ZCZC
BSS- 26
KAMAL-ROHINGYAS
No alternative to Rohingya repatriation: Mustafa Kamal
DHAKA, Oct 20, 2019 (BSS) – Finance Minister AHM Mustafa Kamal yesterday
said that there is no alternative for repatriation of the forcibly displaced
Rohingyas to Myanmar.
“There is no alternative for repatriation of the forcibly displaced
Rohingyas to Myanmar….we’re being affected heavily for the Rohingyas.
So, it’s urgent to send back the Rohingyas to their own country,” he said.
The Finance Minister was addressing a roundtable discussion on refugee
affairs at the World Bank headquarters in Washington DC yesterday on the
sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the World Bank and IMF, said a Finance
Ministry press release received here today.
World Bank Vice President for South Asia region Hartwig Schafer, Finance
Division Secretary Abdur Rauf Talukder, Economic Relations Division (ERD)
Secretary Monowar Ahmed, were present, among others, at the roundtable.
Seeking support from the World Bank to send back the Rohingyas to their
own country in a fastest possible time, Kamal said, “We believe that the
World Bank will take a positive decision in this regard in consultation with
the people of the world,”
Referring to the deal with Myanmar for repatriation of the Rohingyas, he
said there is no specific timeline in that adding that a specific timeline is
expected to come very soon.
The Finance Minister urged the World Bank to play a strong role for
creating massive public consensus so that the forcibly displaced Rohingyas
could go back to their country as fast as possible. In response, Schafer
expressed positive notion in this regard.
Kamal said although Bangladesh sheltered this huge number of Rohingyas on
humanitarian ground, but the country has to pay a heavy toll as Cox’s Bazar
has now succumbed to environmental disaster while social and climate change
related challenges are also on the rise there.
“The extent of loss that Bangladesh is incurring due to Rohingya influx
can’t be calculated in monetary terms. So, the Rohingyas should be sent back
to their own country and this is our main demand,” he added.
Noting that the government of Bangladesh is not considering financial
assistance from the development partners including the World Bank regarding
repatriation of the Rohingyas, Kamal said, “We hope that the World Bank will
show us the path for a better solution to this Rohingya problem,”
Referring to his meetings with the Citi Bank International and HSBC, the
Finance Minister said these two banks want to boost their investment in the
country’s capital market and bond market. “But, any decision in this regard
is yet to be taken,” he added.
BSS/PR/GM/ARS/1747 hrs