'Action for expats behind anti-govt activities'

The government will bring to book the expatriates who are involved in anti- government activities abroad, the parliamentary standing committee on the foreign affairs ministry was told on Thursday.

The ministry disclosed the plan at a meeting of the parliamentary panel in the House, sating that the government is working in this regard, in line with the law.

The culprits, it said, are giving provocative and completely fabricated statements against the government.

Earlier, in the previous meeting of the committee, the parliamentary watchdog recommended increasing the activities of the Bangladesh missions abroad against anti-national propaganda outside the country and to identify the people involved in such "misdeeds".

The committee was also informed by the ministry that regular efforts are being made to publish informative news, essays and articles in the international media and online media in order to counter the propaganda against the government and to highlight the positive image of Bangladesh.

Besides, when false and misleading news reports are published in the international media, the foreign ministry takes measures to publish its objective and informative protest letter (rejoinder) there.

In the previous meeting of the committee, the members discussed various anti-government campaigns abroad.

On October 19, Liberation War Affairs Minister AKM Mozammel Haque said that the government is mulling of a crackdown on the circulation of misinformation online from abroad.