Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said, the global leadership must come forward to resolve the Rohingya crisis which lies at its root, not in Bangladesh. Otherwise, Myanmar, Bangladesh and whole region will be pockets of radicalism.
“The sooner the better Rohingyas must go back to their homes. The global leadership must come forward to resolve this crisis. Because, it may encourage creation of pockets of radicalism, uncertainty and instability not only for Myanmar and Bangladesh, but for the entire region,” he said.
The minister said this while speaking at the inaugural session of a seminar titled “Bangladesh and Human Rights” in a city hotel on Sunday.
United Nations Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Mia Seppo, among others, spoke at the seminar.
Abdul Momen said Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has saved the face of the global leaders from “ignominy and disgrace” by sheltering the persecuted people of Rakhine province of Myanmar.
“If she hadn’t given them shelter, it would have ended up with the gravest and worst genocide of the century since WWII,” he said urging the world leaders to show genuine commitment to human rights values by sending them back to their homes of origin with safety and dignity.
He said that Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through sheltering these persecuted people has become a ‘role model of humanity’, and a ‘leader of the world in protecting human rights and values’.
Terming Bangladesh a big example of valuing human rights by sheltering Rohingyas, he said allowing Rohingyas to go back to their homes of origin in Myanmar with freedom of movement and other basic human rights would be the best way of showing respect to human rights.
Foreign Minister Dr Momen said there are nearly 1.2 million Rohingyas or ‘displaced residents’ of Rakhine province being sheltered in Bangladesh now.
“They need to be repatriated with safely and security at the earliest. Their exodus was created by Myanmar and it is their responsibility to solve it,” he said.
These Rohingyas, Dr Momen said, are stateless people, liing in Myanmar for centuries and Myanmar itself is a State of failing to fulfil its obligations and responsibilities towards its own people.
He reminded that unless Bangladesh stands like a solid-rock to end atrocities and the worst form of human rights violation termed by UN High Commissioner of Human Rights as ‘classic example of ethnic cleansing’ and by others as ‘genocide’ in Myanmar, their efforts will never be successful.
“No wonder, the UN members overwhelmingly voted Bangladesh again into its Human Rights Commission,” he mentioned.
