Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has placed three
recommendations that include abolishment of discriminatory laws, policies and
practices against the Rohingya people in Myanmar to end the refugee crisis.
She has also reiterated her call for creating an
atmosphere conducive to giving citizenship to all Rohingyas and ensuring
justice and accountability in light of the UN fact-finding mission’s report.
She placed the recommendations at the ‘High-level Event
on the Global Compact on Refugees: A Model for Greater Solidarity and
Cooperation’ organised by UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi at
the UN Headquarters in New York on Monday.
Bangladesh is facing the largest forced movement in the
shortest time of over 1.1 million traumatised Rohingyas who have been forcibly
displaced from their homes in Rakhine State of Myanmar where they had been
living for centuries, she said.
“While we are providing them with basic necessities, the
magnitude of the problem has posed serious challenges for us,” the prime
minister said.
She told the event that her government had allocated over
6,000 acres of land for the refugees.
Diversion of human and other resources for Rohingyas has
taken toll on society, environment and economy of Bangladesh, she said.
The international partners, especially the UN agencies,
have been helping the Rohingyas, but “regrettably the current UN joint response
plan of 2018 which requires $950 million has remained severely underfunded with
only 33 percent funding secured”, Hasina said.
“Humanitarian and development support of the
international community for the Rohingyas and other affected communities must
be predictable and in the spirit of international responsibility sharing,” the
prime minister said.
The three recommendations she placed to solve
the Rohingya crisis are:
>> First, Myanmar must abolish
discriminatory laws, policies and practices against Rohingyas and address the
root causes of forced displacement in a genuine and timely manner.
>> Second, Myanmar must create a
conducive environment by building trust and guaranteeing protection, rights and
pathway to citizenship for all Rohingyas. If needed, create a “safe zone”
inside Myanmar to protect all civilians.
>> Third, prevent atrocity crimes
against Rohingyas in Myanmar by bringing accountability and justice,
particularly in light of the recommendations of the Fact-Finding Mission of the
UN Human Rights Council.
The UN fact-finding mission in its report released on
Sept 18 said Myanmar's democratic transition grounded to a standstill as
authorities seek to silence critics while allowing hate speech, particularly
against the Rohingyas.
In a summary submitted to the UNHCR on Aug 27, the panel
said Myanmar's military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya
with "genocidal intent" and called for commander-in-chief Min Aung
Hlaing and five generals to be prosecuted for the gravest crimes under international
law.
Over 700,000 Rohingyas fled Myanmar to join around
400,000 refugees in Bangladesh after the army launched an operation against
insurgents on Aug 25 last year.
Myanmar, which denies the Rohingyas citizenship, has been
widely criticised for atrocities against the ethnic minority during the
operation as the displaced people reported that troops and local mobs had
committed murder, rape, torture and arson during the crackdown.
Myanmar has denied the claims, saying that it was
fighting back against militants. Though Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an
agreement for the return of the Rohingyas in late 2017, the process has yet to
be initiated.
International groups, along with Bangladesh, have also
demanded that Myanmar grant the Rohingyas citizenship, thus access to basic
needs like health and education, as recommended by the Kofi Annan Commission
formed by the government of the country’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi.
Myanmar, however, has maintained that the Rohingyas were
actually migrants from Bangladesh and conducted propaganda with false
information and images in a bid to establish its claims.
Hasina, in her speech at the event in New York, reiterated
that since the Rohingya crisis had originated in Myanmar, its solution has to
be found in that country.
She emphasised return of the Rohingyas to their homes in
safety, security and dignity.
The prime minister told her audience that her government,
given the scarcity of land and other socio-cultural and environmental impacts
of the Rohingya crisis, was developing an island called Bhasan Char where the
refugees will have better living conditions and livelihood opportunities.
“In the absence of any policy of local integration in
Bangladesh, Rohingyas need to secure their future in their own country
Myanmar,” she added and reiterated the call for the international community to
help Bangladesh send the Rohingyas back.
Earlier in the day, Hasina joined an event titled ‘Global
Call to Action on the World Drug Problem’ organised by the Permanent Mission of
the US to the UN.
In order to attend the brief event with UN
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and US President Donald Trump, countries had
to sign a one-page pledge - “call to action on the world drug problem”.
Hasina is scheduled to address the 73rd UN General
Assembly on Thursday. She is expected to present Bangladesh's proposals to end
the Rohingya crisis.
The prime minister had placed five proposals to overcome
the crisis during the last UN summit.
One of that was the implementation of the Annan
Commission report which was agreed upon by all, including Myanmar’s allies in
the UN Security Council -- China and Russia.
Source: BDNEWS24
Source: BDNEWS24