Bangladesh to renew passports of 69,000 Rohingya living in Saudi Arabia

By SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Bangladesh has agreed to renew the passports of 69,000 Rohingya who have been living in Saudi Arabia since the 1970s following a request from the kingdom.

The Rohingya had earlier moved to the kingdom securing Bangladeshi passports in 1973 and 1974 soon after the South Asian nation won the war of independence in 1971.

The development came at a meeting between Bangladesh's Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal and visiting Saudi Deputy Interior Minister Nasser bin Abdul Aziz Al-Dawood in Dhaka on Sunday.

“After the independence of Bangladesh, some Rohingya went to Saudi Arabia from Bangladesh. We don't know how many of them moved to the kingdom. They (Saudi Arabia) told us their number is 69,000,” the home minister told reporters after the meeting.

According to the rules of Saudi Arabia, people living without a passport are sent back to their home country. However, the kingdom will not send those Rohingya back or give them Saudi citizenship.

The minister said Bangladesh will renew their documents in phases and that there is an agreement with Saudi Arabia signed last year.

"They (Rohingya) had moved there (Saudi Arabia) using Bangladeshi passports. So, we will renew their passports with their name, address as they are,” he said.

The Saudi delegation came to Dhaka to discuss with Bangladesh any potential difficulties in providing the documents, he continued.

Earlier in 2022, Saudi Arabia's deputy interior minister visited Bangladesh and raised the Rohingya issue saying the 69,000 Rohingya staying in the kingdom required renewal of their passports.

During the meeting, a proposal was also made to exchange prisoners between the two countries. The Bangladeshi home minister said: “We have no objection to this.”