Staff Correspondent

Foreign Minister Dr Hasan Mahmud has said that the government has been trying to rescue the Bangladeshi ship MV Abdullah and free its sailors as quickly as possible who have been taken hostage by pirates on Somali coast.

An inter-ministerial meeting was held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday. The government is making an all-out efforts to rescue the ship and free its sailors through the P&I Club, he said. Hasan Mahmud said: "We don't want to disclose what strategies we have adopted, because it is not a matter to disclose in public. Our objective is to rescue the ship and free the sailors as soon as possible."

He was talking to newsmen following a memorial meeting organised in memory of late Awami League leaders at Rangunia in Chattogram on Friday (March 15) evening.

Rangunia Upazila Awami League organised the meeting recalling the contributions of late Awami League leaders Wakil Ahmed Talukder, Sirajul Islam Chowdhury, Kazi Jashim, amd Nurul Karim Baby at Advocate Nurussafa Talukder Auditorium in Rangunia Pourasava.

Besides, a doa mahfil was arranged.

Chaired by Rangunia Upazila Awami League acting president Abdul Monaf Sikder, the memorial meeting was attended by Chittagong University's Pro-Vice-chancellor (Admn) Dr Mohammad Sekandar Hossain Chowdhury as special guest.

The meeting was moderated by Rangunia Upazila Awami League general secretary Engr Shamsul Alam Talukder and joint general secretary Iqbal Hossain.

Dr Hasan Mahmud said: "You know, another ship of the same company was hijacked back in 2010. It took 100 days to free that ship. There is no lack of our efforts. We are trying our best in various ways. We hope that we will be able to rescue the ship and free our sailors like the past."