New York ceremony to award Ershad all but cancelled as UN refuses to play host

The ceremony to award Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad, and 24 others for their achievements is all set to be cancelled.

United Nations Headquarters has refused to provide any place for the programme after Vietnam raised objection against the organising committee co-chairman for his alleged role in terrorist activities in that country.

Organisers did not announce any new venue or time for the programme on their website until Tuesday.

The programme was slated to be held between Aug 5 and 7 at the UN headquarters.

The Los Angeles-based NGO ‘We Care for Humanity' nominated Ershad for the third Global Officials of Dignity (GOD) award.

He has been chosen for the category of ‘lifetime achievement on universal courage and heroism'.

Among the awardees, Nepali-born Bollywood actress Manisha Koirala has been named for the category of ‘Nepal humanitarian ambassador’.

The others are former president of Zambia Kenneth Kaunda for ‘lifetime achievement on freedom, justice and peace’ and former Nepal prime minister Khil Raj Regmi for ‘Asia’s dignity man of the year’.

However, the US unit of Jaitya Party on Monday said former president Ershad was not coming to New York to receive the award due to illness.

'We Care For Humanity’ announced to hold a human rights conference along with the awards ceremony.

The Trinidad and Tobago mission at the UN booked the auditorium as a joint organiser.

Vietnam mission raised objection after getting an invitation for the programme.

It told the UN that the award-giving committee’s co-chairman Nguyen Huu Chanh had a warrant against him for his alleged involvement in criminal activities.

The UN declined to give the auditorium to the organiser while Trinidad and Tobago mission withdrew from the ceremony.

Chanh is also serving ‘We Care For Humanity’ as Emeritus Advisor and as a board member.

Office of the Spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General told bdnews24.com  no programme under the leadership of a person with a warrant against him as criminal would be permitted at the UN Headquarters.

An officer at the Trinidad and Tobago mission said it was not backing the organisation anymore after getting the information.

The Vietnam mission’s Second Secretary Duy Thanh Nguyen informed Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN, AKA Momen, about the matter as a Bangladesh leader was nominated for the award.

Nguyen’s letter to Momen said Chanh was an ‘identified’ criminal in Vietnam.

It said he and his organisation ‘Government of Free Vietnam’ were involved in several bomb attacks in Vietnam

They also took part in planning attacks on Vietnam embassies in Thailand, the Philippines and other countries, the letter said.

Ershad’s Political and Press Secretary Sunil Shubho Roy informed media about his nomination for the award.

On Aug 3, the party’s US unit acting President Abdur Rahman and General Secretary Abu Taleb Chowdhury Chandu in a joint statement said Ershad cancelled his plan to visit New York due to ‘physical illness’.

Military dictator Ershad lost power in 1990 in a fierce popular movement, which left many dead.

He remained in prison for a few years after being accused of corruption and misuse of power, but then bounced back into electoral politics.

Some of the cases against him are still pending.