Dhaka, Bangladesh: The Rohingya refugees issue will be raised in the international forum if the crisis is not resolved through bilateral negotiations with Burma, according to Food and Disaster Management Minister Md Abdur Razzaque yesterday during a discussion on 'Rohingya Crisis: Way Out for Bangladesh’ at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
“We will raise the issue at the international forum if we fail to solve the problem through bilateral initiatives,” he said while addressing a discussion on ‘Ronhingya crisis: way out for Bangladesh’ as the chief guest at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
“It is really difficult for Bangladesh to provide humanitarian support and other facilities for 25,000 registered and 300,000-400,000 unregistered Rohingyas,” he said adding that they are now creating social, environmental and law and order problems for Bangladesh.
He also urged international organizations including the UNHCR to play a proactive role to solve the Rohingya crisis and extend their assistance and support to Bangladesh.
The Centre for Education, Research and Advocacy (CERA), a Dhaka-based research and advocacy group, organised the discussion at the National Press Club.
Since it was formed nearly one and-a-half years ago, the government has been trying to resolve one of the country's biggest problems bilaterally, the minister said.
“We hope a democratically elected government will assume power in Burma and resolve the crisis soon,” he said. “If not, we will take the issue to the international forum to find a solution.”
The international NGOs, Razzaque said, are also applying pressure to document the undocumented refugees.
“We can document them but it will encourage more influx of Rohingyas in Bangladesh,” he said, adding that the refugees, especially the undocumented ones are causing various social, environmental and law and order problems in the Cox's Bazaar region.
About 28,000 registered Rohingyas are staying in two government and UNHCR-run official camps in Teknaf and Ukhia in Cox's Bazaar. They get housing, food and healthcare facilities in the camps. Over 300,000 other refugees staying outside the camps do not get the facilities. Rohingyas, who are citizens of Burma, are entering Bangladesh due to persecution and repression by the country's military junta.
Razzaque criticized the so-called foreign NGOs and international community for their allegation of mistreating and persecuting Rohingyas. “We want their support but not any move that malign our image abroad for something not actually happening here.”
The Food Minister said that Bangladesh is a victim of the crisis and said people should be careful before making any false or fabricated reports on maltreatment of Rohingyas in the future.
The Chief Information Commissioner, Mohammad Zamir, who attended as special guest said the representatives of the international organizations and western countries have been advocating that Bangladesh solve the problem on humanitarian grounds but they are not taking any refugees to their countries. They are not putting much pressure on the Burmese government either, which has been denying all rights to those people, he added.
“The UNHCR and IOM should take a more pro-active role in resolving the issue,” said the former ambassador, adding Bangladesh is looking after thousands of refugees on humanitarian ground for years, which the European countries don't do.
He termed the crisis as regional and international and suggested a proper border management mechanism to stop the Rohingya influx.
Dr AJM Shafiul Alam Bhuiyan of the Mass Communication and Journalism at Dhaka University said the UNHCR should work more vigorously for democratization of Burma to resolve the crisis. Otherwise, crises like the Rohingyas will increase in the region.
The Bureau Chief of the Associated Press Farid Hossain chaired the discussion organised by the Centre for Education, Research and Advocacy.
Journalist Jaglul Ahmed Chowdhury, human right activist Abu Murshed Chowdhury, Chairman of Paribesh Bachao Andolon Abu Naser Khan, Country Director of Muslim Aid H Fadlullah Wilmot, UNHCR representative Arjun Jaino, News Editor of NTV Rezwanul Haque Raja, AJM Shafiul Alam and Ruhin Hossain Prince of the Communist Party of Bangladesh addressed the discussion, among others.
