Help repatriate Rohingyas

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday invited UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to visit Bangladesh to see for himself the plight of Rohingyas who have taken shelter here amid persecution in Myanmar.

She made the invitation when the UN chief phoned her at night.

During their conversation, Hasina also sought UN cooperation in implementing the agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar over the Rohingya repatriation, said PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim.

He said the UN chief highly appreciated Bangladesh for its steps over the Rohingya issue.

Karim said the UN secretary general phoned the PM at 9:25pm and talked to her for nearly 12 minutes. The PM thanked Guterres for taking the Rohingya issue to the UN Security Council.

Hasina invited Guterres to visit Bangladesh for seeing the condition of the Rohingyas. She told the UN secretary general that her government has taken initiatives to relocate at least one lakh Rohingyas to Bhashan Char Island in the coming monsoon.

Over 7 lakh Rohingyas have fled persecution in their homeland Rakhine State since August 25 last year and crossed over to Cox's Bazar.