by Hafizur Rahman
Dhaka, September 19, 2025: Bangladesh will not accept any additional Rohingya refugees and must now focus entirely on ensuring their repatriation to Myanmar, said Dr. M. Sakhawat Hossain, Adviser on Labour and Employment in the interim government, at a discussion in Dhaka.
He stated that the country has already carried a heavy humanitarian burden by sheltering more than one million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and on Bhasan Char. “Bangladesh cannot take in any more Rohingyas. The priority now is to make sure they return to their homeland in safety and dignity,” Dr. Hossain said.
Focus on Repatriation
Dr. Hossain emphasized that Dhaka is working with international partners to create conditions in Myanmar that could allow repatriation to begin, expressing cautious hope that initial steps might start as early as next year.
He also urged the international community — particularly the United Nations and regional powers — to exert stronger pressure on Myanmar to guarantee basic rights and citizenship for Rohingyas. Without such assurances, he warned, repatriation would be extremely difficult to implement.
Ongoing Humanitarian Burden
Bangladesh currently shelters more than one million Rohingya refugees who fled persecution and mass violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Previous repatriation attempts have collapsed due to lack of security guarantees and deep mistrust among Rohingya families.
While acknowledging the importance of humanitarian aid, Dr. Hossain said relief cannot substitute for a political solution. “The world must understand — this is not Bangladesh’s problem alone. It is a crisis Myanmar created, and Myanmar must resolve,” he said, stressing that the responsibility lies squarely with Naypyidaw.
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