Daily Times

In an interaction with President Trump in a United Nations General  Assembly session, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister, Sheikh Hasina refused to seek any assistance from the US on the ongoing refugee crisis in Bangladesh.

According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, there are currently  30,000 registered Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, all fleeing the violence and atrocities carried out against them in the Rakhine state of Burma. Adding to this number, there are about 300,000 unregistered refugees as well and the numbers keep increasing. However, Hasina later said in a media interview that Trump has made his sentiments regarding refugees clear and they are not in line with Bangladesh’s, so even though Bangladesh is not a rich country, the state will do whatever it can to protect those who are seeking shelter here.

“If we can feed 160 million people, we can feed another 500 or 700,00 refugees. Our people are already doing it,” she said in her interview after the meeting. She also emphasised on the emotional and mental distress the refugees go through  and said there is no point in asking help from someone who doesn’t acknowledge that.