Foreign-Affairs
Myanmar’s military regime encourages yaba smuggling to Bangladesh
The number of yaba pills ( a contraband drug) smuggled into Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar has surged by two and a half times under the current military regime compared to the amount reported during the rule of ousted leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
This information was obtained from the meeting minutes of the parliamentary standing committee on the ministry of home affairs held on Thursday.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan told the meeting that despite negotiations on the issue the Myanmar military regime is patronizing the smuggling of yaba pills to Bangladesh. That’s why the smuggling of the illegal drug has increased.
Also read: PM Hasina urges Myanmar to ensure dignified return of Rohingyas to their homeland
He mentioned that apart from the most-used route of bordering Naf River the contrabands enter Bangladesh through the remote land border areas too.
The home minister said that Bandarban and Khagrachari, used as yaba routes, have many inaccessible areas where round-the-clock surveillance is not possible.
It takes two days to go from one BOP to another BOP there, he added.
He also said that the number of BOP is being increased in all those areas.
Chairman of the committee Shamsul Haque Tuku said, yaba started arriving in Bangladesh through the Rohingyas coming from Myanmar.
“Then it gradually spread throughout the country,” he said.
He expressed his frustration saying that despite declaring a war against drugs, it is not possible to prevent drug trade and consumption.
According to the minutes of the meeting, issues relating to committees of mosques, temples and graveyards were discussed in the previous meeting of the parliamentary watchdog.
In that meeting, Tuku said the truly religious and good people are staying away from the mosque, temple and cemetery committees.
Also read: UK announces new sanctions, legal action in support of Myanmar’s Rohingya community
Those involved in drug or anti-social activities are coming to these positions through political influence. As a result, honest people are not able to contribute to the society, he told the meeting.
He said, if the committees of all the mosques, temples and cemeteries of the country are formed under the Islamic Foundation, it will bring positive results.
The meeting decided to invite the director general of the Islamic Foundation to a meeting of the standing committee to discuss the subject.
The meeting also discussed the issue of TikTok extensively.
Chairman Tuku said that TikTok is under fire for its negative use that leads to violence, rumours and misinformation. He recommended closing the social media app.
According to the director general of the National Telecommunication Monitoring Center (NTMC) said that young people in Bangladesh spend 80 per cent of their Internet time on TikTok.
“This platform is used to spread vindictive misinformation and hate speech. It has more negative uses than positive ones,” he said at a separate event.
He also said that a letter has already been sent to BTRC to stop TikTok app with all kinds of data.
Meanwhile, the press release of the Parliament Secretariat informed that citizens have been advised to keep vigil against any attempt to disturb communal harmony in the country.
The parliamentary body also recommended posting of husband and wife in same area, if they are working in government service.
Chairman of the committee Shamsul Haque Tuku chaired the meeting. Committee members Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, Md Habibur Rahman, Samshul Alam Dudu, Kujendra Lal Tripura, Noor Mohammad, Sultan Mohammad Mansoor Ahmad and Rumana Ali were present at the meeting.
Dhaka, Delhi finalise text of MoU on interim water sharing of Kushiyara river
Bangladesh and India on Thursday finalised the text of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on interim water sharing of Kushiyara river.
Both sides also welcomed finalisation of the design and location of water intake point on the Feni river to meet the drinking water needs of Sabroom town in Tripura as per the October 2019 Bangladesh-India MoU on this subject.
At the 38th ministerial level Joint Rivers Commission (JRC) meeting held in New Delhi, the two countries discussed “issues related to water-sharing treaties” of various rivers, including Teesta and Ganga.
The meeting was held after a gap of twelve years. The last meeting was held in 2010.
State Minister for Water Resources Zaheed Farooque led the 17-member Bangladesh delegation at the JRC meeting while India's Jal Shakti (Water Resources) Minister Gajendra Singh Shakhawat led the Indian delegation.
AKM Enamul Hoque Shameem, deputy minister for Water Resources was also part of the Bangladesh delegation.
The meeting assumed significance as it was held after a long gap, though the technical interactions under the framework of JRC have continued in the intervening period.
FM reiterates Dhaka’s call for repatriation of Rohingyas
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Thursday reiterated Dhaka’s call for smooth repatriation of the Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State ending their plights and miseries.
Apart from seeking international community’s support, he said Bangladesh is also talking to Myanmar on good faith as Myanmar has expressed its willingness for repatriation of the Rohingyas.
The foreign minister also sought genuine efforts to create an environment conducive to repatriation of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.
He was speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Rohingya Crisis: The Pathways to Repatriation” at the Foreign Service Academy organized by the Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS), University of Dhaka.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen delivered the opening remarks while Director, Centre for Genocide Studies Professor Imtiaz Ahmed presented keynote paper.
The protracted Rohingya crisis has stepped into another year without a single Rohingya repatriated to their homeland.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in a media release said the international community should focus on creating a safe and conducive situation on the ground in northern Rakhine and the smooth conduct of repatriation and reintegration to the Myanmar society for the Rohingyas.
“The Rohingya crisis is not a bilateral issue. Its origin and solution lies in Myanmar,” MoFA said on the fifth anniversary of the forced displacement of Rohingyas to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh tried to arrange safe, sustainable and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingya to Rakhine State through negotiations with Myanmar following the bilateral instruments.
“Unfortunately, not a single Rohingya could return to Myanmar yet for the non-committal attitude of Myanmar towards their obligation enshrined to the bilateral mechanisms,” MoFA said.
Due to the frustrating development on the bilateral front in commencing the repatriation, Bangladesh involves friendly countries to assist their repatriation.
Starting their safe, sustainable, voluntary repatriation to their homeland Rakhine State as early as possible should be a priority through dialogue and discussion, Bangladesh says.
Bangladesh says the UN and the partners must undertake tangible actions and projects to create a conducive environment with safety and security.
“ASEAN can take the lead role in such engagements. The presence of ASEAN and international actors in the Rakhine state can help to reduce the trust deficit between Rohingya and Nay Pyi Taw and help confidence building that is essential for smooth repatriation,” according to the MoFA release.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina saved the world from a “humane catastrophe” in 2017 by sheltering these persecuted people.
“If the crisis is not resolved quickly, it may create a security problem for the region and beyond. The government is trying its best to ensure early repatriation of the displaced Rohingyas,” MoFA said.
Return to their homeland is also the aspiration of the displaced Rohingya population and they are receiving education, food, shelter, health care and other services in Bangladesh.
“They participate in skill development activities to enhance their livelihood opportunities in Rakhine once they return,” MoFA said.
Earlier, United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer said it is critical that the international community continues to seek comprehensive, durable and inclusive solutions to the Rohingya crisis.
“We cannot let this become a forgotten crisis,” said Special Envoy Heyzer in a statement who also attended the seminar.
On the five-year mark of the forced mass displacement of Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, Bangladesh continues to show “great generosity and leadership” in hosting refugees, which requires renewed international attention and equitable burden-sharing by countries in the region and beyond, she said on Thursday.
In their productive discussions, the Special Envoy thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her leadership and expressed the United Nations’ deep appreciation to the people and government of Bangladesh for their immense contribution.
“I will continue to advocate for greater leadership of countries in the region in supporting Bangladesh and leveraging their influence with Myanmar to create conducive conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees,” she said.
Read: Rohingya Repatriation: Momen urges Western leaders to impose economic sanctions on Myanmar
She also highlighted Bangladesh’s pivotal role in working with the ASEAN.
“The generosity of Bangladesh and host communities towards Rohingya refugees in their time of need conveys a critical need for greater international and regional commitment to burden share and ensure that the Rohingya do not become forgotten,” Heyzer said.
She highlighted the major pressures on Bangladesh as host of one of the largest refugee populations in the world, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
On the other hand, foreign missions stationed in Dhaka said they will continue to pursue a long-term solution to the Rohingya crisis and its causes.
"Five years on, the international community stands resolute in solidarity in its support for Rohingya and Bangladesh," reads a joint statement by the embassies and high commissions in Dhaka on Thursday.
The signatories are Australian High Commission in Dhaka, British High Commission, High Commission of Canada, Embassy of Denmark, European Union Delegation to Bangladesh, Embassy of France, German Embassy, Embassy of Italy, Kingdom of the Netherlands Embassy, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Embassy of Spain, Embassy of Sweden, Embassy of Switzerland and Embassy of the United States of America in Bangladesh.
The foreign missions in their joint statement said they will continue to work together with the Government of Bangladesh, the UN, and international and national partners, to ensure that Rohingya refugees receive humanitarian assistance, protection and education.
"We underline the importance of Rohingya’s ability to live safe, purposeful and dignified lives whilst they are in Bangladesh and support the efforts to prepare them for return to Myanmar, once conditions allow."
Bangladesh can’t cover on its own the needs of Rohingyas in Bangladesh: APHR
ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has said Bangladesh cannot cover on its own the needs of about 1 million Rohingya refugees.
“The sad truth is that, by and large, the international community has failed the Rohingya. It is a crying shame that, so far, the global community has only provided a meagre 13% of the Joint Response Plan adopted by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to fund the camps,” said Mercy Barends, APHR Board Member and member of the Indonesian House of Representatives.
On the other hand, Barends said, ASEAN member states should stop treating the Rohingya in their countries as ‘illegal immigrants,’ and start providing them with the protection they deserve and need as refugees.
She recognized the extraordinary generosity of the Bangladeshi government and people, who have provided refuge for Rohingya people for the past five years.
The APHR Board Member made the remarks on the fifth anniversary of the Myanmar military's "clearance operations" against the Rohingya in Northern Rakhine State, known as "Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day.”
Read: Hun Sen’s rogue diplomacy a threat to ASEAN, Myanmar: APHR
“On this somber occasion, five years since the Myanmar military forced hundreds of thousands of Rohingya to abandon their homes through a campaign of genocidal violence, we mourn the thousands who died, and stand with all the survivors who continue to live without basic rights and services in camps in Bangladesh and Myanmar,” Barends said.
She said it is long past time for ASEAN governments and their partners to take swift and stern action against the perpetrators of the most serious crimes against humanity on the Rohingya people.
“Senior General Min Aung Hlaing and his close allies should not be in power; they should be in court. They have taken the international failure to act five years ago as a license to illegally grab power from elected officials on 1 February 2021 and commit further atrocities that continue to this very day,” Barends said.
Redouble efforts to hold perpetrators accountable, deliver justice to Rohingyas: UN expert
UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar Thomas Andrews on Thursday urged the international community to redouble its efforts to hold perpetrators accountable and deliver justice to the Rohingya inside and outside Myanmar.
The international community must do its part and refer the situation in Myanmar to the International Criminal Court without delay and put maximum pressure on this criminal military through economic and diplomatic means, the Special Rapporteur said.
“It is long past time for the entirety of the international community to call these attacks what they are – genocide. The Myanmar military has yet to be held to account for this ultimate crime,” he said, marking the five years after Myanmar forces began a genocidal attack against Rohingya men, women and children in Rakhine State.
Andrews said it is no wonder then that the military has had the audacity to imprison – and indeed execute – democracy and human rights advocates and elected leaders while engaging in yet more atrocity crimes against the people of Myanmar.
“It is critical that, once and for all, the international community holds the Myanmar military accountable for its atrocities,” he said.
Beginning late at night on 24 August 2017 and lasting for weeks, Myanmar forces planned and executed attacks that resulted in the widespread and targeted killing of Rohingya civilians including systematic sexual violence and the looting, burning and razing of entire villages.
Myanmar forces killed thousands of Rohingya and forced over 700,000 to flee for their lives into Bangladesh.
The Special Rapporteur recalled that attacks against the Rohingya did not just happen in August 2017, but over many years.
During fact-finding missions to Rakhine State prior to the 2017 attacks, Andrews said he witnessed the oppressive conditions Rohingya were living in and the denial of basic rights they had to endure.
"I visited what is and what remains to this day, effectively a concentration camp or ghetto, where over 120,000 Rohingya are confined in Sittwe. I remember a man telling me that if the world would not help to free them from the camps, then to please bomb them as death would be preferable to the horrible conditions that he and his family were forced to endure,” the expert said.
More than 1 million Rohingya survivors live in Bangladesh, in camps in Cox’s Bazaar and Bhasan Char. They are unable to return home, confined in cramped conditions often lacking security and cannot pursue their livelihoods, the expert said.
“The Rohingya in Bangladesh continue to live with the trauma of what they witnessed by the deaths of their loved ones, by the loss of their community, their homes, by the attempted destruction of their very identity,” Andrews said.
He called on the international community to strengthen its support for the Rohingya who live in camps in Bangladesh through robust funding that ensures access to quality, inclusive humanitarian services, health care and education until they can return home.
Andrews said he was in awe of Rohingya survivors, activists and human rights defenders who, despite their circumstances, were working together with international lawyers to creatively pursue justice in diverse jurisdictions including the International Court of Justice.
The UN Special Rapporteur called for solidarity with the Rohingya through concrete action to support accountability and justice and to help to rebuild their lives.
Andrews said that the Rohingya – both inside and outside of Myanmar – need and deserve international support.
US working to increase resettlement of Rohingyas from Bangladesh: Blinken
Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken has said they are working to “significantly increase resettlement of Rohingya” refugees from the region, including from Bangladesh, so that they can rebuild their lives in the United States.
While mentioning the resettlement issue, he referred to an essential component of an international and comprehensive humanitarian response.
The US Secretary of State said his country remains committed to advancing justice and accountability for Rohingya and all the people of Myanmar in solidarity with the victims and survivors.
“We continue to support the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, the case under the Genocide Convention that The Gambia has brought against Burma (Myanmar) before the International Court of Justice, and credible courts around the world that have jurisdiction in cases involving Burmese military’s atrocity crimes,” he said.
Marking five years since the genocide in Myanmar, Blinken said the United States also supports measures by the UN Security Council to promote justice and accountability for the military’s actions in line with its mandate to promote international peace and security.
In this vein, he said, the United States would support a UN Security Council referral of the situation in Burma to the International Criminal Court.
Five years ago, Myanmar’s military launched a brutal campaign against Rohingya – razing villages, raping, torturing, and perpetrating large-scale violence that killed thousands of Rohingya men, women, and children.
More than 740,000 Rohingya were forced to flee their homes and seek refuge in Bangladesh.
“In March of this year, I spoke at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum and attested that the atrocities committed by the Burmese military against Rohingya amounted to crimes against humanity and constitute genocide,” Blinken said.
Since the February 2021 military coup d’état, many of the same military forces continue to repress, torture, and kill the people of Burma in a blatant attempt to extinguish Myanmar’s democratic future.
The regime’s recent executions of pro-democracy and opposition leaders is only the latest example of the military’s abject disregard for the lives of the Burmese people.
Its escalation of violence has exacerbated the worsening humanitarian situation, particularly for ethnic and religious minority communities, including Rohingya, who continue to remain among the most vulnerable and marginalized populations in the country, Blinken said.
Read: Bangladesh can’t & shouldn’t bear Rohingyas’ responsibility alone: IOM
Since 2017, the United States has sought pathways to continue to support the Rohingya, recognizing that they cannot safely return to their homeland of Myanmar under current conditions.
“We have provided more than $1.7 billion to assist those affected by the crisis in Myanmar, Bangladesh, and elsewhere in the region, remaining the leading single donor of life-saving humanitarian assistance to those whose lives have been upended by the violence in Rakhine State,” said the US Secretary of State.
The United States stands in solidarity with the government of Bangladesh and other Rohingya-hosting governments in the region, he said.
The United States said it will continue to support Rohingya and the people of Burma in their pursuit of freedom and inclusive democracy by advancing justice and accountability, increasing economic and diplomatic pressure, and safeguarding the human rights and human dignity of all individuals in Myanmar.
Bangladesh can’t & shouldn’t bear Rohingyas’ responsibility alone: IOM
Although Bangladesh has generously hosted Rohingya refugees for the last five years, one country cannot and should not bear this responsibility alone, said the International Organization for Migration (IOM) on Thursday.
The IOM has called on the international community to take urgent action to ensure long-term development and sustainable humanitarian assistance for Rohingya refugees and host communities
Nearly 1 million refugees remain in congested camps. More than half of them are children.
August 25 marks five years since the first of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya men, women, boys, and girls fled violence and persecution in Myanmar and sought refuge in what is now the world’s largest refugee settlement in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
International and local humanitarian actors must continue to support the response led by the government of Bangladesh to enable the Rohingya to live a dignified life while in displacement, IOM said.
The Rohingya themselves have played a central role in the humanitarian response. From volunteering to support fire and cyclone response to door-to-door outreach to raise awareness of COVID-19 prevention measures, the community has led efforts across the camps to support each other.
As the crisis has become protracted, they should be further empowered through expanded access to education, skills development and livelihoods, IOM said.
Read: Rohingya Crisis: UN envoy seeks renewed int'l attention, equitable burden-sharing by other countries
With limited access to earn a living, Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh remain fully reliant on humanitarian assistance.
Groups or persons with specific needs, such as persons with disabilities, female-headed households, or people without access to livelihood opportunities, reported the most significant unmet needs, leaving them vulnerable to negative coping strategies, such as human smuggling and trafficking.
Criminal trafficking networks employ different tactics to lure refugees to work outside the camp and abroad using false pretenses, coercion and abduction. As the lead agency on counter-trafficking in Cox’s Bazar, IOM has identified and assisted more than 1,300 victims of trafficking.
With the current monsoon season already causing historic flooding in northeastern Bangladesh, heavy rainfall where the camps are located could pose further hazards to the Rohingya in their temporary homes made from tarpaulin sheets and bamboo.
In 2021, heavy monsoon rains in the camps caused immense flooding incidents that affected nearly 30,000 people; 19,000 were once again displaced and lost their homes.
The government of Bangladesh along with IOM and humanitarian partners delivers life-saving aid and basic services.
IOM continues to provide shelter, protection, mental health and psychosocial services, and water and hygiene support.
IOM also implements disaster risk reduction initiatives to mitigate the impacts of climate change in Bangladesh.
Rohingya Crisis: UN envoy seeks renewed int'l attention, equitable burden-sharing by other countries
United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer has said it is critical that the international community continues to seek comprehensive, durable and inclusive solutions to the Rohingya crisis.
“We cannot let this become a forgotten crisis,” said Special Envoy Heyzer on her four-day mission to Bangladesh.
On the five-year mark of the forced mass displacement of Rohingya from Myanmar’s Rakhine State, Bangladesh continues to show “great generosity and leadership” in hosting refugees, which requires renewed international attention and equitable burden-sharing by countries in the region and beyond, she said on Thursday.
In their productive discussions, the Special Envoy thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for her leadership and expressed the United Nations’ deep appreciation to the people and government of Bangladesh for their immense contribution.
“I will continue to advocate for greater leadership of countries in the region in supporting Bangladesh and leveraging their influence with Myanmar to create conducive conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of refugees,” she said.
She also highlighted Bangladesh’s pivotal role in working with ASEAN.
“The generosity of Bangladesh and host communities towards Rohingya refugees in their time of need conveys a critical need for greater international and regional commitment to burden share and ensure that the Rohingya do not become forgotten,” Special Envoy Heyzer said.
She highlighted the major pressures on Bangladesh as host of one of the largest refugee populations in the world, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and climate change.
About 1 million Rohingya refugees are still living in camps in Bangladesh, with tens of thousands more across the region, and over 140,000 internally displaced persons remaining confined in camps in Rakhine.
Driven by desperate hardship conditions, Rohingya people continue to undertake perilous land and sea journeys that expose them to criminal exploitation including human trafficking and gender-based violence.
The Special Envoy emphasized that it was ultimately Myanmar’s responsibility to establish conducive conditions for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return to Myanmar of all refugees and forcibly displaced persons.
The rights and security of the Rohingya people must be guaranteed and embedded in Myanmar-led solutions towards a peaceful, democratic and inclusive future guided by the recommendations of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.
In the context of grave human right violations and unmet protection needs in Myanmar, finding solutions to this crisis and addressing needs and human rights of Rohingya in Rakhine State must include the meaningful participation of those affected, especially Rohingya refugees.
During her visit to the refugee camps in Bangladesh, Special Envoy Heyzer witnessed first-hand the hard work of United Nations agencies among many actors, including civil society organisations, local NGOs and INGOs that provided critical assistance.
“In this operationally challenging environment, I saw Rohingya resilience and hope, innovative and empowering activities carried out by UN agencies and partners, as well as Bangladeshi authorities’ leadership, which all come together while the refugees remain in Bangladesh and waiting for lasting solutions to their plight,” she said.
Read: Will continue to pursue long-term solution to Rohingya crisis: Foreign Missions
Gas Fields in Bangladesh: Exploration of 2 more wells expected to begin this year
Russian Ambassador to Bangladesh Alexander Mantytskiy has said exploration of two more wells is expected to begin this year, noting that recently the Gazprom International Investments B.V. launched drilling of a new well in the gas fields of Bhola Island.
“Hopefully, this initiative will contribute to exploring the own mineral resources of Bangladesh and consolidating the energy security of the country,” he said.
The Russian Embassy hosted a roundtable on Wednesday titled “Six Months of the Special Military Operation (SMO) in Ukraine: Its Results and Perspectives and Russia-Bangladesh Relations in the Context of Economic Crisis.”
The Russian envoy said a number of other initiatives regarding the supplies of Russian crude and refined oil as well as on modernization of the local power infrastructure are being discussed both at the intergovernmental and business-to-business levels.
He said their economic ties are not limited by the energy sector. “With major logistical obstacles being removed, the negotiations are ongoing between Moscow and Dhaka to resume wheat purchase on a G-to-G basis through the direct procurement method.”
At the initial stage, the envoy said, the possibility to deliver two-three lakh tons of Russian grain will be elaborated on.
Read: Moscow seeks stronger ties with Dhaka amid anti-Russian sanctions
The Russian side also stands ready to supply potash fertilizers according to the previously signed contract, as the American sanctions no longer cover non-organic fertilizers and other essential food goods.
Besides, there is a growing interest in Russia to procure Bangladeshi medicine and agricultural products.
On February 2 this year, JSC Glavkosmos and Bangladesh Satellite Company Limited signed the Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of promotion of products and services of the Russian space industry in the People's Republic of Bangladesh including manufacturing and launch of “Bangabandhu-2” Earth observation satellite system.
Both sides are willing to proceed with the said undertaking regardless of possible temporary hardships caused by the global political and economic situation, said the envoy.
He expressed sincere gratitude to the government of Bangladesh led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, which remains invariably committed to continuing the implementation of joint projects despite an “unprecedented, impudent external pressure”.
Now, as Russia and Bangladesh mark the 50th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, such a determined and constructive attitude once again proves the strength and solidity of the time-tested bonds of friendship between the two countries, said the ambassador.
The envoy said stability of the global food, energy and financial markets could be restored only through reducing transportation and logistical tensions, ensuring unhindered supplies.
“There is the only way to achieve it: the real abolition of all unilateral coercive measures imposed by the Western countries,” he said.
The bilateral trade operations are being carried out successfully through the other Russian banks not affected by the Western restrictions.
Moreover, the Central Bank of the Russian Federation and the Bangladesh Bank remain in close contact discussing the ways to open correspondent accounts, said the envoy.
“The plots of Washington and its allies have not shattered our fruitful cooperation in the energy sector. The construction of the Rooppur NPP is being carried out without hindrances and according to the schedule,” said the envoy.
Rapid sustainable repatriation is the only solution for Rohingyas: FM
Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said that rapid sustainable repatriation is the only solution for Rohingyas.
Momen said this when the UN special envoy for Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer paid a courtesy call on him at his office on Wednesday.
Both of them discussed ways for a fruitful solution for the displaced Rohingyas.
The foreign minister informed the envoy that Bangladesh has given shelter to the 1.2 million Rohingyas considering humanity. But their long presence is creating various instabilities in the country including the socio-economic situation.
He feared that delay in Rohingya repatriation can create disappointment among the Rohingya people and then they could be a threat to the security of this region.
In response, Heyzer thanked Bangladesh for giving shelter to the Rohingyas.
Read: Dhaka to reach out to global leaders at UNGA with Rohingya issue
She expressed her firm commitment that she will work for Rohingya repatriation with the UN, the ASEAN and neighbouring countries.
Heyzer, however, said the role of Myanmar’s government is very important in this case.
Earlier on Tuesday, Heyzer visited the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox's Bazar.
She arrived in Dhaka Monday on a four-day visit.