C T Online Desk: Policymakers, foreign diplomats and academics on Thursday renewed their call for creation of an ambience conducive to safe, voluntary and sustainable return of the forcefully displaced Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar.
They observed that Rohingya crisis was the outcome of the internal problems of Myanmar and its solution lay there.
The observation came at a seminar titled ‘The Rohingya Crisis: Pathways to Re patriation’ organised by the Foreign Service Academy in association with the Centre for Genocide Studies of the University of Dhaka marking the fifth year of the latest Rohingya exodus that began on August 25 in 2017.
Foreign minister AK Abdul Momen was present at the seminar as the chief guest.
He said, ‘Bangladesh wanted safe, sustainable and voluntary repatriation of Rohingyas, but none could be sent back home since the 2017 influx as Myanmar was not committed to the instrument signed between the two countries in 2018 for the repatriation of Rohingyas,’ he said.
‘The latest exodus of Rohingya now enters into the 6th year without repatriation of a single person from Bangladesh hosting about 11 lakh forcefully displaced people. It is now becoming a prolonged crisis and may create security problems in the region and beyond.’
The minister called upon the international community to play strong role in creating a congenial atmosphere in Rakhine state so that the Myanmar nationals could return home voluntarily.
He told the seminar that Myanmar had recently expressed its willingness to begin Rohingya repatriation.
United Nations Special Envoy of the Secretary-General on Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer called for international support to Bangladesh and leveraging influence on Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation to their homeland Myanmar.
‘I will continue to advocate for greater leadership of countries in the region in supporting Bangladesh and leveraging their influence on Myanmar to create conducive conditions for the voluntary, safe and dignified return of the refugees,’ she mentioned.
Noeleen said that it was ultimately the responsibility of Myanmar to create an atmosphere for safe repatriation to Rakhine state, but there had been no such progress in Rakhine state in terms of freedom of movement, land ownership and citizenship for Rohingyas.
Underlining the urgent need for Rohingya repatriation, Japanese ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki said that Japan would continue its support for Bangladesh, saying that they were willing to resettle Rohingyas in Japan as a third country.
He said that Japan would provide a fresh humanitarian fund of $8.2 million for Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char camps.
Ambassador of the Kingdom of the Netherlands to Bangladesh Anne van Leeuwen said that the solution to the crisis must be inclusive for Rohingya.
He said that the Netherlands would continue to stand by Bangladesh as the country wanted Rohingyas to be repatriated in a safe, dignified and sustainable manner.
Presenting the keynote speech, director of the Centre for Genocide Studies professor Imtiaz Ahmed said that Myanmar would soon repatriate some Rohingyas to nullify the conceptualisation of genocide against Myanmar and Bangladesh should handle the issue more carefully.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen delivered the opening remarks at the seminar.
The number of Rohingya people has already crossed 12 lakh following the latest exodus of the persecuted Myanmar nationals, who fled a military crackdown in Rakhine state to Bangladesh for shelter.
At least two attempts at starting repatriation of the displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to Myanmar have failed as the refugees refused to return home without a guarantee of their citizenship and security.
