President to visit Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar today

President M Abdul Hamid is set to visit Cox's Bazar on Sunday on a two-day visit to Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Ukhiya upazila and inaugurate a navy symposium there.

"President Abdul Hamid will interact with and distribute relief materials among the displaced Rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh evade the army crackdown" at their home in Myanmar's Rakhine State, President's Press Secretary Mohammad Joynal Abedin told BSS.

The President, he said, would speak to the Rohingyas and listen to their stories of their plights during his visit.

President Hamid's visit comes as Bangladesh two days ago signed a deal with Myanmar for Rohingyas' repatriation.

More than 620,000 Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh since the August 25 army crackdown began in Rakhine while most of these forcibly displaced people are traumatized, hungry and some of them are with injuries caused by gunshots, shrapnel, fire and landmines.

Earlier, on several occasions, 400,000 Rohingyas had been forced to take shelter in Bangladesh. Altogether Bangladesh is currently hosting over a million Rohingyas, the sources added.

On the next day, President Hamid will inaugurate a programme of Bangladesh navy "Indian Ocean Naval Symposium' (IONS) Multilateral Maritime Search Rescue Exercise -2017 (IMMSARFEX-2017) at Hotel Royal Tulip adjacent to the Unani Beach of Cox's Bazar, said a spokesman of Bangladesh Navy this evening.

He told this National News Agency that warships, navy chiefs, concerned high officials and maritime experts of some 32 countries, including nine observers, are attending the programme.

President Hamid will return to Bangabhaban on Monday afternoon, the press secretary added.

Source: BSS