Bangladesh remains bilaterally engaged with Myanmar alongside continued efforts with the international community to make its second neighbour listen to wider world about the atrocities being orchestrated in Rakhine by the security forces against Rohingya Muslims.

The atrocities by the Myanmar security forces aided by local people so far killed hundreds of Rohingyas and forced about 4.3 lakh to flee into Bangladesh to add to already 4 lakh living in the country for decade.

Bangladesh is and has always been in favour of resolving the Rohingya issue bilaterally, diplomatic sources have told The Independent.

Even, they said that prior to travel to New York to attend the 72nd session of the United Nations general assembly (UNGA), foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali reiterated Bangladesh’s position at a press conference on September 14.

But, the sources said that Myanmar has brought the crisis to such a point that it is no longer possible to confine this issue to bilateral engagements.

So, they said that Dhaka will keep engaging with Naypyidaw bilaterally simultaneously with its international efforts.

As part of bilateral engagements, foreign minister Mahmood Ali yesterday (Thursday in New York) met with Myanmar’s national security adviser on the sidelines of the UNGA and talked about the crisis that was created by Myanmar.

“Our minister raised the pressing issue and asked Myanmar to address it,” said a source without elaborating. This meeting was requested by the Myanmar side, he said.

In last ten days, ambassador to Yangon Sufiur Rahman had back-to-back meetings with two ministers – union minister attached with the office of the state counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and state minister for foreign affairs.

In both the meetings on the request of the Bangladesh side, ambassador Rahman made Dhaka’s position and voiced sense of urgency to resolve the protracted problem in the benefit of both the nations.

Asked about the outcome of these meetings, a senior diplomat said, “Still, we are receiving 10,000 Rohingyas every day.”

About Dhaka’s efforts in the international front, the sources said that the Bangladesh side, led by prime minister Sheikh Hasina, raised the crisis forcefully yet rationally and logically few times during the ongoing session of the UNGA and urged the international community to put pressure on Myanmar to take back its people who had to flee their homes due to the atrocities by their own security forces.

“Bangladesh expects the world to be on its side on this for justified reasons,” said another senior diplomat.

The sources also said that during the UNGA, foreign minister Ali joined Myanmar’s national security advisor and deputy foreign minister, ministers from Indonesia , Turkey , Australia , Canada , Sweden , Denmark and United States ambassador to the UN in a ministerial meet on the Rohingya issue hosted by British foreign secretary Boris Johnson.

The Myanmar authorities were asked to ensure safe return of those who fled to Bangladesh. On Wednesday (New York) time, the foreign minister also met with his Russian counterpart Sergey Lavrov to apprise him of the situation.