Hasina Seeks Modi Help In Rohingya Repatriation
— May 26, 2018
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LOOKEAST REPORT |
Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina has sought Indian help in keeping up the international pressure on Myanmar to take back the Rohingya refugees.
During her one hour discussion with Indian prime minister Narendra Modi at Santiniketan in West Bengal state, Hasina said Bangladesh has considerably strained its resources to accommodate more than one million Rohingyas on ‘purely humanitarian grounds’.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi speaks with his Bangladeshi counterpart Sheikh Hasina during the annual convocation of Visva Bharati University, in Santiniketan. © PTI
“But the Rohingyas are from Myanmar and they should be taken back without any further delay,”
Indian government has sounded an alert for all eastern and north-eastern states to prevent possible influx of Rohingyas. The alert followed a high level meeting of the Inter–state Council in Delhi on Friday. The alert said the federal agencies have definite information that close to 100,000 Rohingyas are trying to enter India from Bangladesh
Hasina said she told Modi during a one on one meeting after inauguration of the Bangladesh Bhavan at Santiniketan, home to Viswa Bharati University founded by Nobel laureate Rabindranath Tagore.
Modi is said to have promised strong support to Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue, pointing to the unambiguous statement by Indian foreign minister Sushma Swaraj during her recent visit to Myanmar.
Hasina’s government has stepped up efforts to bring to bear greater international pressure on Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas.
Meanwhile, the Indian government has sounded an alert for all eastern and north-eastern states to prevent possible influx of Rohingyas.
The alert followed a high level meeting of the Inter–state Council in Delhi on Friday.
The alert said the federal agencies have definite information that close to 100,000 Rohingyas are trying to enter India from Bangladesh – hence the need for special vigil. ■