Sheikh Hasina seeks UK support to resolve Rohingya crisis

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the international community, including the UK, to intensify pressure on Myanmar to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who crossed into Bangladesh fleeing violence in Myanmar.

"International pressure on the Myanmar government should continue, so that Naypyidaw is forced to take back its forcibly displaced Rohingya nationals from Bangladesh," Hasina stated.

The Prime Minister made the request to the British government when UK Minister of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Tariq Mahmood Ahmad met her in London on Friday.

"The international pressure on the Myanmar government will have to be continued,"Dhaka Tribune quoted Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim as saying.

She also conveyed her regards to the British prime minister through Lord Ahmad.

The UK state minister praised the people of Bangladesh and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for saving the lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya people by giving them shelter.

Terming the influx of Rohingya people into Bangladesh a humanitarian crisis, Lord Ahmad said the UK government will pledge 30 million pounds in support of the refugees.

Hasina said Bangladesh made makeshift arrangement for shifting Rohingya Muslims to an island called 'Bhasan Char' from Cox's Bazar, Media reports.

"We need international community's assistance including that of the UK for their relocation," she said.

Hasina also added that discussions with Myanmar over resolving the Rohingya crisis has made significant progress, following the recent visit of its Minister of the Office of State Counsellor Kyaw Tint Swe to Bangladesh.