IT’S not yet sure when the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas would start though over one year has elapsed after signing an agreement for their repatriation. Pointing the issue, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said Bangladesh and Myanmar have already signed agreements for sending back Rohingyas but the implementation process is being delayed. The PM renewed her call to the international community to force Myanmar to take back its Rohingya nationals from Bangladesh. “Bangladesh has prepared a temporary shelter for the Rohingyas at Bhashan Char to provide them with a better living place,” the PM also said when visiting Deputy Foreign Minister of Vietnam Nguyen Quoc Dzung, also special envoy to the Vietnamese Premier, met her at the Ganobhaban.
What’s most unfortunate is that despite repeated appeals, Naypidaw still didn’t take any measure to create a congenial atmosphere for their return. The situation is also “frustrating” for the Rohingya refugees who entered Cox’s Bazar to escape atrocities orchestrated by Myanmar military and local Buddhist monks. Amid gross violation of bilateral agreement, the Myanmar authorities are still playing tricky game with Bangladesh. Recently, Dhaka has strongly protested Naypyidaw’s allegations that terrorists attacked a police outpost in Myanmar from Bangladesh territory, terming it totally false. “The government of Bangladesh is utterly disgruntled to notice some reports in Myanmar media based on irresponsible and false allegations by the officials of the General Administration Department of Myanmar implicating Bangladesh in a terrorist attack on a police post in Maungdaw Township near Boundary Pillar No. 41 in the early hours of January 24, 2019,” the Foreign Ministry said in a protest note, handed over to Myanmar Ambassador to Bangladesh U Lwin Oo.
It’s open secret that Myanmar is not showing any interest to take back its nationals; rather they are wasting time showing different excuses and raising false allegations. Our Foreign Ministry will have to take an effective diplomatic initiative to encourage the international community for their active participation in the Rohingya repatriation process. Especially, it needs to involve Russia, China and India to see an end to the Rohingya crisis.
