Rohingya Count in Bangladesh Tops 1.5M, Minister Says
(MENAFN) Bangladesh is pressing the world to act in concert on returning Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, warning that more than 1.5 million of them now live on its soil, a ministry statement said Wednesday.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed delivered the plea in Dhaka during talks with Kelley E. Currie, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar. He acknowledged that official records show a lower number but said the true count of Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh exceeds 1.5 million.
Most of the refugees have remained in camps in the southeastern coastal district of Cox’s Bazar since escaping a Myanmar military crackdown in August 2017.
Ahmed said sheltering so many people for so long has put heavy pressure on the Bangladeshi economy. He called for steps to secure the “safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya to their home country, Myanmar.”
He also urged the international community to act responsibly once the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issues its ruling, expected Nov. 19, in the case over alleged genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar.
The talks stressed the need for coordinated diplomatic pressure on Myanmar from influential powers, among them China, India, the US and the EU.
Currie pointed to the long record of human rights abuses against the Rohingya. She said the UN and its international partners are working to build a “conducive environment for repatriation, while also striving to ensure that the Rohingya are granted citizenship and fundamental rights in their home country.”
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed delivered the plea in Dhaka during talks with Kelley E. Currie, the UN special rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar. He acknowledged that official records show a lower number but said the true count of Rohingya sheltering in Bangladesh exceeds 1.5 million.
Most of the refugees have remained in camps in the southeastern coastal district of Cox’s Bazar since escaping a Myanmar military crackdown in August 2017.
Ahmed said sheltering so many people for so long has put heavy pressure on the Bangladeshi economy. He called for steps to secure the “safe, voluntary, and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya to their home country, Myanmar.”
He also urged the international community to act responsibly once the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issues its ruling, expected Nov. 19, in the case over alleged genocide against the Rohingya in Myanmar.
The talks stressed the need for coordinated diplomatic pressure on Myanmar from influential powers, among them China, India, the US and the EU.
Currie pointed to the long record of human rights abuses against the Rohingya. She said the UN and its international partners are working to build a “conducive environment for repatriation, while also striving to ensure that the Rohingya are granted citizenship and fundamental rights in their home country.”
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