Senior Correspondent,
bdnews24.com
29 Aug 2019
China is still offering mediation after two failed attempts to help Myanmar and Bangladesh start the process to repatriate Rohingya refugees.
Newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Thursday said China would play “more constructive role” in resolving the crisis.
He made the remarks to journalists after his maiden meeting with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at his office.
He said Rohingya is a “very important issue” for China, but added he has “no further information right now.”
Chinese embassy representative was there in Cox’s Bazar on Aug 22 when Bangladesh tried to send some Rohingyas back in a preplanned move.
But none responded to the voluntary return citing safety and security concerns reiterating some conditions for the return, including citizenship which Myanmar annulled through a constitutional amendment in 1982.
Known as a key ally of Myanmar, China has used its veto powers in the UN Security Council in favour of Myanmar.
It earlier said it was willing to mediate the issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Rohingya
Last year in July, they organised a meeting between the foreign ministers of Bangladesh and Myanmar. The then foreign minister, AH Mahmood Ali, also sat with Myanmar officials in the presence of his Chinese counterpart in New York. Despite the efforts, the first attempt to start the repatriation on Nov 15 last year failed as no Rohingya wanted to return.
Now after the second failed attempt of Aug 22, China again proposed to have such a meeting at any place.
Asked about the issue after a briefing of Dhaka-based diplomats on Thursday, Foreign Minister Momen said the new Chinese ambassador has talked to him.
“They will talk to Myanmar and then decide,” he said when asked where China was going to arrange the talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Sources at the foreign office indicated that the meeting may take place in New York as all the three ministers will be there in September for the UN General Assembly.
Momen urged the international community to be “more aggressive” in resolving the crisis and said Bangladesh will continue its own efforts.
“We want to solve it through discussions. We want a peaceful solution”.
Over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have entered Bangladesh after the latest exodus started on Aug 25 in 2017, taking the number of refugees in the country past 1.1 million.
Now after the second failed attempt of Aug 22, China again proposed to have such a meeting at any place.
Asked about the issue after a briefing of Dhaka-based diplomats on Thursday, Foreign Minister Momen said the new Chinese ambassador has talked to him.
“They will talk to Myanmar and then decide,” he said when asked where China was going to arrange the talks between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Sources at the foreign office indicated that the meeting may take place in New York as all the three ministers will be there in September for the UN General Assembly.
Momen urged the international community to be “more aggressive” in resolving the crisis and said Bangladesh will continue its own efforts.
“We want to solve it through discussions. We want a peaceful solution”.
Over 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have entered Bangladesh after the latest exodus started on Aug 25 in 2017, taking the number of refugees in the country past 1.1 million.
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