Repatriation seen as only solution as Rohingyas commemorate three years of exodus

The persecuted Myanmar Rohingya Muslims, currently living in camps in Cox’s Bazar, on Tuesday recalled the brutal military crackdown that forced them to flee from Myanmar homeland seeking safety in Bangladesh.

They reiterated their strong hope to return home in Myanmar’s Rakhine (Arakan) state, as the third anniversary of their uprooting from their villages was observed in Bangladesh and some other places.

Commonly, the displaced Rohingya people, rights groups and also the Bangladesh government see a safe and dignified repatriation of the Rohingyas as the only solution to the crisis.

However, Myanmar has not complied with international calls made in the past three years to ensure a safe repatriation and rehabilitation of more than one million Rohingyas, who crossed over to Bangladesh to escape the Myanmar military’s genocide and rape, the crimes against humanity.

Bangladesh’s foreign ministry on Monday accused Myanmar of doing nothing effective to restore normalcy in Rakhine and instead creating difficulty for prospective returnees.

“With the recent clearance operations by Tatmadaw against the Arakan Army in Rakhine and the election in November, we have actually hit an impasse in terms of the repatriation process,” Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen told a webinar on Monday, titled “Bangladesh’s approach towards hosting Rohingya”.

Nay San Lwin, co-founder of Free Rohingya Coalition, told The Financial Express that they are commemorating the third anniversary of Myanmar Genocide of 2017 while the world leaders are failing them.

“My fellow Rohingya refugees in Bangladeshi camps want to go back home with dignity, citizenship rights, ethnic rights and protection. But Myanmar is not going to fulfill our demands. We need to continue our struggles until we get back all our rights,” he added.

“Repatriation solely depends on Myanmar. China, as an ally of Myanmar, can pressure Myanmar to change genocidal policy towards Rohingya people. But will China side with Rohingyas? I don't think China will speak for us,” Lwin expressed his views.

Meanwhile, the Rohingya Diasporas held a virtual rally marking the third anniversary of the exodus with a vow to return to their Myanmar homeland.

Rezaul Karim Chowdhury co-chair of the Cox’s Bazar CSO NGO Forum (CCNF), a network of 50 local NGOs working there, thinks, Rohingya repatriation is now a regional need as their repatriation is linked to regional safety and security.

“The area (around the camps) has become a centre for crimes and drugs which badly affects the local community, the largest tourist spot of Bangladesh and the rich environment,” he told The FE, adding that the UN agencies and NGOs are working more on humanitarian responses rather than on safe repatriation.

“India and China have more to do to ensure regional security and stability by getting Myanmar to take back their people [Rohingyas]. Bangladesh can utilise the recent diplomatic development in favour of the much- awaited repatriation,” he pointed out.

The Bangladesh government, however, claims that it has been doing its level best to repatriate the Rohingyas, who are now facing challenges from Covid-19.

During the sudden visit by Indian External Affairs Secretary Harsh Vardhan Shringla to Bangladesh, his local counterpart, Masud Bin Momen, congratulated him on India becoming a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council expressing hope that India would “play a more meaningful role in making a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis, including their early repatriation to Myanmar.”

“The government has been continuing with its efforts through bilateral and multilateral communications in regional and global platforms, and there are a number of international issues there to avail the repatriation,” Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Md. Mahbub Alam Talukder told The FE.

Though the coronavirus pandemic has disturbed those efforts, he said, “We have certain developments and those make us hopeful of making the repatriation happen.”

“India and China are our friendly countries. China is our big development partner. To make Myanmar positive towards repatriation, the role of China is very important and we believe China will help us end the crisis,” he said.

“Our number one priority is the repatriation,” the RRRC insisted, saying that Rohingya people are a huge burden on a growing economy like Bangladesh.

Describing the recent diplomatic activities from India and China as positive, he said, “Bangladesh is working to utilise the diplomatic efforts to send back these Myanmar people.”

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