Libya's Bangladesh envoy resigns

Libya's ambassador to Bangladesh quit his official position, apparently as a reaction to the violence back home, joining a number of other officials to defect from the Muammer Gaddafi's government.
   
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes said today that Libyan ambassador to Bangladesh, AH Elimam, had informed the government in Dhaka of his decision to resign from his position, confirming an earlier report.
       
He, however, said Elimam did not cite any reason for his resignation and added that the second man in the embassy would discharge his duties.
       
Officials had earlier said the envoy informed the foreign office in Dhaka about his decision yesterday.

Media reports earlier suggested Elimam decided to give up his loyalty to the Gaddafi regime as several of his relatives were killed in government actions against protestors in recent days.
   
A number of officials of the Libyan regime, including the country's ambassador to India and its envoy to the 22-member Arab League have already quit in protest of the violent crackdown launched on the protesters by the government in Tripoli and elsewhere.

Libya's envoys at the United Nations have also accused him of committing genocide.
   
Bangladesh, meanwhile, said it will evacuate its nationals from the troubled Benghazi city of Libya, which is witnessing a massive pro-democracy upsurge over the past week.
       
"We have planned to evacuate our nationals from Benghazi, currently the most troubled city of Libya... in fact the process has started already," Foreign Minister Dipu Moni told a group of newsmen at her office here today.
       
She said Dhaka was closely observing developments in Libya and keeping constant contact with its mission in, while talks were underway with the concerned international organisations for emergency activities like evacuation.
       
Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Mosharraf Hossain at a briefing later said the government took "all necessary measures to ensure security of Bangladeshi workers" in Libya and other Middle Eastern nations.
       
"There is nothing to panick. If needed, UN assistance would be sought," he told the press briefing at his office at Bangladesh Secretariat.
       
He said the government is trying to contact the Libyan authorities through the official channel following the publication of a report in newspapers that 100 Bangladeshis have been kept hostage in a community centre in Benghazi.
       
Foreign Secretary Quayes ruled out reports that Bangladeshis were taken hostage, saying according to the "last information we received, all Bangladeshis in Libya are in a safe state, none were injured or kept hostage".
       
Hossain said the Bangladesh mission opened a control room to take measures for security of 60,000 expatriate Bangladeshis and monitor their conditions, while his office was also in contact with the overseas recruiting agencies.