Document
Letter to H.E. Mr Iftekhar Ahmed Chowdhury, Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Nations Office in Geneva, 12 June 2001.
Your Excellency,
It was with great sadness that we received the sad news of the bombing of the Roman Catholic Church in Baniarchar, Muksedpur, Dist. Gopalgonj, on 3rd June, conveyed to us by Mr Subodh Adhikary, General Secretary of the National Council of Churches in Bangladesh.
I write to express through you to the Government and people of Bangladesh, and especially to the friends and loved ones of the deceased and injured our most sincere condolences.
The outpouring of public condemnations of this atrocity, the prompt visit of the Home Minister to the site of the tragedy, and the assurances of the Prime Minister that a full enquiry will be undertaken as to the responsibility for this violent act all attest to the will of your nation to hold firmly to the principles and practice of tolerance.
We are confident that every possible effort will be made to bring those responsible to justice as a means of assuring all that strict respect for the rule of law will reign in your nation. In a global climate that too often witnesses today the resort to violence as a result of religious bigotry and intolerance, these timely and decisive measures are clearly essential to the public welfare of believers of all faiths and that of the public as a whole.
Sincerely and respectfully yours,
(Rev.) Dwain C. Epps
Coordinator
International Relations
