Rohingya refugees floating at sea: Bangladesh responds BBC report

The Bangladesh government has provided an explanation regarding a report of BBC on Rohingyas floating boat in the Andaman Sea.

In a press statement on Thursday (February 25), the Foreign Ministry said the attention of the Government of Bangladesh has been drawn to a News article carried by BBC under the headline Rohingya Crisis: UN urges rescue of refugees adrift at sea.

Referring to the UN, it has been wrongly claimed that these Rohingyas were on the coast of Bangladesh. But, the press release from the UNHCR and the United Nations clearly said that the boat was in the Andaman Sea.

It may be mentioned that the boat has been traced approximately 1700 kilometers away from Bangladesh at a location which is around 492km from Myanmar, 363km from Thailand, 281km from Indonesia and 147 km from India. The boat was closer to the other countries.

The statement also said Bangladesh respects its international obligations. In the past, when other countries in the region refused to take the Rohingyas, the Bangladesh government came forward to rescue them.