Special Correspondent :
The Border Guards Bangladesh [BGB], which is now attending a bilateral summit with Myanmar Police Force [MPF] in Nay Pyi Taw, has urged the Myanmar government to repatriate the displaced Rohingyas as soon as possible.
The BGB made the appeal at the fourth central level meeting on security and law enforcement of the two countries on Tuesday, according to a report ran by Myanmar’s daily newspaper The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.
BGB’s Director General Abul Hossain said the mass exodus of Rohingya refugees has caused a “burden” to Bangladesh. The BGB Chief also urged the Myanmar government to stop the mass immigration
of Muslim refugees and begin repatriation efforts quickly.
The Myanmar government has, however, voiced doubt as to the figure of 600,000 [the Rohingyas who took shelter in Bangladesh since August 25] cited by UN human rights observers and international media. Formal meeting of the conference starts on November 13 and it will end on November 18, an official release of the BGB said. BGB DG Major General Abul Hossain is leading the 14-member Bangladesh delegation while Police Brigadier General Myo Swe Wing is heading 15-member Myanmar delegation in the conference.
Representatives from Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Office [PMO], Home Ministry, Department of Narcotic Control [DNC] and Coast Guard while high officials of MPF, Border Guard Police [BGP], Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry and Department of Drug and Customs from Myanmar side, are taking part in the conference.
According to The Irrawaddy, the Myanmar authorities have asked the BGB to recheck the figure and compile an accurate list of refugees, said Police Brig-Gen Aung Htay Myint, the head of the cross-border crime department of the Myanmar Police Force, who participated in the meeting. “We have our immigration data to check if refugees lived here. We have an agreement that we will accept them back if they have actually lived here,” said police Brig-Gen Aung Htay Myint.
Details about the repatriation will be discussed during the upcoming Bangladeshi foreign minister’s visit to Myanmar, he said.
The Myanmar government has invited Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali to Myanmar from November 16-18, but the visit has not yet been confirmed. “We expect to sign a memorandum of understanding when the Bangladeshi foreign minister comes. We expect to discuss repatriation policies in detail, and we’ll form joint committees to verify and repatriate according to those policies,” he added. The BGB DG lamented that drones and helicopters from Myanmar crossed the border in October, and that Myanmar border guard police detained some Bangladeshi fishermen.
The Myanmar government has handed over a list of more than 1,000 suspects who were reportedly involved in the attacks in Maungdaw and fled to Bangladesh, and the Bangladeshi government has handed over four suspects, according to police Brigadier General Aung Htay Myint. The BGB DG said that his country had never and would not accept any unlawful organization, insurgents or terrorists on its soil. “Myanmar wishes to start the negotiation as soon as possible. The more the negotiation is deferred, the longer delay it will cause in the repatriation process,” said U Zaw Htay, director-general of the President’s Office. Officials said illegal intrusion, indiscriminate firing on the bordering areas, violation of land and air spaces, movement of military along Myanmar border, installing mine in the border areas and removing those, abduction of citizens/terrorists, inter-border crimes such as smuggling of drugs and goods especially Yaba got priorities in the agenda of the meeting.
Besides, the issues of illegal fish catching and firing on Bangladeshi fishermen, exchanging mutual assistance including holding regular flag meeting, local commander level meeting and joint patrol and joint surveillance along the Naf River and border dominated the discussion in the conference. The BGB chief is expected to hold meetings with Deputy Minister of the Home Ministry Aung Soe and Director General of Myanmar Police Force Police Major General Zaw Win, according to the officials.
The Border Guards Bangladesh [BGB], which is now attending a bilateral summit with Myanmar Police Force [MPF] in Nay Pyi Taw, has urged the Myanmar government to repatriate the displaced Rohingyas as soon as possible.
The BGB made the appeal at the fourth central level meeting on security and law enforcement of the two countries on Tuesday, according to a report ran by Myanmar’s daily newspaper The Irrawaddy on Wednesday.
BGB’s Director General Abul Hossain said the mass exodus of Rohingya refugees has caused a “burden” to Bangladesh. The BGB Chief also urged the Myanmar government to stop the mass immigration
of Muslim refugees and begin repatriation efforts quickly.
The Myanmar government has, however, voiced doubt as to the figure of 600,000 [the Rohingyas who took shelter in Bangladesh since August 25] cited by UN human rights observers and international media. Formal meeting of the conference starts on November 13 and it will end on November 18, an official release of the BGB said. BGB DG Major General Abul Hossain is leading the 14-member Bangladesh delegation while Police Brigadier General Myo Swe Wing is heading 15-member Myanmar delegation in the conference.
Representatives from Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Office [PMO], Home Ministry, Department of Narcotic Control [DNC] and Coast Guard while high officials of MPF, Border Guard Police [BGP], Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry and Department of Drug and Customs from Myanmar side, are taking part in the conference.
According to The Irrawaddy, the Myanmar authorities have asked the BGB to recheck the figure and compile an accurate list of refugees, said Police Brig-Gen Aung Htay Myint, the head of the cross-border crime department of the Myanmar Police Force, who participated in the meeting. “We have our immigration data to check if refugees lived here. We have an agreement that we will accept them back if they have actually lived here,” said police Brig-Gen Aung Htay Myint.
Details about the repatriation will be discussed during the upcoming Bangladeshi foreign minister’s visit to Myanmar, he said.
The Myanmar government has invited Bangladeshi Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali to Myanmar from November 16-18, but the visit has not yet been confirmed. “We expect to sign a memorandum of understanding when the Bangladeshi foreign minister comes. We expect to discuss repatriation policies in detail, and we’ll form joint committees to verify and repatriate according to those policies,” he added. The BGB DG lamented that drones and helicopters from Myanmar crossed the border in October, and that Myanmar border guard police detained some Bangladeshi fishermen.
The Myanmar government has handed over a list of more than 1,000 suspects who were reportedly involved in the attacks in Maungdaw and fled to Bangladesh, and the Bangladeshi government has handed over four suspects, according to police Brigadier General Aung Htay Myint. The BGB DG said that his country had never and would not accept any unlawful organization, insurgents or terrorists on its soil. “Myanmar wishes to start the negotiation as soon as possible. The more the negotiation is deferred, the longer delay it will cause in the repatriation process,” said U Zaw Htay, director-general of the President’s Office. Officials said illegal intrusion, indiscriminate firing on the bordering areas, violation of land and air spaces, movement of military along Myanmar border, installing mine in the border areas and removing those, abduction of citizens/terrorists, inter-border crimes such as smuggling of drugs and goods especially Yaba got priorities in the agenda of the meeting.
Besides, the issues of illegal fish catching and firing on Bangladeshi fishermen, exchanging mutual assistance including holding regular flag meeting, local commander level meeting and joint patrol and joint surveillance along the Naf River and border dominated the discussion in the conference. The BGB chief is expected to hold meetings with Deputy Minister of the Home Ministry Aung Soe and Director General of Myanmar Police Force Police Major General Zaw Win, according to the officials.
