Little progress in resolving Rohingya crisis despite efforts, says Bangladesh PM Hasina

Bangladesh and Myanmar have been making several efforts to repatriate over a million of Rohingyas but little progress is seen in reality, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said.

News Deskbdnews24.com
Published : 5 April 2018, 08:01 AM
Updated : 5 April 2018, 10:53 AM

"We have signed a deal, ministers from Myanmar have visited Bangladesh and witnessed plights of the displaced people. But little progress is seen in reality," she said during her meeting with Salil Shetty, secretary general of Amnesty International, on Thursday.

Hasina’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the media on the meeting held at Ganabhaban, the prime minister’s official residence.

At the meeting, Hasina highlighted the biometric screening done to identify the Rohingyas and also the temporary shelter being built for them in Bhashan Char, according to Karim.

"Bangladesh is concerned about the security of the refugees," Karim quoted Hasina as saying.

Secretary General of Amnesty International, Salil Shetty, poses for a portrait at the Amnesty International Headquarters in London, Britain Jul 7, 2017. Reuters

Amnesty’s Shetty said the root of the Rohingya crisis lies in Myanmar, not in Bangladesh.

Citing his visits to Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar, he said: "Rohingya women are still traumatised.”

He also mentioned the satellite imagery showing atrocities on the Rohingya villages in Myanmar. He stressed waging a public campaign to mount pressure on the Myanmar government.

Shetty added that the refugees must be repatriated to their homeland. "But their safety and security must be ensured."