PM for maintaining amity among people
Thursday, 24 February 2011
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina Wednesday stressed on maintaining amity among the people irrespective of caste and religion aiming at building Bangladesh as a peaceful country, reports BSS.
"Maintaining religious harmony is needed as we want to establish Bangladesh as a peaceful country in the South Asian region."
The Prime Minister said this while speaking at an inaugural function of the Holy Buddha Image and handing over ceremony of Atish Dipankar and Visuddhananda Peace Gold Medal-2011 at Buddhist Monastery at Kamalapur in the city Wednesday.
Bangladesh Bouddha Kristi Prachar Sangha organised the function marking the opening of the 48-feet standing image of Buddha erected on Dhamarajika Buddhist Monastery campus with cooperation of the Royal family of Thailand.
Representatives of 11 countries including Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore attended the opening ceremony.
Sheikh Hasina said equal rights of people of different religions have been ensured in the country's constitution when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took secularism as one of the main policy in the constitution for ensuring religious rights of the people of all religions.
"Our constitution does not accept disparities among castes, creeds and religions and even male and female," she said adding that people belonging to all religions of the country have participated in all democratic movements in the country from our language movement to War of Liberation and post liberation war democratic movements.
She expressed the hope that people of the country would maintain the glory of the past and would make all out efforts to build the country unitedly.
Presided over by Suddhananda Mahathero, Industries Minister Dilip Barua, State Minister for Religious Affairs Shahjahan Mian, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, Thai Ambassador to Bangladesh Tasanawadee Miancharien, Wat Songmettawanaram of Thailand Pharkhru Sangkharak Boonsong Upasamo and Chairman of the Thai Committee for Construction of the Buddha Image Police Maj Gen Suwira Songmette also addressed the function.
Later, the Prime Minister handed over the Atish Dipankar Peace Gold Award-2011 and Visuddhananda Mahathero Gold Award-2011 among the recipients for their contribution in spreading the message of peace.
This year, Phan Wannameethee of Thailand, Hye-Jeong of Korea and Phrashru Sangkharak Noonsong Upasamo of Thailand received the Atish Dipankar Peace Gold Award-2011 while TYS Lama Gangchen of Italy, Ajitananada Mahathero of Bangladesh Police, Maj Gen Suiwira Songmetta of Thailand and Prof Takashi Uemura of Japan received the Visuddhananada Mahathero Gold Award-2001.
"Maintaining religious harmony is needed as we want to establish Bangladesh as a peaceful country in the South Asian region."
The Prime Minister said this while speaking at an inaugural function of the Holy Buddha Image and handing over ceremony of Atish Dipankar and Visuddhananda Peace Gold Medal-2011 at Buddhist Monastery at Kamalapur in the city Wednesday.
Bangladesh Bouddha Kristi Prachar Sangha organised the function marking the opening of the 48-feet standing image of Buddha erected on Dhamarajika Buddhist Monastery campus with cooperation of the Royal family of Thailand.
Representatives of 11 countries including Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Singapore attended the opening ceremony.
Sheikh Hasina said equal rights of people of different religions have been ensured in the country's constitution when Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman took secularism as one of the main policy in the constitution for ensuring religious rights of the people of all religions.
"Our constitution does not accept disparities among castes, creeds and religions and even male and female," she said adding that people belonging to all religions of the country have participated in all democratic movements in the country from our language movement to War of Liberation and post liberation war democratic movements.
She expressed the hope that people of the country would maintain the glory of the past and would make all out efforts to build the country unitedly.
Presided over by Suddhananda Mahathero, Industries Minister Dilip Barua, State Minister for Religious Affairs Shahjahan Mian, Saber Hossain Chowdhury, MP, Thai Ambassador to Bangladesh Tasanawadee Miancharien, Wat Songmettawanaram of Thailand Pharkhru Sangkharak Boonsong Upasamo and Chairman of the Thai Committee for Construction of the Buddha Image Police Maj Gen Suwira Songmette also addressed the function.
Later, the Prime Minister handed over the Atish Dipankar Peace Gold Award-2011 and Visuddhananda Mahathero Gold Award-2011 among the recipients for their contribution in spreading the message of peace.
This year, Phan Wannameethee of Thailand, Hye-Jeong of Korea and Phrashru Sangkharak Noonsong Upasamo of Thailand received the Atish Dipankar Peace Gold Award-2011 while TYS Lama Gangchen of Italy, Ajitananada Mahathero of Bangladesh Police, Maj Gen Suiwira Songmetta of Thailand and Prof Takashi Uemura of Japan received the Visuddhananada Mahathero Gold Award-2001.