COX’S BAZAR, Oct 17, 2017 (BSS) – Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia Dato Seri Dr. Ahmad Zahid Hamidi yesterday said Malaysia will remain beside Bangladesh to ensure smooth repatriation of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.
“Bangladesh is not alone in terms of Rohingya issue…we are with Bangladesh,” said Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister after visiting Kutupalong Rohingya camp in Ukhia, Cox’s Bazar.
Referring to Myanmar’s unwillingness to take back its nationals, Hamidi opined that Naypyidaw would be compelled to take back its nationals if the ASEAN countries put pressure on Myanmar authorities to this end.
“The inhuman atrocities carried on the Rohingyas in Myanmar’s Rakhine state can’t be acceptable in the present time,” he said citing the statements of Rohingya refugees who fled Bangladesh following persecution of Myanmar army and the Buddhist mobs since August 25.
Lauding Bangladesh for giving the distressed Rohingyas shelter despite many limitations, he asked the Rohingya people to lead a peaceful life in the camps.
In this connection, he said that Malaysia would construct a field hospital in the camp area for providing health care facilities to the Rohingya refugees.
“The construction works of the health facility would begin soon,” he added.
Senior officials of the Malaysian embassy in Dhaka, government officials and foreign and local NGO representatives accompanied Hamidi during his visit in the Rohingya camp here.
During the visit, the Rohingya people narrated their ordeals and gave horrific statements before the visiting Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister about the systematic violence, arson and atrocities carried out on the Rohingya civilians to depopulate the northern Rahine State and to prevent their possible return.
Later in the afternoon, the Malaysian Deputy Prime Minister left Cox’s Bazar for Kuala Lumpur by a special aircraft.
He arrived here on Sunday on a two-day visit to discuss about different bilateral and Rohingya refugee issues.
According to official statistics, Bangladesh is now hosting over 900,000 forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals where around 540,000 have taken shelter to Bangladesh after August 25, 2017.