Killers of foreign nationals in Bangladesh must be punished

Accusing BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia again of conspiring to tarnish the country's image through killing of foreign nationals, the prime minister yesterday said those behind the recent killing of two foreigners would be hunted down and tried.

"There'll be no place for terrorists and militants in Bangladesh… we'll surely find out the killers ... and bring them under the purview of law," Sheikh Hasina said while addressing a reception at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre in the capital.

The Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industries accorded the reception to the PM for her receiving the world's highest environmental accolade “Champions of the Earth Award” and “The ICT Sustainable Development Award” of the International Telecommunication Union.

Her government wants to maintain peace in the country so that children can attend schools, people live a peaceful life, businessmen do their business properly and the country can maintain its growth without any disturbance, Hasina said.

When the country is moving forward, she said, a section of people are not happy at all.

"At a time when Bangladesh is getting recognition, such heinous incidents are being carried out.”

Japanese citizen Kunio Hoshi was shot dead in Rangpur on October 3, five days after the killing of an Italian citizen Cesare Tavella in Dhaka's Gulshan area.

Recalling the violence carried out during the anti-government movement by the BNP-Jamaat alliance, Hasina said the BNP chief now began conspiring to kill foreign nationals in Bangladesh since she had realised that burning innocent people did not yield any outcome in her favour.

“This is just an enmity with the country and its people.”