Myanmar agrees to repatriate all Rohingya refugees from BD

16/10/2011(http://www.thebangladeshtoday.com)
Dhaka: The elected government of Myanmar has agreed to take back all Rohingya refugees who are now staying in two camps in Cox's Bazar, Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes said in Dhaka on Saturday.
Currently, some 28,000 Rohingyas are staying in Nayapara and Kutupalong camps in Cox's Bazar.
Quayes, who had Foreign Office Consultation in Myanmar on August 25, said that apart from the refugees, there are a huge number of undocumented Mynamar nationals who intruded into Bangladesh without having any refugee status.
"Although they have no refugee status, we are not forcing them out of the country on humanitarian ground," he told a regular press briefing at the Foreign Ministry.
The Foreign Secretary said since Myanmar has got a new elected government, a fresh initiative involving Bangladesh, Myanmar and UNHCR has been taken to see the refugees go back to their homeland of Myanmar.
He said both the governments are also in discussion to launch synchronized patrol of the common border by the border guards to stop fresh influx of Myanmar citizens into Bangladesh.
Quayes said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina will visit Mynamar shortly, date of which has not been fixed yet. He hoped that during the visit, many bilateral issues including border haats and coastal shipping will be resolved.
The Foreign Secretary left Dhaka on Saturday night for Beijing to hold the Foreign Office Consultations with China on October 17.
He said they would review the follow up actions on the decisions taken by the two countries during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit to China.
In reply to a question, Quayes said Bangladesh's proposal seeking. Chinese assistance to build deep seaport in the Bay of Bengal would be discussed.
Asked about the transportation of the Indian goods from Ashuganj to Akhaura, he said apart from transportation of Over Dimensional Consignments (ODCs) for Palatana power plant in Tripura under special arrangement, other goods are being transported under the existing arrangements with India.
Asked about the government's latest position regarding the recognition of Kosovo, the Foreign Secretary said the matter is under consideration of the government. "We are monitoring the ongoing global momentum about the issue." UNB

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