Saudi considers them Bangladeshis: envoy
Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Issa bin Youssef Al-Duhailan yesterday said they are considering those Rohingyas as Bangladeshis who have been to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports.
"They came with Bangladeshi passports to Saudi Arabia," he told reporters explaining why they are terming them "Bangalee people".
After attending a food distribution ceremony at a city hotel, the ambassador said they have already sent a list of 55,000 people who lost their documents or documents' validity expired. He said their documents just need to be renewed or reissued and there is a high-level committee with relevant authorities in Bangladesh to study their issues. "We're working very hard together."
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan, who was present at the programme, said the government will provide passports if Bangladeshis are in the group who do not have passports, adding that Rohingyas who went to Saudi Arabia identifying themselves as Bangladeshis with Bangladeshi passports will be considered if they apply for renewing passports.
He, however said, "They're not Bangladeshi citizens who are from Myanmar; they're Myanmar citizens. It's clear."
He said the Rohingya issue is an old one, and Saudi Arabia has been generous to take Rohingyas in the past.
He also thanked the Saudi government for its support towards Rohingya repatriation efforts.
The Home Minister said Bangladesh continues its efforts on all fronts for the repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State and hoped that the Saudi government will continue its support.
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