Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud on Monday said Bangladeshi students are doing fine in Kyrgyzstan’s capital Bishkek as there are no reports of serious injuries or casualties following the recent mob attacks.
“Our ambassador in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, has been asked to go there. He is scheduled to reach Bishkek in the afternoon (local time) to visit the campus, check on the Bangladeshi students, and take appropriate action in consultation with the Kyrgyz Ministry of Foreign and Internal Affairs and relevant authorities,” he said while talking to reporters at his office.
When asked about an open letter from a Bangladeshi student appealing to return home, the minister said they haven’t received any letter as such.
Violent mobs have been targeting medical university hostels housing international students from India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh since May 17 in the country.
Tensions heightened after videos of a fight between Kyrgyz students and foreign students, mainly Pakistanis and Egyptians, went viral on social media on May 13.
The brawl was perceived by locals as a clear breach of the hospitality extended to the foreign students.
Thus, several Kyrgyz locals took to the streets on 17 May night, accusing officials of showing leniency towards the foreigners involved in the fight. They targeted medical university hostels housing international students from India, Bangladesh, and Pakistan.
However, the police stated that they had detained three foreign students as soon as they were informed of the May 13 incident.
