PM Hasina to India: Put more pressure on Myanmar to take back Rohingyas

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday urged India to put more pressure on Myanmar to take back the over one million Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh. “We want India to put more pressure on Myanmar,” she said during a meeting with visiting Indian Foreign Secretary Vijay Keshav Gokhale at her Sangsad Bhaban office. Prime Minister’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. According to the press secretary, Gokhale said India was well aware of Bangladesh’s problems due to the arrival of the Rohingya refugees. “We shall continue to urge Myanmar to take back Rohingyas,” the Indian foreign secretary said. Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina informed the Gokhale that her government is preparing an island to relocate about 100,000 Rohingya refugees, as there is a possibility of landslides in Cox’s Bazar during the monsoon season. She also mentioned that Bangladesh has been in touch with five neighbouring countries, including India, China and Thailand, over the settling of the Rohingya issue. The Indian foreign secretary said their government would provide the second package of assistance for the refugees after discussions with officials of Bangladesh. He added that the building of field hospitals was of the utmost importance as the monsoon would otherwise cause severe problems for refugees, assuring that India would extend as much support as possible in this regard. Gokhale also informed Sheikh Hasina that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to fulfill all the commitments he has made to Bangladesh. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina mentioned that Bangladesh and India have resolved many problems successfully through discussions, though one remains. “Now one problem needs to be resolved,” Sheikh Hasina said in reference to the Teesta water sharing agreement. Gokhale said India would provide a third line of credit after monitoring the ongoing projects in Bangladesh, adding that substantial progress in this regard would be seen by the end of the year. He further said the Indian prime minister is looking forward to holding a meeting with Sheikh Hasina on the sidelines of the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (CHOGM), to be held in London next week. At the meeting, the Prime Minister recalled with gratitude the contributions of India and its people during the War of Liberation in 1971. Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Muazzem Ali and Indian High Commissioner to Bangladesh Harsh Vardhan Shringla were present.