Myanmar should comply with deals over Rohingya repatriation: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. File photo

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called upon Myanmar to take action to ensure the Rohingyas' safety and security and live-up to previous agreements made with Bangladesh over the return of the refugees. 

The premier said this when she was interviewed by Dan Keeler of The Wall Street Journal in New York this week on the sideline of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Asked if she would consider forcing the Rohingyas to return to Myanmar, the prime minister told WSJ: "Definitely they should go back to their own country."

But she (Sheikh Hasina) did not suggest Bangladesh would use force to make that happen, the WJS report said.

She also said the international community seems to be failing in not convincing Myanmar to welcome the refugees back, but added "I cannot blame anybody because Myanmar is not listening to anyone," it continued.

WJS report quoted her as saying "Bangladesh would continue to host the refugees but that their presence was taking a toll."

"Our land is just 147,000 square kilometers and we have a population of 160 million, so how we can keep these people for a long time? Our local people are suffering, there's deforestation-a big chunk of our forest in the area where they are living is already gone," she told the newspaper.

The premier laid out a plan to enable the more-than-a-million Rohingya currently taking refuge in her country to return to Myanmar, said the WJS report titled "Bangladesh prime minister urges more cooperation from Myanmar over Rohingya".