Suu Kyi special envoy coming to Dhaka Tuesday

Myanmar’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Tin is coming to Dhaka on Tuesday as a special envoy of State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi.

The visit is taking place amid rising international pressure on Myanmar over the Rohingya issue, and ahead of the OIC foreign ministers’ meeting on the issue on Jan 19 in Malaysia.

A senior official at the foreign ministry told bdnews24.com on Monday  the special envoy will arrive on Tuesday afternoon.

He would meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque on Wednesday.

“They just informed us that they are sending him as a special envoy to discuss bilateral issues,” the official, who cannot be named, said. “We’ll certainly raise the Rohingya issue.”

Dhaka earlier had expressed its deep concern at the continued influx of Rohingya Muslims from the Rakhine State of Myanmar into Bangladesh.

The foreign ministry said around 50,000 Myanmar citizens have taken shelter in Bangladesh since Oct 9 when the Rakhine state turned volatile following an attack on police outposts.

Around 300,000 Myanmar nationals have been in Bangladesh for years, according to the government figure.

The foreign ministry on Dec 29 summoned Myanmar Ambassador in Dhaka Myo Myint Than and demanded early repatriation of their nationals.

Amid international outcry, Director General Kyaw Zaya of Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Dec 30, however, told Reuters that they would take back 2,415 citizens from Bangladesh.

Myanmar authorities have been maintaining this number since 2010 but never started the process to take back those verified even before 2006.