Kazi Zahidul Hasan :
Experts have expressed fear that the mass exodus of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar has the potential of becoming a huge ‘security concern’ for the entire South Asian region if it is not tackled urgently with joint efforts by regional countries.
They said the ongoing military crackdown in Myanmar pushed over 500,000 Rogingya refugees into Bangladesh threatening to undermine the region’s security and stability.
“It has strong ramifications for the security of our region. If you do not work jointly on it and if we do not strongly work on it together,” Dr Gowher Rizvi, International Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister said this while speaking at an inaugural ceremony of “Bangladesh-India Security Dialogue” at a Gulshan hotel in the city on Tuesday.
He said, “We need coordinated actions on the Rohingya issue together. We need to realize that it is a security threat. It is the most vulnerable frontier for both Bangladesh and India.”
He sought Indian cooperation to resolve the ongoing Rohingya crisis.
Terming the ongoing events in Myanmar as pure “genocide,” Dr Gowher Rizvi said, “For the moment, we need to coordinate our actions together to stop the crime as well as maintain peace and satiability in the region.
He added, “Rohingya issue was creating so many problems in the area.”
“The Rohingya issue is fast developing into a security threat that would have an adverse impact on peace in the region,” Brigadier Gen (retd) M Shakhawat Hossain, a security analyst, told The New Nation yesterday.
“It appears to be a security threat for Bangladesh also,” he added.
Shakhawat Hossain said Rohingya refugees fleeing army atrocities in Myanmar have not only drawn attention from global community but also attracted the
attention of extremists and jihadists from South and Southeast Asia.
“The militant group al-Qaida has already urged Muslims, especially those in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines, to support Rohingya in Myanmar financially, militarily and physically, warning that Myanmar will face “punishment” for its “crimes, building a potential security concern for the regional states,” he added.
Shkahwat Hossain said it was reported that Rohingya Muslim leaders are in touch with Pakistan-based militant groups. And if al-Qaida extends support to Rohingya insurgents it will lead to huge implications on regional security.
“Rohingya crisis could lead to religious conflict as it has sparked concerns in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and India. Public anger is also growing there over the treatment of Muslim Rohingyas by Buddhists in Rakhine.
“So, the Rohingya crisis is not just an issue for Myanmar; it will impact security and economic trends throughout the region if it is not tackled urgently,” he added.
“We have learnt that international extremists groups remain active in the Rohingya refugee camps for inciting extremism. They are trying to cash the sentiment of persecuted Rohingyas who have taken shelter at makeshift camps in Bangladesh,” Major Gen (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman, Chairman of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), told The New Nation yesterday.
Even, the jihadi groups Taleban, Al-Shabab and IS have announced their solidarity with the Rohingyas warning that Myanmar authorities will face dire consequence for their “systematic” cleansing operation on Rohingya Muslims, he said.
International Jihadists groups have expressed their desire to mount “jihad” on behalf of the Rohingya through social media, with some supporters hoping that the ‘mujahidin’ will be able to sneak into Myanmar. Some of them are declaring their readiness to be suicide bombers for the sake of the Rohingya.
He said Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a so-called insurgent group in Myanmar, has also launched a mission to collect their members from Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.
“Rohingya refugees could “fall victim to these organisations who are trying to destabilise peace and stability of the region,” said Moniruzzaman, adding, “The neighbouring governments must aware of those destabilizing factors and work jointly to dismantle the security threat as well as maintain religious harmony and peace in the region.”
Experts have expressed fear that the mass exodus of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar has the potential of becoming a huge ‘security concern’ for the entire South Asian region if it is not tackled urgently with joint efforts by regional countries.
They said the ongoing military crackdown in Myanmar pushed over 500,000 Rogingya refugees into Bangladesh threatening to undermine the region’s security and stability.
“It has strong ramifications for the security of our region. If you do not work jointly on it and if we do not strongly work on it together,” Dr Gowher Rizvi, International Affairs Adviser to Prime Minister said this while speaking at an inaugural ceremony of “Bangladesh-India Security Dialogue” at a Gulshan hotel in the city on Tuesday.
He said, “We need coordinated actions on the Rohingya issue together. We need to realize that it is a security threat. It is the most vulnerable frontier for both Bangladesh and India.”
He sought Indian cooperation to resolve the ongoing Rohingya crisis.
Terming the ongoing events in Myanmar as pure “genocide,” Dr Gowher Rizvi said, “For the moment, we need to coordinate our actions together to stop the crime as well as maintain peace and satiability in the region.
He added, “Rohingya issue was creating so many problems in the area.”
“The Rohingya issue is fast developing into a security threat that would have an adverse impact on peace in the region,” Brigadier Gen (retd) M Shakhawat Hossain, a security analyst, told The New Nation yesterday.
“It appears to be a security threat for Bangladesh also,” he added.
Shakhawat Hossain said Rohingya refugees fleeing army atrocities in Myanmar have not only drawn attention from global community but also attracted the
attention of extremists and jihadists from South and Southeast Asia.
“The militant group al-Qaida has already urged Muslims, especially those in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan and the Philippines, to support Rohingya in Myanmar financially, militarily and physically, warning that Myanmar will face “punishment” for its “crimes, building a potential security concern for the regional states,” he added.
Shkahwat Hossain said it was reported that Rohingya Muslim leaders are in touch with Pakistan-based militant groups. And if al-Qaida extends support to Rohingya insurgents it will lead to huge implications on regional security.
“Rohingya crisis could lead to religious conflict as it has sparked concerns in countries such as Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh and India. Public anger is also growing there over the treatment of Muslim Rohingyas by Buddhists in Rakhine.
“So, the Rohingya crisis is not just an issue for Myanmar; it will impact security and economic trends throughout the region if it is not tackled urgently,” he added.
“We have learnt that international extremists groups remain active in the Rohingya refugee camps for inciting extremism. They are trying to cash the sentiment of persecuted Rohingyas who have taken shelter at makeshift camps in Bangladesh,” Major Gen (retd) ANM Muniruzzaman, Chairman of Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS), told The New Nation yesterday.
Even, the jihadi groups Taleban, Al-Shabab and IS have announced their solidarity with the Rohingyas warning that Myanmar authorities will face dire consequence for their “systematic” cleansing operation on Rohingya Muslims, he said.
International Jihadists groups have expressed their desire to mount “jihad” on behalf of the Rohingya through social media, with some supporters hoping that the ‘mujahidin’ will be able to sneak into Myanmar. Some of them are declaring their readiness to be suicide bombers for the sake of the Rohingya.
He said Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA), a so-called insurgent group in Myanmar, has also launched a mission to collect their members from Rohingya refugee camps in Bangladesh.
“Rohingya refugees could “fall victim to these organisations who are trying to destabilise peace and stability of the region,” said Moniruzzaman, adding, “The neighbouring governments must aware of those destabilizing factors and work jointly to dismantle the security threat as well as maintain religious harmony and peace in the region.”
