Govt to honour foreign friends once again for contribution to the Liberation War

The Bangladesh government has decided to honour some more foreign friends and organisers who had special contribution to the liberation war. The Ministry of Liberation War Affairs, in this connection, is working on a list of 384 persons from 33 countries including India, United States, Russia, United Kingdom, Australia, Canada, Egypt, Turkey, the Netherlands, France and Bhutan. A meeting was held on 16 February at the ministry's conference room, but no list has been finalised as yet.

A committee, headed by the liberation affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque, is working on the ministry's initiative to honour the foreign friends. According to committee sources, this time the awards -- a crest and a certificate -- will be presented through the embassies and high commissions of the various countries in Dhaka to the concerned persons or their families. However, certain selected persons among them are likely to be invited to Bangladesh where the awards will be handed over directly. There are also considerations of honouring certain institutions which directly or indirectly had contribution to the liberation war.

Earlier, from 2011 to 2013, the government had honoured 338 foreign friends and institutions from 21 countries. Among other items, they were presented with crests. The three categories of the awards were Bangladesh Independence Award, Bangladesh Liberation War Award and Liberation War Friendship Award. The foreign friends were presented with golden crests, but later it was discovered that the crests had more impurities than actual gold. Prothom Alo on 6 April 2014 published a report in this regard, 'Crester Shorner Baro Anai Michhe' (Most of the crests' gold is fake').

Each crest was supposed to have been made of one bhori (16 anna or 11.664 grams) of gold and 30 bhori of silver. But later Bangladesh Standards and Testing Institution (BSTI)'s tests revealed that each crest only had 2.363 grams or gold (3.15 anna, nowhere near a bhori). And instead of silver, there was 30 bhori or 351 grams of an amalgamation of brass, copper and zinc. A committee headed by Dhaka's divisional commissioner was formed at the time to conduct an inquiry into the matter. The inquiry report had stated, "There is truth in Prothom Alo's report."

Speaking to Prothom Alo about awarding foreign friends yet again, liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque said, "We had wanted to present these awards to our friends in March. That wasn't possible, but we want to start the process soon. There are several important persons particularly in India, Egypt and Turkey who have not been honoured as yet."

In reply to a question, the minister said, "As gold crests had been presented before, the same will be done now too. But this time we will supervise the matter ourselves so that there is no discrepancy."

About those involved in the crest fraud not being punished, the minister said, "It is true that no progress has been made on the matter. But we have sent the inquiry report on the matter to the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC). We have written to the public administration ministry asking for action to be taken."

He, however, could not say what has been done in this regard so far.

The ministry has decided to check the amount of gold at the very beginning this time, in order to avoid any controversy. The Atomic Energy Commission will carry out the tests. Only once the amount and quality of gold in the crests is verified, will these be handed over to the foreign recipients, said sources in the ministry.

Professor Muntassir Mamoon, head of the sub-committee regarding the list for the awards, told Prothom Alo that most of those to be awarded are no longer living. It is difficult to find their families. He said they were now scrutinising the list.

Muntassir Mamoon, when asked about the failure to punish those responsible for the crest fraud, told Prothom Alo, punishing those responsible for that fraud in the past and presenting the awards now are two different matters.

However, it is very disappointing that the criminals have not been punished, he added.

Officials of the liberation war affairs ministry said that a list of possible awardees had been drawn up in 2011. A total of 348 persons from 33 countries on the list have not been awarded as yet. The list will now be updated. If persons who had contribution to the liberation war have not been named on the list, their names will be added now. Care will also be taken so that one particular country or region is not given prominence on the list.

President of the Ekatturer Ghatak Dalal Nirmul Committee, Shahriar Kabir, feels that by involving the foreign high commissions and embassies in Dhaka, it will be possible to find the names and addresses of the foreign persons who had contribution to the liberation war. He, at the request and arrangements of the ministry, recently visited Kolkata, India, to search for the foreign friends. He talked to local journalists, writers and veteran politicians to collect information in this regard. He said information has been collected on 30 persons who worked in support of Bangladesh during the liberation war in various ways.

Awarding foreign friends and institutions for the liberation war

Most of the crests' gold is fake!

Rozina Islam

Gold crests have been awarded to the foreign heads of state, politicians, philosophers, artists, writers, intellectuals and eminent persons from around the world for their contribution to the liberation. The crests, however, do not contain the stipulated amount of gold. And instead of silver, the metal has been replaced by an amalgamation of brass, copper and zinc.

This fraud was revealed during tests conducted by the Bangladesh Standards Testing Institute (BSTI). The ministry of liberation war affairs had asked BSTI to test the crests made for 31 persons and institutions to be honoured in the third phase of the seven-phase awards.

Each crest, according to the concerned directives, was to contain one bhori (16 anna or 11.664 grams) of gold and 30 bhori of silver. BSTI's tests revealed that each crest contained only 2.363 grams of gold (3.15 anna). And instead of 30 bhori of silver, there was an amalgamation of brass, copper and zinc.

When asked about the matter, BSTI deputy director Taher Jamil confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo. The liberation war affairs ministry, however, has taken no punitive action against those who supplied the crests.

Quite to the contrary, one bill showed that the supplier firm was paid for two bhori of gold (23.5 grams) and 30 bhori of silver for one crest.

The crests were bought without an open tender. Other than 60 of the 338 crests, all were supplied by the company Amecon. However, despite contacting the ministry, it could not be found out which company supplied those 60 crests.

Records show that In the third phase of the awards, the crests were sent to BSTI for tests in accordance to the rules on 18 October 2012. The crests were presented to 61 foreign recipients two days later on 20 October.

Later, in four more phases, 62, 1, 69 and 60 persons and institutions were awarded respectively. The ministry could not say if tests were carried out on these crests. In the first two phases, one person and then 84 persons were awarded respectively. The supplier said they did not have time to change the crests.

The liberation war affairs minister AKM Mozammel Haque said he had heard something about the matter. "If proven to be true, punitive action will be taken against whoever is responsible," he said.

*The report, originally published in the print edition of Prothom Alo, has been rewritten into English by Ayesha Kabir