Myanmar has agreed to take back the Rohingyas but it’s yet to create a safe atmosphere for their repatriation, says Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.
“Measures have been taken to repatriate the Rohingyas to their homeland…Myanmar has also agreed to take bake its forcibly displaced citizens. But the country (Myanmar) could not create a peaceful environment in Rakhine State,” sates news agency BSS quoted the minister as saying.
Momen was speaking to the media after attending a programme in Sylhet on Saturday (Feb 23).
More than 7,00,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after Myanmar military launched a brutal offensive following militant attacks on border outposts and a military base in late August 2017.
Myanmar security forces have been accused of murder, rape, torture and rape during the crackdown but they deny the charges.
An unspecified number of Rohingya members were killed. Médecins Sans Frontières said more than 6,700 Rohingya, including at least 730 under-five children, were killed in the first month of the crackdown.
The minister termed the attack on German journalists at Ukhia in Cox’s Bazar by Rohingya people as ‘a sad incident’, saying, “People turn aggressive when they become pauper.”
“Rohingya people are more aggressive as they are only the nation having no citizenship in the world,” Momen added.
Earlier, the foreign minister inaugurated ‘modernization works of the Sylhet central bus terminal’ at cost of Tk 670 million, distributed prizes of sports competition of Sylhet Model High School and joined a reception programme and inaugural function of ‘Abul Maal Abdul Muhith ICT Bhaban’ at Main Uddin Mahila Degree College in the city since morning.