BD ‘firm’ to send 1 million Rohingyas back to Myanmar under deal: Muhith

The finance minister has reaffirmed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resolve to send one million Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar from Bangladesh under bilateral arrangements.
Abul Maal Abdul Muhith discussed the issue with his Thai counterpart Apisak Tantivorawong during a meeting in Bangkok on Thursday, the Bangladesh embassy in Bangkok said.
He briefed the Thai finance minister on the unprecedented humanitarian crisis and economic burden being shouldered by Bangladesh following the mass influx of nearly 700,000 Rohingyas into Bangladesh since August 2017.
He thanked Thailand for its supportive position on the OIC resolution on Myanmar at the UNGA in November 2017, and sought support to convince ASEAN countries for a peaceful resolution to the Rohingya crisis.
The finance minister is on a two day-visit to the southeast Asian nation. He discussed issues of mutual interest and bilateral economic cooperation there.
Bangladesh Ambassador to Thailand Saida Muna Tasneem and senior officials of the Bangladesh Embassy and Thai finance ministry were also present at the meeting.
Both the ministers expressed satisfaction at the recently concluded high-level meetings between the countries including the foreign minister-level 7th Joint Commission, the 4th Joint Trade Committee at the commerce ministers' level and the first Foreign Office Consultations between the two foreign secretaries.
Referring to the bilateral trade volumes to the tune of $1 billion, Muhith reiterated Bangladesh's request to Thailand for duty and quota-free market access of 36 products from Bangladesh at the earliest.
He also appreciated Thai investments to the tune of $1.5 billion in Bangladesh and sought greater FDI in the food processing and tourism.
He also discussed how both countries can share best practices in achieving higher growth.
—bdnews24.com