Bangladesh initially refused to meet Myanmar officials in Bangkok for their leader calling Rohingyas “illegal Bengalis” in his BIMSTEC speech, said Chief Adviser’s Deputy Press Secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder on Saturday.

“The meeting took place only after Myanmar agreed to give the disclosure that 180,000 Rohingyas were now fit to return,” he said in a post from his verified Facebook account.

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Azad said he was “amazed” to see how High Representative Dr Khalilur Rahman handled the whole issue.

“He (Rahman) even made Myanmar officials call Rohingyas, which is no small achievement,” said the DPS recalling his experience of covering the Rohingya crisis for almost two decades for multiple outlets such as Reuters, EFE and the Washington Post when he visited every corner of the camp and wrote many stories about their pain and persecution, especially after the 2017 massacre.

Azad said he never thought he would come this close to witnessing a defining moment in the crisis, which would finally open the door for their long-awaited repatriation.

On Friday, Myanmar authorities confirmed to Bangladesh that out of a list of 800,000 Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh, they have identified 180,000 eligible ones for return to Myanmar.

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The original list was provided by Bangladesh in six batches during 2018-2020.

The final verification of another 70,000 Rohingyas is pending additional scrutiny of their photographs and names.

This was disclosed to Dr Khalilur Rahman by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Myanmar Than Shew at a meeting on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.

This is the first such confirmed list that constitutes a major step toward the longstanding resolution of the Rohingya crisis.

The Myanmar minister also confirmed that the verification of the remaining 550,000 Rohingyas on the original list will be undertaken on an expeditious basis.

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There were attempts to start repatriation in 2018 and 2019 but those efforts went unsuccessful as the Rohingyas refused to go back.

During the meeting, the High Representative expressed his condolences for the earthquake victims of Myanmar and said Bangladesh was ready to send further humanitarian support for the disaster-stricken people.