e_Paper, Friday, September 8, 2017

2
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2017
DT
Bangladesh
for peaceful
solution to
Rohingya crisis
News
A researcher and columnist, international relations
expert, diplomat, human rights campaigner and
politicians weigh in on the recent Rohingya crisis
Afsan
Chowdhury
Columnist and
researcher
Muhammad
Zamir
Former
ambassador
• Sheikh Shahariar Zaman
CRISIS
Bangladesh is seeking a peaceful
solution to the Rohingya crisis
without getting involved in conflicts,
maintaining friendly relations
with Myanmar.
Sheltering thousands of Myanmar
nationals for the last three
decades has been a big burden for
Bangladesh.
A senior government official, refusing
to be named, said Dhaka was
being extra cautious since Naypyidaw
was its neighbour. The policymakers
have a negative attitude
towards applying any sort of force.
The government has taken two
types steps to solve the Rohingya
crisis, the official said.
The first one is to raise the matter
with Myanmar bilaterally and
secondly, to sensitise international
organisations and various countries.
Several countries
including Turkey and
Malaysia have shown
interest in resolving
the issue through
discussion with
Bangladesh
“Our goal is to ensure a stable,
peaceful and safe environment in
the Rakhine state so that people of
all religion, colour and community
can live there in harmony, and we
are holding discussions at various
places to this end,” the official said.
If it can be done, the repatriation
of Rohingyas will be easier and
those going back to Myanmar will
not come back to Bangladesh, the
official added.
“We have seen in the past that Rohingyas
who went back to Mynamar
returned to Bangladesh after the
start of military operations or communal
violence,” the official said.
There were an estimated
300,000 unregistered and 33,000
registered Rohingyas in Bangladesh
until October last year. An
estimated 75,000 people arrived in
Bangladesh since violence began in
October.
Besides, the latest spell of violence
has forced an estimated
125,000 Rohingyas to flee into
Bangladesh since August 25.
Thousands more are stranded on
the no-man’s land along the border.
Rohingyas are one of the most
persecuted communities in the
world. They are denied citizenship
and basic rights in the Buddhist-majority
Myanmar. Naypyidaw
calls the Rohingyas ‘Bengalis’
and see them as illegal immigrants
from Bangladesh.
Security and border cooperation
Another senior government official
said Myanmar conducts military
operations in the pretext of rooting
out extremists. Bangladesh has given
several proposals on securing the
border and suppressing extremists.
The government is interested in
giving this relation an institutional
form.
Bangladesh has proposed setting
up border liaison office, security
cooperation agreements, joint
border patrol and joint operations
against militants.
“Unfortunately, Myanmar has
not given us any concrete answer
to any of our proposals,” the official
said.
International communication
Various organisations like the UN,
EU, OIC are working to solve the
Rohingya crisis. Bangladesh provides
them all sorts of assistance
and holds talks with them whenever
they approach the government,
the official said.
Another official said the UN security
council had discussed the
Rohingya issue and hoped that
elaborate discussions would be
held on the matter during the general
assembly.
Bangladesh supports creating a
safe zone for Rohingyas inside the
Rakhine, the official said.
“Several countries including
Turkey and Malaysia have shown
interest in resolving the issue
through discussion with Bangladesh,”
the official added. •
The article was first published on
banglatribune.com
The current state of Rohingya crisis is nothing but an
example of the inefficiency of our diplomacy and political
relations of Bangladeshi bureaucrats. It is quite clear that
Rohingya population is being brutally tortured because
Myanmar needs them to vacate the state for business
interests with other countries.
Since Myanmar knows these people would only come
to Bangladesh and we cannot prevent them from coming,
on humanitarian grounds, Myanmar keeps pushing them
into our country.
The influx began in 1977 and what Bangladesh have
done in these 40 years? No plan or steps have been taken.
In the latest development, India and China have also joined
hands with Myanmar. We have failed to do anything with
the international community, and now its too late.
Imtiaz
Ahmed
International
relations
teacher
at Dhaka
University
The influx of Rohingya refugees started in the 70ies and it
will continue until Bangladesh becomes more proactive in
discussions with Myanmar.
The government needs to attend to the humanitarian
side of the crisis and highlight the issue with international
conferences. The Rohingya’s should be able to speak and
be moderated by counties both friendly to Bangladesh and
Myanmar. This way the real picture will emerge and this will
get support from the international community.
Nur Khan
Liton
Human rights
campaigner
The military crackdown on the Rohingyas’ will continue as
long as they are living in Rakhine state. Their army is using
‘terrorism’ as a tool to oppress them, which is actually a
state sponsored drive for ethnic cleansing. Business interests
might be at the core of this spate of violence.
Bangladesh needs to convey the urgency of this crisis
to the international community and get the necessary
support from them in dealing with the crisis.
The government should immediately register the Rohingya
refugees. This will help us to know the exact number and
let us send them back when the time is right.
If Myanmar, in the future, denies Bangladesh’s claim of
this number of refugees then we will have a documented
proof of their identity.
Obaidul
Quader
General
secretary,
Awami League
Around 1.5 hundred thousand refugees have already entered
Bangladesh and the situation is alarming. The government
has informed the United Nations about the country’s
concern over the crisis. The foreign office of Bangladesh
has also summoned the Myanmar envoy in Dhaka four
times to stop the violence on the Rohingya people.
We have no capacity to host this large number of refugees.
There is also a fear that drugs and arms will enter the
country with the refugees.
Bangladesh has protested against this push of Rohingya
people into the country and strongly demanded the United
Nations should immediately help return them to Myanmar.
Ruhul Kabir
Rizvi
Senior joint
secretary
general of BNP
BNP wants the government to resolve the Rohingya crisis
through diplomacy and force Myanmar to take back the
Rohingya refugees.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s silence on the
crisis during his visit to Myanmar with Aung San Suu Kyi
shocked and surprised us all.
The United Nations and some Muslim countries have
strongly condemned Myanmar but our government has
not taken a strong stance against this. Our prime minister
said her government is in contact with many countries to
put pressure on Myanmar, but no visible steps were taken
except the summoning of the Myanmar envoy.