The joint visit of United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres and World Bank President Jim Yong Kim to Cox’s Bazar to see the situation of hundreds of thousands of persecuted Rohingyas has generated certain degree of enthusiasm among many of the officials of the government and international organisations working on the ground.

However, it has apparently failed to make many Rohingyas hopeful, as well as the host community, who had to sacrifice a lot for accommodating their neighbours from Rakhine.

Speaking to a number of Rohingyas in Balukhali and Chakmarkul settlements, it was found that most of them are not at all enthusiastic about the visit of world’s two most prominent figures.

The same feeling was observed among the people of the host community at the Kerontali village under Hoaikkong union in Teknaf upazila.

They were found neither happy nor unhappy though some in both the communities are hopeful that something good might come out as the top man of the UN is coming. Some are not even aware of such a visit.

According to some officials of the government and international organisations, this high-profile visit will further highlight the plight of Rohingyas and this is how more pressure will be created on Myanmar to take their people back.

When this notion was put to some people of the Rohingya and host communities, they said that the issue has already been highlighted and there is nothing more to highlight.

Rather, they said that it is time to do

something. “Undoubtedly, their visit will draw the world attention to the crisis more than before,” said a senior official of an international organisation.

“We have been experiencing this since we arrived. But, nothing is moving on. We are still there where we were,” said a Rohingya youth.

“I don’t think anything will change due to the visit. Something is needed that will compel Myanmar to take its people,” said a man from Teknaf.

As per the schedule, the chiefs of UN and World Bank will arrive in the coastal town in the morning.

Followed by a briefing by Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, the dignitaries will interact with the Rohingya people at selected venues. There will be also a press conference in this regard.

They will leave Cox’s Bazar for Dhaka in the afternoon.