Bangladesh,” she said referring to the recent upsurge in violence as multiple ethnic armed organisations have begun their offensive against Myanmar Junta in October.
Also read: Myanmar's military is losing ground against coordinated nationwide attacks, buoying opposition hopes
The MoFA spokesperson made the remarks in a weekly briefing on Thursday afternoon
She said it is expected that the repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar will begin in the near future at the appropriate time and circumstances.
Quoting the Myanmar Wing at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Sabrin said Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen has highlighted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s extraordinary generosity in sheltering over one million Rohingyas in Bangladesh.
“Speaking at the 2nd Global Refugee Forum (GRF) session in Geneva, he called on the world community to be more generous in fulfilling their commitments to help more than 100 million refugees spread around the world,” she said.
Also read: US finds Rohingya situation a priority, pledges to increase number of resettled refugees from Bangladesh in 2024
The foreign ministry spokesperson said voluntary, safe and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas is currently underway under a tripartite initiative of Bangladesh-Myanmar-China.
“Myanmar authorities have already informed Rohingyas more than once about the facilities that the Rohingyas will get after their repatriation to Rakhine in order to start safe, dignified, and sustainable repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals,” said Sabrin, quoting the Myanmar Wing.
And the work of verifying their place of origin in Rakhine for the first phase of repatriation is underway, she added.
Also read: Foreign govts can bring immediate relief to Rohingyas by upping support for humanitarian response: International Crisis Group
‘If US can raise hourly wage, we can follow that model; inflation is high there’: Momen
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen today (December 21, 2023) said Bangladesh wants peace and stability instead of conflict to keep the wheel of development going.
“We don’t want any conflict. We want peace and stability, and continuation of democratic trend,” he said while talking to journalists as he began his election campaign.
Momen, who is contesting from Sylhet-1 constituency, said the country has witnessed an unprecedented development over the last 15 years and that development needs to remain undisturbed.
He said people of this country sacrificed their lives for establishing democracy, justice and human rights.
Read more: Want to uphold Sylhet's political legacy: Momen
Responding to a question, Momen said BNP made a mistake and they should have joined the election to boost their credibility as a political party.
“They have lost a chance and their acceptability is also lost,” he said, referring to killing policemen and arson attacks on both private and public properties since October 28.
Saying that BNP lacks leadership and maturity, Momen said politics is for the welfare of people and the country, not for their destruction.
The foreign minister said the people with much enthusiasm will come to the polling centers to cast their votes freely.
Read more: US proposal for Boeing purchase under discussion for a while, not tied to election: Momen
“To increase voters’ presence, we will go everywhere,” he said, noting that many educated people refrain from casting their votes.
“I will request them to come to vote. I won’t ask them to vote for me… They can vote for their preferred candidates. We want a fair election, free of violence. We want to show the world a model election,” Momen said.
Eight US Congress members recently sent a letter to Stephen Lamar, president and CEO of American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), saying that they think the minimum wage set for Bangladesh’s garment workers is not enough. When Momen’s attention was drawn in this regard, he said, “I thank them. They can do one thing. In New York, the hourly wage is 15 dollars. If they can make it 45 dollars and create a model, we can follow them. People in America are suffering due to high inflation.”
Read more: No external pressure; we’re under our own pressure: Momen
Bangladesh deserves the best, says Kosovo envoy to Dhaka
Outgoing Ambassador of Republic of Kosovo to Bangladesh Guner Ureya said on Wednesday that Bangladesh deserves the best if solidarity and unity could be ensured.
"Please prioritise dialogue in all situations. You have a beautiful country and beautiful people. Bangladesh deserves the best," he said in a message about an hour before his departure on Wednesday night.
In his "last message and friendly advice," Ureya said it is natural that there are differences of opinion in every society.
"We hope that the affinity between our countries and people will endure forever," he said.
Everything has a beginning and an end, Ureya said in his message to Bangladeshi friends.
"It is my last moments in Bangladesh. I will be leaving Dhaka after approximately 55 minutes," he wrote an hour before his departure.
"It is difficult to say goodbye to leave Bangladesh and my friends here. As I depart, my sincere messages to Bangladeshis are as follows:
“First of all, thank you very much to everyone for the friendship and hospitality you have shown to me and my family in Bangladesh.
My family and I will never forget our Bengali friends, and we always pray for your happiness."
Bangladesh envoy Amanul Haq presents credentials to Georgian president
Bangladesh Ambassador M Amanul Haq accompanied by wife Runa Mahjabin Ahmed presented his credentials to Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili in Tbilisi on Wednesday.
He assumed the charge of ambassador of Bangladesh to the European country on Tuesday and will also serve as Bangladesh's non-resident ambassador to Georgia.
After presenting the credentials, the envoy paid a courtesy call on the Georgian president and conveyed the greetings of President Mohammed Shahabuddin and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to him.
The president also congratulated his Bangladeshi counterpart and the premier.
Envoy Amanul briefed the president over the continuous development programmes of Bangladesh in the socio-economic sector under the skilled and farsighted leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Georgian president assured the ambassador that all kinds of cooperation will continue for the welfare of the Bangladesh and its people in the days to come.
Earlier, the envoy paid a courtesy call on Georgian Foreign Minister Ilia Darchiashvili.
The Georgian president, foreign minister and deputy minister wished envoy Amanul on the occasion of his birthday.
Later, the ambassador visited Tbilisi city under supervision of the foreign ministry and attended a dinner party hosted by European country.
On December 19, 2023, ambassador Amanul met with Alexander Khutsiashvili, deputy foreign minister of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Georgia and handed over a copy of his credentials.
Deputy foreign minister of Uzbekistan meets Bangladesh envoy
A meeting was held between Bangladesh Ambassador to Uzbekistan Dr. Mohammad Monirul Islam and Deputy Foreign Minister of Uzbekistan Bakhromjon Aloyev at the ambassador’s office on Wednesday.
Ambassador Islam briefed the deputy foreign minister about the current status and progress of bilateral relations between the two countries.
He highlighted the significant progress that has been made, including the finalisation of the proposed "roadmap" to make Dhaka-Tashkent friendship more effective and meaningful.
The deputy foreign minister of Uzbekistan expressed his gratitude to the Bangladesh government for its support to select Samarkand as the venue for the next UNESCO General Conference in 2025.
Expressing satisfaction over the progress of Bangladesh-Uzbekistan relations, the deputy foreign minister put emphasis on further strengthening the economic cooperation between the two countries.
Humayun Akhmadov, officer of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Uzbekistan and Md. Nazmul Alam, counsellor of Bangladesh Embassy to Uzbekistan, were also present during the meeting.