Bangladesh Urges Pressure on Myanmar to Stop Crackdown on Rohingya Muslims

TEHRAN (IQNA) – Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina called on parliamentarians across the Commonwealth countries to exert pressure on Myanmar to halt its persecution of the Rohingya Muslim minority and repatriate the 622,000 who crossed the border into Bangladesh since the start of its military crackdown.

"I would like to request you all to discuss the Rohingya issue with utmost importance and exert pressure on the Myanmar government to stop the persecution of its citizens and take them back at the earliest,” Hasina said in her inaugural speech to the 63rd Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference or CPC on Sunday, bdnews24.com reported.

The persecution of the Rohingyas and their forceful expulsion from their homeland has created instability in the region, she said.

Hasina highlighted the refuge Bangladesh has given to the 622,000 Myanmar nationals who have crossed the border into Bangladesh since Aug 25 and the approximately 400,000 others who had entered the country at various times since 1978.