Rohingya Crisis: PM seeks global support at UN

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had talks with some dignitaries, including US President Donald Trump, attending the UN General Assembly here when they assured her that they were with Bangladesh over the Rohingya issue.

“On Myanmar issue, we're with you,” Trump told the PM on the sidelines of a high-level meeting titled “Reforming the United Nations: Management, Security, and Development”.

The US president hosted the programme at the ESCOS Chamber of the UN Headquarters on Monday.

Briefing reporters on Trump-Hasina talks, Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque said the US president told the PM that his country would see how the Rohingya refugee problem could be resolved.

This was the first time Trump made any remark on the Rohingya issue.

Enquired about Bangladesh's economic progress, Hasina said the country was doing well.

UNHCR TO HELP BANGLADESH

During a meeting with Hasina, UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi expressed his willingness to help Bangladesh address the Rohingya refugee problem.

He also wanted to visit Bangladesh, Shahidul said.

Hasina said all the UN organisations would help Bangladesh, but the registration of the Rohingya refuges would be done by the Bangladesh Army.

The PM at a meeting with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at hotel Grand Hyatt also discussed the Rohingya crisis.

PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said the Palestine president highly appreciated the Bangladesh PM for making a noble gesture to Rohingyas.

“Everybody everywhere is appreciating the Bangladesh prime minister for her humanitarian gesture,” Ihsanul quoted Abbas as saying.

Hasina said some 700,000 Rohingya refugees were living in Bangladesh under makeshift arrangements. “But Myanmar must take back their nationals.”

Abbas apprised the PM of the present situation in Palestine. Hasina reiterated Bangladesh's stance for the cause of the people of Palestine.

'MYANMAR MUST STOP ATROCITIES'

Leaders of major countries in a meeting in New York on Monday called upon Myanmar to immediately stop atrocities against its Rohingya people and take back its nationals from Bangladesh.

British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson, the organiser of the meeting, 

said representatives from the USA, Germany, Russia, Sweden, Switzerland, China and Denmark as well as national security adviser of Myanmar attended the meeting.

The leaders highly appreciated the way Bangladesh has given shelter and other supports to the Myanmar Rohingyas.

The Bangladesh foreign secretary said his country along with 127 others also signed the US-drafted 10-point political declaration backing efforts by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to initiate an effective and meaningful reform of the world body.

BHUTANESE PM MEETS HASINA

The PM also held a bilateral meeting with her Bhutanese counterpart Tshering Tobgay.

Shahidul said the Bhutanese leader expressed keenness to take services from the Bangabandhu Satellite, to be launched into the orbit later this year, as well as to procure internet bandwidth from Bangladesh.

The PM said Bangladesh would work out the modalities and consult with India on the bandwidth issue as internet cable would pass through the Indian the territory.