Hasina-era deal stalled Rohingya repatriation
State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam on Tuesday criticised the 2017 bilateral agreement with Myanmar on Rohingya repatriation, saying the then Sheikh Hasina government weakened the process from the outset by pursuing a bilateral rather than a multilateral framework.
“The government of Sheikh Hasina ruined everything right at the start by making a bilateral agreement,” Shama told reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs while responding to a question about the stalled repatriation process.
She referred to an earlier phase of Rohingya repatriation during the tenure of President Ziaur Rahman, when Bangladesh pursued a tripartite arrangement involving Bangladesh, Myanmar and the United Nations instead of relying solely on bilateral negotiations.
“The United Nations was a very active party to that agreement. Because of that, every OIC nation and multilateral body was involved. It proved effective — something the previous government failed to achieve,” she said.
Shama argued that the earlier tripartite approach, which involved the UN and drew support from the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation and other multilateral bodies, had been more effective than the bilateral framework adopted under the Awami League government.
Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a bilateral repatriation agreement on November 23, 2017, followed by a physical arrangement on January 16, 2018, aimed at facilitating the return of Rohingyas who had fled a military crackdown in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
The repatriation process, however, has remained stalled amid continued conflict, security concerns and the absence of conditions considered safe for the refugees’ return.
Shama said the government’s position remained that Rohingyas must be able to return to Myanmar in a safe, secure and normal environment.
Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.3 million Rohingyas, most of them in camps in Cox’s Bazar, while others have been relocated to Bhasan Char.
The prolonged crisis has placed growing economic, social and security pressure on Bangladesh, while repeated efforts to begin large-scale repatriation have failed.
Dhaka rejects Myanmar’s latest statement
Shama’s remarks came on the same day Bangladesh rejected several elements of Myanmar’s latest statement on the Rohingya crisis, saying it contained erroneous statistics, particularly regarding the number of forcibly displaced Rohingyas.
Director General (Myanmar) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Md Toufiq-ur-Rahman raised Bangladesh’s concerns during a meeting with Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh U Kyaw Soe Moe at the ministry on Tuesday.
Referring to a statement issued by Myanmar’s Foreign Ministry on August 15, Toufiq-ur-Rahman said several elements were based on incorrect statistics, including figures concerning the displaced Rohingya population.
He said figures based on Rohingyas registered under the United Nations system accurately reflected the number of refugees.
Toufiq-ur-Rahman also urged Myanmar to expedite the verification of displaced Rohingyas in line with agreed bilateral instruments.
He stressed that the verification process should include children born in the refugee camps as well as Rohingyas who fled Rakhine State after 2017.
Bangladesh is currently registering these individuals, he said, adding that information on Rohingyas beyond the existing caseload of 828,824 would be shared with Myanmar authorities in due course.
He requested Myanmar to incorporate the additional information into the verification process.
Toufiq-ur-Rahman also objected to Myanmar’s use of the term “Bengalis” to describe the Rohingya population, saying the Rohingyas have their own ethnic identity, which had been recognised by Myanmar authorities in the past.
Ambassador Soe Moe assured the director general that he would convey Bangladesh’s concerns and observations to his government.
He also reiterated Myanmar’s stated commitment to accelerating the verification process with a view to beginning the repatriation of verified Rohingyas.
Toufiq-ur-Rahman reaffirmed Bangladesh’s position that the only sustainable solution to the prolonged crisis is the safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine State.
Separately, a Rohingya council rejected Myanmar’s narrative on the crisis and called for greater international involvement in the repatriation process, echoing the multilateral approach that Shama described as more effective than the bilateral framework pursued by the previous government.
