The United States has once again expressed its response to various issues in Bangladesh. US State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller answered various questions at a regular press conference on Tuesday (December 17) local time.
The briefing today covered the issue of speaking in favor of the Assam-Tripura occupation, freedom of the press, the announcement of the possible date for national elections, and the ban on broadcasting Sheikh Hasina’s speeches.
In addition, with the capture of the city of Maungdaw on the Bangladesh border, the entire 350-kilometer border of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border has recently come under the control of the country’s armed rebel group, the Arakan Army. This issue also came up in the briefing of the US State Department.
The US is also closely monitoring this issue, said spokesperson Matthew Miller.
In today’s briefing, a questioner wanted to know that recently, an influential advisor to Dr. Yunus — who was portrayed as the mastermind behind Hasina’s overthrow on US soil — had made controversial social media posts in favor of expanding Bangladesh’s territory by annexing parts of India, including West Bengal, Tripura, and Assam. Such comments could pose a risk to regional stability in South Asia. Dr. Is the US government concerned about this statement by a close — very close — associate of Yunus and considering advising against such statements to support peace and stability in the region?
In response, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said, I will admit that I am not aware of any such comments. I do not know anything about it other than what you have just read to me. As a general rule, I will not comment on a comment when I have not seen it made, nor considered it in the proper context.
In addition, the International Criminal Tribunal has recently banned the media and social media from broadcasting all kinds of hate speech by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the main accused in the July-August genocide case who fled to India. The questioner wanted to know his comment on this. However, spokesman Matthew Miller said that he would not comment on this.
Then the questioner asked about freedom of the media. In response, the US State Department spokesperson said, “We have been consistently engaging with the Bangladeshi government on this issue and that is to make it clear to the Bangladeshi government, as we made clear to the previous government of Bangladesh, that we believe that there should be freedom of the media. Freedom should be upheld, press freedom should be respected, and cases like this should be dealt with in a manner consistent with the rule of law and respect for the press.”
Later, a journalist asked about the Myanmar side of the Bangladesh-Myanmar border falling under the control of armed rebel groups. He said, “The Arakan Army has taken control of the neighboring Rakhine state of Bangladesh on the border. What exactly do you think is going to happen to the situation and fate of the Rohingya refugees?”
In response, Miller said, “We are monitoring these developments closely and are concerned about the potential for conflict and regional stability and security. Helping to resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis is a priority for us.” The people and government of Bangladesh have shown generosity in providing shelter to Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Burma, and we will continue to work with Bangladesh to assist the Rohingya and other vulnerable communities in Burma who have sought refuge there.
The reporter then asked the US about the recent announcement of the possible timing of Bangladesh’s national elections. He said that Nobel laureate Dr. Muhammad Yunus, the chief advisor to the interim government, has announced that the next general elections in Bangladesh will be held in late 2025 or early 2026. How do you view this announcement of general elections?
In response, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller did not respond and said that he would comment on the matter later.
