LONDON
Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that he country never felt scared in facing problems while it would make its way ahead despite the influx of tens of thousands of forcibly evicted Myanmar citizens.
“We, the Bangalee nation fought and liberated the country at the call of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman . . . we never become scared if any problem arises,” she said while exchanging views with Awami League leaders based in UK and other European countries on Thursday.
She said, rather, “we want to advance further by tackling it (problem).” Premier’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
The premier said discussions with Naypyidaw began to resolve the crisis with the recent Dhaka visit of a senior Myanmar representative, but Bangladesh extended shelter to the victims of forced exodus on humanitarian grounds as people of the country always believed in humanity.
“Human beings are for human beings. . . . we cannot throw them out (Myanmar people) to the Bay of Bengal, If we could feed 16 crore people, we can also feed additional five to seven lakh people at their time of distress,” she said.
“If necessary, we’ll eat one meal a day and share another meal with these distressed people . . . we’re not that rich but our heart is big and we stand for mankind.”
The premier said the hapless Rohingya people who fled to Bangladesh will be shifted to an island called “Bhasan Char” from Cox’s Bazar.
Sheikh Hasina who along with her younger sister Sheikh Rehana visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar before flying to New York to attend the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly narrated horrifying stories she heard from the fleeing women and children from the Rakhine State of Myanmar.
She said the civil administration, army, navy and air force, BGB, police and her party volunteers were working hard to mitigate the sufferings of these people.
“Without waiting for any external assistance, we’ve made arrangement for accommodation, food and medicine,” she said.
The premier said the international community was amazed to see the generosity of accepting such a huge number of people by the Bangladesh government.
Sheikh Hasina recalled her own life in refuge abroad after Bangabandhu’s assassination on August 15 in 1975 saying “we know well about the refugee life as I and my sister had to lead such a life for six years”.
While talking about the country’s biggest infrastructure project Padma Bridge, the prime minister expressed happiness over the installation of its first span on saying “we’ve proved, we can”.
Sheikh Hasina recalled her government’s decision to finance the mega project from its own fund in the wake of hostilities and conspiracies from different powerful quarters including the World Bank that withdrew its loans from the bridge on false and fictitious charge of corruption.
The PM said the construction of the Padma Bridge by the own fund was a big challenge for her government.
“It was a big challenge for us to finance the project from our own fund and we became victorious in this challenge,” she said.