Myanmar proposes to take back Rohingya refugees: FM

Myanmar has proposed to take back the Rohingya refugees who have fled into Bangladesh following persecution in the Rakhine state, said the foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali.

The talks were held in a friendly atmosphere and Myanmar has made a proposal to take back the Rohingya refugees,” AH Mahmood Ali on Monday told reporters after completion of the meeting with Minister of the Office of State Counselor of Myanmar Kyaw Tint Swe.

In the meeting, both sides decided to form a joint working group soon which will draw up plans for the repatriation process or Rohingya refugees.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, state minister for foreign affairs, foreign secretary and other high officials attended the meeting.

Earlier, Minister of the Office of State Counselor of Myanmar arrived in the capital on Sunday night to discuss the Rohingya issue with Bangladesh authorities.

The Myanmar minister will not visit Cox’s Bazar to see the plight of Rohingya people, who were forcibly displaced by Myanmar government, although Dhaka earlier made a request to Naypyidaw in this regard.

Over half a million Rohingyas have taken shelter in Bangladesh since Aug 25 when the military crackdown began in the northern Rakhine State over alleged terrorist attacks on security outposts.