PM Hasina urges IOM to raise more funds for Rohingyas

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to raise more funds from newer sources to assist the Rohingyas sheltered in the country., BSS reports.

The prime minister made the call as IOM Director General Amy Pope met with her at Ganabhaban in Dhaka on Tuesday.

"As funding for the assistance of Rohingyas has decreased, the IOM should find new partners to raise more funds to help the displaced Myanmar nationals," PM's Speech Writer M Nazrul Islam quoted her as telling Pope.

In a media briefing after the meeting at the prime minister’s official residence, Nazrul said Sheikh Hasina also asked the IOM to help relocate Rohingyas to Bhasan Char as accommodations for 100,000 Rohingyas have been built there with all the facilities including education, healthcare and employment.

Around 30,000-35,000 Rohingyas have so far been relocated to the Bhasan Char island.

During the meeting, the IOM chief, who visited the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, raised the issue of security in the camps to the premier.

Sheikh Hasina said her government has deployed an appropriate number of security personnel in the Cox's Bazar Rohingya camps to ensure their safety and security.

She said the Rohingyas are divided into several groups and sub-groups, and they are engaged in internal conflicts.

Locals are now minorities in their locality as the Rohingyas are larger in number, she added.

Pope stressed the need for giving proper training on language and culture to migrated people to scale up their skills in line with the demands of the host countries.

In reply, the prime minister said her government has attached topmost priority to giving proper training on profession and language to anyone in case of sending them to other countries.

She said the government has built 112 Technical Training Centres (TTCs) across the country to provide training to build a skilled workforce.

Sheikh Hasina also said migration is a natural process, but it will decrease significantly if the poverty rate drops.

She said her government has undertaken various programs for migrants, including loans without any guarantee.

The prime minister said both the host and source countries should protect the interest of migrated people as they work for the socioeconomic advancement of both countries.

She said people migrate internally because of climate change as well.

Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable countries to climate change and people are migrating internally due to river erosion, floods and cyclones, she said.

The prime minister said her government has given houses to over 4,000 climate refugees in Khurushkul of Cox's Bazar.

She added that the government has been building climate-resilient houses in the coastal belts and floating houses in flood-prone areas, giving them to homeless people free of cost.