Myanmar refused to respond Rohingya repatriation in 5 yrs

Diplomatic Correspondent :
The voices and pressures of the local and international bodies including the United Nations could not compel Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas even though five years elapsed when the exodus entered the sixth year on Thursday.
Demanding immediate resolution of the crisis, the national and international organisations have also expressed deep concerns as to how the around 12 lakh Rohingyas would be managed in the upcoming days amid resource constraints.
They also said that the security has been deteriorating with the passage of time in the Rohingya camps and the locals are also feeling a sense of insecurity due to various crime activities both inside and outside the camps.
Experts said if the Rohingya repatriation does not start soon, it will badly affect the host country and the neighbouring countries for the emerging threat of terror activities in these region. They also criticised the role of Russia, China, India and Japan which have close relations with Myanmar for their investment or other geopolitical reasons.
Even when the UN General Assembly urged Myanmar to end their military campaign against Muslim Rohingyas and called for the appointment of a UN Special Envoy; Russia, China and some other regional countries voted against it.
Though China has taken a mediatory role to resolve the crisis and promised to Bangladesh as its best developing partner, but in the last five years not tangible effort was seen to commence the process of repatriation.
In the last five years, an instrument had been signed with the mediation of China in November 2017 and two attempts were taken for the repatriation, but it ended in smoke because of the citizenship demands by the Rohingyas and time killing of Myanmar in the name of verification for indefinite time.
Experts said the Myanmar government had neither created a convenient environment nor showed any proactive role to take back their citizens.
Even the Buddhist country does not allow any international envoy to visit the Rakhine State where the brutality was carried out in August 2017 by its army Tatmadaw.
Meanwhile, the host country Bangladesh is facing tremendous pressure on its natural and economic resources.
Though the Rohingyas were sheltered by Bangladesh on the ground of humanity, the locals welcomed them in the beginning but now their relations have reached to bitterness.
Meanwhile, the UNHCR appealed for much greater efforts to secure both financial support and solution for the Rohingyas.
It said that since the onset of this humanitarian crisis, the Government of Bangladesh and local communities, with aid agencies, were quick to respond to arriving refugees, providing shelter in what is now the world’s largest refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar.
Five years later, many Rohingya refugees have told UNHCR they wish to return home to Myanmar so long as conditions for safe, dignified and sustainable returns are met and they can enjoy freedom of movement, access to documentation and a pathway to citizenship, as well as access to services and income-generating activities.
But UNHCR expressed concern over the funding because the 2022 response plan sought over $881 million dollars for more than 1.4 million people but the fund has arrived only 49 percent which is $426.2 million.
The refugee agency also said that the international community must do more to ensure that the Rohingya do not continue to languish in displacement and redouble efforts for increased political dialogue and diplomatic engagement to create conditions for voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return.
Meanwhile, civil society members under the banner of CSO-NGO Forum (CCNF) in a discussion in Cox’s Bazar on Wednesday said the international community, including the UN, has completely failed to exert effective pressure on Myanmar for repatriation.
They said though Bangladesh bears no responsibility for the crisis created solely by Myanmar, Bangladesh is bracing the consequences.
Barrister Manzoor Hasan said, “The international community, especially the United Nations, has failed in repatriation. ASEAN also failed in this regard. The Rohingya crisis has become a protracted crisis, requiring regional and international initiatives.”
Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, co-chair of the CCNF said that there was no successful effort to the repatriation process and the Rohingyas are now frustrated and feeling a sense of insecurity.
Abu Murshed Chowdhury said, said a formal and informal diplomacy, often known as track two diplomacy, should be prioritized for repatriation.
Mujibur Rahman said, the construction of the camps damaged around 6,000 acres of mountainous terrain and 2,000 acres of forests.
“The water level is going down. Use of plastic in camps should be banned. An Environmental Pool Fund should be created for environmental restoration,” he added.
Meanwhile, to mark the fifth year of Rohingya exodus, UN Special Envoy on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer visited the Rohingya refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar on Tuesday. She will also talk to the government of Bangladesh on the issues.