The Rohingya issue will dominate at the minister-level meeting to be held this month in Myanmar as Bangladesh expects the return of all Rohingyas living in Bangladesh to their homeland through diplomatic efforts.
‘We believe we’ll be able to help Rohingyas return to their homeland through diplomatic efforts,’ home minister Asaduzzaman Khan told reporters in the city on Sunday confirming his visit to Myanmar this month.
He said the Bangladesh envoy to Myanmar is also working to finalise the agenda of the meeting with his Myanmar counterpart. ‘The key agenda will be Rohingya issue. We’ll discuss the problem.’
Highlighting the importance of Rohingya’s biometric registration, the home minister said Rohingyas, who will not avail of the registration facilities, will not be able to receive domestic and international aid.
‘So far, around 1 lakh Rohingyas have been registered with an average 9000 registration each day,’ he said.
The home minister said the Rohingyas going out of the camps are being brought back to camps.
Asaduzzaman earlier held a meeting of smuggling prevention committee. Representatives from the ministries and government agencies concerned were present at the meeting held with the home minister in the chair.
Earlier, on October 2, Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to form a joint working group to start the repatriation process of all the Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, which Dhaka sees as a ‘progress’.
Bangladesh has also proposed a bilateral agreement with Myanmar to facilitate the implementation of repatriation process.
A draft of the proposed deal has also been handed over to Myanmar side in the meeting.
Bangladesh has been flagging the Annan Commission’s recommendation and laid emphasis on implementation of those recommendations to peacefully resolve the Rohingya issue.
The foreign minister indicated that the joint working group will also conduct citizenship verification process apart from other related works.
Bangladesh has reiterated its position over the Rohingya issue, and urged Myanmar to take steps for the sustainable return of all the Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar who are currently living here, said a diplomatic source.
Since August 25, more than half a million Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh to flee ethnic cleansing in their own country.
Source: New Age
