Donald Lu, the US assistant secretary of state for South and Central Asia, has raised concerns about the security implications of the Rohingya refugee crisis for Bangladesh and India amidst the ongoing conflict between the Myanmar military and rebel groups. Speaking at a discussion hosted by the US Institute for Peace to commemorate the second anniversary of the country’s Indo-Pacific Strategy, Lu emphasized the significance of considering Bangladesh and the Rohingya refugees within the broader regional context.

Referring to the "historic border conflict" between India and China, as well as India's "deep-seated conflict with Pakistan," the host noted the complexities of the region. Lu highlighted Bangladesh's significant role in hosting over a million Rohingya refugees and underscored the importance of international support in addressing their needs.

Pointing to Peter Haas, the US Ambassador to Bangladesh who was present in the discussion, Lu said: “We spend a lot of time working with Bangladesh to try to be supportive of the generosity Bangladesh has shown to over a million people who have been living now in Bangladesh for years.”

Lu stressed the importance of monitoring the situation closely saying “I think it's something we all have to watch out for and we have to be enabling our partners in the region, in this case, Bangladesh and India, to be able to cope with those stresses without it boiling over into instability in their countries as well.”

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