Boris Johnson hits out at ‘horrendous’ conditions of Rohingya ahead of Aung San Suu Kyi meeting
2 min read
Boris Johnson has spoken out about the "horrendous living conditions" suffered by Rohingya refugees as he prepares for talks with Burmese leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
The Foreign Secretary made the comments after a visit to Cox’s Bazaar in Bangladesh, which houses more than 500,000 refugees, and spoke to genocide survivors and community leaders.
Mr Johnson said: "I have seen for my own eyes the horrendous living conditions the Rohingya people are having to endure and it has only further strengthened my commitment to working with international partners to improve the lives of these people in 2018."
The Rohingya have been driven out of Buddhist-majority Myanmar after the army lead a brutal campaign of murder, rape and torture against them, according to the UN.
Mr Johnson is scheduled to have talks today with Burma’s State Counsellor, Aung San Suu Kyi.
Nobel peace prize winning Ms Suu Kyi has come under fierce criticism from the international community for failing to do more to protect the Rohingya minority in her country.
Mr Johnson is in the country to campaign for the safe return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, with Bangladesh became overwhelmed by the number of refugees crossing the border.
The Foreign Secretary said the Government in Dhaka was facing "an enormous challenge in providing humanitarian assistance to the Rohingya community".
"While I welcome steps by both the Burmese and Bangladeshi governments towards ensuring that these people can return home, it is vital that the Rohingya refugees must be allowed to their homes in Rakhine voluntarily, in safety and with dignity, under international oversight, and when the conditions in Burma are right.”
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