Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has called upon Myanmar to take action to ensure the Rohingya's return, safety and security.
She also urged Myanmar to live up to the previous agreements made with Bangladesh over the return of the refugees.
The premier made the statements while being interviewed by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Sunday, reports BSS.
File photo: Rohingya people line up to be interviewed for the repatriation to Myanmar outside the office of the camp-in-charge in Shalbagan refugee camp, Cox's Bazar on Wednesday, August 21, 2019 Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka TribuneAsked if she would consider forcing the Rohingyas out, Sheikh Hasina said the Rohingyas should return to Myanmar, but she would not force them out.
She also said the international community seems to be failing in convincing Myanmar to welcome the refugees back, but added: “I cannot blame anybody because Myanmar is not listening to anyone.”
WSJ report quoted her as saying: “Bangladesh will continue to host the refugees but that their presence is taking a toll.”
A market inside Rohingya refugee camp at Ukhiya in Cox's Bazar Dhaka Tribune“Our land is just 147,000sq km, with a population of 160 million. So how can we keep these people [Rohingyas] for a long time? Our local people are suffering. A big chunk of our forest in the area where they are living is already gone.”
Since August 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingyas have fled the Myanmar state of Rakhine into Bangladesh to avoid what the UN has termed "ethnic cleansing."
Over 1.1 million refugees now live in refugee camps in Cox's Bazar.
