Govt to give priority to public interest: Momen

The people's interest, nothing else, will get priority at the time of procuring the Covid-19 vaccine, Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Monday.
The minister made the comment when he was asked about the government's diplomatic efforts in getting Covid vaccine.
Bangladesh is in contact with both China and India for procuring Covid vaccine.
"Bangladesh has no particular preference for any country with regard to procuring Covid vaccine. We will try our best to get one which will be developed first," said the foreign minister while talking to newsmen after a discussion meeting in the city.
"Our priority is our people. We will try to get Covid vaccine as soon as it is successfully developed," he said urging all not to do politics involving the vaccine.
Asked about trial of Chinese vaccine, he said a reputed Chinese company reached an agreement for conducting trial of their vaccine with the ICDDRB, which is also a world famous institution.
He also said the government had also contacted the organization in the UK which is in the process of producing Oxford vaccine but they are yet to respond.
Asked about the developments regarding Bangladesh's move to get Oxford vaccine from an Indian company, the minister said he did not have any update about this.
While addressing a discussion meeting on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the foreign minister also said the government is committed to bringing back five killers of Bangabandhu and execute them in line with the court verdict.
The fugitives are: Col (dismissed) Khandaker Abdur Rashid, Lt Col (relieved) Shariful Haque Dalim, Maj (retd) Noor Chowdhury, Maj (retd) Rashed Chowdhury and Risaldar Moslehuddin Khan.
The minister said the USA has started a process of reviewing the asylum permission of Rashed Chowdhury, a fugitive killer of Bangabandhu.
Another fugitive killer Noor Chowdhury is in Canada, and the government is in regular contact with the Canadian government to bring him back to Bangladesh, he added.
The foreign minister said the government continues its efforts to know the whereabouts of three other killers.
Five killers of Bangabandhu-Syed Farooq Rahman, Sultan Shahriar Rashid Khan, Bazlul Huda, AKM Mohiuddin Ahmed and Mohiuddin Ahmed-were hanged in January 2010. Another killer Aziz Pasha died in Zimbabwe in 2001.
And former captain Abdul Majed was executed recently.
On November 19, 2009, the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court upheld the death penalty of 12 convicted former army officials for the assassination of Bangabandhu and his family members.
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