Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Myanmar: A meeting with Suu Kyi and the Rohingya crisis

File photo

Nay Pyi Taw: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first bilateral visit to Myanmar is expected to chart a roadmap for closer cooperation between the two nations in areas like security and counter-terrorism.

PM Modi met Myanmar State Counsellor and de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi on Wednesday morning. The meeting is expected to raise the exodus of the ethnic Rohingyas into neighbouring countries.

PM Modi, who reached Nay Pyi Taw on Tuesday from the BRICS summit in Xiamen, met Myanmar President Htin Kyaw and discussed steps to deepen the 'historical relationship' between the two neighbours.

"Had a wonderful meeting with President U Htin Kyaw," he later tweeted.

Presented Myanmar President U Htin Kyaw a reproduction of a 1841 map of a stretch of the River Salween. pic.twitter.com/I84UUei3jk

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 5 September 2017

Myanmar is facing intense scrutiny over latest round of violence against roughly 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims.

Union Minister Kiren Rijiju said that Rohingyas were illegal immigrants and stand to be deported.

"I want to tell the international organisations whether the Rohingyas are registered under the United Nations Human Rights Commission or not. They are illegal immigrants in India," said Rijiju.

He also asserted that nobody should preach India on the issue as the country has absorbed the maximum number of refugees in the world.

Nearly 14,000 Rohingyas living in India are registered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, while about 40,000 are said to be staying illegally.