Bangladesh
Bangladesh-Japan Bangladesh and Japan want dignified repatriation of Rohingyas
Own Correspondent, Dhaka, July 25: Both Bangladesh and Japan seek dignified repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar.
Japanese Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Honda Taro and Japan International Corporation Agency (JICA) President Tanaka Akihito discussed the Rohingya issue during a courtesy meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at Ganobhaban on Sunday.
Later, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed the journalists. In the meeting, the Prime Minister of Bangladesh sought Japan's help in repatriating the Rohingyas to their motherland Myanmar. She said, "Several years have passed since the Rohingyas took shelter in Bangladesh and now they have become a burden for us."
In response, Japan's Parliamentary Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Honda Taro said that they also want the Rohingyas to be repatriated with dignity. He said, "Japan wants dignified repatriation of Rohingyas and they (Japan) are supporting Bangladesh on this issue."
Both leaders of Bangladesh and Japan discussed economic development cooperation between the two countries.
The Japanese leader and JICA President congratulated the Prime Minister of Bangladesh for constructing the widely discussed Padma Bridge with his own funding and said that the bridge will accelerate the overall development of Bangladesh.
Sheikh Hasina said that the Padma Bridge and the Bangabandhu Bridge built on the Jamuna River have connected the southern and northern parts of the country with the rest of the country.
She said that Japan is implementing three mega projects in Bangladesh, coal-fired Matarbari power plant in Maheshkhali, metro rail and third terminal at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, which will be particularly helpful in the development of Bangladesh.
In response, JICA appreciated the all-out support of the Government of Bangladesh in implementing the three mega projects.
The Japanese leader also praised Bangladesh's transition from a less developed country to a developing country under the visionary leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Both Bangladeshi and Japanese leaders recalled former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's visit to Bangladesh in 2014.
Sheikh Hasina condemned the killing of Shinzo Abe and described him as a great friend of Bangladesh. She said that Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's visit to Japan in October 1973 laid the foundation for today's Bangladesh-Japan relations.
