Tag: rohingya

Categories
-Top News Arab News Bangladesh

Yunus calls for repatriation of Rohingyas at UN event

Yunus pointed out that while Bangladesh has shown empathy in hosting the Rohingyas, the costs associated with this situation–social, economic, and environmental–are considerable….reports Asian Lite News

The Chief Advisor of the interim government in Bangladesh, Muhammad Yunus, stressed on the urgent need for the repatriation of Rohingyas during a high-level meeting at an event on the sidelines of the 79th United Nations General Assembly in New York on Tuesday.

During the high-level UN event in New York, on the Rohingya crisis, Yunus highlighted the significant challenges that Bangladesh has been facing due to the presence of over 1.2 million displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar.

Yunus pointed out that while Bangladesh has shown empathy in hosting the Rohingyas, the costs associated with this situation–social, economic, and environmental–are considerable. He emphasised that Bangladesh has reached its limits, adding that repatriation remains the only sustainable solution to the ongoing crisis.

“Despite hosting the Rohingyas with great empathy, a densely populated Bangladesh has been incurring so much in terms of social-economic-environmental costs. These culminate in a series of traditional and non-traditional security risks for us. Much of our own development gains are at stake. Clearly, Bangladesh has reached its limits. Therefore, as much as Bangladesh engages in humanitarian aspects or ensuring justice, repatriation of the Rohingyas remains the only sustainable solution to the protracted crisis,” Yunus said.

He noted that several international resolutions have called for conditions conducive to the safe return of the Rohingyas. However, since the crisis began seven years ago, no Rohingya has been able to return to Myanmar, which has created uncertainty for the displaced community and their hosts, while humanitarian support continues to decline.

“Several UN General Assembly, Human Rights Council and even Security Council Resolutions on Myanmar have asked for creating a conducive environment for the dignified, safe and sustainable return of the Rohingyas. Regrettably, with the root causes of the crisis in Myanmar not addressed in the last seven years, not a single Rohingya could return to their homeland,” Yunus said.

“The overall scenario leaves the forcibly displaced Rohingyas, their hosts and the global partners with lingering uncertainties while the focus and humanitarian support for the Rohingyas dwindle. The presence of a sizable young population in the camps potentially creates another layer of complexity to the crisis,” he added.

The chief advisor also expressed concern over the deteriorating security situation in the region, which includes sporadic fighting and criminal activities.

He emphasised the need for an inclusive society in Myanmar where all ethnic groups can coexist peacefully and called on international and regional actors to work together to address the root causes of the crisis and support the UN Special Envoy in coordinating political efforts.

“We are concerned over the deteriorating security situation and instability in the bordering region, including sporadic group fighting and criminal activities. Our law enforcement agencies and people, together with the international community, have so far been able to maintain peace and stability in the camps. So this crisis in Rakhine State merits careful revisit,” Yunus said.

“Creating an inclusive society in Myanmar is key where all ethnic communities can live in peace and harmony. All international, regional, and national actors, including UN Security Council, ASEAN and other friends of Myanmar, need to acknowledge and incorporate it in their approach. We would ask the UN Special Envoy to play a central role, particularly in coordinating the political efforts,” he added.

Following this, Yunus also presented three key proposals to address the situation, where he called for an all-stakeholders conference on the Rohingya crisis to review the situation and suggest innovative solutions.

He also stated that the Joint Response Plan, managed by the UN and Bangladesh, to enliven in order to address the sliding funding situation for humanitarian aid.

The chief advisor called for support, justice, and accountability mechanisms for “genocidal crimes” committed against the Rohingya community.

Yunus concluded by reaffirming Bangladesh’s commitment to collaborating with all stakeholders to uphold the rights and dignity of the Rohingya people, emphasising the importance of a political resolution to the crisis. (ANI)

ALSO READ: Rights activist raises concerns about atrocities in Balochistan

Categories
-Top News Asia News Bangladesh

World Bank Reaches out to Rohingya Refugees

Around 1 million displaced Rohingya people from Myanmar are currently living in Bangladesh…reports Asian Lite News

The World Bank’s Board of Executive Directors has approved two projects totalling 700 million US dollars to provide basic services and build disaster and social resilience for both the host communities and the displaced Rohingya population in Bangladesh.

The 350-million-dollar Inclusive Services and Opportunities for Host Communities and Displaced Rohingya Population Project and the 350-million-dollar Host and Rohingya Enhancement of Lives Project will together provide support to the Bangladeshi host communities and the Rohingya people as this crisis enters its seventh year, the Washington-based lender said in a statement on Tuesday.

Around 1 million displaced Rohingya people from Myanmar are currently living in Bangladesh, according to the statement, reports Xinhua news agency.

“We greatly appreciate the Government of Bangladesh’s generosity in supporting nearly one million Rohingya people. We also recognise the enormous pressure placed on the host communities,” said Abdoulaye Seck, World Bank country director for Bangladesh and Bhutan.

“With the crisis entering its seventh year, long-term planning and sustainable solutions have become critical while also addressing short-term, urgent needs. We are fully committed to supporting the Government of Bangladesh to address this complex crisis and support the wellbeing of both the Rohingya and host communities,” said the World Bank country director.

The Inclusive Services and Opportunities for Host Communities and Displaced Rohingya Population (ISO) Project will build on active investments in livelihoods and essential health, nutrition, family planning, gender-based violence response and prevention services for at least 980,000 people in the Rohingya and host communities.

The project will prioritise investment in human capital development, with the aim of supporting the education of 300,000 Rohingya children under the age of 12.

ALSO READ: Bangladesh Takes Firm Stance, Seeks Israel’s Accountability for War Crimes

Categories
-Top News ASEAN News Asia News

Rohingya Exodus: Asia’s Largest Since Vietnam War

When the largest wave of Rohingyas — 700,000 people, as per UN reports — fled Myanmar in 2017, this human exodus was the largest in Asia since the Vietnam War….writes Kavya Dubey

The world learnt of the Rohingyas in August 2017 when violence on a large scale, unprecedented human rights violations and armed attacks drove thousands from this ethnic community out of their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.

Widely called a genocide, the Rohingya massacre is the ongoing persecution of the Rohingya people that are predominantly Muslim, by Myanmar’s military. This genocide has had two phases: The military crackdown that occurred from October 2016 to January 2017; and the second phase which is going on since August 2017.

When the largest wave of Rohingyas — 700,000 people, as per UN reports — fled Myanmar in 2017, this human exodus was the largest in Asia since the Vietnam War.

Over 960,000 of them fled to Bangladesh and a majority of them live in the Cox Bazar area, a port city, making it the world’s largest refugee camp. Several others fled to India, Thailand, Malaysia, and other parts of South and Southeast Asia to escape the ethnic cleansing.

The community, regarded by the UN as among “the most persecuted minorities in the world”, and “amongst the world’s least wanted”, have officially been denied Burmese citizenship since the Burmese nationality law was enacted in 1982. They have however been persecuted and marginalised since long before this legislation.

Some of the restrictions on them include signing a document to commit to not having more than two children, not being allowed to travel without official permission, no right to receive higher education nor essential services and means of support.

The persecution of Rohingya Muslims goes back to at least the 1970s, with their persecution at the hands of Buddhist Nationalists and the Burmese government.

The present refugee crisis was spurred by the crackdown by the Myanmar armed forces against the Rohingyas in the northwestern region of the country (Rakhine). This act of the military has been called ethnic cleansing and genocide by different UN agencies, International Criminal Court officials, human rights groups, journalists, governments etc.

Evidence against the Myanmar government of carrying out the genocide includes wide-scale violation of human rights, extrajudicial killings, gang rapes, infanticide, committing arson on Rohingya properties and institutions, as stated by the UN. The Burmese government, however, dismissed it and called it “exaggerations”.

It was in August 2017 when the persecution of the Rohingyas was launched in retaliation against the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army attacks on Myanmar border posts.

In late September 2017, a seven-member panel of the Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal, an international human rights organisation based in Italy, found the Burmese military and authority guilty of genocide against the Rohingya and the Kachin minority groups (another ethnicity).

Refugees in the Kutupalong Rohingya Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in July, 2018. (Photo: UN/IANS)

Celebrated political figure and Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi was criticised for her silence over the issue and for supporting the military’s actions.

In August 2018, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights declared that Burmese military generals should be tried for genocide. On 23 January 2020, the International Court of Justice ordered Myanmar to prevent genocidal violence against its Rohingya minority and to preserve evidence of past attacks.

The Rohingyas seek subsistence in the far off places they are moved to, and it is Bangladesh that has the largest concentration of them.

In May this year, when Cyclone Mocha, a most severe storm in the region in recent times, struck Bangladesh and Myanmar, it caused widespread destruction and had a devastating impact on infrastructure and millions of people across the two countries.

The storm impacted 2.3 million people in Bangladesh, which included 930,000 Rohingya refugees. The damage could not be repaired due to the monsoon rains that followed, leaving the refugees without shelter, exposed in the rain.

Arrangements for their food and water supplies, along with reasonable accommodation with proper amenities, remain a major challenge.

The Rohingya refugees continue to lack legal status, livelihood opportunities and with their movement beyond the camps restricted, leaving them entirely dependent on humanitarian assistance coming from anywhere

And until aid arrives and eases their survival a little, weather-related hazards continue to be a danger.

The only way forward is a political dialogue for their voluntary repatriation, but these stateless people living off humanitarian aid will eventually become a burden on their host countries, and there may come a time when they have to choose between their own citizens and these refugees.

ALSO READ: Aid Dwindles, Rohingya Crisis Deepens

Categories
-Top News Asia News Bangladesh

Aid Dwindles, Rohingya Crisis Deepens

The WFP said that with the current cash allowance, the Rohingya have less than 9 cents for each meal and “are being pushed over the edge”….reports Asian Lite News

Rohingya refugees in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, now face a dire situation as aid funding diminishes, a UN spokesman said.

The Rohingya, who have faced repeated climate shocks since their exodus from Myanmar seven years ago, now face hunger, deepening their vulnerabilities, said Stephane Dujarric, chief spokesman for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, on Tuesday.

Dujarric added that the World Food Programme (WFP) reports that cuts in donor funding have forced the agency to reduce its life-saving assistance for the entire Rohingya population in Cox’s Bazar. Funding shortfalls have resulted in a cut in the Rohingya’s full ration of $12 to $10 per person per month in March and then to $8 in June, Xinhua news agency reported.

The WFP said that with the current cash allowance, the Rohingya have less than 9 cents for each meal and “are being pushed over the edge”.

“WFP is urging donors to step up now to support them in restoring full rations and keeping critical humanitarian operations intact until the Rohingya repatriation,” the spokesman told a regular press briefing.

“WFP needs another $175 million to provide the Rohingya with a full ration through December 2024.”

The UN Population Fund said Cox’s Bazar is the largest refugee camp in the world, with a population of nearly one million Rohingya.

ALSO READ: Rohingya repatriation faces setback in Myanmar

Categories
-Top News ASEAN News Asia News

Rohingya repatriation faces setback in Myanmar

Why Rohingya repartition plan to Myanmar has hit a roadblock(in)

The refusal of the refugees to return to Myanmar has not come as a surprise…writes Saleem Samad

The million Rohingya refugees living in squalid camps in southeast Bangladesh refused to be resettled into another encampment in Myanmar.

The refusal of the refugees to return to Myanmar has not come as a surprise. They argue that unless Myanmar guarantees their citizenship rights, freedom of movement, access to livelihood, healthcare and education, a sustainable repartition will be half-hearted.

The response by the Rohingya refugees follows Myanmar government’s sudden offer to repatriate by the end of the year 6,000 Rohingya who were regarded as “illegal migrants” in Myanmar.

In persuasion of the repartition offer, a delegation of Rohingya refugees along with Bangladesh government officials recently visited Maungdaw Township and adjoining villages in the Rakhine State resettlement plan.

The settlements were built with support from China, India and Japan. Altogether 3,500 Rohingya will be accommodated in 15 villages, says Rahman.

Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) in Cox’s Bazar, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman who led the delegation observed that “repatriation was the only solution to end the refugee crisis.”

However, on their return, they expressed dissatisfaction over the arrangements and facilities made by the Myanmar authority.

Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw conspicuously remain silent over the returnees citizenship rights, but assured that the Rohingya will be given a national verification card (NVC), which the Rohingya refugees regard as too little and too less.

The controversial Citizenship Law of 1982 requires individuals to prove that their ancestors lived in Myanmar before 1823, and refuse to recognise Rohingya Muslims as one of the nation’s ethnic groups or list their language as a national language.

“We don’t want to be confined in resettlement camps,” remarked Oli Hossain, a refugee delegate. He explained that they will never accept NVC, which apparently identifies the Rohingya as ‘aliens’.

Bangladesh authorities also told the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) or UN Refugee Agency, which advocates for the safe, voluntary, dignified and sustainable repatriation of 1.2 million Rohingya refugees who fled the ethno-religious strife in 2017 amid a military crackdown.

The crackdown was sparked after the Islamic jihadist Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) overran a couple of Myanmar Border Guards Forces outposts in August 2017.

Naypyidaw for several years refused to hold dialogue regarding the return of Rohingya, stating that they are not citizens of Myanmar.

Bangladesh has raised the refugee crisis at several international platforms and other global summits. The world leaders lauded Bangladesh leader Sheikh Hasina for providing food and shelter to a million ‘stateless’ Rohingya.

Unfortunately, several attempts to repatriate the refugees fell flat in 2018 and 2019. Instead, Bangladesh blames the intransigent policy of the Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi who was placed under house arrest in February 2021, in the wake of her government’s ouster by military leaders.

Finally, Myanmar’s ‘all-weather friend’ China could pursue Naypyidaw to renew the negotiation on repartition.

Recently, at a critical tripartite meeting of the Foreign Ministry officials between Bangladesh, China and Myanmar in Kunming, despite reservation from the UN Human Rights Office and UN Refugee Agency that Rakhine State is unsafe for repatriation.

Beijing has a crucial regional agenda and several mega Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects are in progress with Naypyidaw.

Some hiccups have emerged in ties between Bangladesh and China especially after Dhaka gave a thumbs-up to join the Indo-Pacific security axis.

Furthermore, Bangladesh has cancelled the deep-sea port in the Bay of Bengal, a multi-purpose barrage over the Teesta River and a couple of other projects after India raised objections.

Researchers on forced migration said they do not see any light at the end of the tunnel for the refugees to return to their homes by the end of this year.

(The content is being carried under an arrangement with indianarrative.com)

ALSO READ:

Categories
Bangladesh World World News

Bangladesh PM demands urgent action on Rohingya crisis

Bangladesh PM demands urgent action on Rohingya crisis

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said that the international community must do everything possible to make sure the Rohingyas return to their homeland as “they themselves also wish to return to their home”…writes Sumi Khan

“Impunity for such heinous crime should not be allowed on all accounts,” she also said at a high-level interaction on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, adding Bangladesh extended its support to the ongoing international efforts to ensure the persecutors’ accountability, particularly in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Sheikh Hasina.

This decision, she said, was based on Bangladesh people’s own painful experience during the 1971 Liberation War and inspired by the guiding principle laid out by Father of the Nation, Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.

“The very struggle of Bangladesh symbolised the universal struggle for peace and justice. It was, therefore, only natural that Bangladesh, from its very inception, should stand firmly by the side of the oppressed people of the world,” she quoted Sheikh Mujib as saying.

The virtual meeting titled “High-Level Side Event on Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (Rohingya) crisis: Imperatives for a Sustainable Solution” was held under Bangladesh auspices ahead of her scheduled UNGA address on September 24. The meeting was organised as part of Dhaka’s efforts to highlight the crisis in the main UNGA general debate, officials said.

Bangladesh organised the event co-sponsored by eight countries and organisations including the UK, Ireland, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, and the European Union.

Sheikh Hasina said at the start of the Rohingya exodus in 2017 to evade persecution in Myanmar’s Rakhine Province bordering Bangladesh, “our choice was to save their lives or to close the border and let them face ethnic cleansing”.

“We chose to save their lives for the sake of humanity,” she told the UN members.

ALSO READ: India, Bangladesh Cement Ties

She has demanded intensified global action with real urgency to repatriate Rohingyas, saying major international powers inaction over the crisis shocked Bangladesh as it extended them makeshift refuge on humanitarian grounds, straining its resources.

“As I repeatedly said they (Rohingyas) are Myanmar nationals and hence, they must go back to their homeland, Myanmar, in safety and dignity,” she said.

Hasina noted that the issue was a matter of regional and global security concerns and therefore it needed urgent resolution while “I would like to emphasise that whatever we are doing in Bangladesh is purely on a temporary basis”.

Simultaneously, she put weight behind towards the campaign to expose to justice the people responsible for the persecution of the minority Rohingya community for the sake of justice and infusing a sense of confidence among the victim population in returning their home.

She said since that mass exodus in 2017, at all the successive UNGAs, she placed specific proposals for a sustainable solution to the crisis while “my government has maintained bilateral engagements with Myanmar”.

“At the regional front, we have tried to take on board the major powers, including China and India. We have all along tried to have more active involvement of the ASEAN.

“At the multilateral front, we kept the issue on the table by UN resolutions engaging important countries and the UN agencies but sadly our efforts for the hapless, uprooted Myanmar nationals returning home to Myanmar has not generated any tangible outcome yet. Till today, not a single one of them could go back to their homeland,” she said.

Sheikh Hasina said for the last four years, Bangladesh awaited with high hopes that these displaced people could go back to their own homes in their motherland Myanmar in safety, security and dignity, reposing “our trust in the global assembly and community for their repatriation”.

“Our calls have remained unheeded and our hopes unfulfilled. We are now in the fifth year of the crisis. Yet, we still hold the hope for a durable solution to this crisis,” she said, adding that this humanitarian crisis appeared a collective responsibility as its implication goes beyond borders and warned that any failure in doing so immediately would “jeopardise our collective security”.

“The growing frustration over the lack of progress in repatriation entices many to get involved in criminal activities, and they are easy prey to extremist ideologies. This could potentially destabilise the entire region,” she warned.

Hasina

She suggested a five-point international course of action with the first one being the investment of “all our efforts” as the top priority. Secondly, she said that the changed political scenario in Myanmar created uncertainty in the repatriation process, requiring a revision in international efforts. Seeking enhanced efforts of ASEAN in the current perspective, she said that she believes the ASEAN has an important responsibility when its actions would largely influence Myanmar in view of the present situation.

“Fourthly, we must remember humanitarian assistance is essential but in no way a permanent solution. The UN and the partners must undertake tangible actions and projects in Myanmar to create an environment conducive for repatriation and their sustainability,” she said. “So far, we have not seen any such progress.”

Turning to pending repatriation, she said that Bangladesh ensured all necessary arrangements to make Rohingyas temporarily stay safe and secure, despite resource and land constraints.

“The prolonged stay of such a large population in a congested area is also having serious impacts on the surrounding environment and ecology. Hills and forest lands have been cut down to provide shelters,” she said.

Even in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic challenges, “we have not forgotten to ensure the safety and welfare of the Rohingyas. We have remained faithful to our conviction that no one is safe until each one of us is safe. We have included this population in our national vaccination programme,” she said.

Categories
ASEAN News Asia News

Indonesia urged not to push back Rohingya

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) also appealed to ensure thet the refugees are not pushed back…reports Anwesha Bhaumik

Human rights groups have appealed to Indonesia not to push back the 81 Rohingya refugees who landed on the country’s Aceh coast in a ramshackle boat.

“The 81 refugees have landed on Idaman Island in Aceh. We are told they are okay,” said Chris Lewa, director of the Arakan Project, that has researched the Rohingya issue for decades.

But speaking to IANS, Lewa said: “I am keeping my fingers crossed and just hope Indonesia will not push them back or hand them over to Myanmar, like Malaysia has often done.”

“Until we know for sure that they are not being pushed back, the Rohingya are not 100 per cent safe there.”

The Human Rights Watch (HRW) also appealed to ensure thet the refugees are not pushed back.

“ASEAN leaders, having done almost nothing for years, should dramatically rethink their approach to the Rohingya crisis,” said Brad Adams, HRW’s Asia director.

“A coordinated regional response is desperately needed to protect Rohingya in Myanmar, in refugee camps abroad, and at sea, while pressing Myanmar to take the steps necessary for them to return home safely.”

Numerous boats, each with hundreds of Rohingya asylum seekers, have been leaving overcrowded refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh for Southeast Asian destinations every year.

Malaysian and Thai authorities have been pushing the boats back to sea, leaving hundreds of refugees in precarious condition, without access to adequate food and water for months.

Refugees in the Kutupalong Rohingya Refugee Camp in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, in July, 2018. (Photo: UN/IANS)

The boat that landed in Aceh had sailed on February 11 from Cox’s Bazar carrying 90 Rohingya refugees, most of them women and children, with the hope of reaching Malaysia.

But the boat’s engine failed four days after leaving Cox’s Bazar and it ran adrift until Indian Coast Guards rescued it.

Of the 90 people who set out on the voyage, eight were found dead by the Indian Coast Guards who later helped repair the vessel.

Indian authorities provided food and essential supplies to survivors but refused to let them set foot on their shores.

Bangladesh, too, denied re-entry to 81 survivors.

Over the last three months, international aid agencies and family members of those onboard have made repeated appeals to India, Bangladesh, Myanmar and Malaysia for information about the fate of the survivors on the boat.

Dwi Prafitria, spokeswoman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees in Indonesia, has said that the refugees currently don’t have a place to stay.

“We have to coordinate with the local government.”

Authorities in Indonesia, including local police and immigration, were not immediately available for comment.

More than 1 million Rohingya refugees from Myanmar are living in teeming camps in Bangladesh, including tens of thousands who fled after a deadly crackdown in 2017.

Human traffickers often lure Rohingya refugees, persuading them to travel on rickety vessels with the promise of work in Southeast Asian countries like Malaysia.

ALSO READ: Myanmar junta chief in Indonesia for talks