Special Correspondent :
Bangladesh Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday summoned the Myanmar acting ambassador in Dhaka Aung Myint to register its protest against the ‘unprecedented’ influx of Rohingya refugees at an ‘increasing rate’ in the recent time.
Ambassador Aung Myint was called to meet Director General of the Southeast Asia desk Manjurul Karim Khan. During the meeting, an informal letter was handed over to the Myanmar envoy demanding repatriation of all Myanmar citizens from Bangladesh.
The DG expressed grave concern at the continued influx of Rohingya Muslims from the Rakhine State of Myanmar into Bangladesh. He mentioned that around 1, 23,000 Myanmar citizens have taken shelter in Bangladesh in the last two weeks.
He also expressed Bangladesh’s readiness to engage with Myanmar to discuss the modalities of repatriation in Myanmar. Apart from new arrivals, around 500,000 documented and undocumented Myanmar nationals have also been staying in Bangladesh for years.
Manjurul Karim Khan, during the meeting, further protested about laying landmines by the Myanmar authorities on Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
Officials said Aung Myint was summoned for the third time in a span of only two weeks centering the Rohingya refugee issue. In the second time [August 28], Dhaka proposed starting a joint anti-terrorism crackdown with Yangon especially against the Arakan Army and other insurgent outfits of Myanmar.
But in the first and third meetings, Dhaka severely protested about the influx of Rohingya refugees into Bangladesh.
Meanwhile, Commerce Minister Tofail Ahmed has urged the global community to stand beside the Rohingya Muslims. “We’re looking after the Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds. But we’ve limitations. It is difficult to give shelter to a huge number of Rohingyas in Bangladesh. If other states share the Rohingyas, it will reduce the pressure on us,” he said on Wednesday.
When asked whether Bangladesh would cut ties with Myanmar like Maldives, the Minister said, “Bangladesh cannot cut financial ties easily with Myanmar over Rohingya crisis due to geo-political reasons. Besides, Bangladesh and Myanmar are close neighbours.”
The National Human Rights Commission in a statement issued on Wednesday said its Myanmar’s responsibility to look after the human rights condition of the Rohingyas.
The NHRC said that it will send letters to other national and international human rights organizations to initiate talks with their relevant governments for creating economic and diplomatic pressure on Myanmar government to stop the genocide.
“Despite huge adversity, Bangladesh has been providing shelter, food and medicine to the Rohingyas considering the human rights condition. So, the Myanmar government should stop the genocide. At the same time, the Myanmar government must take back its nationals those have taken shelter in Bangladesh,” the NHRC said.
In the statement, NHRC also said, “It is extreme violation of human rights, in which way Myanmar government has been carrying out repression, killings and destruction in the Rakhine state. The Rohingya women and children are not getting respite of it.”
Official sources said that Border Guard Bangladesh on Wednesday pushed back 2649 Rohingyas while they tried to enter Bangladesh through four points of Teknaf border.
“About 2649 Rohingyas tried to enter Bangladesh but we thwarted their effort. BGB troops are in alert position to tackle any untoward situation,” Lieutenant Colonel SM Ariful Islam, Commander of BGB -2 at Teknaf, said yesterday.
But local sources from Cox’s Bazar said that hundreds of Rohingya refugees entered Bangladesh through different points of the border like other days defying security surveillance. They have taken shelter at Mouchni, Nayapara, Leda, Kutupalong and Balukhali refugee camps.
