Bangladesh to continue working on Rohingya repatriation
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Bangladesh will continue dialogue with Myanmar for an early repatriation of Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh, according to a report by UNB Connect.
The news agency quoted State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam as saying on Monday that Bangladesh is interested in contributing to the socio-economic development of Rakhaine State of Myanmar to create an enabling environment and livelihoods for the voluntary return of the Rohingya refugees - both documented and undocumented.
Alam welcomed US Senior Advisor for Myanmar Judith Beth Cefkin to his office on Monday. Cefkin flew to Myanmar later on the day, for a six-day visit aimed at discussing US policy.
UNB Connect said that the US official thanked Bangladesh for its continued support to the refugees fleeing violence in Myanmar.
“The US thanks Bangladesh for its generous refuge provided to the Myanmar refugees and other undocumented Muslim population from Myanmar over the decades, and appreciates Bangladesh socio-economic constraints and challenges in dealing with this protracted humanitarian situation,” she said.
Cefkin reaffirmed that her government will continue to attach high priority to addressing the situation of the Myanmar Muslims in Rakhaine State and elsewhere. The US government will continue to urge the Myanmar authorities to support inter-faith dialogue to promote reconciliation between the Buddhist and Muslim communities in the Rakhine State, she added.
According to the UN refugee agency, UNHCR, there are more than 200,000 Rohingya in Bangladesh, including more than 30,000 documented refugees in two government-run camps in Cox’s Bazar within 2km of the Myanmar border.
