UNB:
Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday called upon the international community to come forward and resolve the Rohingya issue, otherwise, he warned it will be a problem for the entire region, not just for Bangladesh.
He laid emphasis on exploring ways to reestablish the rights of the Rohingyas so that they can return home with rights and security that they deserve.
The foreign adviser was speaking as the chief guest at a seminar titled “Repatriation of Rohingya in Bangladesh: Strategic Implications on Regional Security and Ways Ahead,” jointly organised by the Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and the Armed Forces Division.
National Security Adviser and High Representative to the Chief Adviser Khalilur Rahman spoke as the guest of honour while Principal Staff Officer of the AFD Lieutenant General SM Kamrul Hassan spoke as special guest.
Adviser Hossain said they cannot force the Rohingyas out as they need to return home voluntarily. Highlighting the current situation in Rakhine, he said the Rohingyas will not return to their homeland without security and rights.
A reasonable security must be ensured for them, he said, noting that a complete civil war is going on in Myanmar.
Talking about different authorities of different natures within Myanmar, Hossain said, “We cannot stop bilateral negotiations but let us not be very hopeful of bilateral negotiations leading it to repatriation.”
On August 25, 2017, hundreds of thousands of refugees started crossing the border to Bangladesh on foot and by boats amid indiscriminate killings and other violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
Since 2017, Bangladesh has attempted at least twice to send the refugees back and has urged the international community to build pressure on Myanmar for a peaceful environment inside Myanmar that could help start the repatriation.
The adviser said they have not yet found a viable solution to this crisis, despite it burdening the country for a very long time. “This has been a very long-drawn problem.”
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.3 million Rohingyas in Cox’s bazar and Bhasan Char Island but not a single Rohingya could be repatriated since their arrival eight years ago.
Hossain stressed that any repatriation must be voluntary and depending on assurances of safety and rtights.
“They will not return to a place where their lives are at risk and their rights denied. At least in the camps here, there is a measure of safety,” he added.
Hossain outlined Myanmar’s fractured power structure, identifying the military junta, the Arakan Army, and the National Unity Government (NUG) as key stakeholders. The Arakan Army now controls large parts of Rakhine State.
