Union Minister for Home Affairs Lt-Gen Kyaw Swe (Left) gives thumbs up to his Bangladeshi counterpart Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan following a signing in Nay Pyi Taw agreeing to 10 points of bilateral coopeation between the two neighbouring countries. Photo: Aung Shine Oo
The Ministerial Meeting on Border Security and Law Enforcement Cooperation between the Ministry of Home Affairs of the Republic of the Union of Myanmar and the Ministry of Home Affairs of the People’s Republic of Bangladesh was held at the Horizon Lake View Hotel in Nay Pyi Taw yesterday. After the ministerial meeting from 9am to noon, the Pre-Coordination Bilateral Meeting on the Senior Official Level was held.
Discussed at the meeting were strengthening border security, law enforcement cooperation, counter-terrorism, establishing border liaison offices, identification for entry and exit, illegal border crossing, verification of citizenship, narcotic drugs control and repatriation after the verification process for refugees in Bangladesh. Both countries agreed to adopt 10 points of bilateral cooperation between the two ministries.
The meeting was attended by H.E. Lieutenant General Kyaw Swe, Union Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, Major General Aung Soe, Deputy Minister, Ministry of Home Affairs, Police Major General Aung Win Oo, Chief of Myanmar Police Force, the Permanent Secretary and Directors General from the Ministry of Home Affairs, Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Office of the State Counsellor, Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, Ministry of Planning and Finance. From the Bangladesh side, H.E.Mr. Asaduzzaman Khan, Minister for the Ministry of Home Affairs, Permanent Secretaries, Director General from the Bangladesh Police, Major General Abul Hossain, Director General of the Bangladesh Border Guard Police and the Senior Officials from the Ministry of Home Affairs.
A total of 45 people were in atendance. After the meetings, a Memorandum of Understanding on Security Dialogue and Cooperation was signed by Maj. Gen. Aung Soe, Deputy Minister for Home Affairs, and Mr. Mostafa Kamal Uddin, Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs of Bangladesh.
Police Brig. Gen. Myo Swe Win, Chief of General Staffs, Myanmar Police Force and Maj. Gen. Abul Hossain, Director General of Bangladesh Border Guards also signed the Memorandum of Understanding on Establishment of Border Liaison Offices (BLOs) between Myanmar and Bangladesh.
Memorandum of Understanding on Security Dialogue and Cooperation is signed by Deputy Minister Maj-Gen Aung Soe and Mr. Mostafa Kamal Uddin. Photo: MNA
Voices from meeting between Myanmar and Bangladesh
U Kyaw Zeya, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs:
“Both sides mainly discussed establishing the border liaison offices, promoting information exchange and understanding between the two countries and formation of joint working groups. Our side mainly discussed going through the process step by step, especially in the information exchange sector. We also discussed the agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh signed in 1992 and four agreements between immigration official level meeting between the two countries in 2000.
U Tin Myint, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Home
Affairs
Both sides discussed matters related to solving amicably the issues of the rule of law, security and drug trafficking and border issues. Our meeting also touched on the issue of repatriation of refugees who fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh following the attacks by ARSA terrorists. The meeting also focused on solving the bilateral issues in accordance with international rules and regulations because both are neighbouring countries. The repatriation issue would be discussed by the State-level meeting. I can not say how many people would be repatriated, but that would be carried out based on the National Verification process of the Immigration and Population Ministry.
Both sides also agreed to cooperate in fighting terrorism and opening border liaison offices, especially in Maungtaw and the border areas, fighting illegal migration through borders, and fighting drug trafficking.—Kyaw The Ein, Kyaw Hteik Soe
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