Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Tuesday said the government would prevent any fresh entry of the Rohingyas, noting that around 8,000 Rohingyas recently entered Bangladesh, fleeing armed conflict in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
“I have information that about 8,000 Rohingyas have entered Bangladesh. There will be a serious discussion about this within the next two-three days,” he told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Adviser said he will discuss the issue with the Home Adviser and it can even be discussed at the Council of Advisers.
Bangladesh, in principle, has decided not to welcome any fresh entry though he said it is painful to say in such a way.
“We need to try and prevent it,” he said, adding that it is difficult to seal off any border.
Hossain said the border with Myanmar has been sealed off, but acknowledged the difficulty of completely securing the frontier.
Addressing questions on repatriation, Hossain suggested the need for a communication channel with the Arakan Army, the rebel group that currently controls most of Rakhine state, to facilitate the return of the Rohingyas.
“I think this is the way forward, but we have to assess how much can be done at the state level,” he said.
Earlier, Interim Government Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus sought United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi’s support for the “dignified and voluntary” return of more than one million Rohingya people, who live in camps in Bangladesh, to their homeland in Myanmar.
High Commissioner Grandi had a conversation with Chief Adviser Prof Yunus over the phone on Monday to congratulate him on his assumption of the leadership of the Interim Government of Bangladesh.
The UNHCR chief requested the Chief Adviser to attend a meeting on the Rohingya crisis on the sidelines of the upcoming UN General Assembly meeting in New York.
Grandi informed the Chief Adviser that he plans to visit Bangladesh in October this year.
Seven years ago, on 25 August 2017, some 700,000 Rohingya men, women and children were forced to flee Myanmar and seek protection in Bangladesh.