Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said that she expects no help from US President Donald Trump over the Rohingya refugee crisis.
He (Trump) has made his stance clear regarding refugees and that’s why there is no use of seeking help from him, Hasina told Reuters in an interview on Monday.
She gave the interview to the news agency after she talked to the US president at a programme on the sidelines of the UN general Assembly earlier in the day.
Sheikh Hasina said she stopped Donald Trump and talked to him for a few minutes while leaving an event he hosted at the United Nations on reforming the world body.
According to a video posted on Al Jazeera’s verified Facebook page, Trump inquired about how Bangladesh was doing.
“He just asked how is Bangladesh? I said ‘it’s doing well, but the only problem that we have is the refugees from Myanmar’,” Hasina said. “But he didn’t make any comment about refugees,” she added.
“He already (has) declared his mind. We know how his mind (is). So, why I should ask? If he doesn’t feel that these people are distressed people, they are living in distress, they need assistance….. If he doesn’t feel (that way), then I cannot ask (for) any assistance,” according to the Al Jazeera video.
“Well, Bangladesh is not a rich country. It’s true. We’ve 160 million people in a small geographical land. But, If we can feed 160 million people, then (feeding) another 500,00-700,000 …. We can do it. We can share our food. We are ready to do it. And, our people are already doing it,” Hasina said.
Meanwhile, Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj had a brief meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on board the plane while travelling from Abu Dhabi to New York on Sunday, adds UNB.
Swaraj reiterated her country’s stance on Rohingya issue saying, “India is definitely with Bangladesh and they’ll help it (Bangladesh) to resolve the problem.”
Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said the Indian Minister for External Affairs will visit Bangladesh on October 23-24 to attend the India-Bangladesh joint commission meeting.
Besides, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Filippo Grandi expressed his willingness to help Bangladesh on the issue of Myanmar refugee problem.
“He also wanted to visit Bangladesh,” Shahidul Haque said.
The Prime Minister said all the organisations of the UN will help Bangladesh, but the registration of the Rohingya refuges will be done by Bangladesh Army.
Meanwhile, Sheikh Hasina and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas at a meeting at Hotel Grand Hyatt discussed the Rohingya crisis as thousands of Rohingya Muslims are going through untold sufferings.
PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said the Palestine President highly appreciated Sheikh Hasina for her noble gesture to Rohingyas terming the crisis a ‘disaster’.
“Everybody everywhere is appreciating the Bangladesh Prime Minister for her humanitarian gesture,” Ihsanul Karim quoted Mahmoud Abbas as saying.
Sheikh Hasina said some 700,000 Rohingya refugees are now living in Bangladesh under makeshift arrangement. “As a human being, everybody should have a humanitarian quality.”
“But, Myanmar must take back their nationals,” she said mentioning that Bangladesh has asked for mounting international pressure on Myanmar for this.
The Prime Minister informed the Palestine President about the relief works of the government to provide support to the Rohingyas.
Hasina said she knows the pains of a refugee because she and her sister were refugees for long six years after the brutal killing of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman with most of his family members in 1975.
She said the government is registering the Rohingyas for their identification.
