US assistant secretary, USAID deputy administrator due Tuesday

MNA Editorial Desk: US acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells and US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues, including the Rohingya crisis.

Though Wells and Glick are coming on the same day, they will have separate engagements here during their three-day stay, officials said.
They will also visit Rohingya camps to observe the conditions of the Rohingyas and host communities during their three-day visit.

Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas who have fled their homeland in Rakhine State after being persecuted by their own country.

Myanmar did not take back a single Rohingya from Bangladesh over the last two years but Myanmar, in its attempts to “mislead” the international community, claimed that a total of 397 displaced people have voluntarily returned from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Two repatriation attempts were unsuccessful as Myanmar “failed to remove trust deficit” among the Rohingyas and there was “lack of conducive environment” in Rakhine for their return.

Wells will meet senior government officials and civil society leaders.

In Cox’s Bazar, she will meet Bangladeshi officials and representatives from international and non-governmental organisations to discuss US humanitarian assistance.

She will also observe the conditions Rohingyas and host communities are facing, according to the US Department of State.

Wells is likely to meet Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen during her three-day visit.

Both Wells and Glick will come to Dhaka from Bangkok.

USAID Deputy Administrator Glick started her four-nation tour — Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, and Indonesia – on October 29 which will continue until November 11.

Wells and Glick will leave Dhaka on November 7, wrapping up their three-day visit.

In Bangladesh, the Deputy Administrator will meet government officials, implementing partners, and the American Chamber of Commerce.

The Deputy Administrator will then travel to Cox’s Bazar to observe USAID’s development assistance for Bangladeshi communities affected by the Rohingya crisis and humanitarian efforts for Rohingyas.

USAID will organise an event to launch USAID Bangladesh’s Comprehensive Private Sector Assessment on Tuesday afternoon.

Commerce Minister Tipu Munshi, USAID Deputy Administrator Glick, US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller and USAID Bangladesh Mission Director Derrick Brown will be present at the launching ceremony.