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Published on November 19, 2017
Japan will provide more 18.6m US Dollars assistance to the priority areas for the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals who took shelter in Bangladesh following violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state on August 25.
"The amount would be provided through international organisations for food and rehabilitation for the Ronhingys," said Japanese Assistant Minister for Press and Public Diplomacy Toshihide Ando here today.
Talking to a group of journalist following bilateral meeting of the visiting Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono with his Bangladesh counterpart AH Mahmood Ali this morning, Ando said with the fresh commitment the Japanese assistance for the Rohingys will stands at 23.6m US Dollars.
The Japanese foreign ministry official said that Japan strongly condemned the violence in Rakhine state on August 25 and expressed concern over the human rights and humanitarian crisis centering the huge exodus of Rohingya people.
When asked about repatriation of Rohingy people, he said Bangladesh and Myanmar to hold dialogue to solve the crisis and ensure smooth repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals.
"Further fact finding is needed in Rakhine state," he said when he supported to appoint a new special envoy to this end.
On the Japanese foreign minister's meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart, Ando said that different bilateral issues, Japanese assistance in Bangladesh's development, education and cultural exchange programmes along with Rohingya issue were the major focus of the meeting.
Besides, foreign ministry officials said that the Japanese foreign minister during the meeting with his Bangladesh counterpart assured that Japan will support return of displaced Myanmar nationals back to their homeland.
Foreign Minister Ali told Kono that Bangladesh and Myanmar are in the process of negotiation for a bilateral agreement for repatriation of displaced people and expecting to form a Joint Working Group to facilitate the repatriation.
Japanese Foreign Minister expressed gratitude to the Government of Bangladesh for the security measures undertaken for the implementation of mega projects of Japanese Overseas Development Assistance (ODA).
He further assured that Japan will continue to be a development partner of Bangladesh in its course to become a middle income country by 2021, the official said.
Later, Japanese Foreign Minister and Bangladesh Foreign Minister A. H. Mahmood Ali went together to Cox's Bazar to visit the camps of the displaced people. State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md. Shahriar Alam, Foreign Secretary Md. Shahidul Haque accompanied them.
Japanese Foreign Minister was keen to see for himself the humanitarian crisis situation that displaced people are going through in Bangladesh-Myanmar border area.
Photo: Saiful Islam Kallol
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