ZCZC
BSS-33
ATTACK-NZ-BANGLADESHI-CASUALTY
Shahriar says NZ attack killed 2 Bangladeshi
DHAKA, March 16, 2019 (BSS) – State minister for foreign affairs Shahriar
ALam today said latest reports suggested the gun attack in Christchurch
mosques in New Zealand killed two Bangladeshis contrary to the initial reports
of casualties of three expats.
Talking to newsmen at a function of diplomatic reporters, he said third
Bangladeshi, assumed to have died as well in the onslaught, was found alive.
Shahriar said the two dead Bangladeshis were identified as Professor Abdus
Samad and Hosne Ara Parvin.
Shahriar, however, said three Bangladeshi expatriates were apparently
missing while five were wounded in the attack and two of them were critically
injured.
He said the five injured were identified as Lipi, Muntasim, Sheikh Hassan
Rubel, Shahjada Akhtar and Omor Farooq adding the first two were critical
wounded in the attack.
Shahriar said three missing Bangladeshis were Mozammel Haque, Zakaria
Bhuiyan and Shaon.
Bangladesh’s High Commission to Australia yesterday said of the 49 dead
three were of Bangladesh origin.
Bangladesh does not have any embassy in New Zealand as Dhaka’s High
Commissioner in Canberra is concurrently accredited to the neigbouring
country while Dhaka appointed a honourary consul in Auckland to look into the
Bangladesh’s interest in New Zealand.
The state minister’s comments came as he joined a seminar organized by
Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB) marking its 21st
anniversary at the auditorium of Bangladesh Institute of International and
Strategic Studies (BIISS).
After the incident Bangladesh Honorary Consul in New Zealand Shafiqur
Rahman Bhuiyan and Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner in Australia along with
a official reached Christchurch from Auckland and Canberra to provide
necessary support to affected Bangladeshis there.
BSS/TA/AR/2035 hrs