In order to resolve the present crisis in Rakhine state and organize a concerted international effort to repatriate Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar, Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud has made calls.
According to a news release from the foreign ministry issued today, the foreign minister, who is currently on a three-day official visit to the United States, made the appeal on Friday during four different meetings at the UN Headquarters in New York.
Dr. Mahmud stated that the people of Cox’s Bazar and Chattogram welcomed the approximately one million refugees who fled to Bangladesh to escape the violence in Myanmar during their meeting with Dennis Francis, the president of the UN General Assembly.
“But gradually the Rohingyas are getting employment in different places out of the camps and the camps have become a haven for various crimes including human trafficking, drug smuggling, terrorism. As a result, the locals are passing a very difficult time,” he added.
In addition to the Rohingyas, Hasan revealed during his meeting with UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi that since last February, over 750 members of the Myanmar Border Guard Police and Army have escaped to Bangladesh on various occasions.
Most of them have been sent back, and the rest are in the process of being returned.
“Not only that, the shells of the conflicting groups in Myanmar also caused casualties in Bangladesh. It is absolutely necessary to prevent the recurrence of these,” Hasan said.
The former Australian foreign minister, Julie Bishop, met with the UN Secretary General’s Special Envoy for Myanmar, and Mahmud stated that the continuous conflict situation in Myanmar is not a novel occurrence and should not be allowed to be used as a justification for opposing the repatriation of Rohingya.
A session at the UN Headquarters titled “Crisis, Conflicts, and Inter-Agency Collaboration: Nexus Approach” was earlier addressed by the foreign minister of Bangladesh.
The leaders of six UN agencies, including UNDP, UNFPA, UNOPS, UN Women, and deputy heads of UNICEF and WFP, attended the meeting.
In areas impacted by war, the foreign minister emphasized the advantages of a coordinated effort by UN agencies.
He spoke about the circumstances in Rakhine and Cox’s Bazar and urged all UN programs, funds, and organizations to collaborate in order to end the refugee crisis and enhance living circumstances for the Rohingya people.
Ambassador Muhammad A. Muhith, Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN, along with other ministry and mission officials, accompanied the foreign minister.
