Prime minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday urged the International Organisation for Migration to raise more funds from newer sources for assistance of the Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh as its director general Amy Pope paid a courtesy call on her in Dhaka.
鈥楢s the fund for the assistance of Rohingya (in Bangladesh) decreased, the IOM should find new partners to raise more funds to help the displaced Myanmar nationals,鈥� PM鈥檚 speech writer M Nazrul Islam quoted her as telling Pope at their meeting in Ganabhaban.
In a media briefing after the meeting at PM鈥檚 official residence, I Nazrul slam said that the prime minister also asked the IOM to help relocate Rohingyas to Bhashan Char as an abode for one lakh Rohingyas had been built there with all the facilities including education, healthcare services and employment.
Around 30-35 thousand Rohingyas have so far been relocated to the Bhashan Char.
During the meeting, the IOM DG, who visited the Rohingya camps in Cox鈥檚 Bazar on Monday, raised the issue of security in the Rohingya camps to the prime minister.
Sheikh Hasina said that her government deployed appropriate number of security personnel in Cox鈥檚 Bazar Rohingya camps to ensure their safety and security.
She said that the Rohingyas were divided into several groups and sub-groups and they were engaged in internal conflicts.
Local people have now been a minority in their locality as the Rohingyas are larger in number, she added.
Pope also stressed the need for giving proper training on language and culture to the migrated people to scale up their skills as per the demand of the host countries.
In reply, the prime minister said that her government has attached topmost priority to giving proper training on profession and language to anyone in case of sending him to another country.
She continued that they have built 112 Technical Training Centres across the country to provide training to build skilled manpower.
Sheikh Hasina also said migration is a natural process. 鈥楤ut, the migration ratio will decline significantly if the poverty reduces,鈥� she said.
She also said that her government had taken various programmes for the migrants that included giving loans without any guarantee.
The prime minister said that both the host and source countries should protect the interest of the migrated people as they work for the socio-economic advancement of both countries.
She said that people were migrating internally for climate change as well.
Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and people are migrating internally for river erosion, floods and cyclones, she said.
The prime minister said that her government had given houses to over 4000 climate refugees at Khurushkul in Cox鈥檚 Bazar.
She also said that her government had been building climate-resilient houses in the coastal belts and floating houses in flood-prone areas and has given the houses to the homeless people free of cost.
PM鈥檚 principal secretary M Tofazzel Hossain Miah and secretary of the expatriates鈥� welfare and overseas employment ministry Md Ruhul Amin, among others, were present.
