'Our hostage days were not good, we don't want to remember these days anymore. Everyone was waiting for this day. It's even better to see everyone together. People from all over Bangladesh prayed for us. Our gratitude to everyone, nothing more to say. Thanks to everyone who worked on this release. Special thanks to our company KSRM, the government and the media authorities of the whole of Bangladesh who prayed for us.

On Tuesday (May 14) at 4 pm, the lighter ship owned by KSRM came to Chattogram port MV Jahan Moni-3 and Atiqulla Khan said these words to Berta24.com.

After that, when he stepped on the ground from the ship, he first hugged his two daughters to his chest. When asked about his feelings, Atiqullah Khan said, 'I feel very good, which cannot be expressed. The feeling that people get when they get a second life that feeling is working now. A big point of pride was when I ran Facebook on a ship hiding from pirates. I used to see that the people of all Bangladesh were praying for us. That boosted our morale a lot. We consoled ourselves by thinking that there are people from all over Bangladesh with our family.'

When asked how much he was worried about his life as a hostage, he said, 'There was not much uncertainty. We already knew that our company had experienced such a pirate attack on a ship before. At that time the sailors were rescued by the company. From that experience, we had a hope that the company would outdo us. We had this trust. But there was an uncertainty about when to return home. Still, with the efforts and prayers of all, we were freed in just one month by the grace of Allah. But I did not expect to be able to return so soon.'

Chief Officer Atiqullah Khan said while highlighting the hostage situation, 'We heard the name of AK-47, or saw it on TV but never seen it directly. As a hostage, I saw that an AK-47 on the ship was looking at me. The situation must have been much more dire. At that time we prayed in our hearts, were patient and trusted in Allah. Thus passed the days of the ship. It was very scary. We are used to seeing these things. The pirates also brought many large machine guns. But sometimes when they fired, many of us woke up. There was a lot of fear at that time.

Atiqullah, holding two little girls in his arms, said, 'My two daughters hugged me first when they saw me. They are both very happy. If I had gone to the ship even earlier, since then they - say when father will come. Not everyone could come here, many family members are waiting at home. We are also looking forward to them.'

Meanwhile, Atiqullah's two daughters are happy to have their father near them after a long time. Eldest daughter Yashra Fatema says, 'I feel very good to have a father. Our exam is coming from the 23rd. After the exam, I will go for a tour with my father. I could not travel much during Eid. I will take my father now.'

Lighter ship MV Jahan Moni-3 arrived at NCT-1 Jetty of Chattogram port at 4 pm on this day with 23 sailors. Several hours before this, hundreds of people, including relatives of the sailors, gathered at the port jetty to catch a glimpse of the sailors.

On Tuesday at 11:40 am, MV Jahan Moni-3 left Kutubdia for Chattogram port with 23 sailors. At 4 o'clock in the afternoon, the long two-month wait ended. In the midst of this, the seamen's welcome festival begins. A few minutes before the red-colored ship arrived at the port, the sailors waved from afar and said, we have come! Meanwhile, everyone including relatives on the jetty welcomed them with raised hands. Then 23 sailors came down from the ship one by one at 4:18. Chattogram Port Authority welcomed the sailors. The family members of the sailors were already waiting there. A joyful atmosphere is created in the jetty area by meeting the sailors.

Earlier on Monday (May 13) at 6 pm, MV Abdullah anchored in Bay of Bengal's Kutubdia Channel with 23 sailors.

The 23 sailors who were on MV Abdullah:

Master of the ship Mohammad Abdur Rashid, Chief Officer Atiqullah Khan, Second Officer Mozaherul Islam Chowdhury, Third Officer N Mohammad Tarekul Islam, Deck Cadet Md Sabbir Hossain, Chief Engineer ASM Saiduzzaman, Second Engineer Md. Taufiqul Islam, third engineer Rokanuddin, Fourth Engineer Tanveer Ahmed, Engine Cadet Ayub Khan, Electrician Ibrahim Khalilullah, Mohammad Anwarul Haque, Md. Asifur Rahman, Md. Sajjad Hossain, Jai Mahmud, Nazmul Haque, Ainul Haque of Oiler, Mohammad Shamsuddin, Md. Ali Hossain, Fireman Mosharraf Hossain Shakeel, Chief Cook Md. Shafiqul Islam, Mohammad Noor Uddin and Fitter Mohammad Saleh Ahmad.

Earlier on March 12, the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah was captured by Somali pirates in the Indian Ocean on its way to the United Arab Emirates from Maputo port in Mozambique. The ship, owned by Chattogram-based industrial group KSRM, was held hostage by pirates for 32 days. Then on April 14, the pirates got off the ship after getting the ransom.

US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday on a two-day visit. After the Awami League-led government returned to power last January, Donald Lu's visit is gaining importance in the country's political environment after the visit of a delegation led by Eileen Laubacher, the special assistant to the President of the United States. The leaders of the two main parties of the country, Awami League and BNP, have already started throwing conflicting words around this visit of Lu.

However, analysts commented that Donald Lu's visit should not be evaluated in terms of internal political dichotomy in Bangladesh. They say that the United States has relations with Bangladesh in various fields including trade. In addition to this, the United States is also an important partner of various international organizations. Therefore, Bangladesh should focus on expanding this existing relationship in a positive way.

Former foreign advisor, educationist and diplomat ambassador Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury told Barta24.com about Donald Lu's visit, "This is Donald Lu's official level routine visit after the new government came." I think this visit is a part of working with the new government. It is very significant in the sense that this is the first visit by a key US official since the new government came to power.

What he will say may be known after this visit, so without prejudging what is apparently understood, Lu's visit is part of Bangladesh's new study. They will definitely work to develop bilateral relations with Bangladesh. Hope, both the countries will push towards further expansion of relations positively. It should not be evaluated in terms of our internal political dichotomy' - added this former career diplomat.

Abul Momen, a distinguished journalist, writer and educationist who won the Ekushey Medal, said, "It is the job of politicians to give opinions and comments on various issues." Here some can give maturely, some cannot. As America is also an important partner of several international organizations, Bangladesh is also receiving help from those organizations; therefore, it must be admitted that Bangladesh-US relations are much more extended than the usual bilateral relations. Politicians should do their political practice by considering the overall situation and perspective.

In this context, he further said, 'They (the United States) have a kind of visible agenda, such as democracy, human rights, rule of law, etc. It is also their custom to apply pressure on these issues. Continuing the relationship is also their characteristic. Donald Lu has arrived perhaps to continue that pressure. That does not mean that their ongoing relationship with Bangladesh will have any impact.

Abul Momen said, 'If you think about the geo-political context, it is seen that the two influential countries in Bangladesh have a close relationship with India and China at the same time. America is also a third power - in that sense it's a kind of countervailing advantage.'

"Bangladesh has no choice now - it has to continue with relations with everyone. If Bangladesh was a small country like Maldives, it might have thought of entering into relations with China. But Bangladesh is a big country in terms of population. Political aspirations are also multifaceted. As a result, it is not possible for Bangladesh to take a stand like Maldives' - said this influential columnist and analyst.

It should be noted that Donald Lu will hold a bilateral meeting with Foreign Secretary Masoud Bin Momen during his visit. In addition, the meeting will be held by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Hasan Mahmood, Environment, Forest and Climate Change Affairs Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, along with Prime Minister's Private Industry and Investment Adviser Salman F Rahman. During the visit, he is also expected to exchange views with the representatives of the political and civil society of Bangladesh.

US Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu has come to Dhaka again after the national elections of Bangladesh. He was discussing the issue of the new visa policy of the United States centered on the parliamentary elections. Even after the vote, the United States issue was discussed. At that time, Washington clarified its position and said that the election of Bangladesh was not free and fair. However, the country is interested in working with the new government of Bangladesh.

Due to this interest, there have already been various discussions around Donald Lu's visit around the country.

According to Washington sources, Donald Lu has come to Dhaka to discuss Bangladesh-US relations. It is hoped that US President Joe Biden's policy on Bangladesh will prevail in this discussion. Donald Lu has also sought a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to convey the views of the US administration. However, the issue of the Prime Minister's meeting has not been finalized yet.

Although he did not meet the Prime Minister, Donald Lu is scheduled to meet important people of the government during this visit. On Wednesday (May 15), he will meet Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Foreign Minister Dr. Hassan Mahmud. In the night, he will have a dinner meeting with Prime Minister's Adviser on Private Industries and Investments, Salman F. Rahman, at his residence. The official is also expected to hold discussions with opposition politicians and civil society representatives.

Donald Lu's arrival and position of the United States

Joe Biden gave a clear message in a letter after Sheikh Hasina took over as Prime Minister for the fourth term. In that letter, Joe Biden highlighted the continued cooperation of the United States in achieving the economic goals of Bangladesh. He also expressed Washington's commitment to building a partnership with Dhaka in the joint vision of a free and open Indo-Pacific region. The country wants to work together on regional and global security, climate change, energy and Rohingya issues as well as global issues which can be discussed in Donald Lu's visit this time.

Besides, the United States is considering Bangladesh as a partner to prevent the expansion of China's dominance. Therefore, Washington is interested in cooperating with Dhaka in the field of security. For this purpose, several senior officials of the United States have already visited Bangladesh.

Meanwhile, the opposition parties are not very interested in Donald Lu's visit. In a recent press conference, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said that we are not interested in the arrival of foreigners.

However, it is certain that Donald Lu's visit will play a positive role in ensuring the state relations and security of other countries in the Asian region, but everyone is waiting to see what Bangladesh will get in this visit.

Education Minister Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury said about the principles of the current curriculum, our education will consist of knowledge, values and skills.

He said, we have to ensure the values of non-communalism, equality, nationalism, work-oriented education and skills.

The Minister of Education said this at the opening ceremony of the 'Learning Acceleration in Secondary Education Project' at a hotel in the capital on Tuesday (May 14).

He said that teachers should be trained in the place of imparting knowledge; training should also be given in the place of values. Access and equity must be ensured. Care should be taken that no student drops out due to procedural reasons or lack of funds.

The minister said, to build a smart generation for a smart Bangladesh, the new generation should be made skilled through the transformation that is going on in education. He said that one of the goals of the government is to ensure the education of all the children of the country at low cost up to the age of 16, regardless of caste, religion. The learning style of the current curriculum is different. This approach is different from traditional teaching concepts. It depends on experience.

Mahibul Hasan Chowdhury said, the way traditional education is seen, only some information will be memorized, memory driven process should come out from there. We cannot build a smart generation unless we get rid of the mentality of rote learning and memorization as talent.

Quoting Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the education minister said, "If a large part of students drop out at a very young age, then we will not be able to create a smart generation." We have taken many initiatives in that direction. Scholarships are being provided through the Prime Minister's Education Assistance Trust, so that students do not drop out due to lack of funds.

Regarding the evaluation, the Education Minister said, the process in which we were evaluating is also a challenge. Many students drop out due to assessment and financial reasons.

State Minister for Education Begum Shamsun Nahar was the special guest in the program under the chairmanship of Secondary and Higher Education Division Secretary Soleman Khan. Secretary of Technical and Madrasa Education Department Dr. Fariduddin Ahmed was the guest of honor in the event. World Bank Country Director for Bangladesh and Bhutan Abdulai Sik was also present.

Besides, senior officials of Secondary and Higher Education Department, Technical and Madrasa Department, ERD, IMED and Planning Commission, heads of various organizations, representatives of World Bank, heads and participants of various educational institutions were also present in the opening ceremony.