Businessmen now visiting USA bear own expenses: FBCCI

In the wake of BNP’s allegation, Federation of Bangladesh Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FBCCI) in a statement Wednesday cleared its position on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s entourage in the USA to attend the 69th UN General Assembly (UNGA), according to a news agency.
The FBCCI statement, signed by its secretary general Mir Shahabuddin Mohammad, said: “The honourable Prime Minister is now visiting the USA to attend UNGA with 180 delegates. A 70-member business delegation is included in the Prime Minister’s entourage. The members of the business delegation is visiting the USA at their own expense.”
It said: “Though they are included in the PM’s entourage, but the government has no financial involvement regarding the expenses of the business delegation. Even in the Government Order (G.O.) instruction was been given that all members of the business delegation will have to bear their expenses from own fund.”
Mentioning that the visit of the FBCCI delegation to the USA is very important, the statement said Bangladesh will strongly demand the quota-free access of Bangladesh products to the USA and also restoration of the GSP facilities.
Criticizing Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for going to the USA with a huge delegation of 180 people, BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir Monday said this was an example of “whimsical use of state power by the current illegal government.”