DHAKA, Oct 25 (NNN-BSS) — Singaporean foreign minister Dr Vivian Balakrishnan said that he would raise the Rohingya Repatriation issue during the upcoming ASEAN Summit in Bangkok beginning Nov 3.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korea’s President Moon Jae-in and Chinese Prime Minister Li Keqiang as dialogue partners are expected to join the three-day summit of 10 ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) nations, including Myanmar.
This was revealed while a three-member delegation of Parliamentary Standing Committee on the Foreign Affairs Ministry led by its Chairman M Faruk Khan held a meeting with Vivian in Singapore, according to a message received here.
The parliamentary delegation, comprised of Nurul Islam Nahid and Kazi Nabil Ahmed, is visiting Singapore to mobilise international opinion in favour of early repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingya’s from Bangladesh to Myanmar, their land of origin.
During the meeting, the Bangladesh side sought Singapore’s strong support on the Rohingya issue.
The Singaporean foreign minister reiterated his country’s support to Dhaka regarding resolving the Rohingya crisis.
Vivian appreciated Bangladesh’s efforts for providing best possible humanitarian assistance to Rohingyas despite its own numerous challenges and constraints.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in
Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there since August 25, 2017 after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and “genocide” by other rights groups. — NNN-BSS
