Politics

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed asks world to press for Rohingya return

After meeting the UN Secretary-General's special envoy on Myanmar, Julie Isabel Bishop, he said stronger international engagement is needed for a lasting and dignified repatriation.

ScrollBeat DeskPublished: 19 Oct 2026, 20:42

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed meets Julie Isabel Bishop, the UN Secretary-General's special envoy on Myanmar, at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Dhaka on 19 October 2026. Photo: Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh / BSS Ministry of Home Affairs, Bangladesh / BSS

Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed has urged the international community to take a more effective role in resolving the Rohingya crisis and securing the sustainable return of displaced Myanmar nationals to their homeland.

He made the call at a meeting with Julie Isabel Bishop, the UN Secretary-General's special envoy on Myanmar, at the Ministry of Home Affairs in Dhaka on Monday, 19 October.

The two sides discussed Myanmar's political and security situation, the Rohingya crisis and the repatriation of displaced people, according to official accounts of the meeting.

Ahmed said Bangladesh had faced a severe and prolonged burden after sheltering hundreds of thousands of people who fled conflict in Myanmar. He stressed that stronger international engagement is needed for a lasting solution.

Bishop described the conflict in Myanmar and said she was maintaining diplomatic contact with the relevant parties to help end the fighting and protect civilians.

The meeting also raised concern about landmines in border areas, human trafficking and drug smuggling, and their regional and global consequences. Both sides said political dialogue and cooperation are needed to create conditions for the safe, dignified and voluntary return of Rohingya refugees.

Home Ministry officials, UN Resident Coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak and UNHCR Deputy Representative Juliette Murekeyisoni were among those present.

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Finance and planning adviser Rashed Al Mahmud Titumir at a journalist briefing in Lalmonirhat on 24 March 2026. Press Information Department (PID), Bangladesh

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Dhaka Board publishes SSC scholarship list with Tk 600 a month for merit

The 2026 list covers students under the Dhaka education board; awards run from July 2026 to June 2028 and include an annual grant for books and equipment.

ScrollBeat Desk19 Oct 2026, 21:28Open this article

A classroom at Habibullah Bahar College in Dhaka on 27 March 2018. Representative photo; it is not from the scholarship announcement. Yahya / Wikimedia Commons

The Dhaka Secondary and Higher Secondary Education Board published its list of 2026 SSC scholarship recipients on Monday, with merit scholars set to receive Tk 600 a month and general scholars Tk 350.

Each merit scholarship holder will also get Tk 900 a year for books and equipment, while general scholarship holders will receive Tk 450, the board said. The awards run for two years, from July 2026 to June 2028.

Scholarship students will not pay tuition, and the board has told approved institutions not to charge them monthly fees. It warned that a head teacher or principal who demands payment from a scholarship holder could face disciplinary action.

A student who accepts another scholarship from a technical or other educational institution will lose the board award, according to the notice.

Recipients must maintain good conduct, regular attendance and satisfactory academic progress to keep the scholarship. The list and instructions are available on the Dhaka Education Board's website.