Bangladesh refused to sit with Myanmar on Bimstec sidelines until it agreed to take back 180,000 Rohingyas: Azad

Bangladeshi officials had initially refused to sit with Myanmar officials for a talk on the sidelines of the sixth Bimstec Summit in Bangkok yesterday (4 April) after the country's Prime Minister Min Aung Hlaing addressed the Rohingya people as "illegal Bengalis" during his speech, said Chief Adviser's (CA) Deputy Press Secretary Azad Majumder today (5 April).

"The meeting took place only after Myanmar agreed to give the disclosure that 180,000 Rohingyas were now fit to return," Azad wrote in a Facebook post upon returning to Dhaka.

Praising Khalilur Rahman, the chief adviser's high representative on the Rohingya crisis and priority issues, for handling the issue swiftly, Azad added that Khalilur made Myanmar officials call Rohingyas Rohingya and termed it a great achievement.

"I never thought I would come this close to witnessing a defining moment in the crisis, which, I am sure, would finally open the door for their long-awaited repatriation," Azad added.

Myanmar authorities yesterday confirmed to Bangladesh that out of a list of 800,000 Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh, they have identified 180,000 Rohingyas eligible for return to Myanmar.

The original list was provided by Bangladesh in six batches during 2018-20, according to a statement from the CA's Press Wing.

The final verification of another 70,000 Rohingyas is pending additional scrutiny of their photographs and names.

The information was disclosed to Khalilur by U Than Shew, deputy prime minister and foreign minister of Myanmar, at yesterday's meeting.

This is the first such confirmed list that constitutes a major step towards the longstanding resolution of the Rohingya crisis.

During his Bimstec speech, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus urged for a humanitarian corridor in the Rakhine State of Myanmar to prevent further displacement of the Rohingyas.

"Given the recent developments in Rakhine State, amidst the warning of UNDP of an impending famine in Rakhine, a humanitarian channel in Rakhine may be established for the supply of basic necessities to the people to stop further displacement from there," Prof Yunus said at the summit.

He said the protracted Rohingya crisis, if it remains unresolved, has the possibility of creating instability in the whole region.

The chief adviser also said Bimstec can promote dialogue to resolve the internal conflicts, particularly between the conflicting parties in Rakhine.

It should take more visible actions to engage Myanmar to bring stability in Rakhine for an enabling environment for the return of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar, Yunus said.

He further said Bangladesh encourages the meaningful participation of Bimstec member states in the "High-Level Conference on the Situation of Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar" under the UN auspices in September 2025.