BANGLADESH UNDER 'NO OBLIGATION' TO ACCEPT STRANDED ROHINGYA REFUGEES

  • 27/02/2021

Bangladesh is under "no obligation" to shelter 81 Rohingya Muslim refugees adrift for almost two weeks on the Andaman Sea and being assisted by neighbouring India, said Bangladesh foreign minister A.K. Abdul Momen.

India`s coast guard found the 81 survivors and eight dead crammed onto a crippled fishing boat and were trying to arrange for Bangladesh to take them.But Momen told that Bangladesh expects India, the closest country, or Myanmar, the Rohingyas` country of origin, to accept them.

"They are not Bangladesh nationals and in fact, they are Myanmar nationals. They were found 1,700 km (1,100 miles) away from the Bangladesh maritime territory and therefore, we have no obligation to take them," said Momen, who is in the United States."They were located 147 km (91 miles) away from Indian territory, 324 km (201 miles) away from Myanmar," he said by phone, adding other countries and organisations should take care of the refugees.Indian foreign ministry officials did not respond to requests for comment.


More than 1 million Rohingya refugees from predominantly Buddhist Myanmar are living in teeming camps in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, including tens of thousands who fled after Myanmar`s military conducted a deadly crackdown in 2017.Traffickers often lure Rohingya refugees with promises of work in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia.

Related News

Thousands of Lebanese return home as Israel-Hezbollah ceasef ...
  • 30/11/2024
Australia passes world-first law banning under-16s from soci ...
  • 30/11/2024
Israeli minister states IDF will remain in Gaza for ‘many ye ...
  • 30/11/2024
Canadian media organisations sue openAI over copyright viola ...
  • 30/11/2024
Man from Arizona arrested after threatening to kill Donald T ...
  • 30/11/2024
Israel PM reaffirms his plan to attack Rafah with ground for ...
  • 12/03/2024
Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan jailed for 10 years
  • 30/01/2024
ICJ orders Israel to stop genocide acts in Gaza
  • 26/01/2024
Iran bomb blast: More than 100 killed
  • 03/01/2024
Russia-Ukraine war: 14 killed in Russia’s Belgorod in shelli ...
  • 30/12/2023
Russia-Ukraine war: Biggest aerial attack on Ukraine cities
  • 30/12/2023
South Africa launches genocide case against Israel at UN Cou ...
  • 30/12/2023