DHAKA, Dec 6, 2018 (BSS) – US Ambassador in Dhaka Earl R. Miller has said it is Myanmar’s responsibility to address the root causes of the refugee crisis as well as including provide the Rohingya access to citizenship, freedom of movement, access to livelihoods and other key recommendations of the Annan Commission.
He also expressed strong support for ensuring that those responsible for the atrocities committed against the Rohingya are held accountable, highlighting US sanctions against five Myanmar military and border guard police generals as well as two Myanmar military units.
The US envoy made the comments during his three-day visit to several Rohingya refugee camps that ended today, an press release of US Embassy said here today.
In all of his meetings during the visit, the ambassador expressed US gratitude and admiration for the extraordinary generosity of the Bangladesh people in sheltering the more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees who have fled to Bangladesh since August 2017.
The Ambassador welcomed Bangladesh’s continued commitment to returns of Rohingya that are fully voluntary, safe, dignified, and based on informed consent.
During the visit, he went to Konarpara to see the internally displaced Rohingya sheltering in no-man’s land, where a tall border fence has been built just behind them.
He visited a number of refugee camp facilities, including health clinics, food distribution points, counter trafficking and disaster shelters, and learning centers, in both Ukhia and Teknaf sub-districts, where he gained an appreciation for the complexity and enormity of the relief effort.
He heard heart-breaking stories from recently arrived refugees and consulted with UN and government officials and NGO representatives on current issues and future challenges in the refugee response.
The US has provided nearly $346 million to assist Rohingya refugees and host communities in Bangladesh affected by the displacement since the current crisis started in August 2017. In addition, the U.S. contributes more than $200 million annually in development assistance, the release said.
This visit to Cox’s Bazar is his first trip as US Ambassador to Bangladesh, which signifies the importance of the Rohingya issue to the United States, it also said.