Two hundred sixty-three Bangladeshi citizens will be brought back from Libya on Tuesday as the government’s initiative to repatriate everyone in detention there is underway.
“We will do it gradually," Mohammad Rafiqul Alam, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said on Sunday in a weekly media briefing.
He, however, could not say how many Bangladeshis who had migrated to Libya illegally were still detained in Libya.
Earlier, 143 Bangladeshi nationals were returned on a chartered flight on November 28 after being released from a detention centre in Tripoli.
Another batch of 110 people was repatriated by a chartered flight on November 30.
Rohingya repatriation
Rohingyas had been given an idea about the facilities they would get if they returned to Rakhine, the spokesperson said.
Work on voluntary, safe and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas is ongoing under a tripartite initiative of Bangladesh, Myanmar and China.
"Bangladesh is monitoring the ongoing situation in Myanmar. If the situation improves, the repatriation of Rohingya to Rakhine is expected to begin soon," he said.
FM to visit Ghana
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen will lead a Bangladesh delegation at the United Nations peacekeeping ministerial meeting to be held in Ghana's capital, Accra, on December 5-6.
The spokesperson said the delegation would highlight Bangladesh's position on the security and safety of peacekeepers, the need for strategic communication to deal with their security risks, the mental well-being of peacekeepers, and increase the participation of women in peacekeeping operations and the protection of civilians.
The foreign minister will also participate in several bilateral meetings and various side-events.
Election campaign
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent information regarding the nomination paper submission of the foreign minister and state minister for foreign affairs for the upcoming general election.
When asked whether the ministry was doing this on its own initiative and whether it was a violation of the election code of conduct, the spokesperson said sharing information was the decision of the ministry. "You can create your own explanation."
In response to a question about whether the ministry had taken permission from the Election Commission for the election campaign of the minister and the state minister, Rafiqul Alam said: "I am not sure whether there is any need to take permission from the Election Commission for sharing information that, in my understanding, is public knowledge. We all see it, you write it. Where has the code of conduct been violated?" he asked.
On Saturday, a Facebook post on the election was made from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’s verified page.
In response to the question about whether the ministry had acted as the commission’s PRO, the spokesperson said: “I believe that one of the main reasons behind sharing information on Facebook or any other social media by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is to reach a large audience quickly.”
