CONTRIBUTION IN INDEPENDENCE : Bangladesh to honour 400 foreigners
Dhaka, Dec 13 (bdnews24.com)—The government has chosen some 400 foreigners including 226 Indians and 40 Pakistanis to honour them for their outstanding contributions in the nation's war of independence.
It has also picked 24 international organisations for the honour, 39 years after the independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, former Cuban president Fidel Castro, former Yugoslavian president Marshal Josep Broz Tito and former Soviet Union prime minister Leonid I Brezhnev are on the list.
In addition to politicians, the list of 388 also earmarked military personnel, poets, philosophers, journalists, human-rights activists, singers and filmmakers who had worked to inform the international community about the Pakistani atrocities against the Bangalees in the bloody nine-month war.
The national committee, headed by foreign minister Dipu Moni, on Sunday finalised the names of the foreign nationals and organisations at a meeting at the foreign ministry.
Moni chaired the meeting attended by foreign secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes, liberation war affairs secretary Mizanur Rahman, freedom fighter Shahrier Kabir and other members of the committee.
"We have finalised the list and will make it public after talking to the prime minister soon," the foreign minister told bdnews24.com at her office.
The list also includes eight Russians, 35 Britons, two Irishmen, five Australians, three Dutchmen, three Argentinians, eight Swiss, two Germans, 13 Frenchmen, three Butanese, 13 Japanese, two Sri Lankans and 15 Nepalese for helping the freedom struggle in different ways, one of the committee members told bdnews24.com after the meeting.
In addition, the lists contains one person each from Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Venezuela, Sweden, New Zealand and the former Yugoslavia, he said.
According to a letter of the liberation war affairs ministry, obtained by bdnews24.com, the president or the prime minister will distribute a 50 gram gold (18 carat) crest and the recipients will get honourary citizenship of Bangladesh.
Some of the Indian recipients include former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, former foreign minister Sarder Saran Singh, former foreign minister Krishna Menon, former Congress leader Sachindra Lal Singha, former defence minister Jagojibon Roy, diplomat D P Dhar, P N Dhar, I J Gujral, Pranab Mukherjee, Field Marshal Manek Shaw, Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, Pandit Ravi Shankar, film maker Satyajit Roy, singer Manna Dey, artists Makbul Fida Hussain and Bishnu Dey, and singer Mohmmad Rafi.
Pakistani politicians include G M Sayeed (nationalist leader of Sindh and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's friend), Sheikh Ayaz, Master Khan Gul and Ghous Baksh Bijenjo.
Dr Tareq Rahman and Umar Asghar--the men who resigned from the Pakistani army-- and Air Marshal Azgor Khan, human rights activists Ahmed Selim, Tahera Mazhar and advocate Zafor Malik are among the recipients.
A total of 83 US nationals have been selected by the committee.
Senator Edward M Kennedy and Edmond Mulky, diplomat Archer Kent Blood (consul general of the US embassy in Dhaka in 1971), singer Joan Baez (who sang for Bangladeshis in US), Allen Ginsenberg (who wrote poem styled September on Jessore Road), Layer Levin, the maker of the film "Joy Bangla", are among the selected personalities.
Russel Johnston, Bruce Douglas Mann, John Stonehouse and Tom William are among the 14 UK politicians on the list.
The UK journalists Sir Mark Tully, Simon Dring, Nicholas Tomalin and Clare Hallingwasth, singer George Harrison, Donald Chesworth, Paul Connel, Marietta Procop will also be honoured by the state.
The five Australian recipients are political leader William A S Ouderland (who was awarded the title Bir Protik), Les Johnson MP, W A Waderland, Penny Tweedie and physician Dr Geofrey David.
French recipients include former French foreign minister Andre Vumik, Andre Malraux, Lucien Bigeault, Prof Alexander Minkowski.
Former Bhutanese King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, former Bhutanese foreign minister Ugyen Tshering and his foreign secretary Dasho Karma Dorjee are also on the list.
Takashi Hayakama, Setsurei Tsurushina and Hajima Katsube are among the 13 Japanese to be honoured.
Nepalese leaders B P Koirala, G P Koirala, Sushil Koirala and Ram Baran Yadav have also been selected by the committee.
The Ireland nationals barrister Nora Shariff and Bimol Basu, Canadian national Sagir Ahmed, Korean Hang Sook Ja, Malaysian politician Dr Soorian, Sri Lankan national Mohammad Sanoon Mohamed Salley and Senarat Gunawardena,Venezuelan national Cardinal Jose Humberto Quintero, Dutch nationals (human rights activist) Jan Willem van der Eb, Els van der Berg and Kinten Wat Bage, former New prime minister Kain Elyok, Swedish national Lars Leijonborg MP, Danish national Knud Neilson, Argentine nationals Edvardo Mallea, Ernesto Sabato and Swiss national (Bangladeshi born) Khan Majlish, Tidor von Suppon, Victor Umbricht and Tony Hagen, German nationals Sunil Dasgupta and Horst Faas and Italian Father Marino Rigon have been selected for the honour.
Swiss Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Indian radio station Akhash Bani, Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists, ICRC, Oxfam GB, World Health Organisation, International Labour Organisation are some of the 24 international bodies.
It has also picked 24 international organisations for the honour, 39 years after the independence from Pakistan in 1971.
Former Indian prime minister Indira Gandhi, former Cuban president Fidel Castro, former Yugoslavian president Marshal Josep Broz Tito and former Soviet Union prime minister Leonid I Brezhnev are on the list.
In addition to politicians, the list of 388 also earmarked military personnel, poets, philosophers, journalists, human-rights activists, singers and filmmakers who had worked to inform the international community about the Pakistani atrocities against the Bangalees in the bloody nine-month war.
The national committee, headed by foreign minister Dipu Moni, on Sunday finalised the names of the foreign nationals and organisations at a meeting at the foreign ministry.
Moni chaired the meeting attended by foreign secretary Mohamed Mijarul Quayes, liberation war affairs secretary Mizanur Rahman, freedom fighter Shahrier Kabir and other members of the committee.
"We have finalised the list and will make it public after talking to the prime minister soon," the foreign minister told bdnews24.com at her office.
The list also includes eight Russians, 35 Britons, two Irishmen, five Australians, three Dutchmen, three Argentinians, eight Swiss, two Germans, 13 Frenchmen, three Butanese, 13 Japanese, two Sri Lankans and 15 Nepalese for helping the freedom struggle in different ways, one of the committee members told bdnews24.com after the meeting.
In addition, the lists contains one person each from Canada, Cuba, Denmark, Italy, Korea, Malaysia, Venezuela, Sweden, New Zealand and the former Yugoslavia, he said.
According to a letter of the liberation war affairs ministry, obtained by bdnews24.com, the president or the prime minister will distribute a 50 gram gold (18 carat) crest and the recipients will get honourary citizenship of Bangladesh.
Some of the Indian recipients include former West Bengal chief minister Jyoti Basu, former foreign minister Sarder Saran Singh, former foreign minister Krishna Menon, former Congress leader Sachindra Lal Singha, former defence minister Jagojibon Roy, diplomat D P Dhar, P N Dhar, I J Gujral, Pranab Mukherjee, Field Marshal Manek Shaw, Gen Jagjit Singh Aurora, Pandit Ravi Shankar, film maker Satyajit Roy, singer Manna Dey, artists Makbul Fida Hussain and Bishnu Dey, and singer Mohmmad Rafi.
Pakistani politicians include G M Sayeed (nationalist leader of Sindh and Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's friend), Sheikh Ayaz, Master Khan Gul and Ghous Baksh Bijenjo.
Dr Tareq Rahman and Umar Asghar--the men who resigned from the Pakistani army-- and Air Marshal Azgor Khan, human rights activists Ahmed Selim, Tahera Mazhar and advocate Zafor Malik are among the recipients.
A total of 83 US nationals have been selected by the committee.
Senator Edward M Kennedy and Edmond Mulky, diplomat Archer Kent Blood (consul general of the US embassy in Dhaka in 1971), singer Joan Baez (who sang for Bangladeshis in US), Allen Ginsenberg (who wrote poem styled September on Jessore Road), Layer Levin, the maker of the film "Joy Bangla", are among the selected personalities.
Russel Johnston, Bruce Douglas Mann, John Stonehouse and Tom William are among the 14 UK politicians on the list.
The UK journalists Sir Mark Tully, Simon Dring, Nicholas Tomalin and Clare Hallingwasth, singer George Harrison, Donald Chesworth, Paul Connel, Marietta Procop will also be honoured by the state.
The five Australian recipients are political leader William A S Ouderland (who was awarded the title Bir Protik), Les Johnson MP, W A Waderland, Penny Tweedie and physician Dr Geofrey David.
French recipients include former French foreign minister Andre Vumik, Andre Malraux, Lucien Bigeault, Prof Alexander Minkowski.
Former Bhutanese King Jigme Dorji Wangchuk, former Bhutanese foreign minister Ugyen Tshering and his foreign secretary Dasho Karma Dorjee are also on the list.
Takashi Hayakama, Setsurei Tsurushina and Hajima Katsube are among the 13 Japanese to be honoured.
Nepalese leaders B P Koirala, G P Koirala, Sushil Koirala and Ram Baran Yadav have also been selected by the committee.
The Ireland nationals barrister Nora Shariff and Bimol Basu, Canadian national Sagir Ahmed, Korean Hang Sook Ja, Malaysian politician Dr Soorian, Sri Lankan national Mohammad Sanoon Mohamed Salley and Senarat Gunawardena,Venezuelan national Cardinal Jose Humberto Quintero, Dutch nationals (human rights activist) Jan Willem van der Eb, Els van der Berg and Kinten Wat Bage, former New prime minister Kain Elyok, Swedish national Lars Leijonborg MP, Danish national Knud Neilson, Argentine nationals Edvardo Mallea, Ernesto Sabato and Swiss national (Bangladeshi born) Khan Majlish, Tidor von Suppon, Victor Umbricht and Tony Hagen, German nationals Sunil Dasgupta and Horst Faas and Italian Father Marino Rigon have been selected for the honour.
Swiss Red Cross, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Indian radio station Akhash Bani, Geneva-based International Commission of Jurists, ICRC, Oxfam GB, World Health Organisation, International Labour Organisation are some of the 24 international bodies.
__._,_.___
