Brunei sultan calls for all-out effort to repatriate Rohingyas from Bangladesh

The stakeholders should adopt ‘all kind of initiatives’ to repatriate the Rohingyas who have fled Myanmar and taken refuge in Bangladesh confronting the severe atrocities, said Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei.

Reazul Basharbdnews24.com
Published : 22 April 2019, 11:37 AM
Updated : 22 April 2019, 11:37 AM

Bolkiah expressed his opinion on Rohingya repatriation during a bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Bandar Seri Begawan on Monday.

The meeting between the two leaders took place at Cheradi Laila Kenchana in Istana Nurul Iman, the official residence of the Sultan of Brunei, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said.

“Sultan has given a statement on the Rohingya issue. We should reach a solution; we should adopt all kinds of initiatives so that the Rohingyas can go back home,” the foreign secretary said citing the sultan following the meeting.

More than 700,000 Rohingyas have taken refuge in Bangladesh following the crackdown of the Myanmar army in August 2017. There have been 400,000 Rohingyas living in the country over the past decades.

The United Nation, the US and UK along with other countries in the west have described the Myanmar army’s atrocities in the Rohingya villages in Rakhine as a case of “ethnic cleansing.”   Myanmar has dismissed the accusation.

Myanmar said it was ready to accept those of its citizens living in Bangladesh after a scrutiny.

The United Nations said that Myanmar still lacks a favourable environment for Rohingyas to return. The Rohingyas, on the other hand, agreed to return to Myanmar only after their citizenship and constitutional rights are ensured.

Bangladesh has been taking diplomatic initiatives in the international community urging them to pressurise Myanmar to create a favourable situation for the Rohingyas to return home.

“The prime minster has sought ASEAN involvement in the Rohingya repatriation and sought cooperation from the Brunei sultan,” said Haque.

“The sultan spoke about the ASEAN involvement in the Rohingya issue on the context of ASEAN Humanitarian Centre,” he said.

Brunei will extend its cooperation to ‘strengthen’ Bangladesh’s ties with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Haque said citing Bolkiah.

Hasina reached Bandar Seri Begawan on Sunday for a three-day official visit to Brunei at the invitation of Bolkiah.

Hasina had a bilateral meeting with the sultan following her courtesy visits to the members of the royal family. Both the countries signed six memoranda of understanding and exchanged a diplomatic note during the bilateral meeting.

“Sultan Bolkiah congratulated Prime Minister Hasina for forming the government for the third consecutive term after winning the last election,” said the foreign secretary. “It’s an acknowledgement of the people for the socio-economic development in the country,” he said.

“The visit by the Bangladesh prime minister will be considered a milestone in expanding the mutual relationship between the two countries,” Haque said recalling the sultan’s remark.

During the meeting, Sultan Bolkiah discussed ways to increase trade between the two countries, said the foreign secretary. Hasina thanked the sultan and informed him of the socio-economic progress in Bangladesh.

“Prime Minister Hasina had placed six proposals during the meeting with the sultan. She asked for increasing the communication between the business communities in both countries and proposed a feasibility test on preferential trade arrangement.”

“We need more discussion to establish a joint commission between the two countries,” Haque said, citing the prime minister.

Hasina also mentioned the jute products, agricultural products, software, shipping sector and ceramic products in the meeting, said Haque.