Bangladesh: Rohingya

(asked on 11th May 2020) - View Source

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made on the Rohingya refugees currently still stranded at sea in the Bay of Bengal.


Answered by
Nigel Adams Portrait
Nigel Adams
This question was answered on 19th May 2020

We continue to monitor the extremely concerning reports of hundreds of Rohingya still at sea in the Bay of Bengal. We continue to engage with the Government of Bangladesh, other countries in the region, UN agencies and the international community to support the safety and well-being of all Rohingya refugees. The UK supports the UN's call for a regional effort to ensure the safety of these vulnerable refugees.

The Minister of State for South Asia, Lord Ahmad, has raised the issue of Rohingya refugees stranded at sea with the Bangladesh Foreign Minister and the Bangladesh High Commissioner in London, and the British High Commission in Dhaka have raised this matter with the Government of Bangladesh. Officials from the British Embassy in Bangkok have discussed with the Thai Government the importance of the provision of humanitarian assistance to Rohingyas aboard vessels that enter Thai waters. Our High Commission in Kuala Lumpur continues to raise our concerns about the situation of the Rohingya community with the Malaysian Government. We continue to urge the Governments of Bangladesh, Thailand, Malaysia and other governments in the region to assist boats carrying Rohingya refugees to land. The UK is committed to protecting the Rohingya community, some of the world's most vulnerable people.

Reticulating Splines