Rohingya repatriation: Dhaka wants Suu Kyi to join talks in Beijing

Bangladesh wants Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi to be present at a tripartite meeting in Beijing as proposed by China to discuss Rohingya repatriation issues. 

"It won't be done without her presence. She should be there," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen conveyed it to China.

Though Suu Kyi, the State Counsellor of Myanmar, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, she has been widely criticised for doing nothing to stop rape, murder and genocide in Rakhine by refusing to condemn the powerful military or acknowledge accounts of atrocities.

The Foreign Minister said the number one objective of Bangladesh is to see the repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State. 

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming proposed to hold a tripartite meeting among Foreign Ministers of the three countries-- Bangladesh, Myanmar and China.

"We're ready," Dr Momen said, expressing Bangladesh's readiness to hold such a meeting likely to be held in Beijing. 

The first such meeting was held in New York, said the Foreign Minister.

Dr Momen said the Chinese Ambassador informed him that they will work out the plan for the next meeting and will talk to Beijing.

The Foreign Minister said India is also agreed on sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar. 

During his meeting with Dr Momen on Sunday, the Chinese Ambassador expressed concern due to the delay in repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State.

Dr Momen sought Chinese government's support for the quick and sustainable return of Rohingyas to Myanmar.

Eight people, both from Rohingya and host communities, were killed in a series of clashes in Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps recently.

Dr Momen said the Rohingyas will appear as a threat to security in the region if their repatriation to Myanmar is delayed. 

There are allegations that Rohingyas got engaged in drug smuggling.

Dr Momen said there are an increased number of incidents in the Rohingya camps amid the absence of barbed wire around the camps. 

He said displeasure among locals is getting intensified against Rohingyas and international organisations due to delay in the repatriation process. 

The Foreign Minister also shared with the Chinese Ambassador Myanmar's troop deployment close to the Bangladesh-Myanmar border. 

Dr Momen said humanitarian support and improvement of their livelihoods are not enough to resolve the problem. 

"But it needs a permanent solution through Rohingyas repatriation to Myanmar," he said.

Chinese Ambassador Jiming agreed on it with the Foreign Minister, said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. 

The Foreign Minister recently said Rohingyas will "jeopardise regional and international security" if the 1.1 million Rohingya people are left unattended and not given the opportunity to return to their homeland.

Bangladesh sought a proactive role from both ASEAN and Thailand in the repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State.

Repatriation attempts were failed twice in November 2018 and August 2019 amid Rohingyas' "lack of trust" on the Myanmar government.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the repatriation deal on November 23, 2017.

On January 16, 2018, Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a document on "Physical Arrangement", which was supposed to facilitate the return of Rohingyas to their homeland.