Home Minister Calls for Stronger International Efforts to Repatriate Rohingyas

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has called on the international community to play a more effective role in finding a permanent and sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis. He said Bangladesh has been facing a serious crisis for a prolonged period after providing humanitarian shelter to hundreds of thousands of forcibly displaced people fleeing internal conflict in Myanmar.

He made the remarks during a courtesy meeting with Julie Isabel Bishop, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, at his office at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Bangladesh Secretariat on Monday afternoon (October 19).
Faisal Hasan, deputy chief information officer of the Ministry of Home Affairs, said the meeting included detailed discussions on Myanmar’s current political and security situation, various aspects of the Rohingya crisis and the repatriation process for the displaced population.

The home minister said Bangladesh has had to bear the long-term consequences of the humanitarian crisis caused by internal conflict in Myanmar. He stressed the need for more effective and coordinated international initiatives to achieve a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis.
During the meeting, UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy Julie Bishop outlined the ongoing conflict in Myanmar. She said she had continued diplomatic engagement and regular communication with the parties concerned to help end the conflict and ensure the protection of civilians.

Concerns were also raised over serious security threats in areas bordering Myanmar, including the spread of landmines, human trafficking and drug smuggling. The two sides also discussed the regional and global implications of these challenges.

The meeting placed particular emphasis on creating a conducive environment for political dialogue and mutual cooperation to ensure the safe, dignified and voluntary return of Rohingyas to their homeland.
Among those present at the meeting were Dr Ziauddin Ahmed, additional secretary of the Political and External Migration Wing of the Ministry of Home Affairs; Rebecca Khan, joint secretary of the Political-1 Section; Carol Flore-Smereczniak, UN resident coordinator; Duncan Keith Wilson, senior political affairs officer; and Juliette Murekeyisoni, deputy representative of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), along with other relevant officials.