Envoy to stranded Bangladeshis: China the best option

Chinese ambassador in Dhaka Li Jiming on Tuesday said Bangladeshis particularly those were studying in his country should currently stay there for their appropriate medical safety against the backdrop of coronavirus outbreak and prevent its spread in Bangladesh, reports state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency.

“It is the best option right now for them to stay in China for their own safety,” the envoy said during a meeting with national news agency BSS chief editor and managing director Abul Kalam Azad at his office.

Jiming, however, said until now no Bangladeshi student in China was infected with coronavirus while no case of coronavirus infection was reported in Bangladesh unlike many other countries.

He told the BSS chief that recently he sent a letter addressing the Bangladeshi students in China which was disseminated by local Chinese authorities among the recipients, advising them to stay at their current locations.

“It is the best option right now to stay in China for the safety of yourselves and your beloved ones back home, even it means a small sacrifice on your part,” read the letter a copy of which was given to Azad.

The letter acknowledged the Bangladeshi students desire to return home but urged them to use their own “sharp sense of judgment”.

” I would confidently rely on you to make the most sensible decision, and sincerely believe that as a member of the Bengali nation, you will not put your country and your people at risk,” the letter added.

About the plight of the Bangladeshi students, the Chinese envoy said the past winter was particularly tough for them, particularly for those in the Hubei Province, the epicentre of the novel coronavirus outbreak.

The envoy told Azad that Bangladeshi students stranded in China were not alone as their schoolmates and teachers, local Chinese authorities and medical specialists from all over China were standing by them.

He said the Chinese government mobilised all its efforts to maintain sufficient supply of daily needs and medical materials for foreign students.

During the meeting the national news agency chief and the envoy also reviewed the Dhaka-Beijing ties and discussed Chinese support for the BSS. 

Kamruzzaman