Foreign Secretary travels to Bangladesh and Burma for talks on the Rohingya crisis
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson will begin a four day tour to Asia today (9 February) where he will visit Bangladesh, Burma and Thailand.
Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson is making his second visit to Burma.
Mr Johnson will travel to Bangladesh, the first official visit by a Foreign Secretary in 10 years, and meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmud Ali.
The Foreign Secretary will also visit a refugee camp on the Bangladesh-Burma border near Cox’s Bazar. The Foreign Secretary will see first-hand the conditions of the Rohingya who have fled Burma to refugee camps in Bangladesh and discuss with the Burmese government the steps needed to enable them to return to their homes.
In Burma he will hold talks with State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and visit northern Rakhine.
Speaking ahead of the visit Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said:
The plight of the Rohingya and the suffering they have had to endure is one of the most shocking humanitarian disasters of our time. This is a man-made tragedy that could be resolved with the right political will, tolerance and cooperation from all those involved.
I want to see and hear for myself the terrible things these people have been through, and I will be talking to State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and other regional leaders about how we can work together to resolve this appalling crisis.
The Foreign Secretary will travel on to Bangkok for talks with Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and also meet the chair of the Advisory Board on the Rakhine Advisory Commission, Surakiart Sathirathai.
How the UK is responding to the Rohingya crisis:
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