Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said that no Rohingya would be given asylum in Bangladesh anymore. His statement came amid reports that hundreds of Rohingya refugees were stranded at sea trying to enter Bangladesh. "We have decided that we will no longer allow the Rohingya to come here. This has been done in view of the situation of Covid-19. The areas we want to protect, we cannot allow any allow any person there"
According to reports, about 500 Rohingya, including women, men and children, were spotted in the Bay of Bengal in two fishing boats on Wednesday after being driven out by Malaysian authorities. A week earlier, on April 15, about 400 Rohingya refugees arrived in Bangladesh in another ferry.
Momen admitted that he had information about the two boats, but said the government's priority at present is to protect the refugee camp areas where thousands of Rohingyas are already residing. He said, "This is a crowded area. If an infected person comes here in any way, it will spoil everything."
