DHAKA, Bangladesh

Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Tuesday reiterated her call to repatriate the Rohingya people to Myanmar who have taken shelter in the country’s southeast Cox’s Bazar district.

Speaking at an international conference on public health and diplomacy in the capital Dhaka, the premier said the immediate return of Rohingya refugees to their home country is the only durable solution to the longstanding crisis.

She recalled that even during the COVID-19 pandemic, Dhaka did not forget the well-being of 1.2 million Rohingya living in Cox’s Bazar refugee camps.

Bangladesh, along with its development partners, extended healthcare services, including vaccinations, as needed by these refugees, she added.

"It should not be forgotten that this huge population has been taking shelter in this country and has always been a humanitarian crisis and a security concern to our region. Only their safe and dignified repatriation to Myanmar can ensure a sustainable solution to this crisis," she said.

She hoped Myanmar would take the Rohingya back soon.

Nearly 1.2 million Rohingya live in Bangladesh, the majority of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in the Rakhine of Myanmar in Aug. 2017.

Most of them are housed in overcrowded camps in Cox's Bazar district, but around 30,000 have been relocated to Bhasan Char islet since late 2020.