Touhid to attend emergency meeting on Myanmar issue in Thailand today

Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain is set to attend an emergency meeting in Bangkok today with regional counterparts to review the current situation in Myanmar.

Organized by the Thai government, the meeting includes foreign ministers and senior officials from Bangladesh, Myanmar, India, China, Laos, and Cambodia. 

Discussions will focus on the evolving situation in Myanmar and collaborative measures among neighbouring countries.

"This discussion will be somewhat different from formal negotiations. There are three main topics: borders, crime, and the situation in Myanmar," Touhid said before his departure from Dhaka. 

He reiterated that Bangladesh's primary concern is the safety and rights of the 1.3 million Rohingya currently sheltered in the country and ensuring their safe and dignified repatriation to their homeland.

"We understand this is not a problem that can be solved overnight, but we need a practical solution," Touhid emphasized.

Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa will host two regional meetings on Myanmar this week.
 
According to international media reports, at least one of these meetings is expected to include representatives from Myanmar's junta.

In October, Thailand proposed informal talks involving Myanmar, China, India, Bangladesh, Laos, and Thailand - countries sharing borders with Myanmar. 

However, it remains unclear whether Myanmar foreign minister will participate in the ongoing discussions, Reuters reported.

Since the military coup in 2021, Myanmar has been engulfed in escalating conflict, with the junta facing significant resistance from rebel groups, particularly in border areas.

Large portions of Rakhine State are currently under the control of the Arakan Army, including areas along Bangladesh's nearly 300-kilometer border. 

Reports suggest that the entire border region is dominated by the Arakan Army, leaving only Rakhine's capital, Sittwe, under military control.

Meanwhile, Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, during his visit to Egypt, highlighted the deteriorating situation in Myanmar. 

In a meeting with a Malaysian minister, Yunus disclosed that over 80,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh in recent months due to intensified violence in Rakhine State.