India announces $25 m for Rohingya refugees

New Delhi: While keeping up pressure on the Myanmar government to act on Rohingya refugees, India on Thursday announced an assistance of $25 million to deal with rehabilitation of displaced Rohingyas from Rakhine state. After a visit of Foreign Secretary S. Jayshankar to the South East Asian nation, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar announced the assistance on Thursday in the weekly briefing.

Myanmar's Rakhine state funding will help scale up critical life-saving assistance - such as food, shelter, water and sanitation – to a greater number of those who have fled their homes. Moreover, India had pressed Myanmar to flush out militants of the North-East including ULFA and NDFB(S) faction from its soil. MEA spokesperson has also agreed to a statement given by visiting Bangladesh Minister Obeydul Kadir on Pakistan's involvement for radicalising Rohingya refugees.

Official sources said India has yet again pressed Myanmar to mount a military operation against the militants operating on its soil.

More than 650,000 Rohingyas fled to neighbouring Bangladesh since violence erupted in Rakhine state in August.

The minority Rohingya community does not enjoy citizenship in Myanmar and is sparingly given refugee status in Bangladesh.

The spokesperson while answering a question said, "We have tried to put together issues that were discussed during the Foreign Secretary's visit in the press release. It says that matters pertaining to Rakhine State figured during the meeting. It also says that all matters pertaining to bilateral cooperation including follow up of decision taken during the Prime Minister's visit."

"You can imagine that entire gamut of issue pertaining to bilateral relations were discussed," said the spokesman when asked whether the issue of flushing the rebel outfits figure in the discussion.

"I will not be able to comment on this, as there are certain things we can't comment in public. But I have given you a broad over view of the discussions," said Kumar.

Kumar said that amount of commitment for undertaking development works. That amount is USD 25 million over five years.