Govt to honour foreign friends on Independence Day 2011

Liberation War
Govt to honour foreign friends on Independence Day 2011
The government has decided to accord honour to distinguished foreign nationals and organisations from the Independence Day next year for their extraordinary contribution in the War of Independence in 1971.
The decision to honour the heads of state and government, philosophers, litterateurs, intellectuals, eminent citizens and organisations of different countries was taken at a meeting of the national committee with its chief Foreign Minister Dipu Moni in the chair yesterday.
“We have decided to accord honour from next Independence Day to the foreign nationals and organisations, who had contributed, supported and cooperated in our independence war,” the foreign minister said emerging from the meeting.
Meeting sources said eminent personalities like former Indian president late Shri Varahagiri Venkata Giri and prime minister late Indira Gandhi, former Russian president Nikolai Podgorny, US senator late Edward Kennedy, singer George Harrison, musician Ravi Shankar, BBC journalists Mark Tully and Simon Dring will be honoured.
Dipu Moni told the journalists that the meeting, which was attended by distinguished personalities and officials from different ministries, also finalised a guideline and criteria of the award.
“Bangladesh will celebrate its 40th anniversary of independence through awarding the foreign nationals, who contributed during the country’s Liberation War,” she said.
However, she said the discussion is still going on whether the distinguished foreign nationals will be awarded with medal or citation.
“But we have decided to start awarding from March 26 next year. Later the programme to honour the foreigners will take place every March 26 (Independence Day) and every December 16 (Victory Day),” she said.
“As it would not be possible to collect names and addresses of all the people and organisations as well as to contact them at a time ….we have decided to continue updating the list and arrange honouring them twice every year,” she said.
The distinguished people and organisations will be invited in Bangladesh to receive the honour. In case the awardees could not come, programmes will be arranged in Bangladesh missions abroad to award them.
Besides, the award will be given to the family members of the distinguished personalities who are already dead.
Eminent researcher of Liberation War Shahriar Kabir, who attended the meeting, told reporters that a list of around 100 foreign nationals including heads of state and government, politicians, civil and military persons with their contribution and role has already been prepared.
“The list will be much longer as there are many more names to be included. We will continue to find out the persons and organisations from all over the world, who contributed to our independence,” he added.
He said a proposal has also been placed in the meeting to construct a memorial at Suhrawardy Udyan in memory of martyrs of the Indian army, who laid down their lives for the country’s independence in 1971.
Another proposal was also made to offer the awardees honorary citizenship of Bangladesh, he added.
Replying to a question, Shahriar Kabir said the award to be given to the foreigners will be a kind of Independence Award.
The inter-ministerial meeting, among others, was attended by Prof Muntasir Mamun, Prof Ajoy Roy, Foreign Secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes, former ambassadors Mohiuddin Ahmed and AKM Shihabuddin, Maj (retd) Shamsul Arefin, Qazi Faruque of Proshika, director generals of Bangla Academy and Shilpakala Academy.

Courtesy of The Daily Star