DHAKA on Friday urged Beijing to encourage Myanmar to create a friendly environment for arranging a speedy return of Rohingyas to their ancestral lands in the northern Rakhine State. It also hopes Naypyidaw would start taking back its nationals without any delay as per the agreement signed between the nations when Myanmar pledged to start the repatriation in the middle of this month.
China had used its veto power to obstacle embargo on Myanmar over Rohingya issue which was brought at the United Nations by the European Union countries. It’s now China’s moral responsibility to solve the Rohingya crisis. Especially, China could pressure on Myanmar to create a suitable environment in Rakhine State so that the Rohingya refugees show interest to go back there.
The UNHCR has repeatedly said that conditions in Rakhine are not yet conducive for returns. Other aid agencies said plan to start repatriating Rohingyas back to Myanmar is premature and the refugees are terrified about leaving Bangladesh. They also said refugees fear to live in enclosed settlements like the one in central Rakhine State, where more than 120,000 Rohingyas have been confined to camps for six years since inter-communal violence erupted in the region in 2012. However, on October 31, a high-powered Myanmar delegation visited Rohingya refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in an effort to start the repatriation of over 700,000 Rohingyas who crossed into Bangladesh since August 25 last year escaping an army crackdown.
After a long drama, the UN has been granted access to the area to assess conditions on the ground but the approvals have been slow and the amount of territory accessible has been limited. And November 15 is the day to start the estimated repatriation and receive over 2,200 people in total at a rate of 150 per day.
We know, China is a big player in the globe. Its economic prosperity, one belt one road initiative and new silk route plan – all are highly dependent on the regional stability and cooperation of neighbouring countries. China has got the opportunity to create pressure on Myanmar for repatriation of the Rohingya people.
