Aid channel may aid Rohingya repatriation: NSA

Channeling aid to Rakhine State in Myanmar from Bangladesh may open up an opportunity for Rohingya repatriation, says a government high official while dispelling hearsay about corridor discussion.

Dr Khalilur Rahman, National Security Adviser and High Representative of the Chief Adviser of the interim government, Sunday outlined four conditions for providing such a humanitarian channel to the famine-stricken sate in Myanmar.

The conditions are end of conflict in Rakhine State during the aid- supply period, unimpeded access of aid, non-discrimination in aid, and non-weaponisation of aid.

Addressing a seminar on the Rohingya crisis, organised by the Armed forces Division, in Dhaka, he made it clear that 'humanitarian corridor' and 'humanitarian channel' are separate issues-and Bangladesh has not discussed humanitarian corridor with anybody, and no agreement on aid corridor was made with anyone either.

"I've heard questions raised about humanitarian corridor, and I say, very clearly, that humanitarian corridor and humanitarian channel are not same as 'corridor' has got specific connotations. We used the term humanitarian channel, which is completely different."

The government has told the United Nations that it should ensure these conditions for providing aid to the famine-hit Rakhine State.

Highlighting the importance of channelling aid, he also notes that if aid is not made available to Rakhine State, another wave of Rohingya influx into Bangladesh may take place which the country cannot simply afford.

Referring to the proposal of a political party which called for creating new territory for the Rohingya population in Myanmar, he categorically said Bangladesh always believes in territorial integrity of Myanmar and this stance was conveyed to Myanmar government time and again.

"We do not support dismemberment of Myanmar, and we respect your territorial integrity. This is our position, not that they're second guessing, but I'm reassuring so much for this."

Foreign Adviser Touhid Hossain also spoke at the seminar organised by the Armed Forces Division of the defence ministry. Principal Staff Officer SM Kamrul Hasan was the special guest.

Explaining how the aid channel may help Rohingya repatriation the NSA said both Myanmar government and the Arakan Army had agreed to stop war during the period when aid would be channeled in.

"So, no fighting, no bombing. That gives you a pause in our country, so we reached up to that. That's what we have done."

"So in our estimate, we thought, okay, that means a period of absence of what I'm not calling peace, absence of what could finally come in and if properly handled, this could be the beginning of conditions of peace, creating an enabling environment for refugees to return."

Regarding reports in a section of Indian media which alleged Bangladesh interim government wants to start proxy war, he said in a certain neighbouring country, a news portal is doing a disinformation campaign that Bangladesh's interim government is about to start a proxy war to take over Iranian states, install American domination there and exploit the resources.

"This whole business of this propaganda, this disinformation, was to somehow make Bangladeshis feel that the government is selling the country, or creating an adverse image of the United States, exactly when we were negotiating our trading with them. This is also meant to create distance between us and the people that we are talking," he told the defence affairs' meet.

"You see, ask yourself a very simple question before you make this conclusion, if we indeed run a proxy war on behalf of America, why isn't China saying anything?"

The national security adviser also posed a question "if we are acting as a proxy, in favour of the US, why China has been helping us in arranging meeting with the Myanmar government and other stakeholders".

He reminds that "China is not stupid" and that they know from where this campaign is being operated.

Bangladesh also wants to see Rohingyas in various positions in evolving administration in the Rakhine State, he said, referring to latest negotiations with the UN.

He notes that without the Rohingya representation, it's essentially a picture of ethnic cleansing. "We don't accept that, we convey this to the United Nations."

Dismissing the idea of integration of the Rohingya here, he says if Rohingyas are accepted as part of Bangladesh, it will soon become a jumping ground of stateless people. "This is not an option. This is our red line."

The national security adviser defends the move to establish contact with the Arakan Army, saying that when the Arakan Army flag was raised on the Myanmar side of the border, it was necessary to establish contact with them to manage the borders.

"It doesn't matter who is on the other side of our border-it's our duty and we are responsible for its protection. To make it secure and safe, we have to deal with whoever is on the other side."

Mr Rahman says despite its unique complexity, the government is hopeful about resolving the Rohingya crisis.

"This is too complex a problem, which cannot be left to second guessing. We want Rohingyas to go back, and we believe that we'll find it out for them to go back. This will not be easy, but we will do it."

The foreign adviser told the seminar that the latest Rohingya exodus in the face of brutality of the Myanmar security forces in 2017 resulted from the ethnic-cleansing operation and that is why he believes it could not be resolved through bilateral negotiations.

Urging the international community to resolve the crisis immediately, he said, "You are going to have in the camps a million or so young people, it would be naive to think that they will just spend their life peacefully in the camps, waiting for the relief to arrive, and having a little food and a little shed."

He is convinced that if this issue is not resolved, these people will become a problem for Bangladesh, and they will also become problem for the religion and the world at large.

mirmostafiz@yahoo.com