The government of Bangladesh is reluctant to grant refugee status to the Rohingya people who fled Myanmar following a brutal military crackdown on August 25. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has requested Bangladesh to grant refugee status to the Rohingya on several occasions, but the government is yet to respond positively to it. Senior officials say it will be more difficult to send the Rohingya back to Myanmar if they are granted refugee status here. Wishing anonymity, a government official told Bangla Tribune: “On several occasions, the UNHCR requested Bangladesh to grant refugee status to Rohingya but Bangladesh has decided against the move for now. Briefing the media after the meeting, Maya said: “Rohingya who have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar are trespassers.”At a press conference on Sunday, the UNCHER chief said: “We must grant refugee status to the Rohingya who fled from Myanmar and we must take further steps to support them.”This article was first published on Bangla Tribune

Source: Dhaka Tribune September 26, 2017 05:26 UTC