Chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus on Friday said that propaganda was being spread that Bangladesh had provided a corridor for Myanmar's Rakhine state, which was a complete lie.
鈥榃e have noticed that propaganda is being spread that Bangladesh has provided a corridor for Rakhine. I am saying clearly, this is a complete lie. This is the work of those who are constantly misleading the people of Bangladesh by creating untrue stories and unrest,鈥� he told a televised address to the nation on the eve of the Eid-ul-Azha.
Yunus urged the nation to be careful about the propaganda and not to be misled in any way.
鈥楧espite this propaganda, we will not deviate from our goal. We will continue our work to solve this complex problem,鈥� he said.
The chief adviser said that UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres during his visit to Dhaka in March in the past year, proposed a relief channel to address the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State.
鈥楾he UN secretary general said that this proposal would be helpful in the repatriation of the Rohingya. The matter stayed at the proposal stage,鈥� he said.
Yunus said that 12 lakh Rohingyas were now living in Bangladesh as about 100,000 Rohingya came between September 2023 and September 2024, when there was widespread fighting in Rakhine State while many are still trying to come due to the ongoing conflict and humanitarian situation there.
鈥榃e have taken initiatives to stop the influx of Rohingya to Bangladesh and to repatriate those who are already in Bangladesh,鈥� he said.
鈥榃hen we took office, we found the Rohingya issue almost dead. The issue had fallen off the international agenda. From that situation, we were able to bring the issue to the forefront of the world鈥檚 attention,鈥� said the chief adviser.
Yunus said that he called for an international conference on the Rohingya in the UN General Assembly in September in the past year.
All UN member states have agreed on this and have decided to organize a high-level international conference and this conference will be held in New York, USA in September this year, he added.
鈥楢t the same time, we have been able to build international public opinion for the repatriation of the Rohingya. During his visit to Bangladesh last March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres clearly declared that their repatriation to Myanmar is the only solution to the Rohingya problem,鈥� he said.
Another major development on the repatriation issue is the announcement by the Myanmar government of the first-ever list of Rohingyas eligible for repatriation, he said.
During the discussions on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok last April, the Myanmar government announced for the first time that 180,000 Rohingyas are eligible for repatriation, he added.
鈥楩ormal and informal contacts are being maintained with the Myanmar government and the insurgent groups there to ensure the repatriation of the Rohingyas and the security of our borders. We have discussed the Rohingya crisis with state leaders and government representatives in all the countries we have visited and sought their cooperation. They have also responded positively to our call,鈥� he said.
