OIC parliamentary team in Bangladesh to visit Rohingyas

A 16-strong delegation of the Parliamentary Union of the OIC Member States (PUIC) is in Bangladesh to visit Rohingya people who have fled ethnic cleansing in the Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

They met State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam on Tuesday and discussed the Rohingya issue and the role that can be played by the OIC parliaments in addressing the situation.

The delegation, comprising MPs from seven member states of the PUIC, namely Algeria, Iran, Malaysia, Morocco, Sudan and Turkey, will visit the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday, the foreign ministry said.

The visiting MPs along with the PUIC secretary general expressed their gratitude to Bangladesh for the humane stance taken by the government in providing food, shelter, medical care and other humanitarian services to the more than 1 million Rohingyas forcibly displaced from Myanmar.

The state minister appreciated the support of the countries of the OIC in addressing the humanitarian situation arising out of the unprecedented exodus of Rohingyas into Bangladesh over a very short period.

He briefed them on the steps being taken by the government, including the arrangements agreed with Myanmar for repatriation of the displaced people.

He requested the member countries to include their support for the issue in their engagements during the forthcoming UN General Assembly.