Bangladesh
Rohingya Crisis Rohingya population and stranded Pakistanis are Bangladesh's burden: PM Hasina
Dhaka, October 18: Referring to the Rohingya and stranded Pakistanis as a burden for Bangladesh, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said they are putting pressure on Bangladesh's economy. She made the remarks during a meeting with the newly-appointed Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Anne Gerard van Leeuwen at Ganobhaban on Sunday (October 17).
The Prime Minister said, “It has been three years since a large number of Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh and they have become a burden for us. They are destroying the environment and forest resources in Cox's Bazar."
After the meeting, Press Secretary to the Prime Minister Ihsanul Karim briefed the media on the issue. He said the Dutch ambassador had spoken to refugees and NGO workers about the Rohingya issue. He felt that the return of the Rohingya to their homeland Myanmar could solve the problem.
Sheikh Hasina appreciated the contribution of the Netherlands in the development of her country and in the formulation of Delta Plan-2100. To this end, he recalled the position of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman in the development of Bangladesh through land reclamation like in the Netherlands.
Referring to her last visit to the Netherlands, the Prime Minister said she was overwhelmed by the production and storage of agricultural products using the greenhouse method. "Our country is also agricultural. We can adopt this method too," she said.
Sheikh Hasina said her government has done river dredging in the country as part of measures to increase water conservation. Her government is transforming Cox's Bazar Airport into an international airport to attract more tourists to the world's longest beach. The government is setting up 100 economic zones in the country to attract domestic and foreign investment and accelerate the overall development of the country.
At the time, the ambassador said they were interested in sharing their experiences to this end. He lauded the development of Bangladesh under the visionary and dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The ambassador said he had traveled to Bangladesh by air and has seen the scenery of the country, which is similar to his own country.
