UK and Canada call for safe repatriation of Rohingya

The United Kingdom and Canada committed themselves to finding an answer to the Rohingya refugee crisis in Myanmar and Bangladesh yesterday.

At the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in London, British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson and his Canadian counterpart, Chrystia Freeland, hosted a meeting to allow Commonwealth nations to stand in solidarity with Bangladesh, which is home to more than 670,000 Rohingya who have fled persecution in Myanmar in the past nine months.

At the meeting, which was also attended by the foreign ministers of Australia, New Zealand and Bangladesh, Mr Johnson said the UK was one of the largest donors to the humanitarian cause, with £59 million (Dh309.8m) committed to helping the refugees in camps such as that near the city of Cox’s Bazar.

“Alongside our financial contribution, it is right that we use events such as the Commonwealth Summit to ensure that attention does not fade away from the almost one million refugees living in Bangladesh,” Mr Johnson said.

Conditions in Rakhine, the province of Myanmar from which the refugees had been driven by security forces, were still “not conducive to safe returns. The authorities need to demonstrate that they are serious about the safety and security of the Rohingya”.

“A credible independent investigation into reported atrocities is an important step in this process,” he said.

Ms Freeland said that the “international community must rally and reaffirm their support to ensure that the basic needs of those affected by this crisis are met”.

On Tuesday, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on global leaders to exert their influence on Myanmar to take back Rohingya refugees.

“The international community needs to put more pressure on Myanmar so that they take back their own people and ensure their security,” Ms Hasina said.

“Myanmar says they are ready to take back the Rohingya, but they are not taking the initiative.”

Bangladesh has sought international pressure on Myanmar that would allow refugees to return safely to their homes