Editorial Desk :
Pope Francis arrives Dhaka today on a three-day state visit amid Catholic community’s excited waiting to greet him and celebrate his presence ahead of Christmas only few weeks from now. This is the first such Papal visit and people of Bangladesh joins the Catholics in welcoming him. We wish his stay here happy and healthy and this occasion to be an occasion to strengthen interfaith harmony in Bangladesh.
The Pope’s visit to Bangladesh now has very special significance for the suffering refugees from Myanmar. Although he was refrained from using the term Rohingyas in Myanmar to describe the refugees yet Pope Francis kept very much in his thought the Rohingyas and referred to “the sound of violence” and urged to shun revenge at his public address in Myanmar before coming to Bangladesh.
The opposition of Myanmar not treating Rohingyas as their people with serious repercussions on the crisis created by Myanmar army responsible for genocide and ethnic cleansing. Myanmar wants to treat them as Bengalis denying any obligation to take back the Rohingyas as their people. Bangladesh government is being duped to think that the problem with Myanmar can be solved bilaterally.
Pope has been advised not to mention Rohingya in Myanmar by name.
But the question is who are those people then without their ethnic identity. They are Rohingya Muslims of original free Arakan State. They cannot be called Bengalis from Bangladesh without being hostile to Bangladesh.
So it should be clear to Pope himself as well as the international community how defiantly the Myanmar army is making Rohingyas stateless. Rohingyas have been treated most brutally and unless international community acts quickly the worst tragedy of human crisis faced by more than 7 (seven) lakhs newly arrived Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will only aggravate.
But surprisingly, Bangladesh is also putting conflicting signals. The repatriations memorandum signed is a bluff and Myanmar is not going to listen to Bangladesh when it sees Rohingyas as Bengalis.
The approval of a Tk 2312 crore resettlement plan on Tuesday to create housing for Rohingyas at Bashanchar in Hatiya Upazela will send wrong signal that we are ready to accommodate the refugees and there is no urgency for talking solution.
It is the Rohingyas who are the victims of international crimes like genocide and ethnic cleansing. Unless the international community stands together by them assuring urgent solution forcing Myanmar to accept their people back and create conditions of safety for them they are doomed. Bangladesh cannot do much.
Pope Francis is not just the leader of Catholics all over the world, he is a great humanist and loves people of all religions. His voice counts most to the world leaders. So the Rohingyas are hoping he will understand their pains and sufferings more than many others. His appeal to the world community to act swiftly to deal with Myanmar will carry special weight.
Life in refugee camps with such huge number of men, women and children is miserable and unbearable. Everyday men, women and children are dying.
Pope Francis arrives Dhaka today on a three-day state visit amid Catholic community’s excited waiting to greet him and celebrate his presence ahead of Christmas only few weeks from now. This is the first such Papal visit and people of Bangladesh joins the Catholics in welcoming him. We wish his stay here happy and healthy and this occasion to be an occasion to strengthen interfaith harmony in Bangladesh.
The Pope’s visit to Bangladesh now has very special significance for the suffering refugees from Myanmar. Although he was refrained from using the term Rohingyas in Myanmar to describe the refugees yet Pope Francis kept very much in his thought the Rohingyas and referred to “the sound of violence” and urged to shun revenge at his public address in Myanmar before coming to Bangladesh.
The opposition of Myanmar not treating Rohingyas as their people with serious repercussions on the crisis created by Myanmar army responsible for genocide and ethnic cleansing. Myanmar wants to treat them as Bengalis denying any obligation to take back the Rohingyas as their people. Bangladesh government is being duped to think that the problem with Myanmar can be solved bilaterally.
Pope has been advised not to mention Rohingya in Myanmar by name.
But the question is who are those people then without their ethnic identity. They are Rohingya Muslims of original free Arakan State. They cannot be called Bengalis from Bangladesh without being hostile to Bangladesh.
So it should be clear to Pope himself as well as the international community how defiantly the Myanmar army is making Rohingyas stateless. Rohingyas have been treated most brutally and unless international community acts quickly the worst tragedy of human crisis faced by more than 7 (seven) lakhs newly arrived Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh will only aggravate.
But surprisingly, Bangladesh is also putting conflicting signals. The repatriations memorandum signed is a bluff and Myanmar is not going to listen to Bangladesh when it sees Rohingyas as Bengalis.
The approval of a Tk 2312 crore resettlement plan on Tuesday to create housing for Rohingyas at Bashanchar in Hatiya Upazela will send wrong signal that we are ready to accommodate the refugees and there is no urgency for talking solution.
It is the Rohingyas who are the victims of international crimes like genocide and ethnic cleansing. Unless the international community stands together by them assuring urgent solution forcing Myanmar to accept their people back and create conditions of safety for them they are doomed. Bangladesh cannot do much.
Pope Francis is not just the leader of Catholics all over the world, he is a great humanist and loves people of all religions. His voice counts most to the world leaders. So the Rohingyas are hoping he will understand their pains and sufferings more than many others. His appeal to the world community to act swiftly to deal with Myanmar will carry special weight.
Life in refugee camps with such huge number of men, women and children is miserable and unbearable. Everyday men, women and children are dying.
