Home Affairs Advisor Lieutenant General Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (retd.) has said that the Singapore model needs to be followed to make Bangladesh corruption-free.
He made this comment during a courtesy call on Singapore’s Non-Resident Ambassador Derek Loh at his office in the Ministry of Home Affairs at the Bangladesh Secretariat this afternoon.
The advisor said that Singapore is a developed and corruption-free country with all kinds of modern facilities. They have made enviable progress in infrastructure development, including information technology, in the last few decades. Due to corruption-free and advanced services, the country has become one of the main destinations for world tourists. The country is an example of how to make maximum use of limited land. Singapore is a role model for providing various services in a corruption-free manner. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the Singapore model to make Bangladesh corruption-free.
The meeting discussed various issues related to mutual interests, including the law and order situation between the two countries, security issues, manpower export, fire accident investigation, improved training of police and fire service personnel, return of criminals who have fled to Singapore, prevention of human trafficking including migrants, protection of human rights, cooperation in launching APIS (Advance Passenger Information System) at the third terminal of the airport, and other issues.
Welcoming the ambassador at the beginning of the meeting, the advisor said that Singapore is one of Bangladesh’s closest friends. A large number of Bangladeshi workers are working in the country, which is contributing to the overall development of Singapore. He urged the ambassador to import manpower from Bangladesh at a higher rate. The ambassador said that the matter will be considered, and that about 5% of Singapore’s residents are Bangladeshis. He said that increasing people-to-people contact is essential to deepen relations and friendship between the two countries, which will further strengthen mutual trust and confidence.
The advisor said that Bangladeshi fire service workers and firefighters are very skilled in extinguishing fires and preventing fire accidents. But we have some capacity deficit in investigating major fire accidents. In that case, we need technical assistance from Singapore. The ambassador said that he will discuss this with the Civil Defense Department of Singapore.
The advisor said that many criminals have fled from Bangladesh and taken refuge in Singapore. The country’s cooperation is needed to bring them back to the country and bring them to justice. An agreement on mutual legal assistance or legal instrument can be signed between the two countries in this regard. The ambassador proposed to send a letter to Singapore through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh in this regard.
The meeting was attended by Mitchel Lee, Charge d’Affaires of the Singapore Embassy in Dhaka, Rahul Isaac Itty Abraham, Country Officer of the South Asia and Sub-Saharan Africa Directorate of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Singapore, and senior officials of the Ministry of Home Affairs.
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