PM seeks UK’s help to repatriate Rohingyas to Myanmar

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today called upon the United Kingdom (UK) to help repatriate the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to their motherland Myanmar.

“Use your good office to repatriate Rohingyas to their country,” she said when UK Minister of State for the Indo-Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan paid a courtesy call on the Prime Minister at her official Ganabhaban residence here this afternoon.

The Prime Minister said the Rohingyas have become a burden for Bangladesh and their numbers have been increasing day by day.

PM’s Speech Writer M Nazrul Islam briefed newsmen after the meeting.

As Trevelyan raised the issues of education, training and employment for Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar camps, Sheikh Hasina said the camps are overcrowded and it is impossible to ensure those facilities in those camps.

She, however, said her government has built houses with all the facilities in Bhasanchar Island for the Rohingyas.

“The facilities in Bhasanchar include accommodation, healthcare services and employment opportunities,” she added.

During the meeting, the Bangladesh premier also called upon Britain to invest in Bangladesh in a larger volume.

She said she has offered Britain a place in the special economic zones being set up across Bangladesh to make direct investment there for mutual benefits.

Bangladesh is likely to sign a SOP (standard operating procedure) with Britain to bring back illegal Bangladeshi migrants in Britain.

“We want none to go abroad illegally and we have announced zero tolerance to this end,” she said.

Both the countries are scheduled to sign the SOP this month for the identification and return of persons without any authorization to stay.

The UK minister of state welcomed the move to sign the SOP soon. Raising the issue of illegal migration, Trevelyan said the UK welcomes legal migration. She further said that illegal migration is a problem for the United Kingdom.

The British minister said they want return of Bangladesh nationals who are in irregular situations in the UK. As the issue of climate change came up for discussion, the Prime Minister appreciated the UK as it is the only country which complied with their promises and is giving compensation from the Loss and Damage fund to the countries affected by adverse impact of climate change in accordance with the Parris Accord.

She said that other developed countries are doing very little to this end. Bangladesh and the UK had signed climate accord last year, she said, adding that Britain is extending support to Bangladesh in fighting climate change impacts.

About the airbus procurement, the premier said Bangladesh will procure 10 air buses in phases. Trevelyan arrived in Dhaka on Tuesday morning on a two-day visit to strengthen the economic, security and migration partnership between Bangladesh and the UK. (BSS)