Mount pressure on Myanmar

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina yesterday urged the international community to mount pressure on Myanmar to stop pushing its nationals into Bangladesh and take back its refugees staying here.

"Hosting a huge number of Myanmar nationals is a big burden for Bangladesh. We've given shelter to them only on a humanitarian ground," she said.

The Prime Minister made the call when newly appointed Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Rina Prihtyasmiarsi Soemarno met her at her office.

After the meeting, Prime Minister's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters.

Sheikh Hasina said Bangladesh has given shelter to the Myanmar refugees on humanitarian grounds and hosting a huge number of Myanmar refugees in Bangladesh is a big burden for the country.

The Indonesian envoy highly appreciated the Bangladesh government for giving shelter to the large number of Myanmar nationals on humanitarian ground. "Bangladesh is taking the right steps in this regard," she commented.

Reiterating her government's strong stance against terrorism, Sheikh Hasina said the policy of the present government is very clear and Dhaka will not allow anybody to use Bangladeshi soil to carry out terrorist acts against any neighbouring country.

She put emphasis on further developing economic partnership between Bangladesh and Indonesia and said it would be better to strengthen cooperation between South Asia and South East Asian regions instead of cooperation only with the south.

Raising the connectivity issue, she mentioned the BCIM and BBIN initiatives in the South Asian region and said these are beneficial for economic cooperation.

The Prime Minister said her government has taken steps to establish 100 economic zones in the country where investors from both home and abroad can make their investments.

She also sought Indonesian investment in the economic zones for the mutual benefit of the two countries.

The Indonesian Ambassador said Jakarta wants to develop economic partnership with Dhaka as Indonesia is eager to engage with Bangladesh in joint venture initiatives in various sectors like in the pharmaceutical industry.

Terming Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina as a shining beacon, Rina Prihtyasmiarsi Soemarno said Indonesia has many things to learn from Bangladesh about development in various sectors.

She expressed Indonesia's keenness in establishing a 1600 MW LNG-based power plant in Bangladesh.

The Ambassador also mentioned that Indonesian investment in Bangladesh is growing and stressed the need for establishing direct air links between the two countries as well as taking steps to set up industries in joint ventures.

She informed the Prime Minister that Indonesia is already manufacturing 50-seat aircraft.

The new envoy said Bangladesh and Indonesia have been maintaining economic and friendly cooperation between the two countries since the establishment of diplomatic ties on March 1972.

Senior PMO Secretary Suraiya Begum was present on the occasion.