Irrawaddy-Dec 7
Western countries say they have started the resettlement process and Bangladesh said that 62 Rohingya refugees would soon fly to the United States. Bangladesh’s foreign minister, AK Abdul Momen, said 62 was “a drop in the ocean” but appreciated his US counterpart, secretary of state Antony Blinken, had made a start. A Bangladesh official told The Irrawaddy that a committee was being established to oversee the resettlement process in the US. In August Blinken announced that he was working to resettle Rohingya from the region, including from Bangladesh, in the US. He said the US stood in solidarity with Bangladesh and other Rohingya-hosting countries. “As an essential 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,” a statement read. “We are proud to support the resettlement of the most vulnerable Rohingyas in our country,” she told the media in Dhaka after meeting Momen. Noyes tweeted: “We discussed a comprehensive approach to the protracted crisis, with international support.” She said that they had worked with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to identify the most vulnerable Rohingya for resettlement. Momen said 62 Rohingya had been listed for resettlement in the US and some of them would fly to the US on Thursday with 300 to 800 more being repatriated annually. Numerous Rohingya continue to risk perilous boat journeys to Malaysia, Indonesia and Australia. Read more at: https://www.irrawaddy.com/news/burma/us-agrees-to-resettle-62-rohingya-refugees-from-bangladesh.html
