FM urges int’l
community
Star Online Report
Foreign Minister AH
Mahmood Ali today urged the international community to take measures for
addressing the root causes of Rohingya influx from Myanmar to Bangladesh.
He stressed on the
peaceful resolution of the longstanding issue while meeting the United Nations
special rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar at state guesthouse
Padma this afternoon.
The UN Special
Rapporteur, Yanghee Lee, is currently in Bangladesh for a three-day mission to
Cox’s Bazar. Lee will visit the various locations in Cox’s Bazar and interact
with the newly arrived Myanmar population who fled the recent military
atrocities in the Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar.
During the meeting,
the foreign minister apprised the UN special rapporteur of the steps that the
Government of Bangladesh had taken vis-à-vis Myanmar refugees and the
undocumented Myanmar nationals who entered Bangladesh over the years from the
Rakhine State, said a press release issued by the Foreign Ministry.
He informed her
about the repatriation status of the refugees under an agreement negotiated by
him in 1992 and informed that as many as 236,599 Rakhine Muslims had been
repatriated under that agreement until it came to a halt in 2005.
Ali stressed that
the constant presence of the huge number of Myanmar nationals in Cox’s Bazar
district has created a number of adverse effects on the overall socio-economic,
political, demographic, environmental, and humanitarian and security situation
of Cox’s Bazar and adjacent districts.
The foreign minister
also informed the UN special rapporteur about the initiatives of the Government
of Bangladesh to engage with Myanmar bilaterally through establishment of
border liaison offices and introduction of dialogue on security cooperation.
The foreign minister
highlighted the endeavours to foster regional connectivity involving Myanmar
through BCIM and BIMSTEC and thus ensure sustainable development in the region.
The UN Special
Rapporteur Yanghee Lee thanked the foreign minister for allowing her to
undertake the visit in Bangladesh.
The foreign minister
assured her of all sort of cooperation during her mission.
Following the visit,
Yanghee Lee will issue an ‘end of mission statement’ and share her findings to
the UN Human Rights Council which will be available online on March 13, 2017.