The long-awaited Rohingya repatriation might begin this September, foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said on Wednesday.
"I'm expecting the repatriation to begin this September. After Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to China, things have started moving faster."
He said, "Myanmar invited me to visit the country after the (PM's China) visit. But I told them that I'll visit only after the first batch is repatriated."
"I'll go there to see the condition of the repatriated Rohingya," Dr Momen told a group of reporters at his office.
Asked whether Myanmar would agree to the September deadline, he said, "I've a gut feeling about it. We're getting positive feedbacks from our friendly countries who're engaged in this process."
"I think Myanmar won't want global criticism in the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) over the issue. The UNGA meet will be held in September."
When asked, the minister said a high-level delegation would arrive here on July 27 mainly to motivate the Rohingya refugees to go back home.
The November 2019 deadline for return failed as none of the selected Rohingya was willing to go back, fearing fresh persecution by the Myanmar authorities.
Dr Momen said, "There's a deficit of trust among the Rohingya community. We've told Myanmar to remove this deficit."
"The delegation will brief the Rohingya on the steps taken in Rakhine to create an environment conducive to their repatriation."
During a meeting with the UN secretary general in New York, the minister said, he sought to gear up the UN engagements in Rakhine for a favourable environment.
"I told the UN secretary general to concentrate on Rakhine. He said the UN had got some access to Rakhine and they are working to ensure a quick repatriation."
Priya Saha issue
Dr Momen also spoke about minority rights activist Priya Saha and the allegations she made at the White House recently.
Like any citizen of the country, he said, Ms Saha will also get due protection from the government if she feels insecure.
After her 'false and baseless remark', Ambassador Alice Wells of the US State Department phoned Dr Momen to know whether Ms Saha will get protection in Bangladesh.
"I told her that like all other citizens Ms Saha will get government protection if she does want," the minister mentioned.
"As far as I know the government won't take any legal action or arrest her... My personal opinion is we need to go through a detailed scrutiny of the issue."
He said foreign ministry was totally unaware of Ms Saha's meeting with President Donald Trump.
"I've requested the US officials that the organisers shouldn't invite any irresponsible person in future to such events for the sake of communal harmony."
As the US wants religious freedom and communal harmony globally, they should not invite any (reckless) person whose irresponsible remarks can ignite religious disharmony, he argued.
"I said Bangladesh is a unique example of communal harmony and religious freedom. There're incidents of religious extremism in the US and even in a peaceful country like New Zealand."
"In Bangladesh," Dr Momen told the US officials, "people enjoy full religious freedom and we're the only country in the world where the government celebrates major festivals of all religions."
"Sometimes tensions emerge over land dispute and dacoity. And many try to label this as communal conflict to take undue advantages," he continued.
The minister said Bangladeshi expatriates in the US and Britain told him that Ms Saha made 'false allegations to ensure her asylum to raise her two children there'.
'My personal opinion is: ignore such false remarks. But many people here got hurt by her allegations against the country which is also understandable."
Again about Rohingya issue, Dr Momen recalled his meeting with Congressman Brad Sherman who proposed the transfer to Rakhine to Bangladesh in case of Myanmar's failure to protect the Rohingya.
"I told him that Bangladesh believes in the territorial integrity of any nation and our prime minister is committed to it."
"We believe in a peaceful solution to the Rohingya crisis through talks with Myanmar, which is a friendly country of Bangladesh."
Mr Sherman then said he raised the point to keep pressure on Myanmar.
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