Sagar Biswas :
Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials led by AH Mahmood Ali held a crucial meeting with the envoys of Myanmar’s four neighbouring countries, including China, India, Thailand and Laos, on Wednesday to get a permanent solution over the Rohingya crisis.
State Minister for Ministry of Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque were also present at the meeting which was held at the state guest house Padma in city.
On the other hand, Chinese Ambassador Ma Mingqiang, Indian High Commissioner Harsh Vardhan Shringla, Thai ambassador Panpimon Suwannapongse and non-resident ambassador of Laos Southam Sakonhninhom [it has no embassy in Dhaka] attended the meeting.
Apart from Bangladesh, Myanmar has common borders with India, China, Thailand and Laos. Of them, Myanmar has also long-standing conflict over different issues with Thailand. In the meeting, which started from 12:00pm continued about two Hours, Bangladesh side thoroughly represented the current situation elaborating non-stop Rohingya influx into Cox’s Bazar from the neighbouring Myanmar, sources close to the ministry said.
During the meeting, Bangladesh Foreign Ministry officials urged them to create ‘pressure’ on Myanmar, so that it would take back its displaced Rohingya nationals to their home country, the sources added.
Meanwhile, the Foreign Ministers of China, Japan, Germany and Sweden are likely to visit Dhaka in the third week of this current month before attending the ASEM summit to be held in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw on November 20-21.
It will be the 13th summit of ASEM [Asia-Europe Meeting], an Asian-European political dialogue forum to enhance relations and various forms of cooperation between its partners.
Officials said the foreign ministers have expressed their interest to know the actual situation in Rakhine state and condition of over a million Rohingya people who have taken shelter in Bangladesh being driven away by the Myanmar army.
Of them, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Swedish Foreign Minister Margot Wallström will arrive in Dhaka on November 18. Besides, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono will come here on November 19.
On the other hand, Canadian Minister of International Development Marie-Claude Bibeau is scheduled to arrive in Dhaka on November 21.
Prior to Canadian minister’s visit, a delegation of the United States Senate Committee on Foreign Relations will visit Bangladesh on November 18 to see the condition of Rohingyas at Cox’s Bazar.
Meanwhile, Rohingya crisis has taken a critical turn with the non-stop influx of displaced Myanmar nationals whereas Dhaka’s effort is seemed too weak to convince the international community to create ‘collective’ pressure on Myanmar for a permanent solution.
The United Nations, European Union, other important organizations and powerful nations, including US and Russia, still did not take any hard step — like ‘sanctions’ — against Myanmar except issuing statements with condemnation.
Even, the OIC, ASEAN and SAARC have not yet taken any visible step to end this problem though there is a widespread speculation that prolonged Rohingya crisis could create an adverse impact, directly or indirectly, in this region.
