‘UN Human Rights office for our own interest’
Diplomatic Correspondent :
Foreign Affairs Adviser Touhid Hossain has stated that the United Nations Human Rights High Commission’s office in Dhaka was established in country’s own interest and can be removed at any time with six months’ notice, if necessary.
However, he added, “I don’t think such a situation will arise.” He made these remarks while speaking to journalists at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday.
In response to concerns from some experts regarding the decision to set up the Human Rights Commission office in Dhaka, Touhid Hossain said, “The decision can be reviewed after two years. If needed, it can be removed with a six-month notice. But I don’t think it will come to that.”
“We took this step considering our own interests. It’s not like we just signed an agreement upon their proposal – we took our time. We made sure our national interests are not harmed. However, I fully respect the opinions of the experts,” he continued.
Drawing attention to China’s hydropower project on its rivers would affect Bangladesh, the foreign adviser said, “The sources of our rivers are not within our borders.
Infrastructure has been, and will continue to be, built on those rivers. We cannot stop that. What we can do is to ensure that such projects do not harm us downstream. That is our aim.”
Quoting the recent meeting with Chinese Ambassador Yao Wen, Touhid Hossain said, “The Chinese Ambassador visited me, and we discussed the issue.
He informed us that it’s not a typical hydropower project where a dam is used to generate electricity. Rather, they are using new technology in stages, and the water will not be withdrawn. They have assured us of this. Therefore, there is no reason to be alarmed.”
When asked about tariff negotiations with the United States, he said, “The discussions are not over yet. You may ask those who are directly involved in the negations. It would not be appropriate for me to comment midway.”
Regarding visa difficulties faced by Bangladeshi citizens in various countries, the Foreign Affairs attributed the issue to the submission of false information by applicants.
He responded, “We need to put our house in order. The Foreign Ministry is like a sales agency – I can only sell what you produce. If you submit false information or forged passports… this wasn’t much of a problem 20 years ago.”
“There are even instances where a single individual had five different passports issued. Such issues have now become much harder to deal with,” he added.
The adviser emphasised, “False information is a major problem for us. Some still try to get away with it as before, but now it’s easily detected. This is what has led to the current situation. We must ensure such fraudulent activities do not occur. Only then can we gradually fix the situation.”
In reply to another question about Indian medical team sent to Bangladesh for the treatment of the victims of the burn injuries of aircraft crash, he said, “We want a good relation with India based on mutual respect. We have never said that we wanted bad relations with them. Neither I nor my government said anything about it.”
