FM sees progress in efforts to free hijacked ship, crew

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said there has been progress in the government's efforts to free the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah, which was hijacked by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean along with 23 sailors on board.

"Our aim is to rescue the sailors unharmed and at the same time rescue the ship. I just want to say that we have advanced much," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.

Hasan Mahmud said they are in contact and are making multifaceted efforts to rescue the crew members.

Regarding the reported food shortage on the ship, he said food shortage has never happened in the past when ships have been hijacked. "Hopefully it won't happen in this case either."

After 9 days of taking the Bangladeshi ship and holding 23 sailors hostage, Somali pirates contacted the owners.

Death toll along border comes down

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Thursday said the use of non-lethal weapons has increased in recent days compared to the past, leading to a decrease in death toll along Bangladesh-India border.

"We have long been discussing this with India. When I visited India recently, we discussed the issue with much importance so that non-lethal weapons are used along the border. Now, compared to the past, use of non-lethal weapons has increased," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The foreign minister described the recent border killings in Lalmonirhat and Naogaon and mentioned that a flag meeting was held between Border Guard Bangladesh and Border Security Force.

There was a protest from the BGB side, he added.

Hasan said they want to see no such incident in the border areas.

Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and Indian Border Security Force (BSF) have agreed to bring down the border casualties of Bangladeshi nationals to zero by enhancing joint patrolling, vigilance, intensifying public awareness programmes, preventing criminals or inhabitants from crossing borders and sharing information.

Since BGB and BSF are in engagement, he said, they think problems can be solved there.

FM Hasan denounces Prof Yunus

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Thursday described Yunus Centre's "lying" and Professor Muhammad Yunus receiving an award from an Israeli sculptor "very unfortunate."

"I am very surprised.....it's very unfortunate," he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said there was not a single word of protest from Prof Yunus when people including children and women were killed in Gaza and when there are crimes against humanity.

"In this situation in Gaza, Prof Yunus received an award from an Israeli. What is this? What does it mean? Is it not supporting Israeli killings in Gaza?" Hasan asked.

He said Prof Yunus was not awarded by UNESCO but it was a lie spread by Yunus Centre.

Hasan said it is not the first time Yunus Centre did it but they did spread the same falsehoods in the past.

Earlier, Education Minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury on Wednesday said the UNESCO did not confer "The Tree of Peace" award to Nobel laureate Professor Yunus.

Mohibul, who is also the chairman of the Bangladesh UNESCO Commission, made the statement to reporters at the Bangladesh Secretariat.

He said "Dr Yunus was conferred the 'Tree of Peace' award by an Israeli sculptor, upon invitation from the Ganjavi Foundation in Azerbaijan."

The minister said Dr Yunus' claim that he received the award from UNESCO is untrue.

"The information propagated by the Yunus Centre regarding the UNESCO award is inaccurate and misleading," said the minister. "It is imperative that we set the record straight and ensure that such misinformation does not tarnish the reputation of our country. An explanation will be sent to the UNESCO headquarters regarding this matter as it is humiliating for Bangladesh."

The minister also warned of legal repercussions if the Yunus Centre persisted in spreading false claims about the UNESCO award. He emphasised the need for immediate cessation of such misleading information to prevent further damage to the reputation of both Dr Yunus and Bangladesh on the international stage.

However, comments from the Yunus Centre were not immediately available.