Dhaka: Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has expressed ire over an apathy of the international community to pushing Myanmar for taking back its Rohingya nationals, bdnews24 reported.

“The international community’s voice should have been stronger, but unfortunately that is not happening due to personal interests of many,” he said at a programme in Dhaka with some foreign diplomats among the audience.

“These people have no future, no hope. They have been being persecuted for year after year. But the international community’s voice has weakened to support what they [Rohingya] want,” he said.

More than 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims have taken refuge in Bangladesh, fleeing decades of persecution and a 2017 army operation in Buddhist-majority Myanmar.

The refugees have refused to return to the Rakhine state despite two recent attempts by the governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar as they fear they will continue facing brutal persecution if they are not granted citizenship before going back.