Dhaka, June 22 – The Rohingya issue is likely to come up when Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina meets the Chinese President during her official visit in July, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said on Saturday.
“Myanmar has great respect for China. If Beijing requests Nay Pyi Taw, then we hope the [Rohingya] issue will be resolved quickly,” he said at the closing ceremony of Bangladesh
Bangladesh has been hosting 1.2 million Rohingyas. Most of them came here from their homeland in Rakhine State after Myanmar launched a brutal offensive targeting the mainly-Muslim ethnic minority on August 25, 2017.
UN’s top human rights official said Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingyas appeared to be
State-sponsored discrimination against the Rohingyas stretches back decades in Myanmar where they are denied citizenship and basic rights despite having lived there for generations.
Dhaka and Nay Pyi Taw have signed an agreement to repatriate the Rohingyas.
“We’ve prepared a biometric list of Rohingyas as per their (Myanmar’s) requirements and they’ve verified it,” Foreign Minister Momen said. “Myanmar has promised to take back Rohingyas but the process is yet to start.”
The main reason, he said, was the lack of security in the Rakhine State. Myanmar is yet to create a congenial atmosphere in the state.
“We want a peaceful solution. Rohingyas came to our country at different times in the past and they were sent back through discussions. We hope they’ll (Myanmar) take back their people through discussion [this time, too],” the minister added. – UNB
