Dhaka, July 4 – Renewing her call to Myanmar to take back Rohingyas from Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday said this problem will be solved through bilateral discussions.“We’ll solve the problem bilaterally,” she said when Myanmar’s National Security Adviser U Thaung Tun met her at her office.
She mentioned that Bangladesh had some problems in its Chittagong Hill Tracts (CHT) area and it was resolved through bilateral discussions.
The Prime Minister mentioned that currently 30,000 registered Myanmar Rohingyas are now living in Bangladesh. “But, the actual number is 400,000 and their woes may worsen during monsoon,” she said adding that Bangladesh is ready to extend cooperation.
PM’s press secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting.
He mentioned the Prime Minister drew attention of the Myanmar’s National Security Adviser to the smuggling of drug, especially Yaba, into Bangladesh from Myanmar.
She sought cooperation from the Myanmar government in stopping the smuggling and the Myanmar Security Adviser assured the Prime Minister of all sorts of cooperation in doing so, the PM’s press secretary said.
Hasina reiterated her government’s ‘zero-tolerance’ stance against the use of Bangladesh soil by armed groups and insurgents against any neighbouring country.
Describing numerous development activities of the government, Hasina said the main focus of her government is to develop the rural areas. She also briefly narrated various programmes for disaster management, including construction of cyclone centers in different areas of the country.
U Thaung Tun said the current focus of his country is to restore internal peace alongside expediting development.
“We need to address the root cause,” he said while talking about refugee problem adding that Myanmar wants peace and development in both Myanmar and Bangladesh as Myanmar is keen to maintain good relations with its neighbours.
About the military-to-military contacts, he said both countries are sharing information on security matters, and emphasised enhancing economic cooperation between the two neighbouring nations.
Regarding the gas sale from Myanmar to Bangladesh, U Thaung Tun said both countries could discuss the matter.
Praising the tremendous development of Bangladesh in recent years, he said this is his second visit to Bangladesh and the development is very much visible.
Lauding the success of Bangladesh in disaster management, he said Bangladesh is a role model in this field, and Myanmar is keen to implement this model.
Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury and PMO Secretary Suriya Begum were, among others, present at the meeting. – UNB
