Dhaka, Bangladesh (BBN)-Bangladesh President Abdul Hamid reportedly urged Myanmar President U Thein Sein during a meeting in Beijing on November 9 to encourage refugees who have fled to Bangladesh to return to Myanmar as quickly as possible.
U Ye Htut, spokesperson for the Myanmar president, posted the news on Facebook, at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation or APEC Summit underway in Beijing, reports Mizzima.
With regard to the discussions, President U Thein Sein reaffirmed Myanmar’s stance that they must return on their own volition and come under a four-point scrutiny process as agreed by both countries, adding that it is impossible to accept them without conducting systematic scrutiny, U Ye Htut noted.
Some of the people who fled Myanmar to camps in Bangladesh have been there for decades, whereas others fled the communal violence in Rakhine State in 2012.
Border security is a concern for both countries. Myanmar plans to spend over K36 billion (US$40 million) on fencing and related projects on the Myanmar-Bangladesh border, according to Deputy Minister for Home Affairs Brig-Gen Kyaw Zan Myint.
Ministry of Home Affairs has called for additional funding of K39.255 billion parliament, K36 billion of which will be devoted to border security.
The Myanmar-Bangladesh border is 320 miles long. Gaps in security make smuggling and illegal crossings a problem along the banks of the Naff River.
Aye Maung, MP for Rakhine State No 1 Constituency said that while the border line in Maungtaw had been fenced, work still needed to be done in the Buthidaung area.
He suggested the use of steel rather than concrete posts in the fencing construction.
“Most of the people illegally entering Myanmar do so due to unsecured borders. So we need to construct a strong fence,” he said.
BBN/ANS-10Nov14-10:20pm (BST)