The ultimate solution to the Rohingya problem is repatriation with civil rights and dignity, and as regional powers, China and India must work together to mediate the difficult situation. This was said by Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud in this same location today.
“Repatriation (of the Rohingyas) is the only solution,” he told a seminar on Rohingya crisis staged by Overseas Correspondents Association of Bangladesh (OCAB) coinciding with its 45th founding anniversary at the Jatiya Press Club.
“Regional powers like India and China are vital. We believe the crisis could be resolved if we can ensure their enhanced engagement,” the minister continued.
Mahmud underlined concentrated international and regional demands for the Rohingyas’ return, saying that while providing amenities for their livelihood inside their improvised camps or their modest relocation to third countries could sound “counterproductive,” they could do little to address the situation.
A few hundred Rohingyas have been transported to third countries, including western nations, according to foreign ministry officials. However, Mahmud warned that such a symbolic relocation could convey the incorrect message to Rohingyas, who may lose hope of returning to their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine area.
Mahmud said US assistant secretary of state Donald Lu during his recent visit gave some suggestions to handle the crisis “but I don’t want to disclose it right now”.
Foreign relation experts and senior journalists who cover the crisis also spoke on the occasion which also marked the revival of the forum of Dhaka-based journalists working for foreign media outlets.
Speaking as the chief guest, Mahmud said the Myanmar authorities are willing to start the Rohingya repatriation process to minimise the global pressure being mounted on the country.
The foreign minister gave a picture of the long-standing Rogingya conflict, stating that it began during World War II and got worse after India was divided in 1947.
Hasan Mahmud claimed that following the military operations in Rakhine State in 2017, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina permitted some 7,000,00 Rohingyas to enter Bangladesh through the border after they were forcibly evicted.
“(Currently) I believe around 1.3 million Rohingyas are staying at Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar,” he said.
The foreign minister said Bangladesh has taken the path of diplomacy to put pressure on Myanmar in repatriating its nationals, while the Gambia filed a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC) against Myanmar.
The Gambia has informed Bangladesh that the case is going in right direction and a positive result will come soon to this end, he said.
“We hope that the verdict of the case will be delivered in favour of Bangladesh. Once the verdict is declared, more global pressure will be mounted on Myanmar,” he said, adding that when Rohingya repatriation process was about to start, conflict situation got worsened in Myanmar.
Nearly 700 members of the Burmese Border Guard Police and soldiers have so far fled to Bangladesh amid intensifying fighting between junta troops and Arakan Army rebels in neighbouring Rakhine state, he said.
Hasan Mahmud stated that there was a decrease in international funding for the Rohingyas last year. However, we anticipate that this year’s financing for the Rohingyas will rise as a result of our efforts. Additionally, this fund is used transparently,” he continued.
Shahriar Alam, a current member of the parliamentary standing committee on foreign affairs ministry and a former state minister for foreign affairs, gave a special speech on the occasion.
The lecture was hosted by OCAB President Nazrul Islam Mithu, with keynote speaker Farid Hossain. Professor Dr. Delwar Hossain and Dr. Md. Touhidul Islam from Dhaka University participated as panel discussants.
The Daily Observer editor Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, former OCAB president Nadeem Qadir, Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) managing editor Anisur Rahman, senior journalists Shafiqul Karim Sabu, Shawkat Mahmud and Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan and OCAB general secretary Julhas Alam also spoke.
Speaking on the occasion, Alam said, in 2017, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina gave shelters to the persecuted Rohingyas on humanitarian ground but she knew its consequences too.
So, he said, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina placed a four-point proposal before the 74th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in 2019 aiming to resolve the protracted Rohingya crisis.
“Our eyes are open…we are taking inputs from all concerned to this end,” Shahriar added.
Prof Delwar Hossain said the Myanmar, which originated the Rohingya crisis, is now in a crisis as ethnic conflicts have been escalated across its territory.
He added that the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) is a big worry there and that drug smuggling and human trafficking are prevalent in the camps. These statements relate to the security threat that Rohingyas face in Cox’s Bazar.
Prof. Delwar emphasized that increasing international pressure on Myanmar is necessary to force the Rohingyas to return home, and that China’s active involvement in this process is also essential.
“We have to avoid armed provocation (from Myanmar). We must continue negotiations … Rohingya issue should not get untouched (in multilateral forums). It should get more global attention,” he said.
Dr Touhidul Islam said the host community members in the locality, where the Rohingya camps are located, are minority now as displaced people outnumbered the local people.
“Until the Rogingyas are repatriated, the problems of the host community must be addressed. The issue should remain alive at national, regional and international forums,” he said.
After attending the seminar Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud held a meeting with Myanmar Ambassador in Dhaka U Aung Kyaw Moe at the foreign ministry.
