Hasina seeks Cambodia's help on Rohingya crisis

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday called for Cambodias support in developing a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis and the minoritys persecution in Myanmars Rakhine state.

Hasina made the remarks during a discussion with her Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen in Phnom Penh on Monday, bdnews24.com reported.

"We have discussed some of the emerging security challenges facing our region and expressed our common resolve to fight terrorism and extremism," Hasina said during a joint statement.

"We have also discussed the Rohingya crisis that threatens the peace and stability of our region. Bangladesh continues to shelter more than 1 million Rohingyas, among them around 630,000 who fled atrocities in Myanmar and took shelter in Bangladesh recently."

Hasina asked for Hun Sen's support for a durable solution as Bangladesh continued bilateral talks to return Rohingyas safely to their homeland.

"We highly appreciate Bangladesh (for giving shelter to the Rohingya refugees)... even though it has a population of over 160 million, it took the issues of refugees on its shoulder," said the Cambodian leader.

Bangladesh let in a wave of Rohingya refugees since late August, when the Myanmar military launched a crackdown in Rakhine state over insurgent attacks.

The refugees in Cox's Bazar said the military and locals shot and killed people indiscriminately, raped women, looted and set fire to Rohingya homes.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed an agreement on November 23 on the repatriation of recent refugees to their homeland.

The agreement specified the formation of a joint working group to begin the repatriation process within two months.

The Bangladesh government also attempted to enlist international support for the Rohingya crisis. The UN, EU, US, UK and other parties expressed their appreciation for Bangladesh's efforts on the Rohingya crisis.

--IANS

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