Bangladesh plans to boost trade with Burma within PM visits

Chittagong, Bangladesh: Bangladesh and Burma will sign agreements on economic cooperation and investment protection during Prime Minister (PM) Sheikh Hasina's visit to Burma, according to an official.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina

“Hasina's visit is the first by a Bangladeshi prime minister in eight years at the invitation of Burma. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina leaves for Burma today on a three-day official visit and she will be received by Burmese Foreign Minister Wunna Maung.”

The Prime Minister (PM) will lead a 90-member delegation, including a 38-member high profile business team, six eminent personalities, 12-member security personnel and 7-member official press team.

"She will explore possibilities including buying energy, leasing farming land and joint hydro-electric projects," Bangladesh Commerce Minister Faruk Khan said.

The agreements that two countries plan to sign will help increase trade, officials said.

Dhaka is looking to increase exports of pharmaceuticals, frozen food, cement, ready-made garments, plastic products and toiletries to Burma.

The two countries generally enjoy friendly ties, but have squabbled in the past over what Bangladesh says has been an influx of refugees, mostly minority Muslims from Burma fleeing persecution.

Bangladesh wants Burma to speed up the repatriation of about 28,000 Rohingya refugees who have been living Bangladesh within under UNHCR protection.

Another about 300,000 Rohingyas had fled Myanmar over the years alleging persecution. These unregistered refugees live outside the camps, many of them mingling with the local people, according to official sources of Bangladesh.

“The Burmese authorities showed interest to take some of the refugees back ahead of the Prime Minister’s visit, but no one agreed to leave Bangladesh,” said a foreign ministry official which he told daily sun on Sunday.

But, some of the refugees did not leave Bangladesh camp, fearing persecution in their own country, Burma.

The ministry sources said at least 0.5 million illegal Burmese nationals entered Bangladesh for economic reasons. But UNHCR, European countries and the USA put pressure on the government to grant them refugee status.

A dispute over certain gas blocks in the Bay of Bengal that both claim has also cropped up in recent months.

Sheikh Hasina is expected to return home on December 9.

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