Diplomats and security experts at home and abroad have identified the Rohingya crisis as the most important issue in the Indo-Pacific as well as the subcontinent context.
They have also put emphasis on the immediate resolution of the Rohingya issue through joint effort considering the security threat and stability of this region.
They came to these understandings and recommendations at a senior level dialogue programme titled "Bangladesh and the Indo-Pacific Collaboration: Priority Issues and Concerns".
Bangladesh Centre for Indo Pacific Affairs and Department of International Relations, Jahangirnagar University hosted the dialogue moderated by Bangladesh Center for Indo-Pacific Affairs Executive Director Professor Shahab Enam Khan.
Held at a hotel in capital’s Gulshan area, secretary, Maritime Affairs Unit (MAU) Rear Admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam, Brig Gen (retd) M Sakhawat Hussain, UN Resident Coordinator in Bangladesh Gwyn Lewis, ambassadors and high-commissioners of Japan, Australia, Germany, Malaysia and Singapore, among others, spoke.
Speaking as the chief guest, state minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam said it is one of the most challenging tasks for the law enforcement agencies to deal with the safety and security issues of the Rohingyas and the host community in Cox’s Bazar and their role should not be undermined.
He said the “complexity” in dealing with the safety and security of the Rohingyas is one of the most challenging tasks for any trained forces whether Bangladesh police or Armed Police Battalion (APBn).
“So, undermining their ability and sacrifices is actually undermining the challenges that our law enforcement agencies are facing,” Shahriar Alam said, noting that they have recently noticed that Human Rights Watch was rather critical.
He referred to various criminal activities in the Rohingya camps and assured those concerned of appropriate steps to maintain law and order there.
“Bangladesh, under Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s leadership, will continue to set an example of humanity as long as the forcibly displaced Rohingyas remain in our territory. But we shall also not compromise on our national security if certain sections of the Rohingyas are found to be engaging in criminal activities like terrorism, human trafficking, drug running and gender based violence,” said the State Minister.
The State Minister for Foreign Affairs also said the government has taken a combination of bilateral, regional and multilateral efforts to find a solution to the Rohingya crisis.
He said the sustained diplomatic efforts by the government helped keep the Rohingya issue alive.
The State Minister said he will be expecting their friends, especially those who are actively participating in the humanitarian assistance provided to the Rohingyas under the Joint Response Plan (JRP) umbrella, to be able to defend the risk that the law enforcers are taking.
“We have experienced multiple fatalities on behalf of law enforcement agencies, including very senior officials, even in recent times,” he said.
“We have been repeatedly reminding the international community that the source of the problem is in Myanmar and the solution lies in Myanmar,” he said, adding that the internal political stability in Myanmar would indeed remain crucial.
And unfortunately, at this moment, very little has been done even though they welcome the adoption of the first ever UN Security Council resolution on Myanmar, Shahriar said, mentioning that “We have also kept our door open for any formal or informal dialogue.”
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox’s bazar and Bhasan Char and not a single one of them has been repatriated over the last six years amid lack of genuine efforts from the Myanmar side.