It's not
responsibility of Bangladesh alone
Diplomats,
analysts stress int'l community's efforts to resolve Rohingya crisis
As Rohingyas continue to pour into Bangladesh in the face of
"ethnic cleansing" in Myanmar, diplomats and experts have suggested
that Bangladesh should take a firm stance and make effective diplomatic moves
to mobilise international support for resolving the crisis.
Without any hesitation, Bangladesh should go for bilateral
and multilateral moves to put pressure on Myanmar because the Southeast Asian
country itself created the crisis and must resolve it also, they say.
Through an effective diplomatic campaign, Dhaka should also
make the international community understand that Bangladesh alone cannot deal
with the issue and that the global community has a responsibility to resolve
the humanitarian crisis.
Talking to The Daily Star, several former and serving diplomats
and foreign affairs experts said Bangladesh government has long been trying to
resolve the Rohingya crisis through “persuasion and mutual understanding”,
which apparently encouraged Myanmar to create the crisis over and over again.
But time has come for Dhaka to take a firm position and move
forward to end this longstanding problem once and for all, they say.
“It is now time to make the Rohingya crisis an international
issue, and seek support from all to resolve it permanently. Bangladesh is the
worst sufferer of this Rohingya situation. The international community must
come forward to shoulder the responsibility and ensure the rights of
Rohingyas,” said international affairs expert Maj Gen (Retd) Abdur Rashid.
The former ambassador said the government appears hesitant
to take a firm stance on the issue and convey the message that it would no
longer tolerate such an uncalled-for situation created by Myanmar.
“We shouldn't think that Myanmar may be unhappy or BCIM
[Bangladesh-China-India-Myanmar economic forum] or BIMSTEC [the Bay of Bengal
Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation] may be
affected if we take a firm stance on the Rohingya crisis that is adversely
affecting Bangladesh. We must uphold our national interest and security first,”
he said.
He observed that Myanmar would continue to create such
crisis, and one day, it would push all its Rohingya citizens into Bangladesh
territory if Dhaka continues to maintain its soft stance.
“Of course, we should continue our efforts to solve the
problem bilaterally. But we can definitely engage the international community
and regional players so that Myanmar refrains from creating such humanitarian
crisis that also has global implications,” said the former diplomat, who served
as ambassador to the USA and Australia.
Last week, Dhaka decided to launch an all-out diplomatic
effort to drum up global support for mounting pressure on Myanmar to resolve
the Rohingya crisis.
Foreign ministry officials said the ministry has directed
the Bangladeshi envoys in more than 60 countries and the UN bodies to brief the
officials concerned in their countries of stay on the influx of Myanmar
Rohingyas to Bangladesh in the face of persecution.
At a diplomatic briefing on Thursday, foreign envoys in
Dhaka expressed their strong support in resolving the longstanding crisis in a
peaceful manner and through dialogue between Bangladesh and Myanmar.
Seeking anonymity, a senior official at the foreign ministry
told this correspondent that the government now strongly feels that mounting
global pressure on Myanmar is essential as the country is not responsive to
Dhaka's steps to establish and maintain friendly relations.
Several officials of the ministry said Bangladeshi envoys
abroad have been asked to brief the foreign policymakers and high-ups in the
light of the “Strategy Paper on Addressing the Issue of Myanmar Refugees and
Undocumented Myanmar Nationals in Bangladesh”.
The strategy paper clarifies the government's position on
some vital issues regarding the Rohingyas. It unequivocally identifies them as
“Myanmar nationals.”
The Bangladeshi envoys are advised to highlight that the
country has been hosting nearly half a million documented and undocumented
Rohingyas since 1991 and has not deported any Rohingya refugee.
The foreign ministry officials were critical of the UN
refugee agency, the UNHCR.
They alleged that the UNHCR always puts undue pressure on
Dhaka, and in the name of safety and dignity of the refugees, it delayed
repatriation of Rohingyas for decades, which apparently encouraged more
Rohingyas to enter Bangladesh.
A high official of the foreign ministry said, “The UNHCR is
requesting us to allow refugees to enter Bangladesh but it is not saying
anything to Myanmar... Are we responsible for violence in Myanmar?”
Responding to a query on UNHCR's call for letting Rohingyas
in, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali told journalists on Thursday, “It has
become the only duty of the organisation to ask Bangladesh to open its border
whenever a crisis is created in Myanmar.”
Now, around 32,000 registered Rohingyas are living in two
refugee camps in Ukhia and Teknaf. The government has introduced free education
up to class VI, vocational skill training, computer training, and primary and
secondary healthcare to prepare the Rohingyas for a better life when they
voluntarily return to their homeland.
Besides, three to five lakh undocumented Rohingyas are
staying in different parts of Bangladesh.
The officials said that since Bangladesh is already hosting
a huge number of Rohingyas from Myanmar, it cannot take in any more refugees.