Ensure return of the Rohingyas

While addressing the Fourth Edition of the Paris Peace Forum, 2021 "Minding the Gap: Improving Global Governance after Covid-19" Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged the world leaders to ensure the repatriation of Rohingya people to Myanmar. She told the global leaders that the Rohingya community should return to their homeland as soon as possible, warning that if that is not done security risks will spiral out of the Bangladesh border. At present there are about a million refugees stranded in Bangladesh and several terrorist outfits are believed to be active in the camps housing them.

After the Rohingyas came under violent attacks and their villages were razed by the Rakhine community in August 2017 hundreds of thousands of terrorised Rohingyas fled from their homeland and poured into Bangladesh. Within a matter of days over half a million people entered Bangladesh seeking safety and shelter. Bangladesh rose to the occasion and by giving them temporary shelter helped avert a humanitarian catastrophe. Also, as the prime minister stressed Bangladesh helped avoid a major regional crisis by providing shelter to these hapless people who are facing an uncertain future.

During Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s talks with the top leaders of France– including French President Emmanuel Macron and French Prime Minister Jean Castex.– a request was made to France to take the Rohingya issue to the UN Security Council as the country is a permanent member of the council. France has responded positively to the request assuring Bangladesh that it would remain beside the country until a permanent solution to the Rohingya crisis is found. This was revealed by Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen.

The foreign minister pointed out that in order to solve the crisis Bangladesh have been trying bilaterally, trilaterally and multilaterally. “Even we went to the international criminal court (ICC),” he said. He categorically stated that the problem was created by Myanmar and the solution also lies with them.”

We believe that the foreign minister could not have made himself clearer. When the Rohingyas poured into Bangladesh, fleeing genocide, they were given shelter. However, Bangladesh unambiguously said that this was to be on a temporary basis. Myanmar, despite repeated efforts by the Bangladesh side showed little genuine inclination in taking their own citizens back.

One of the economic difficulties that the host community, local people and the Bangladeshis face due to mass intrusion of the Rohingyas and their prolonged stay in this country is that the Rohingyas in many ways have started to get involved in the local and national labour markets. As a result, the host communities are becoming poorer over time. We just don't have the capacity to absorb more than a million people given the huge number of poor people we already have.

Prolonged stay of Rohingyas in Bangladesh has resulted in security problems. There is a clear danger of these people being used by the national and international terrorist groups for destabilising peace and harmony. Media reports say that a segment of Rohingya refugees is indulging in drug trade and other criminal activities. The international terrorist groups invariably procure large funds from drug trade. On a more ominous note, a section of the Rohingyas have been involved in terrorist activities since many years, inside Myanmar, with the help of foreign terrorist outfits. According to some pertinent observers they are continuing their activities in Bangladesh. If unchecked, this obviously will result in a major security concern for Bangladesh and its after effects will spill across the region and beyond. Factional rivalries inside the Rohingya camps have resulted in gruesome deaths of 25 Rohingya refuges in the last one year alone. Media reports show that the camps have become more dangerous, with armed gangs fighting for dominance, kidnapping opponents. The presence of ARSA, or Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army is a serious cause for concern. Uncertainty about repatriation is a key reason behind the frustration among the Rohingya in the camps and a tool for the criminal gangs to take advantage of.

It is indeed disconcerting to note that the international community is not exerting enough pressure on Myanmar to compel it to take back its citizens. It is this failure of the international community and indeed the government in Myanmar to ensure the return of Rohingyas to their homeland provides the biggest impetus to the violent groups. We urge the global leaders to play a more proactive role for the quickest possible repatriation of the Rohingyas.