Hossen Sohel: Banglade-sh has expressed the hope that Rohingya repatriation will begin soon with sending the first batch of over 3,000 Rohingyas though no specific date is there to begin the process, reports UNB.
“We’re thinking of beginning the first batch repatriation soon. I cannot tell you the date at this moment. Clearance for over 3000 (Rohingya names) is given. Let’s see,” Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters yesterday.
He was talking to reporters after attending a seminar titled ‘Rohingya Crisis: Challenges and Ways Forward’ at National Defence College (NDC) in the city.
Pressed, the Foreign Minister said he cannot tell further on the issue but mentioned Bangladesh will remain cautious.
Asked whether the repatriation will begin this year, he said, “I told you…soon. Let’s see.”
An estimated over 700,000 Rohingya have fled to Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh since August 25 last year, joining others who had already been living in cramped refugee camps across the district.
On August 11 last, a high-level Bangladesh delegation led by Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque visited Rakhine and saw the “trail of widespread devastation” suffered by the people who lived there.
They emphasised the need to accelerate efforts to create a “congenial environment” and build houses and villages for the returnees.
Meanwhile, UN human rights investigators said top Myanmar military leaders should be prosecuted for “genocide” against Rohingyas.
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