Bangladesh’s Hasina Remembers Japanese Slain in Dhaka Attack

New Delhi, July 3 (Jiji Press)–Former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has remembered seven Japanese nationals killed in a terrorist attack in Dhaka in 2016 that left 20 hostages dead. “The terrorists were able to take their lives, but they could not erase their contribution,” she said in a comment made to Jiji Press to mark the 10th anniversary of the attack at a restaurant in Bangladesh’s capital. July 1, 2016, when the attack happened, is “a date Bangladesh can never forget,” said Hasina, who led the government’s response to the incident as prime minister. “Bangladesh shares Japan’s grief,” she said. “I once again express my deepest condolences and sympathy to their families, relatives and loved ones.” The seven Japanese nationals were involved in the Dhaka Metro project to build Bangladesh’s first urban rail system, financed with Japanese soft loans. “Dhaka Metro Rail keeps their memory alive,” Hasina said, calling the rapid transit system, which partially opened in December 2022, “a symbol of Bangladesh’s development, confidence and forward movement” and “one of the brightest symbols of Bangladesh-Japan friendship.” Hasina resigned in 2024 as antigovernment protests raged and fled to India, where she still lives. A Bangladeshi court sentenced her to death last year, recognizing her involvement in killing protesters. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]