Rohingya refugees: Disturbing pic of int’l community’s inaction

Jehangir Hussain

Jehangir Hussain

The international community’s lack of interest to resolve the continuing sufferings of   the Rohingya people is a shame.

The stalled repatriation of the Rohingyas  speaks of the international community’s indifference to the issue.

It is highly regrettable that four and a half years have passed since the signing of repatriation agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar in November 2017, Myanmar took not a single Rohingya from Bangladesh.

Rohingya refugee camp. Omar-Munna

The talks between the two countries, that resumed in January  after a two-year break  due to Covid and the military takeover in Myanmar, produced zero  outcome.

Bangladesh requested Myanmar to expedite the verification of Rohingyas to speed up their repatriation, but the Myanmar authorities showed no interest in the issue.

The question is whether the Myanmar authorities are wasting time on pretext of  verifying the Myanmar nationals, who fled around five years ago after enduring a brutal military crackdown in the Rakhine province.

And, international funding for the Rohingyas is declining rapidly.

The UN High Commissioner for Refugees said it received barely 13 percent of the required fund until May.

With the funding for the refugees declining, Bangladesh has been facing a huge pressure in taking care of a large number of the refugees from Myanmar.

The situation require the international community as well as Bangladesh to put greater pressure on Myanmar to take back its citizens  by putting in place  safe and conducive conditions in the Rakhine province for the return of the Rohingyas.

According to newspaper reports, Bangladesh had handed over the names of 8.4 lakh Rohingyas to Myanmar authorities.

But until now, the Myanmar authorities verified the name of around 42,000.

And despite some attempts to take them back, many Rohingyas refused to return because of the uncertainties surrounding their citizenship and safety. This is only fair. Why would they go back to their country if they are not given citizenship?

But having to take their responsibility indefinitely is an unnecessary burden on  Bangladesh.

Bangladesh and Myanmar ought to break the stalemate by holding regular meetings of their Joint Working Group and Technical Working group.

And the international community should put pressure on Myanmar to expedite the verification process and grant citizenship to the Rohingyas.

The international community needs to act to resolve the lingering crisis.

The United Nations persistently failed to redress the issue as many powerful countries were seen bolstering the genocidal military regime in Myanmar.

It’s regrettable that many other countries dithered to recognise atrocities committed agai8nst the Rohingyas in Myanmar.

It was in this unacceptable backdrop that the Rohiungya elders from the US, Canada, the UK, Germany, Japan, Australia and Bangladesh met Sarajevo last month t6o remind the world that the Rohingya people’s right to life and liberty continue to be usurped by and violated by the Myanmar regime with no solution in sight.

They demanded holding the perpetrators to account and independent investigation against the perpetrators.

The meeting took place when countless Ronhigyas continue to live in subhuman conditions in many countries mostly lacking legal status remaining vulnerable to trafficking.

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