Ambassador rejects report
Bangladesh Ambassador in Libya ABM Nuruzzaman yesterday told the media over the phone that miscreants did not attack the Bangladesh embassy in Tripoli on Monday, but they looted belongings of four Bangladeshis who were going to the embassy.
He said the Bangladesh government presently has no plan to evacuate its diplomats and other embassy staff from there. “We’re still safe, and we haven’t thought in that line,” Nuruzzaman told UNB.
He said the four Bangladeshis were robbed about half a kilometre away from the embassy.
Around 300 Bangladeshi workers are gathered in front of the embassy in search of refuge, and no more space is left there to accommodate more people, he added.
Talking to TV channel ATN Bangla, Nuruzzaman said it is true that Bangladeshis there are panicked, but he advised them not to panic, and to stay wherever they are until further notice.
REJOINDER, OUR REPLY
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh foreign ministry issued a rejoinder yesterday on The Daily Star’s story published on Tuesday, headlined “Bangladesh mission looted in Tripoli”. The rejoinder signed by Zashim Uddin, deputy director of the External Publicity Wing of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, “We have checked with the Bangladesh embassy in Tripoli. The ambassador has confirmed in clear terms that no such incident has taken place. The premises of the embassy are safe and secure.”
OUR REPLY
The Daily Star ran a late night story yesterday following a telephone call from Tripoli. The caller who claimed to be an eyewitness told The Daily Star that miscreants had entered the embassy premises in Tripoli and looted valuables. Yesterday, we further checked but could not confirm from other sources the looting incident inside the embassy.
So, we accept the version of the Bangladesh ambassador in Tripoli that the looting took place outside the embassy and stand corrected. We also regret the inconveniences caused to our readers.
Courtesy of The Daily Star
