Myanmar toned down after genocide case hearings, Bangladesh minister says

Myanmar has been muffled after facing the hearings at the United Nation’s International Court of Justice for alleged genocide against the Rohingya, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen says.

“They have softened their stance. They have invited me for a visit. These are good initiatives,” he said at his office in Dhaka on Sunday.

The invitation had already been there, he noted.

“I had said that I would visit once all the Rohingya returned. Then I would meet them there. Now they (Myanmar) have invited me again. Let’s see what can be done,” he said.

It was an “unofficial” invitation, the minister added.

“But I want them to come here and talk to their people (Rohingya) to understand their expectations. It may ease the repatriation,” he added.

Aung San Suu Kyi, the state counsellor of Myanmar and Nobel Peace laureate, has defended the military rejecting accusations of genocide committed against the Rohingya as "incomplete and misleading" in recent hearings at the World Court in the Hague.

She also urged the court to dismiss the accusation, saying its own justice system should be given the chance to work first.

Bangladesh has been pursuing Myanmar to take back the over 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims who have taken refuge in Cox’s Bazar after fleeing decades of persecution and a violent military crackdown in 2017.

The start of the repatriation process has stopped twice in as many years as the Rohingya fear they will be subjected to violence again if they return to their homeland without citizenship rights, which Myanmar denies them.

INDIA CITIZENSHIP LAW

On being asked about the amendment of the citizenship law by India, the foreign minister said it had assured the government that the law would not harm Bangladesh.

The law seeking to grant citizenship to non-Muslim minorities in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan has sparked violent protests in India.

“The Indian government has told us that they are not pushing in anyone. We told them to inform us if any Bangladeshi is illegally staying there. Then we will cooperate following the standard procedure,” he said.