Home ›› 28 Oct 2022 ›› Editorial
In a recent statement State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam has said that in the absence of justice and accountability, a political transition in Myanmar will not fix the Rohingya issue.
“That is why, this time around, accountability must be ensured, justice must be delivered, and impunity must not be allowed by the international community to ensure the return of Rohingyas to their homeland Myanmar,” he said while speaking at a high-level panel discussion, titled “5 years of the Rohingya Crisis: Renewed Pledges towards Justice and Sustainable Returns”, organised at the UK Parliament by Bangladesh High Commission in London
Logically the Rohigyas are the citizens of Myanmar by birth. The Rohingyas will cease to be the citizens of Myanmar naturally as and when, and if Myanmar declares that Rakhain is no more a part of Myanmar and undertakes measures accordingly. Above is true and legal by all international standards, norms and definitions of nationality and citizenship.
A considerable portion of Bangladesh’s income is being spent to support the huge mass of Rohingyas since 1978, when the inflow of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh started. The Zia autocracy suppressed this issue with vested interests in mind, especially to instigate a conflicting situation in the Hill Districts and diverting attention of the people from emerging socio-political and economic problems; and to keep a major part of the armed forces busy in dealing with war-like situation created by the Bangladesh autocracy in the Hill Districts. Such policies were undertaken many times by the Pakistani military autocrats, whenever there were any incidence of mass dissatisfaction and political turmoil in the country. A huge area of hills, forests and waterbodies extending from Cox’s Bazar to Teknaf is being used to construct Rohingya settlements. The Rohigyas outnumber the host community people by 2.5 times. Due to the damage done to the hills and forests, the area previously rich in biodiversity has become environmentally vulnerable. A large number of forest animals have migrated to Myanmar and India. This area was one of the grazing grounds of the elephants. According to the local people, hundreds of elephants crossed the NafRiver and migrated to the deep Arakan Jungle. Increased economic activities, transportation of relief materials, visits by the national and international agency officials and heavy construction works have had ill effects on the food stock and living places of the animals and destroyed the biodiversity. This injury to the environment will subsequently affect the total environmental situation of the country and the long-term cost of that may reach billions of dollars. Mitigation of such environmental problem will take many years and the emerging economy of Bangladesh will pay huge cost at the expense of the incomes of the people of this country.
Long lasting stay of the Rohingyas in Bangladesh also has negative social and security problems. The first and foremost is the danger of these people being used by the national and international terrorist groups for destabilizing social peace and harmony and the developmental process. A large number of Rohingyas in the camps remain almost free to get organized to make anything convenient for them due to long leisure they enjoy based on the support they obtain from the international and national NGOs. They seldom need to get employed for their living as they get relief materials free of cost. This makes ineffective the anti-drug efforts undertaken by the government. A section of corrupt NGO and government officials are also involved in this business. This makes a strong drug syndicate in the country and Bangladesh has been converted into a safe channel, storage and market of international drug business. The international terrorist groups invariably procure large fund for anti-humanitarian activities based on drug business. There are dozens of drug factories along Myanmar-Bangladesh border owned and managed mainly by the Burmese Generals and military
