US sign pact to resettle 62 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh

Western countries including United States has begun the resettlement process of Rohingyas from Bangladesh. Soon 62 Rohingya refugees would be flying to the United States, according to reports.

Bangladesh’s foreign minister, AK Abdul Momen while appreciating his US counterpart, secretary of state Antony Blinken for the efforts initiated for the resettlement process said that 62 is just a ‘drop in the ocean’ but worth appreciating.

Blinken announced in August that he was working to resettle Rohingya refugees from the region, including those from Bangladesh, in the United States.

He stated that the United States stands in solidarity with Bangladesh and other Rohingya-hosting countries.
"As a critical component of an international, comprehensive humanitarian response, we are working to significantly increase resettlement of Rohingya refugees from the region, including from Bangladesh, so that they can rebuild their lives in the United States," according to a statement.

Julieta Noyes, the US Assistant Secretary of State for Refugees and Migration, visited Rohingya camps and held meetings in Cox's Bazar and Dhaka this week.
She stated that they had collaborated with the UN High Commissioner for Refugees to identify the most vulnerable Rohingyas for resettlement.

Momen stated that 62 Rohingya had been listed for resettlement in the United States, and that some of them would fly there on Thursday, with 300 to 800 more repatriated annually.

He stated that he requested that the US resettle at least 100,000 Rohingya because Bangladesh was hosting over 1.1 million Muslim community members who were forced to flee Myanmar, mostly in 2017, due to a military crackdown in Rakhine State.

He said the resettlements were nothing to write home about, and that 600,000 Rohingya in Myanmar might take advantage of the opportunity to cross into Bangladesh in the hope of reaching the United States.

The resettlements, according to Tanzimuddin Khan, a migration scholar at the University of Dhaka, may encourage more genocide in Myanmar and do nothing to protect Rohingya rights in Rakhine State.
Mohammad Nur Khan, executive director of the Dhaka-based rights organisation Ain O Salish Kendra, stated that Rohingya resettlements have been going on for decades.