Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan has postponed visits to Bangladesh and Myanmar as Nay Pyi Taw refused to allow him to travel to Rakhine.
According to sources, he was scheduled to arrive in Dhaka Monday and expressed his desire to visit the camps in Cox’s Bazar.
He wanted to enter Rakhine through Teknaf land border from Bangladesh side, which the Myanmar government did not allow.
Singapore is an influential member ASEAN, where Myanmar is also a member and it has significant economic interest in the Nay Pyi Taw.
A senior Bangladesh government official said Dhaka has been notified about the postponement by the office of Balakrishnan, who is vocal on Rohingya issue.
The issue has been discussed in almost all ASEAN meetings formally and informally since Singapore has taken over as the chair of the regional forum, he said.
On Aug 4, Balakrishnan at a press conference on the 51st ASEAN foreign ministers' meeting said, “Another issue which came up obviously was the Rakhine state. There was obviously great concern about the humanitarian disaster that this represented and the fact that so many people have been displaced and remain displaced.”
Another official said that the official stance of Singapore is that they encourage Bangladesh and Myanmar to negotiate to carry on a voluntary return of the displaced refugees, but it has to be done in a safe, secure and dignified manner and without undue delay.
Singapore advocates human rights but also faces pressure from the West to become vocal on the issue, he said.
“They don’t condemn Myanmar publicly but in their private discussion, they always favour resolving the issue by allowing Rohingyas to go back to their homeland,” he added.