Foreign relations experts today said follow up talks should start quickly on Rohingya repatriation as Myanmar has confirmed out of over 1.30 million of the ethnic minority Muslim people, who took makeshift refuge in Bangladesh were 180,000 are eligible to return.
“It is important that talks were held on the repatriation but discussions should start immediately on the subsequent steps,” former diplomat and foreign relation expert Ambassador Mahfuzur Rahman told BSS.
Rahman, however, said against the backdrop of the unrest at the Myanmar’s Rakhine state, the homeland of Rohingyas, Dhaka should try “all options” to settle the Rohingya crisis and “we should not lose our hope”.
Dhaka University’s international relations department Associate Professor Obaidul Haqque also saw it a positive development that Myanmar initially identified 180,000 members of Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh as “eligible” for repatriation.
Their comments came a day after High Representative to the Chief Adviser on Rohingya Problems and Priority Issues Dr. Khalililur Rahman made the announcement in presence of Myanmar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Than Swe on the repatriation issue after a meeting between them on the sidelines of BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok.বিস্তারিত