Editorial Desk :
The two-day ASEM conference of foreign ministers of 51 Asian and European countries that opened in Myanmar capital Naypyidaw on Monday with the call on the Myanmar government to stop killing and outflow of refugees and open their early return seems to have lost steam even before it ended.
A Chinese three-phase plan to a hold ceasefire in the ground; bilateral dialogue between
Bangladesh and Myanmar to work out a repatriation plan and thirdly to work on a long term plan to address the cause of the crisis seems to have diverted focus of the conference from immediate end to ethnic cleansing and stop the refugee exodus.
Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi opened the conference even without a direct word on the Rohingyas, although the foreign ministers, except a few had put their full weight on finding a way out to the crisis. She only mentioned about Rohingya indirectly as ‘illegal immigrants’ in the Rakhine state blaming them for ‘terrorist acts’. This is how Myanmar military is justifying the ethnic cleansing of the Muslims from their own land.
Suu Kyi tried to mislead the conference and bluff the international community saying her country is closer to reaching an understanding with Bangladesh for the repatriation process.
She is clearly playing a deceptive game when she claims her government was doing everything to maintain security in the state; which is not true. Moreover over the repatriation issue she warned at the same time it could take time to resolve the issue there; which makes many wonder whether any repatriation is possible or advisable in such situation.
The way she is speaking is not helpful to create the environment to repatriate the refugees through bilateral talks. In fact she does not want it to happen. She is planning to rehabilitate the people who will agree to go voluntarily and without guarantee for safety in the ‘model towns’ which is tantamount to new ghettos. People will not get citizenships and the right to their land and home they left behind and it is planned to discourage people to go back.
Myanmar military made it clear last week that the repatriation depends on whether real local Burmese people in Rakhine state would agree to accept them. Suu Kyi has no power to go against the will of the military and therefore her activities are openly directed to mislead the world opinion while trying to keep the burden of the refugees permanently on the shoulder of Bangladesh.
What Myanmar has done is an act of hostility against Bangladesh pushing its domestic problem on our country for no fault of our own. Myanmar is using support of some big powers like China, India and Russia to achieve its objectives while the entire world is denouncing such ethnic cleansing of a minority Muslim community in Buddhist majority nation as war crime and violation of human right in its worst form.
In case of any other country facing such a human thrust on it there would have been preparations for military response. No country can tolerate such act of aggression and live with such weakness.
We have said Bangladesh should stick to mobilize greater support of the international community including the UNO to put the dirty game of Myanmar government to failure. There is no alternative to global pressure to end the crisis.
The two-day ASEM conference of foreign ministers of 51 Asian and European countries that opened in Myanmar capital Naypyidaw on Monday with the call on the Myanmar government to stop killing and outflow of refugees and open their early return seems to have lost steam even before it ended.
A Chinese three-phase plan to a hold ceasefire in the ground; bilateral dialogue between
Bangladesh and Myanmar to work out a repatriation plan and thirdly to work on a long term plan to address the cause of the crisis seems to have diverted focus of the conference from immediate end to ethnic cleansing and stop the refugee exodus.
Myanmar’s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi opened the conference even without a direct word on the Rohingyas, although the foreign ministers, except a few had put their full weight on finding a way out to the crisis. She only mentioned about Rohingya indirectly as ‘illegal immigrants’ in the Rakhine state blaming them for ‘terrorist acts’. This is how Myanmar military is justifying the ethnic cleansing of the Muslims from their own land.
Suu Kyi tried to mislead the conference and bluff the international community saying her country is closer to reaching an understanding with Bangladesh for the repatriation process.
She is clearly playing a deceptive game when she claims her government was doing everything to maintain security in the state; which is not true. Moreover over the repatriation issue she warned at the same time it could take time to resolve the issue there; which makes many wonder whether any repatriation is possible or advisable in such situation.
The way she is speaking is not helpful to create the environment to repatriate the refugees through bilateral talks. In fact she does not want it to happen. She is planning to rehabilitate the people who will agree to go voluntarily and without guarantee for safety in the ‘model towns’ which is tantamount to new ghettos. People will not get citizenships and the right to their land and home they left behind and it is planned to discourage people to go back.
Myanmar military made it clear last week that the repatriation depends on whether real local Burmese people in Rakhine state would agree to accept them. Suu Kyi has no power to go against the will of the military and therefore her activities are openly directed to mislead the world opinion while trying to keep the burden of the refugees permanently on the shoulder of Bangladesh.
What Myanmar has done is an act of hostility against Bangladesh pushing its domestic problem on our country for no fault of our own. Myanmar is using support of some big powers like China, India and Russia to achieve its objectives while the entire world is denouncing such ethnic cleansing of a minority Muslim community in Buddhist majority nation as war crime and violation of human right in its worst form.
In case of any other country facing such a human thrust on it there would have been preparations for military response. No country can tolerate such act of aggression and live with such weakness.
We have said Bangladesh should stick to mobilize greater support of the international community including the UNO to put the dirty game of Myanmar government to failure. There is no alternative to global pressure to end the crisis.
