New Delhi:
Myanmar has proposed taking back the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who have fled to Bangladesh in recent weeks, the Bangladeshi foreign minister said after talks Monday with a senior Myanmar representative.
“The talks were held in a friendly atmosphere and Myanmar has made a proposal to take back the Rohingya refugees,” A H Mahmood Ali told reporters.
The call to take back Rohingya refugees was first heeded by country’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi after immense international pressure.
Read | Rohingya violence: Bangladesh to move 15,000 Rohingya from tribal district to ensure peace
In her special address to national and international media last month, Suu Kyi told the world that country will accept returning Rohingyas as refugees. The issue of Rohingya exodus became a matter of international concern after over 800,000 Muslims from Myanmar were forced to flee the country to escape communal persecution and violence.
Majority of these refugees took shelter in neighbouring Bangladesh, which was already reeling under the pressure of several lakh refugees who migrated decades ago. However, country’s PM Sheikh Hasina agreed to give shelter to all who crossed into their borders.
India and Sri Lanka were more reluctant to accept the migrants. The persecuted migrants were not welcome in India as the government termed them illegal migrants and proposed to deport those who already reside in the country.
Read | MEA says India is focusing on providing humanitarian assistance to Bangladesh
Modi Government, however, sent relief material to Bangladesh for refugee camps and insisted the Myanmar Government to resolve the matter soon.
In Sri Lanka, the community faced further terrorist attacks.
