Bangladesh PM to IOM chief: Force Myanmar to take back Rohingya

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged International Organisation for Migration (IOM) Director General William Lacy Swing to create pressure on Myanmar government to take back Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh. She made the call when the IOM director general met her at her hotel suite on Wednesday. Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque briefed reporters after the meeting, also attended by the prime minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim. “They [Rohingya] have to go back to their homeland, create international pressure on Myanmar so that they take steps to bring their citizens back,” Shahidul quoted the prime minister as saying. The IOM chief thanked the Bangladesh prime minister for giving shelter to the Rohingya refugees and informed her of the relief operation of IOM for Rohingya. Swing informed the prime minister that he would visit Bangladesh on October 5-6. During the briefing, Bangladesh Permanent Representative to UN Masud Bin Momen said a bilateral meeting between Estonian President Kersti Kaljulaid and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was held at the UN headquarters on the sidelines of the ongoing session of the UN General Assembly. He said Bangladesh and Estonia discussed strengthening cooperation between the two countries in the information and communication technology (ICT) sector. President Kersti apprised Prime Minister Hasina of her county’s digital progress over the last few years while she highlighted Bangladesh’s recent success in the ICT sector. Both the leaders were keen to share their experiences with each other and strengthen cooperation in the ICT sector to tap the potentials of the sector. The leaders also discussed other prospective areas of cooperation, the foreign secretary said. Prime minister's ICT Affairs Adviser Sajeeb Wazed Joy was present on the occasion. In the afternoon, the prime minister held a meeting with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands, also UN special envoy on financing. The foreign secretary said Queen Maxima and Prime Minister Hasina discussed the Rohingya issue, and the Netherlands queen highly praised Bangladesh for its role in dealing with the crisis. Shahidul further said on Tuesday Hasina had a brief meeting with Turkey President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan after the OIC core committee meeting at the UN headquarters.