Rohingya repatriation

FE Report | June 13, 2019 00:00:00

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen briefing diplomats about Rohingya and other issues in the city on Wednesday — Focus Bangla

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday came down heavily on Myanmar for 'its sheer disinformation campaign' against Bangladesh over the Rohingya issue.

Because of the unwillingness of Myanmar, he said, not a single out of a million Rohingya refugees could be sent back to their homeland.

"They've started a disinformation campaign. The Myanmar foreign minister recently told an international conference that Bangladesh is not serious about repatriating the Rohingya which is a blatant lie."

The minister said this to the media after his briefing to the diplomatic corps in Dhaka.

"They've conducted a survey on the conducive environment in only two villages out of 800 Rohingya villages," he mentioned.

"And on the basis of that, they're saying that the situation is stable which is totally illogical and unrealistic," Dr Momen stated.

He said Myanmar is also telling lies on the number of Rohingya who have taken shelter in Bangladesh.

"With the inclusion of 740,000 Rohingya here since August 2017, the number is now around 1.1 million. But Myanmar is saying that only 0.5 million have taken shelter in Bangladesh."

The minister said the diplomats have assured Bangladesh of their full cooperation in resolving the issue.

"I told the international community to go to Rakhine to see the situation there and to press Myanmar to take back their people," Dr Momen cited.

Bangladesh is in a standby position to send back the Rohingya, but Myanmar has not done anything to create an environment conducive to repatriation, he alleged.

Replying to a query, Dr Momen said, the Rohingya issue would be discussed in details with China during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's upcoming visit to Beijing.

The prolonged stay of the Rohingya here would pose a serious threat to the stability of the region, he noted.

Radicalism will rise and regional security will come under threat if these displaced people stay here for long, the minister told the diplomats.

Talking to the media, European Union (EU) delegation head Rensje Teerink said the EU was supportive to the Rohingya cause and eager to help Dhaka resolve the crisis.

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