In his first significant policy speech, Yunus of Bangladesh promises to promote the garment industry and Rohingya refugees

About 85% of the nation's $55 billion in yearly exports come from its 3,500 textile companies.

Dhaka

In his first significant policy speech on Sunday, Nobel laureate and new leader Muhammad Yunus stated that Bangladesh will continue to help both its sizable Rohingya refugee population and its critical garment trade.

After a student-led revolution, Yunus, 84, returned to Europe last month to take on the enormous job of guiding democratic reforms in a nation torn apart by institutional degradation. After 15 years of strict rules, his predecessor, Sheikh Hasina, 76, abruptly left the nation a few days earlier via helicopter.

Presenting his priorities to diplomats and UN delegates, Yunus pledged to maintain his position on two of the most significant policy issues facing his caretaker government.

Yunus declared, "Our government will continue to support the millions of Rohingya people who are being sheltered in Bangladesh." "Humanitarian operations for the Rohingya people and their ultimate repatriation to their native Myanmar with safety, dignity, and full rights require the unwavering support of the international community," he continued.

Approximately one million Rohingya refugees reside in Bangladesh. The majority of them left neighboring Myanmar in 2017 following a military crackdown that is currently being investigated by a UN court for genocide.

The nation's vital textile industry was severely disrupted during the weeks of turmoil and large-scale demonstrations that overthrew Hasina, with suppliers moving orders abroad. Yunus declared, "We are a major player in the global clothing supply chain, and we won't tolerate any attempt to disrupt it."

Of Bangladesh's $55 billion in yearly exports, over 85% come from its 3,500 garment factories.

Yunus is recognized for having helped millions of Bangladeshis escape extreme poverty through his innovative work in microfinance, which earned him the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006.

With the exception of two retired generals, he joined the caretaker administration as "chief adviser" and declared that elections will be held "within a few months."

Hasina's government was charged with numerous human rights violations before to her overthrow, including the extrajudicial assassination of her political rivals and extensive incarceration of them.

When demonstrators descended on the nation's capital, Dhaka, on August 5, demanding that she resign from office, she left the country and fled to neighboring India, the largest political backer and benefactor of her regime.

"Hundreds of people died."

During his speech, Yunus, who was occasionally clearly moved, stated, "Hundreds of thousands of our valiant students and people rose up against the brutal dictatorship of Sheikh Hasina."

He went on, "She left the country, but only after the worst civilian massacre since the country's independence was carried out by the security forces and her party's student wing." "Thousands were injured, hundreds died."

Between the beginning of a police crackdown on student protests and her removal three weeks later, almost 450 individuals lost their lives.

"Dictatorship"

Bangladesh is about to host a UN fact-finding mission to look into "atrocities" that were perpetrated during that period.

Yunus declared on Sunday, "We want an impartial and internationally credible investigation into the massacre." "We'll offer the UN investigators any assistance they require," he continued.

"As soon as we can complete our mandate to carry out vital reforms in our election commission, judiciary, civil administration, security forces, and media," Yunus pledged once more to organize free and fair elections.

"Every institution in the country was destroyed by the Sheikh Hasina dictatorship," he declared. He continued by saying that "sincere efforts to promote national reconciliation" would be made by his administration.