Bangladesh demands Myanmar take back Rohingyas
December 29, 2016
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs called Myanmar Ambassador Myo Myint Than to demand early repatriation of all Myanmar nationals staying in the country after strongly protesting the unprovoked firing on six Bangladeshi fishermen in the Bay of Bengal.
On Tuesday afternoon, Myanmar’s border troopers intruded into Bangladesh waters and opened fire on two fishing boats near the St Martin’s Island injuring six fishermen.
Bangladesh protested the unprovoked attack and firing on a Bangladeshi fishing boat named FV Janiva Khaleda-1 on December 27 fishing off the south-east of the Saint Martin’s Island within Bangladesh’s territorial water by a Myanmar trawler that left four Bangladeshi fishermen seriously injured.
Ahsan mentioned that the Myanmar trawler with armed people on board took the Bangladeshi fishing boat along with the fishermen, including the injured ones, to a nearby patrolling Myanmar Navy vessel.
Myanmar navy personnel seized the belongings of the fishermen and released them after four hours.
Bangladesh also demanded appropriate investigation into the firing on the fishermen, bringing the responsible persons to justice, and sought assurance that the Myanmar Navy would abstain from attacking innocent fishermen of Bangladesh in future.
The Myanmar envoy entered the foreign ministry office around 1pm Thursday.
Bangladesh expressed its readiness to engage with Myanmar to discuss process and modalities of repatriation with Myanmar.
He requested the Myanmar government to urgently address the root cause of the problem in the Rakhine State so that Rakhine Muslims are not required to desperately seek shelter across the border.
Secretary (bilateral and consular) at the foreign ministry Kamrul Ahsan conveyed Bangladesh’s position to Myanmar when Ambassador Myo Myint Than was summoned at the ministry in the afternoon.
During the meeting, Ahsan expressed deep concern at the continued influx of Muslims from the Rakhine State of Myanmar into Bangladesh.
He mentioned that around 50,000 Myanmar citizens have taken shelter in Bangladesh since the influx on October 9, reports UNB.
