The American lawmakers call on the premier came a day after they visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar’s Kutupalang
A US delegation comprising of senatros and representatives of Congress meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Sunday, November 19, 2017A US delegation comprising of senatros and representatives of Congress meet with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganabhaban on Sunday, November 19, 2017. Focus Bangla
Visiting US lawmakers on Sunday dubbed “war crimes” the atrocities inflicted on Rohingyas by Myanmar security forces as they called on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina a day after visiting them in their makeshift refuge in Cox’s Bazar.
“It is like war crimes,” the prime minister’s press secretary Ihasnul Karim quoted the high-profile delegation’s leader Jeff Merkley as saying while talking to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Gonobhaban.
US Senator Richard Durbin, Congresswomen Betty McCollum and Jan Schakowsky and Congressman David N Cicilline were among others included in the delegation accompanied by US ambassador in Dhaka Marcia Stephens Bloom Bernicat.
The press secretary said the senators told Sheikh Hasina that every country should condemn the crime and ethnic cleansing and were of the opinion that the crisis deserved more international attention as it was required for its resolution and sending the forcibly displaced people back to their homeland.
Ishsanul said the premier laid importance on implementation of the Kofi Annan report to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
“Out of sense we have taken decision to give shelter to these oppressed people of Myanmar and share our food with them if necessary,” the premier said.
But, Sheikh Hasina said, Bangladesh wanted next-door Myanmar to take back their nationals with “full security” while under an identification system over 5,00,000 of them were provided identity cards by now.
The US senators call on the premier came a day after the visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar’s Kutupalang.
The senators, the press secretary said, appreciated the premier for her generous response to the challenge of bracing the Rohingyas and said the US was ready to provide all assistance to resolve the crisis.
They said the Rohingyas said they were very much pleased with Bangladesh government for giving them the shelter as they interacted with the ethnic minority people.
Senator Merkley said they gathered firsthand information from the persecuted people in the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar while the description of persecution was “horrifying.”
PM’s advisor Dr Gowher Rizvi and Principal Secretary Dr Kamal Abdul Naser Chowdhury were present on the occasion.
Republished with permission from Dhaka Tribune.