Dhaka seeks stability in Myanmar for Rohingya return

In this file photo taken on December 2, 2015 Myanmar military chief General Min Aung Hlaing (L) and National League for Democracy party leader Aung San Suu Kyi (R) shake hands after their meeting at the Commander in-Chief’s office in Naypyidaw. – AFP photo

The Bangladesh government on Monday emphasised on the need of maintaining democratic ethos, peace and stability in Myanmar for sustainable repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingya people to the country.

The foreign ministry said this in a statement hours after Myanmar’s powerful military took over the power by detaining top leaders, including Aung San Suu Kui on early Monday.

‘Bangladesh firmly adheres to and promotes democratic ethos. We hope that the democratic process and constitutional arrangements will be upheld in Myanmar,’ said the statement.

‘As an immediate and friendly neighbour, we would like to see peace and stability in Myanmar. We have been persistent in developing mutually beneficial relations with Myanmar and have been working with Myanmar for the voluntary, safe and sustained repatriation of the Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh.

‘We expect these processes to continue in right earnest.’

In a bloodless coup on Monday, Myanmar’s military seized power, detaining democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi and declaring a one-year state of emergency.

The intervention ended a decade of civilian rule in Myanmar, with the military justifying its power grab by alleging fraud in the November elections that Suu Kyi’s National League for Democracy party won in a landslide.

New Age