Rohingyas 'threat' to national and regional security, says Bangladesh PM Hasina

Dhaka, Nov 11: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said the over 10 lakh Rohingyas who fled from Myanmar to her country in the wake of 'persecution' are a 'threat to the security' of the entire region as she urged the global community to resolve the issue.

According to the UN, as of May 24, 2018, more than 9,00,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar's restive Rakhine State since 2017 after large-scale violence following a military crackdown. The exodus of refugees in large numbers has resulted in a major crisis in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Addressing the three-day 'Dhaka Global Dialogue-2019' here, Hasina said, 'In terms of regional security, I would like to say that more than 1.1 million Rohingya citizens of Myanmar fled to Bangladesh in the face of persecution and they are a threat to the security not only for Bangladesh but also for the region.'

'I urge the world community to take appropriate action realising the gravity of the threat. It will not be possible to ensure development and prosperity of any country without having peace and safety,' she was quoted as saying by the official Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) news agency.

The dialogue, which commenced on Monday, was jointly organised by the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) and India-based independent think-tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).

Over 150 delegates from over 50 countries are taking part in the dialogue to discuss, ideate and debate the most pressing global imperatives.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen, ORF president Samir Saran and BIISS Director General Major General AKM Abdur Rahman also spoke at the function.

Myanmar is one of India's strategic neighbours and shares a 1,640-km-long border with a number of northeastern states, including militancy-hit Nagaland and Manipur.