Rohingya refugee crisis: India stands beside Bangladesh, says High Commissioner Vardhan Shringla

Indian High Commissioner in Dhaka Harsh Vardhan Shringla today assured Bangladesh of his country's "diplomatic and humanitarian" support to resolve the ongoing Rohingya refugee crisis.

Expressing deep concern over the influx of 4,80,000 rohingya refugees from violence-torn region of Myanmar, the Indian envoy said, "We are fully supportive of Bangladesh. We will continue to stand beside Bangladesh diplomatically and humanitarian way."

The Indian high commissioner was speaking at a programme at Birdem auditorium in Dhaka.

India already sent some relief goods and will provide more for the Rohingya refugees took shelter in Cox's Bazar camps, he added. 

He also requested Indian hospitals to extend their emergency healthcare services to the injured and sick Rohingya people.

Terming the current refugee crisis "a real mess", Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, also present at the programme, said, "The longer they (Rohingya refugees) will stay here, more will be the problems."

"...we expect concrete steps through which they (Rohingyas) will return to their homeland smoothly," Foreign Minister told reporters.

Diabetic Association of Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Kolkata-based Diabetes Awareness & You for diabetes education programme. 

On September 14, Indian Minister for External Affairs Sushma Swaraj expressed her government's full support to Bangladesh's stance over Rohingya issue. She is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on October 23.

Aircrafts from India, Indonesia and Morocco arrived in Chittagong with relief materials for Rohingya refugees on September 14. 

The UN Security Council met behind closed doors yesterday to discuss the violence in Myanmar, moving to step up its response to the exodus of 4,80,000 Rohingyas in what has been condemned as "ethnic cleansing."