Bangladesh
Cox's Bazar Prime Minister Hasina recalls Cox's Bazar visit with father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman
Dhaka, August 30: Recalling her visit to Cox's Bazar with father Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that every year during winet, the family would take a trip there.
"Bangabandhu had a special liking towards Cox's Bazar. He would spend most of his time in jail, due to political reasons. However, whenever he was free, the family would take a trip there," the Prime Minister said.
"At that time the condition of Cox's Bazar wasn't like this. There were small cottages, mud houses, We used to rent those cottages. I even went to Ukhia with him [Bangabandhu]. At that time Ukhia was densely forested. I had to cross the dense jungle to Ukhia. I was in the post bungalow there. One could hear the tigers roar and the chirping of birds. Elephants could be sighted. There are no signs of those now. But he [Bangabandhu] used to visit every year. The pine forest seen in Cox's Bazar was Bangabandhu's initiative," the Prime Minister said as the chief guest at the inauguration ceremony of the runway expansion work at Cox's Bazar Airport on Sunday (August 29).
"I once tried to go to Maheshkhali in a speedboat with my father. But I could not go because the sea was rough. Bangabandhu had a dream and aspiration that one day Cox's Bazar would be developed as an international tourist destination," she said.
"No other country in the world has a sandy beach as long (80 miles) as Cox's Bazar. So his dream was to develop it further and make it an attractive tourist destination.
"He said Cox's Bazar would be East's Switzerland. The focal point of communication between East and West. To fulfill his dream, Cox's Bazar airport is being modernized and improved everywhere," she added.
