Rohingya issue
UNHCR for continued intl support
UNB
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi yesterday called upon the international community to continue their support to Bangladesh over Rohingya refugees with resource mobilisation saying the solution to the problem lies with Myanmar, reports UNB.
He also urged the leadership of Bangladesh and Myanmar to give the young generation of Myanmar citizens living in Bangladesh a future.
Addressing a press conference at a city hotel, the UNHCR chief laid emphasis on implementation of citizenship verification process efficiently which will help unblock all the remaining barriers to the solution.
Earlier in the day, he visited refugee camp Kutupalang in Coxs Bazaar district.I talked to many young people. They keep saying that give us a future.
Responding to a question on relocation plan to an Island, the UNHCR chief said
this is just a plan and the focus needs to be given on voluntary relocation of Rohingyas instead of imposing force.
On repatriation process, he laid emphasis on creating a conducive and
peaceful environment in Rakhine State of Myanmar to make the return sustainable.
He said the process will not be sustainable if the refugees voluntarily feel to go back their homes.
Talking about his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, he said he thanked the government and the people of Bangladesh for hosting Myanmar refugees here for decades.
The UNHCR chief will leave Dhaka on Tuesday. He visited Myanmar and Thailand before coming to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh on Saturday urged the UNHCR to ask the government of Myanmar to take meaningful measures and ensure the return of all Myanmar nationals staying in Bangladesh to their homeland in Rakhine State.
Bangladesh also expressed concern over unilateral halt of the repatriation process by the government of Myanmar since 2005 even though 10,820 refugees had been cleared by both countries through a verification process.
Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali conveyed Bangladeshs position to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi during his meeting.
Grandi arrived here on a three-day visit on Saturday to discuss the Rohingya issue with the government and see their situation in Coxs Bazar camps.
During the meeting, the Foreign Minister apprised the UN Refugee Agency Chief of the measures taken by the government of Bangladesh to provide humanitarian assistances to Myanmar refugees and the undocumented Myanmar nationals.
He also informed the High Commissioner that as many as 236,599 Rakhine Muslims had been repatriated till 2005.
The Foreign Minister thanked the UNHCR for providing valuable support throughout the process of repatriation of this huge number of Myanmar nationals.
He stressed that the constant presence of a huge number of Myanmar nationals in Coxs Bazar has created a number of adverse effects on the overall socio-economic,
political, demographic, environmental, and humanitarian and security situation of Coxs Bazar and adjacent districts.
The UN High Commissioner for Refugees commended the government of Bangladesh for being benevolent to host a large number of Myanmar nationals for a long time as well as for providing the humanitarian assistances to them.
He underscored that the root cause of the instability in Rakhine State lies in the expropriation of citizenship of the Rakhine Muslims.
The Foreign Minister thanked the High Commissioner for undertaking the visit to Bangladesh and assured him of all sorts of cooperation during his mission to Coxs Bazar.
The UNHCR chief will meet Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and her Political Affairs Adviser HT Imam on Sunday, a senior foreign ministry official told UNB.
Grandi who visited Myanmar and Thailand will visit Coxs Bazar on July 10 and leave Dhaka on July 11 completing his first visit to Bangladesh.
At least 74,000 Rohingya Muslims, out of 92,000, who fled indiscriminate killings, rape, arson and violence by Myanmar security forces in Rakhine State, entered Bangladesh since October 9, 2016.
The number of refugees from Myanmar rose to 490,300 by the end of last year, up from 451,800 in the previous year, with Bangladesh hosting the largest number of 276,200, according to the report published by UNHCR ahead of the World Refugee Day.
Out of the 276,200 refugees, 243,000 are in a refugee-like situation. The Bangladesh government, however, estimates the population to be between 300,000 and 500,000.
Grandi, after concluding his visit to Myanmar, called for inclusive and sustainable solutions to protracted displacement and statelessness.
