Even after one year of Rohingya exodus, Myanmar has yet to take any concrete step to create a conducive environment to bring back the most persecuted people on earth.
Starting from Aug 25 last year, over 0.7 million Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh to save their lives as there was a crackdown by Myanmar military who committed crime against humanity including genocide, rape and gangrape, arson and many other crimes.
“We have adopted multi-pronged diplomatic approach to resolve the crisis,” Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haq told the Bangla Tribune.
About the negotiation, he said, “It is not a secret that there is a trust deficit from Myanmar side and we always emphasise that it is a political problem and it must not be seen through the lens of security.”
We have clear instruction from Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to do whatever possible to help the displaced people and even after one year, we still open our border for Rohingyas and it is unprecedented anywhere in the world, he said.
The prime minister has taken up the issue at the international level and in the last UN General Assembly held in New York in September, she put forward five-point proposal to resolve the crisis.
This is our fundamental position as we want sustainable and right based repatriation, he said.
About the repatriation process, he said, “It would be voluntary and we want Myanmar to create an environment so that Rohingya people can have dignified and safe life.”
When the repatriation process will begin, he said, “When Myanmar is ready to take them back.”
We have taken up the issue with the international community and repeatedly urged them that “Bangladesh should not be penalised for the sacrifice it made to save the Rohingya people.”
What happened on Aug 25, 2017
Myanmar military unleashed a reign of terror on that day to drive out Rohingya people from Rakhine, but its preparation started long ago.
In October 2016 it started an assault on the Rohingya people giving excuse to a so-called ARSA attack on several police posts.
However, in December of the same year in a similar attack in MaungKoe near Chinese border, 13 police and army men were killed but no operation was conducted.
“Over 87,000 took shelter in Bangladesh and as international condemnation remained muted, Myanmar forces found this a license to kill and complete the ‘unfinished business’ of 1942, as articulated by senior General Min Aung Hlain later,” said a senior official.
The Myanmar military conducted a good number of operations in Rakhine and arrested and killed many Rohingyas.
Army was deployed around the Mayu Mountain in Rakhine and the infamous 33rd light infantry division was positioned and fresh curfews imposed at least two weeks before the final operations began on Aug 25, he said.
By analyzing Myanmar military action, it can be presumed that ARSA attack on about 30 police posts on Aug 24 last year was orchestrated one, he added.
What Bangladesh did
Bangladesh immediately responded to crisis and at the instruction top leadership, it opened up border so that the Rohingyas could save their lives.
“So far over 0.7 million Rohingyas crossed the border to save their lives,” said another senior official.
Several camps were set up for providing shelter to the newly arrived along with about 0.4 million Rohingyas who came to Bangladesh before the Aug 25, 2017, he added.
The government ensured unfettered access of international community and media so that they could understand the brutality of the Myanmar military, he added.
Repatriation deal
Under intense pressure from the international community, the Myanmar authorities agreed to hold talks with Dhaka to formulate a repatriation deal.
After several round of negotiation, both the countries reached an agreement and a text was signed on Nov 23 last year.
A Joint Working Group headed by foreign secretaries of both the countries was also formed to oversee the repatriation process.
The physical arrangement to conduct on the ground repatriation affairs was signed January this year.
What next
For the last one year, Bangladesh is vigorously pursuing a way to send back the Rohingyas, but due to unwillingness and dishonesty by Myanmar, the repatriation process could not take place.
A senior government official said, “They are still telling lies about Rohingya, Bangladesh and the total repatriation process.”
When the whole world including the United Nations repeatedly are saying that no conducive environment prevails in Rakhine, the Myanmar still harping on saying due to Bangladesh, the repatriation process could not take place.
Recently they are saying that whatever news about atrocities in Rakhine published after Aug 25 last year are all ‘fake news’, he said.
We recently visited Rakhine and saw the destruction with our own eyes, he added.
Another senior official said, “We went by helicopter and saw many burnt villages.”
We asked them how the villages were burnt and with a ready answer, they replied ‘incidental accident’ and later said ‘Rohingyas burnt their own villages.”
Bangladesh will continue to engage with Myanmar and international community to ensure safe return and human rights of Rohingya people in the coming days, he added.