India at UNGA: We have highest stake in defusing Rohingya crisis

Myanmar doesn’t recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

India has emphasised the need for an early return of displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar, saying it has the highest stake in resolving the issue since it is the only nation that shares a long border with both countries.

FILE PHOTO: FILE PHOTO: Rohingya refugees sit on a makeshift boat as they get interrogated by the Border Guard Bangladesh after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, at Shah Porir Dwip near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh November 9, 2017. REUTERS/Navesh Chitrakar/File Photo/File Photo (REUTERS)

Speaking at an informal UN General Assembly meeting on Friday on the situation in Myanmar after the military staged a coup this month, India’s Permanent Representative to the UN, ambassador T S Tirumurti, said it must be ensured that recent developments in the country do not impede the progress made so far and the international community must encourage and support positive steps.

Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.1 million Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, who fled Myanmar facing military crackdown. Myanmar doesn’t recognise Rohingya as an ethnic group and insists that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.