Sadly, inaction of the international community as well as absence of thrust from Bangladesh has made the repatriation of Rohingya refugees uncertain to their homeland. After five years of hosting these inhumanely oppressed people of Myanmar, Bangladesh government itself now admits to the fact that there is no substantial progress in the repatriation work. This is very unfortunate, to say the least.
The dilly-dallying tactic of Myanmar also enforces the fact that the country has no interest to take back their own citizens whom its military stripped their citizenship first and then in a planned way perpetrated violence to the scale of a genocide so that they could flee their country. They just wanted to wipe out the Rohingya population from Myanmar in an attempt of what the UN described as “textbook ethnic cleansing”.
Now one thing should be clear at all discussions on Rohingya repatriation that the military did not force them to leave Myanmar only to take them back. If Myanmar cannot be compelled by the use of force, it would not initiate repatriation. But there is a problem here. The Rohingyas of Rakhine faced barbaric killing and torture to such an extent in the hands of military that without a guarantee of their safety in Myanmar after their return they will not be willing to go back.
Therefore, the precondition to this guarantee of safety is giving them back their Myanmar citizenship. Attempts of repatriation in the past did not see the light because these refugees themselves were afraid to go back. Therefore, the message is loud and clear. As diplomatic pressure did not work over the Myanmar government, a severe arm-twisting is now necessary so that Myanmar fulfills the preconditions of return.
After the Russian military most foully launched its aggression in Ukraine, the response of the international community especially of the west was phenomenal. Countries have rallied against Russian aggression, imposed sanctions on Russian banks and individuals that in a great way weakened Russian determination in Ukraine. If the international community would have given a similar response to the ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya community, the process of their repatriation could have been initiated much earlier.
On its part, Bangladesh now needs to work hard on its foreign policy front that is in doldrums for many years.
