Following what has been believed to be a ‘tough negotiation’, Bangladesh has agreed a time frame with Myanmar for repatriating hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who fled an army crackdown last year. As per plan, Myanmar would accept 1,500 Rohingyas every week. It will take two years to return all of them to Myanmar.
After signing the agreement yesterday, Bangladeshi Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque said the government had wanted Myanmar to accept 15,000 Rohingyas each week – however, they eventually settled on 300 a day – 1,500 per week.
It was the first meeting of the joint working group formed by the governments of the two countries to supervise the process of repatriation of over 7,40,000 Rohingyas who crossed the border since August 25 last year. Moreover, Myanmar is reportedly building a camp to temporarily house 30,000 repatriated Rohingyas.
We expressed our deep anxiety, such camps will not be ensured against persecution of the Rohingya Muslims. These camps may be used for extermination. In fact the returnees will be kept in isolation in the camps.
This is by no means repatriation and merely an arrangement at isolating the Rohingyas — making them reliant on relief and aid while not treating them as citizen of Myanmar. In many ways the arrangement is similar to the Nazi concentration camps for monitoring and controlling the Jews in Europe. Additionally, the two years’ time frame to complete the repatriation process by Myanmar is irrational. We gave them shelter and getting international help and cooperation for this. But we cannot be helping Myanmar to keep Muslim Rohingyas in concentration camps in their own country. After decades of living in a country no population can be called outsiders and not citizens.
We should rely on UN efforts for safe return of refugees. Bangladesh Foreign Ministry looks pathetically unaware of its inability to deal with Myanmar. Please try international diplomacy.
Most importantly, it is yet unclear how many returnees would qualify for citizenship in Myanmar. The authorities have said Rohingya Muslims could apply for citizenship if they can show their ancestors lived in Myanmar. But the latest deal – like the one in 1992 – does not guarantee citizenship.
Our diplomacy of appeasement and compromise has not only made us a loser but has put the future of Rohingyas into a terrible risk. Not only has the government miserably failed to engage the UN or the international community in its favour to reach the deal, but it has succumbed to an arrangement, which if properly explained to the refugees, will discourage them to return.
