Home Adviser Lt. Gen. Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury (Retd.) has called for international pressure on Myanmar for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees (forcibly displaced Myanmar citizens).
“Exert more international influence on Myanmar for repatriation of Rohingya refugees,” he requested the international community when a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) led by Filippo Grandi paid a courtesy call on him at the ministry office at Bangladesh Secretariat here this afternoon.
A home ministry press release said the meeting prominently discussed various issues related to Rohingya repatriation to Myanmar, security and economic problems caused by them, their relocation in Bhashan Char, and problems arising from the suspension of financial assistance by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Welcoming the High Commissioner, the adviser said that Bangladesh has been sheltering 1.3 million Rohingya refugees for a long time on humanitarian grounds.
“As Bangladesh is a densely populated country, social and economic problems have increased in the Rohingya-populated areas and they are involved in various criminal activities. So, the national security as well as the regional security are being disrupted,” he said.
Thanking the adviser for Bangladesh’s humanitarian and generous approach towards Rohingya, the UN High Commissioner said that the Rohingya refugees have been forced to seek refuge in Bangladesh after being persecuted and displaced in their own country, Myanmar.
The High Commission assured of continuing their support to Bangladesh for repatriation of Rohingya refugees in this regard.
Cox’s Bazar Life Desk
