DHAKA, April 5, (V7N) – Bangladesh initially declined to attend a meeting with Myanmar officials in Bangkok after a controversial remark by Myanmar’s leader, who referred to the Rohingyas as “illegal Bengalis” during his BIMSTEC Summit address, a senior government official confirmed Saturday.

Deputy Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, said the meeting only proceeded after Myanmar agreed to formally acknowledge that 180,000 Rohingyas are now verified and ready for repatriation. “The breakthrough came when Myanmar conceded to a disclosure Bangladesh had long sought,” he posted from his verified Facebook account.

Azad praised Bangladesh’s High Representative Dr Khalilur Rahman for “handling the matter with remarkable diplomacy,” including getting Myanmar officials to formally refer to the Rohingyas by name — something he described as “no small achievement” in the context of his two decades of reporting on the crisis.

Myanmar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Than Shew shared the verified figure with Dr Rahman during a bilateral meeting held on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit. Out of 800,000 Rohingyas originally listed by Bangladesh in six phases between 2018 and 2020, Myanmar has confirmed 180,000 for return, while another 70,000 remain under final verification.

The Myanmar official further assured Bangladesh of fast-tracking the identification of the remaining 550,000 individuals, marking the first substantial progress in years toward resolving the protracted refugee crisis.