BANGLADESH strongly rejects baseless accusations and falsification and misrepresentation of facts that Myanmar made in the UN General Assembly (UNGA). Bangladesh has urged the Myanmar government to abandon its policy of lies and propaganda and demonstrate the genuine political will to take back their own nationals with safety, security, and dignity. Bangladesh also pointed out a concocted and misleading statement of Myanmar on the development in Rakhine State, particularly in the repatriation process. The world has witnessed state persecution and text book example of genocide in 2017 in Rakhine State that spelled the biggest humanitarian crisis.
In the UNGA, Myanmar said bilateral cooperation is the only way to effectively resolve the repatriation issue between Bangladesh and Myanmar. Bangladesh strongly disagreed on such a notion reminding Myanmar that the Rohingya issue is not a bilateral one but it is Myanmar’s internal problem. Bangladesh highlighted Myanmar’s track record of inhumane treatment of ethnic minorities, including Rohingyas.
Myanmar’s state policy of deliberate exclusion and persecution on their own people instigated insurgency and turned the country into the breeding ground of organized crimes. Bangladesh provided temporary shelter to over 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. More than three years have elapsed but regrettably, not a single Rohingya could be repatriated.
Bangladesh firmly stated that the problem was created by Myanmar and its solution must be found in Myanmar. It mentioned that the conditions in Rakhine State are so bad that not a single Rohingya wanted to return to Myanmar voluntarily. Bangladesh has sought genuine efforts from the Myanmar government to take back their nationals. The whole world watched the horrors and brutality by the Myanmar security forces on Rohingyas. In response that Bangladesh opened the border and saved lives. But there have been no serious efforts by Myanmar on that particular front.
Rohingyas are still coming to Bangladesh amid violence in Rakhine State and Myanmar keeps distorting facts to justify its genocidal acts. Holding perpetrators of the atrocities committed against the Rohingya people in Rakhine State to account would contribute to giving the Rohingyas the confidence to return home. Global power must stay beside Rohingya people and Bangladesh to return to their ancestral land with dignity and safety.
