The Embassy of Bangladesh in Seoul observed the National Mourning Day and the 43rd death anniversary of the Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 2015 with utmost respect and due solemnity. The Embassy arranged a day-long elaborated programme to mark this occasion.
The program started with lowering the National Flag to half-mast by Bangladesh Ambassador to the Republic of Korea H.E. Ms. Abida Islam in the early hours of the Day. Later, children from different age groups participated in a drawing and an essay writing competition at the Embassy in remembrance of the Day. The Ambassador distributed prizes among the winners of the competitions at the end of the competition. The Embassy, in cooperation with Korea Secondary English Teachers’ Association (KOSETA), has already arranged another drawing and essay competition for the Korean school children after their summer holiday during the first week of September.
The program at the evening was attended by the members of different social and political organizations along with the expatriate Bangladeshis. Korean goodwill ambassadors appointed by the Embassy were also among the presence. The program began with the national anthem. It was followed by special prayer for the salvation and peace of the departed souls of Bangabandhu and other members of his family who were assassinated on the inauspicious night of 15 August 1975. Thereafter, verses from the Holy Scriptures (the Quran, Gita, Bible, Tripitak) were read out. Black badges titled “15th August” were distributed among the attendees to express grief for the martyrs of that fateful day. Later on, one minute of silence was observed to pay respect to the martyrs of that ill-fated night. The messages given by the Honourable President, Honourable Prime Minister and Honourable Foreign Minister on that occasion were read out. The discussion of the significance of that Day began after the screening of a documentary on the life and the contributions of Bangabandhu. In her speech, the Ambassador paid a rich tribute to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and the others martyrs of 15th August. She also highlighted on the contributions of Bangabandhu in the struggle of independence and nation-building. The goodwill ambassadors also expressed their feelings on the Day.
In her speech, the Ambassador paid rich tribute to the Father of the Nation for his supreme sacrifice and immense contribution for the freedom of the Bengali nation including creation of an independent Bangladesh. Underlining Bangabandhu’s dream for a “Sonar Bangla”, she mentioned that the present government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina is leading the country towards social and economic prosperity inspired by development aspirations and policy guidelines of the Father of the Nation. She also encouraged the expatriate community to play constructive roles in the development of Bangladesh and realizing the dream of Bangabandhu. All the officials of the Embassy and the Expatriate Bangladeshis living in South Korea which includes Bangladeshi EPS workers, students pursuing higher studies in different universities and businessmen, were present at that time.
The program of the Day concluded with a poetry recital in memory of Bangabandhu. Members of Bangladesh community participated in the recital alongside the embassy officials. Finally, dinner was served among the guests with traditional cuisine.