Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Bangladesh is providing shelter to the Rohingyas who are coming here losing everything, but ruled out the possibility to accept all.
“We’re giving shelter to those who’re coming here losing everything, but it’s also correct we cannot open our door allowing them to come here in large number like influx because we’re a sovereign country,” she said.
The Prime Minister said this while responding to a supplementary question from Jatiya Party MP Fakhrul Imam during PM’s question-answer session.
Sheikh Hasina said the Myanmar citizens who are getting chance to enter Bangladesh are being provided with food and medical support. “We’re helping them at our level best,” she said. Hasina said the government is looking at the humanitarian aspect on one hand and maintaining the peaceful situation on the other so that no incident takes place in the neighbouring country.
She again blamed the handful of October 9 perpetrators that led to the sufferings of thousands of men, women and children along the border. “If we want to blame, we have to blame those who first unleashed the situation and killed border guards and attacked Myanmar army personnel,” she said pointing finger at those who killed the nine border guards in Myanmar’s strife-torn Rakhine state on October 9.
The Prime Minister said thousands of men, women and children are suffering as their [perpetrators] attacks led to the current situation. She said Bangladesh’s intelligence has already been informed and Bangladesh will not give them shelter. “Instead, they’ll be caught, if found, and be handed over to Myanmar authorities.”
Hasina categorically said she would not allow anyone to use Bangladesh’s land to create problem in any neighbouring country. She also mentioned that Bangladesh Foreign Ministry and its minister have taken steps in this regard. Hasinsa said the Foreign Ministry has asked the Myanmar envoy in Dhaka to inform their authorities not to create such a situation that forces refugees to enter Bangladesh.
On November 24, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali briefed diplomats here on the issue urging the international community to play its due role in this regard.
He requested the diplomatic community to sensitise their governments so that a coordinated approach can be taken to address the issue. On November 23, Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh Myo Myint Than was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to meet Ambassador Kamrul Ahsan, Secretary (Bilateral & Consular). During the meeting, Ahsan expressed government’s deep concern at the deteriorating situation in the Rakhine State due to actions by Myanmar military causing dire consequences to people and its implications on Bangladesh. Despite BGB’s sincere efforts to prevent the influx, thousands of distressed Myanmar’s citizens, including women, children and elderly people, continue to cross the border into Bangladesh.
Bangladesh urged Myanmar to assist it to ensure the integrity of its border to prevent the influx of people from Rakhine into its territory, and take urgent appropriate measures so that Muslim minorities there are not forced to seek shelter across the border.
