Amdadul Haque
Speakers at a panel discussion on Tuesday laid emphasis on sustainable Rohingya repatriation and ensure justice for Rohingyas. They echoed that Bangladesh’s performance has been outstanding in this issue under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina which they said shall continue.
The Centre for Peace and Justice, Brac University and The Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS), Dhaka University (DU) hosted the panel discussion on ‘The Need for Justice and Rights in Rakhine’ at Brac Centre Inn in the capital. Tun Khin, Co-Founder and President of Burmese Rohingya Organization UK, Philip Ruddock, Chair of Australian Liberal Party NSW and Dr Myint Hla, Chair of Foreign Affairs of Arakan Rohingya National Organization of Sydney attended the discussion as guest moderated by Manzoor Hasan, Executive Director of Centre for Peace and Justice, Brac University.
The speakers expressed their opinions over a positive outcome from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Criminal Court (ICC) on the genocide case filed against Myanmar. They observed that the repatriation process and the bilateral relations between Bangladesh and Myanmar will not be affected due to the proceedings at the International Criminal Court (ICC) as they believe crimes committed against Rohingyas cannot go unpunished.
They said accountability is essential for building confidence among Rohingyas and mentioned that sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland is the most important thing for Bangladesh. Manzoor Hasan said, “Bangladesh should be able to count on international support until safe and voluntary return of Rohingyas can take place.’’
Tun Khin, said Bangladesh helped stabilize the entire region by giving shelter to Rohingyas and the region could have been destabilized had Bangladesh refused to give shelter to these displaced people. He said Bangladesh will continue to follow both bilateral and multilateral approaches to find a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis.
Talking about the ICJ issue, Dr Myint Hla said they are thrilled with what had happened at the ICJ and ICC but said it will take time. Philip Ruddock said they are seriously engaged on all fronts – bilateral, multilateral and accountability – which are interrelated and complementary to each other.
“Sustainable Repatriation of Rohingyas is the most important thing and building confidence among Rohingyas is a must for their repatriation,” all speakers echoed and said adding that Rohingyas must return to their homeland. They said accountability is a must for breaking the cycle of impunity in Myanmar and laid emphasis on safe, dignified and voluntary return of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine State to ensure sustainable solution to the crisis.
