At an unscheduled Naypyidaw diplomatic briefing, held to discuss the Burmese Navy's rescue of two boats carrying migrants the Rakhine Minister, Zaw Aye Maung, said that socio-economic conditions in Bangladesh were so bad they were forcing people to migrate illegally. The Bangladeshi government considered his comments "derogatory" and unneighbourly.
Zaw Aye Maung said that the high population growth and lack of economic opportunities in Bangladesh were driving illegal migration.

He claimed that many Bangladeshis said they were from Burma for “political reasons” and were trying to escape a densely populated area that had few economic opportunities.

“It's natural for those people to migrate to other areas, like Burma, Indonesia, Malaysia and other neighboring countries [They have been doing it] for decades, not just now,” he said.

Sufiur Rahman, the Bangladesh Ambassador to Burma was present at the briefing organized for foreign diplomats based in Burma. After he reported on what he had heard the Burmese ambassador was summoned to the Bangladesh Foreign Ministry according to various sources, including Bangladesh news website bdnews24.

Burma and Bangladesh have agreed to work closely together to solve the current migrant crisis which has seen thousands of Burmese and Bangladeshis trying to cross the Indian ocean on unsafe, overcrowded boats run by human traffickers.

The Bangladeshi Government has agreed to take back its nationals who are found on boats in Burmese waters.