Bangladesh and Myanmar on Tuesday held the fifth meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) virtually regarding repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland in Rakhine state of Myanmar.
We appreciate the resumption of JWG talk between the two countries. In the meeting Dhaka stressed on expediting the verification process of the Rohingyas to begin their repatriation to their place of origin in Rakhine State of Myanmar. All issues related to voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the displaced people to their homeland were discussed during the talks.
Since August 25 in 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and other rights groups dubbed as "genocide". Myanmar, however, has not taken back a single Rohingya in the last nearly five years yet while repatriation attempts failed twice due to trust deficit among the forcibly displaced people about their safety and security in Rakhine state.
First world countries should extend
all out cooperation to
Bangladesh in order to ensure smooth
repatriation of Rohingyas
Rohingyas are becoming frustrated due to protracted uncertainty over their repatriation which has a potential risk as it entices many of them to get involved in criminal activities. The environment of Ukhia in Cox's Bazar, which has a deep forest, has been ruined due to staying over 1.1 million forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. They are reducing the forest by cutting tress and causing great environmental hazards in the area.
Around 45,000 Rohingya babies are being born every year. The government has developed temporary shelter for the Rohingyas in Bhashanchar Island with all the facilities where 30,000 Rohingyas have so far been shifted.
The United Nations, responsible for supplying the basic humanitarian needs of the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, remains silent on the issue of Rohingyas relocation since the initiatives were taken. Apart from Myanmar, the UN, other foreign countries and right bodies should come forward and extend all out cooperation to Bangladesh in order to ensure smooth repatriation of Rohingyas. They will also have to continue to put pressure on Myanmar military government to bring back Rohingyas.
The world should learn from Bangladesh how to stand beside the distressed humanity. Bangladesh provided shelter to the Rohingyas on humanitarian ground. But now they are a big burden for Bangladesh. Therefore, the world must act quickly to compel Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas
