Home ministry to extend full cooperation to UN fact finding team

Home affairs adviser Lt Gen (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury Tuesday assured that his ministry would provide all out cooperation to the United Nations (UN) fact-finding team for investigation into the crimes and acts against humanity in the last two months from 5 June to 5 August.

“We will cooperate completely with the UN fact-finding team to probe into the matters in an independent, full, fair and neutral manner,” he said.

The home adviser made the remarks while briefing the newspersons after coming out from a meeting with a three-member delegation of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), led by chief of its Asia-Pacific region Rory Mungoven held at the ministry.

He said a record number of members of the military and other law enforcement agencies have been deployed in the UN peacekeeping missions, calling upon the UN delegation to extend required cooperation as Bangladesh can maintain number one position in the mission in terms of number.

The adviser said the UN delegation has highly praised the performance of the Bangladeshi peacekeepers in its mission abroad and pledged to cooperate with Bangladesh in its endeavour.

Rory Mungoven called upon the law enforcement agencies under the home ministry to preserve the real data and facts regarding the criminals and acts against human rights committed during the anti-discrimination student movement and to help the UN fact finding team to provide those when they ask for.

OHCHR’s Asia-Pacific region human rights officials, Livia Cosenza and Alexander James Amir El Jundi, were in the delegation.

Earlier, Chinese ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen met with Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, also agriculture adviser to the caretaker government at his secretariat office.  

The Chinese envoy has sought help from the government to ensure security to 9,000 Chinese citizens working in Bangladesh, Jahangir said, adding that he assured him of providing necessary assistance to this end.

Jahangir also called for cooperation from the Chinese government to address the plight of the flood affected people in Bangladesh.