Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the international community to come up with specific effective steps to force Myanmar to take back their over one million forcibly displaced nationals living in Bangladesh as per the agreements signed between the two countries.
"Bangladesh and Myanmar have inked bilateral agreements for the safe and permanent repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. To continue the pressure on Myanmar for implementing the agreements, I urge the international community to take specific effective steps," she said.
The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the Regional Hub of the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB) in Dhaka at Radisson Hotel on Sunday. This IsDB Regional Hub will cover 19 countries like Singapore, Australia, Thailand, India, according to a UNB report.
She said Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH) had given an instruction to stand beside the oppressed people and IsDB cannot remain silent when the Myanmar Rohingya people are facing ethnic cleansing. "So, to ensure the repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingya, I request the IsDB to firmly stand beside them."
The Prime Minister said Bangladesh has been proactively responding to the unprecedented humanitarian crisis by keeping its border open and accepting the large influx of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals known as Rohingya despite having multifarious negative impacts on the local community and the country's ecosystem and resources. "We're giving shelter and food to the Rohingays on humanitarian ground."
Sheikh Hasina mentioned Bangladesh now wants them to go back to their own land.
Finance Minister AMA Muhith, IsDB President Bandar MH Hajjar, and Economic Relations Division (ERD) Secretary Kazi Shofiqul Azam also spoke on the occasion.
