Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr AK Abdul Momen has asked for shared responsibility of neighborhood countries and developed nations to support Rohingyas as UK’s state minister for its foreign and commonwealth office called him over for the 500 reportedly stranded Rohingyas in the Bay of Bengal.
“In terms of number 500 is not a big figure when Bangladesh has sheltered over 1.1 million Rohingyas on the humanitarian ground despite our resource constraints as a developing country,” an official familiar with the talks quoted Momen as telling the British minister.
“But, they are not within the Bangladesh boundary.”
A foreign ministry statement, meanwhile, said the British state minister Lord Ahmad called Momen and requested Dhaka to allow entry of boats carrying 500 Rohingyas to land in the country’s southwestern coast.
It said Momen told him that the boats were not on the Bangladesh coastlines and wondered why Bangladesh alone was being asked to provide them the refuge, discarding other countries in the region.
He said the other countries in South and Southeast Asia and developed nations as well should simultaneously shoulder the responsibilities of providing refuge to the displaced people.
Momen, the statement said, suggested that the UK as well could send a Royal ship to rescue the stranded Rohingyas in the mid-sea and shelter them.
