Refugee crisis being foolishly removed from international attention
07 February 2017 Editorial Desk
It appears surprising that amid diplomatic row with the Myanmar government to take back Rohingya refugees from their temporary shelter at Cox's Bazar areas, why the Bangladesh government is suddenly planning to relocate the Rohingyas to Thengar Char at Hatiya island in the Bay of Bengal. The plan which Foreign Minister A H Mahmood Ali briefed the UN and other officials of International agencies on Sunday in the city seems to have emerged to many as an unanticipated move without any public opinion on the critical issue.
The
fact is that why the government has taken the plan; many wonder what compulsion
is forcing it to jump to such a decision. Another question is whether in doing
so the government has weighed its negative impacts on Bangladesh's diplomatic
efforts to force Myanmar to take back its refugees. Many also fear that such
move will reduce pressure on the International Community to find a solution to
return the stateless people to their homes. Be it a temporary plan as the
Minister has said or not -- any resettlement of Rohingya refugees within
Bangladesh will drastically diminish the chance of their return to their homes
and a time will come soon when Bangladesh will have no option but to accept
them as regular citizens.
We
don't know what is the outcome of Bangladesh government diplomacy on Rohingya
issues but latest indications suggest it is nowhere around a situation to open
meaningful discussion with Myanmar government when that country is trying to
unload its ethnic crisis on our shoulder. Despite last week's OIC meeting,
nothing that can bring hope to resolve the issue is visible except a visit by
three members of the Myanmar Commission to some temporary Rohingyas refugee
shelters in Cox's Bazar areas few days back. Representative of the UN Human
Rights Commission has meanwhile warned of renewed persecution of Rohingyas who
are still holding on their ground.
It
appears that diplomatically the government is almost alone on the issue without
effective support from major powers. Meanwhile we can't accept yet another
unfortunate stateless people like the Palestinians in Bangladesh. The
government resettlement move for Rohingyas is very badly timed which will give
the message to Myanmar government that Rohingyas are going to get new home in
Bangladesh. It appears that the government has requested financial assistance
from International Agencies to implement the plan while aid agencies are
opposed to such 'controversial plan' on environmental ground.
Diplomats
in the meeting with the Foreign Minister have reportedly opposed the move
saying the new relocation at Hatiya is flood-prone and uninhabitable.
In
our view by sending the displaced persons from Teknaf in Cox's Bazar region to
a faraway solitary island the whole refugee crisis will be removed from
international attention and we shall be left alone to deal with the crisis.
