Prime Minister Hasina says the murder of foreigners cannot destabilise Bangladesh

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the murders of two foreigners were a ‘planned effort’ to destabilise Bangladesh but that would not succeed anymore.

Speaking at Dhaka’s Mirpur Cantonment on Wednesday, she said that whenever the global community lauds Bangladesh’s achievement, incidents like these murders are orchestrated to ‘tarnish the country’s image’.
 
On Sep 28 Italian Aid worker Cesare Tavella was shot dead by assailants in Dhaka.
 
Four days later, Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi was gunned down at village in Rangpur.  
 
Both were shot thrice by masked assailants riding motorcycles.
 
“I can assure you that such incidents cannot create instability in Bangladesh or tarnish our image globally,” Hasina said.
 
Police have not yet arrested anyone for the Italian’s murder but in Rangpur two persons have been arrested, including a local BNP leader, for alleged involvement in the killing of the Japanese national.
 
“The man who died in Rangpur converted to Islam, but he was brutally killed. We have condemned the murder and taken measures to bring the perpetrators to justice,” said the prime minister.
 
“These incidents do not seem to be something random, but are a planned effort by some quarters.”

The head of the government alerted the ministers, MPs, vice-chancellors of several universities, diplomats, chiefs of the three forces, and other army and civil officials present in the programme against such incidents.

She handed over the keys to 74 flats built at Mirpur DOHS to families of 68 army officials, including some of those killed in the Peelkhana mutiny or UN peacekeeping missions abroad.

She also inaugurated the ‘Sheikh Hasina Complex’ at the Defence Services Command and Staff College in the Mirpur Cantonment.

The prime minister said “more development could have been achieved if Bangladesh did not have to tackle terrorism, militancy and conspiracy”.

She praised the army’s efforts in tackling natural disasters and mishaps.

Hasina said her government was working to ensure Bangladesh’s strong presence in policymaking at the UN peacekeeping missions.

Referring to the recent meeting of the UN peacekeeping countries at the UN General Assembly, she said the world leaders discussed the induction of more women peacekeepers.

“I’ve told them we’ll be able to provide all the women members needed in the peacekeeping missions. So, it’s better to be ready for this,” she said.