The United Nations will provide continuous support to Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue, said United Nations Resident Coordinator Mia Seppo on Tuesday during her meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. 

"We will continue to support Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue," Seppo was quoted as saying by The Daily Star. During the meeting, Hasina reminded the UN official that her country has been facing some serious social issues because of Rohingya refugees. 

Rohingyas were sheltered in Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds, but they (Rohingya) are now creating social problems, Hasina said, adding, "Rohingyas should return to their country."

Bangladesh has been housing over 1.1 million Rohingya refugees displaced from persecution and targeted violence in Myanmar since 2017. Most refugees are living in congested cramped and vulnerable camps in Cox’s Bazaar. A fraction of these people has been shifted to Bhasan Char camps. 

Dhaka in recent months stepped its efforts in raising the Rohingya issues, seeking a final and permanent solution ---the return of all refugees back to Myanmar--with the help of the international community and major players.

Last week, in her address to the 13th Asia-Europe Meeting Summit, Hasina said, "The security situation in the Cox's Bazar camps is getting complicated. The growing violence and crimes can soon spread beyond our borders."

Prior to that, she had warned the international community about the crisis having repercussions beyond the country’s border if the world continues to ignore the permanent solution of the crisis. 

Around two weeks ago, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) had passed a resolution focussing on the human rights situation of the Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar, and asked the latter to take measures for the safe and dignified return of the refugees. 

After the Myanmar military cracked down in 2017, over 700,000 Rohingyas, mostly Bengali-speaking Muslims living in Rakhine province, fled to neighboring Bangladesh, creating at the time what many called one of the biggest humanitarian crises.

However, Bangladesh, despite its consistent efforts, received nothing but lip service from the international community when it came to the question of returning these people back to their homeland.

(SAM)