The platform “Students for Sovereignty” has alleged that the fundamental rights of residents of Saint Martin’s Island were curtailed during the tenure of the interim government, drawing parallels with the long-standing US embargo on Cuba.
The group made the remarks at a press conference held in front of Madhur Canteen at Dhaka University today (15 April), where its convener, Muhammad Ziaul Haque, read out a written statement.
In the statement, Ziaul demanded the withdrawal of all restrictions imposed on the island, citing geographical, economic and humanitarian concerns, as well as potential risks to national sovereignty.
He claimed that Dr Yunus’s environmentally focused “Three Zero Theory”, which he alleged is funded by foreign sources, along with the “hardline environmentalist ideology” of Syeda Rizwana Hasan, poses a “major threat to human civilisation.”
Ziaul further alleged that certain environmental policies are displacing local residents and serving external agendas.
While expressing support for environmental protection, he said the group opposes what it described as extreme environmentalism.
He warned that continued restrictions could undermine sovereignty and urged the government to lift all such measures in order to safeguard livelihoods, human rights and national interests.
