Myanmar's new government has written to Bangladesh, explaining why the military has taken power, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said yesterday.

"Myanmar government has written a letter to our ambassador in Naypyidaw. There, they explained why they took power.

"They said 10.4 million fake votes were cast in the November elections and that they have a responsibility to have a fair election," he told reporters after an event at the Army Stadium yesterday.

From Bangladesh side, there was, however, no communication with Myanmar where the military took control of the country on February 1 through a coup and detention of de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi and her political colleagues of the National League of Democracy (NLD) that had a landslide victory in the last year's November elections.

The UN Security Council on February 4 expressed deep concern at the declaration of the state of emergency imposed in Myanmar by the military and the arbitrary detention of members of the elected government and called for the immediate release of all those detained.

The Biden administration, meanwhile, threatened sanctions on Myanmar following the coup.

The major issue for Bangladesh is Rohingya repatriation, which has not been possible over the last three years after the influx of 750,000 Rohingyas following a military crackdown in 2017.

A tripartite meeting involving China, Myanmar, and Bangladesh was scheduled on February 4, but it was postponed as contacting the Myanmar authorities following the coup was not possible.

Foreign Minister Momen said the government has learned that Myanmar military commanders have already visited the Rohingya villages in Rakhine and allayed fears that were created following the coup.

During the visit, he said, the Rohingyas shared their challenges, including of non-mobility. The new government said they will change the Rohingya situation. Hearing this, the Rohingyas in Kutupalong were happy.

"This is good news," Momen said but added that this has to be verified.