M. Sadman Safi Protik
Bangladesh has sheltered the persecuted Rohingyas who have fled Myanmar since August 25, 2016. Bangladesh has proved as a safe haven for Rohingyas for the past four decades. In 1982, two lakh such Rohingya refugees came to Bangladesh. In the early 1990s, another 50,000 Rohingyas came to Bangladesh as victims of the Myanmar military’s anti-Rohingya campaign. Many of the Rohingyas who came to Bangladesh in these two influxes spent their days in misery at different times and then returned to their homeland Myanmar. However, many did not return.
Immediately after the incident, Mother of humanity, Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar on September 12, 2017 to express her condolences to the oppressed people and assured all possible assistance from the Government of Bangladesh. In addition, the Bangladesh government has provided hundreds of foreign organizations interested in working in the camps to make the situation of the Rohingya humane and tolerable. By taking this immediate decision, Bangladesh was able to successfully attract the attention of the world.
The Myanmar government signed an agreement with Bangladesh to repatriate Rohingya, but did not begin repatriation. A resolution on the persecution of the Rohingya and their return to Myanmar has been unanimously passed by the UN Human Rights Council. The resolution on Rohingya was passed at the 47th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva. At the initiative of Bangladesh, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) presented a resolution on “The human rights situation of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar”.
At the 72nd session of the UN General Assembly on 22 September 2017, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina proposed five points to resolve the Rohingya issue. The resolution calls for an immediate and unconditional end to violence and genocide in Myanmar, a speedy deployment of UN Secretary-General’s own investigative team to Myanmar, and an UN-sponsored security cordon inside Myanmar to ensure the safety of all citizens, regardless of race or religion. They are called upon to ensure their return home and rehabilitation and to secure unconditional, full and speedy implementation of the recommendations of the Kofi Annan Commission. Various countries and international organizations have taken various measures to solve the Rohingya problem. Former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has criticized Myanmar authorities for being lax in repatriating displaced Rohingya. UN Secretary General António Guterres has expressed deep concern over the ongoing Rohingya crisis. Yang Hili, the UN special envoy for human rights in Myanmar, said all major countries in the world had a responsibility to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
Switzerland has agreed to take the necessary steps under international and human rights law to resolve the Rohingya issue. Switzerland is one of the earliest donors to the Rohingya problem, which stood by Bangladesh at the outset with humanitarian assistance. Switzerland has called for the fullimplementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission in Rakhine State. From 2016 to 2019, Switzerland pledged help 30 million in humanitarian aid and relief to the Rohingya. In addition to financial assistance, Swiss experts have been providing assistance to UN agencies and NGOs working in Cox’s Bazar. French Ambassador Marie Enik Bourdain said,”France would continue to provide assistance to Bangladesh on the Rohingya issue”. Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah of Brunei emphasized the need for a just and lasting solution to the Rohingya problem.
In the last four years, the international community has continued its activities in various ways to solve the Rohingya problem. Bangladesh has been able to successfully draw the attention of the world community to solve this problem. The displaced Rohingya people who have taken refuge in Bangladesh for more than four years have been receiving humanitarian assistance. The United Nations and the international community have expressed support for Bangladesh in its efforts to ensure the return of Rohingya to their homeland. Despite all this, the repatriation of Rohingyas to Myanmar has not yet begun.
Needless to say, this huge number of refugees is definitely a big burden for Bangladesh. With this refugee camp, the government has to face various political pressures and security issues from time to time. With this Rohingya refugee, the Bangladesh government has to deal with the various realities that have arisen. There is boundless reluctance on the part of Myanmar to repatriate these refugees. Considering the overall situation, it is unlikely that Myanmar will take back the Rohingya in the near future.
The writer is a student of North South University