Bangladesh needs a deeper engagement to involve the international community, especially countries like China, Japan and India that have investments in Myanmar, to find a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis. International and government representatives as well as members of the academia expressed this view yesterday. They also said the Rohingya crisis was not a simple affair but a complex issue that could not be resolved overnight. The Rohingya people are being deprived of their legal rights for decades, they added.
They stressed that justice and accountability had to be ensured in view of the genocidal crimes committed against the Rohingya community in Myanmar’s Rakhine state. They said that although a bilateral agreement had been inked between Bangladesh and Myanmar, its execution was slow.
The United Nations representative admitted that even though two years had passed, the UN was still not able to enter Rakhine to study the situation there.
The representative said the political commitment of various countries was needed to address the Rohingya crisis.
The observation was made at a book-launch programme and policy colloquium—‘The Rohingya Refugee Crisis: Towards Sustainable Solutions’, which was organised jointly by ActionAid Bangladesh, the Centre for Genocide Studies of Dhaka University, and the Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University, at the BRAC Centre Inn in Dhaka.
Prof. Imtiaz Ahmed, a teacher at the international relations department of Dhaka University, said: “The gaze ought to be on Myanmar. Bangladesh did not commit genocide. Myanmar has committed it. Rohingya refugees more than the population of Bhutan have taken shelter in Bangladesh.”
He suggested five points, namely deep political, geopolitical, economic, cultural, and technological engagement, for the repatriation of the Rohingya people.
“Bangladesh should engage itself politically with Myanmar. Only seven persons have been identified for the genocide in Rakhine. But this is not correct. The International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court are working on genocide,” he said.
“We need economic engagement. We should tell the investors who have invested or intend to invest in Myanmar that it has committed genocide,” he added.
He further said: “Geopolitical compulsion is necessary. Myanmar had staged a drama in the name of repatriation. Both Bangladesh and Myanmar have close relations with China, India, and Japan. Bangladesh should tell them that stability in the region is not possible if the Rohingya crisis persists.”
About the possible solution, Imtiaz Ahmed said that Myanmar should bring an amendment or enact a new law to guarantee citizenship rights to Rohingyas. A safe zone, guarded by the law enforcers of different countries, can be created in Rakhine as part of a solution, he added.
Mahbub Uz Zaman, secretary (Asia and Pacific) of the foreign affairs ministry, said: “We have inked a bilateral agreement with Myanmar, but its progress is slow.”
“Justice and accountability have to be ensured as genocide has been committed. International pressure is continuing. Myanmar told us that they had created a favourable environment. If Rohingyas don’t return to their place of origin now, they will be deprived of their legal rights,” he added.
About the citizenship issue, the secretary said the Rohingyas could get naturalised citizenships under the existing law. Mutual distrust and suspicion will also have to be removed for a sustainable solution, he added. Benoit Prefontaine, Canadian high commissioner to Bangladesh, said: “Canada expresses solidarity with Bangladesh for hosting Rohingyas. We are also listening to the voices of the Rohingya refugees. We also stand for accountability in connection with the genocide in Myanmar.”
Abdus Salam, director general of the NGO affairs bureau, said the government was trying its best resolve the Rohingyas crisis. He also said all NGOs must follow the law while working for the Rohingyas.
Justice Sayed Refaat Ahmed, a Supreme Court judge, said: “We need to find a durable solution. The Dhaka Declaration has rightly pointed towards a sustainable solution.”
Elaborating on the Dhaka Declaration, he said: “Recognising the concept of ‘Responsibility to Protect’ obliges the international community to protect refugees through multi-pronged interventions aimed inter alia at deterring occurrences of egregious international crimes like genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing and crime against humanity and to hold the offending state accountable.”
Mia Seppo, UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh, said: “The Rohingya crisis is a defining tragedy of all time. It is necessary to react and respond to the cycle of violence.”
“Fear creates hatred and hatred spreads violence. Rohingyas deserve our attention. Accountability has to be ensured. There is no single way for its solution. It’s a complex issue. It cannot be resolved overnight. The international community should work together,” she added.
In reply to a query, she said: “The UN still faces problems to enter Rakhine state. Myanmar is reluctant to give access to the UN to see what is happening there.”
“A collective political commitment is necessary to find a a solution to the crisis,” she added.
Manzoor Hasan, executive director of the Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University, delivered the opening speech, while Farah Khan, country director for ActionAid Bangladesh, made the concluding remarks.
BK