Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen yesterday said trust deficit among the Rohingya people and instigation by certain NGOs were primarily responsible for the failure to start Rohingya repatriation.

“We hoped that the repatriation will commence today on a small scale. But it has not been started yet. However, we have not lost hope,” he said while speaking to journalists at his secretariat office in the capital.

“The matter of not starting the process is regrettable. We will let you know what steps will be taken next. We will continue our efforts,” the minister added.

Momen further said, “The Rohingya crisis is created by Myanmar and they will have to resolve it. We will not forcibly send anybody. We want a voluntary, safe and dignified return.”

“The main reason for the Rohingya crisis is trust deficit. We proposed to take a number of Rohingya leaders to Rakhine to show them the security and safety arrangements there to remove

their fear and deficit of trust,” he added.  He also said, “Some international and local NGOs are instigating the Rohingya persons not to return. These NGOs will be identified and action will be taken.” About the next course of action, the minister said, “We are thinking of setting up a commission to address the Rohingya crisis. This commission will consist of representatives of different countries.”

 In order to oversee the process of Rohingya repatriation, the representatives of Myanmar and China were present on the occasion. Earlier, the foreign minister said China had actively worked for the repatriation process.

 The foreign minister had said that the repatriation would begin before September. But the authorities concerned could not clearly say when the process would commence.