The spectrum of the Rohingya crisis is spread to geostrategic, economic, security, internal socio-politico-religious and economic dimensions of Myanmar, said Major General Md Nayeem A Chowdhury SBP, OSP, SUP psc, Phd (Retd) in an interview with Bangladesh Post.
He mentioned that the sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis needs attention to synchronized, cohort and progressive and relentless efforts by different stakeholders attached to the crisis.
Major General Nayeem A Chowdury, a security analyst and currently the Executive Director of East Coast Group, a leading business conglomerate of the country, described elaborately about the roots of Rohingya crisis, its present situation and the probable solutions replying to a set of queries made by Bangladesh Post.
The excerpts of his interview is produced for the valued readers of Bangladesh Post.
Bangladesh Post: Despite having repeated commitment from various states, international bodies to work closely and effectively with Bangladesh for the repatriation of Rohingya people, no remarkable progress is marked so far. What are your evaluations in this regard?
Maj Gen Nayeem Chy: The spectrum of the Rohingya crisis is spread to geostrategic, economic, security, internal socio-politico-religious and economic dimensions of Myanmar. The sustainable solution to it needs attention to synchronized, cohort and progressive and relentless efforts by different stakeholders attached to the crisis.
Say, within the geopolitical sector, possibly only global powers may not alone be able to bring out the expected result without due support or nod by regional power. International community needs to undertake many steps. Consensus of all the world powers, especially the P5 is essential for a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis.
The international community needs to undertake measures to ensure accountability of all human right violations, reprisals and atrocities of Myanmar by raising the issue in every possible international platform.
They should enforce strong economic, military and diplomatic measures against Myanmar. International community should provide every possible support to ICJ to enforce accountability of Myanmar’s military junta for all human rights violations in Myanmar. International community should also engage actively with Myanmar’s military junta and also the National Unity Government and other political parties.
Again, Bangladesh being the main stakeholder should continue iterating, energetic, structured, substantive and persuasive diplomatic (public, economic and cultural) engagement at every possible means and opportunities. Our engagements with all the stakeholders must have some impact on the related stakeholders, especially on Myanmar.
She should continue to internationalize and resonate the issue through all international platforms, embassies, diaspora etc. so that it remains vibrant and counter Myanmar’s vilification campaign. Bangladesh should utilize/engage all regional and global actors, reinvigorate bi-lateral, multilateral including sub-regional (like BCIM, BCIM-EC, BIMSTEC), regional (Like ASEAN, ARF, ADB) and extra-regional forum.
Bangladesh needs to provide all kinds of support to ICJ, Zambia, OIC, human right organizations, international organizations, friend countries working on these issues. Besides, Bangladesh should continue to engage Myanmar at every possible tier. Newly developed security situation along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border also needs to be addressed squarely.
Beside diplomatic efforts, a kind of deterrent message should go to Myanmar about the consequences or retaliatory capability of Bangladesh Armed forces and BGB through appropriate posture/activities. Engagement should also be followed by these deterrence activities to avoid escalation.
Bangladesh Post: We know that the Rohingya refugee crisis has been a continuous disrupting factor in bilateral relations between Myanmar and Bangladesh since the late 1970s. As an analyst could you tell us what could be the long-term solution to the crisis and its causes?
Maj Gen NayeemChy: First of all, the Rohingya crisis is originated, nurtured, and fomented by Myanmar. This is a spillover effect of their internal political, administrative, religious, social, cultural and religious calamity. Rakhine (Arakan) remained a volatile region since it came under Burma in 1784.
Burmese, especially Bamar and Myanmar military never could accept Rohingya as part of their men, despite Rohingya being the inhabitant of Arakan for centuries and Burma itself being an aggressor and capturing Arakan in 1784. This inimical attitude and approach exponentially aggravated since 1962 when Ne Win, the military Junta took over the power toppling the democratic government. There were many states sponsored steps and atrocities those were undertaken by Myanmar government against the Rohingya.
Few of them are: The amendment to the constitution in 1974, Brutal Army Operation Nagamin against Rohingya in 1978, enactment of Citizenship Act 1982, Military operation against Rohingya in 1991, promulgation of new Constitution in 2008, incited sectarian violence in 2012, classification of citizens into permitted citizens, associate citizens, naturalized citizens etc. between 2010 to 2015 which also denied political representation of Rohingyas, seizing temporary identity cards of Rohingyas in 2015, population, race and religion bills (4) in 2015, fiercest attack by military in 2017 etc. Bangladesh has been suffering the brunt of their internal crisis decade after decade.
Aung San Suu Kyi government formed an Advisory Commission on Rakhine headed by Mr Kofi Annan in September 2016 as a neutral and impartial body to find out a way for establishing peace and stability in the state.
The Commission after its relentless efforts, discussing and consulting with all the stakeholders submitted its final report mentioning many workable, progressive and recommendations on 23 August 2017. Instead of implementing the recommendations, military Junta started their fiercest attack on Rohingyas just two days after the submission of the report.
So, unless we go to the root of the problem, unless we ensure honourable, voluntary, safe, and sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas, unless we bring all the stakeholders (especially Myanmar Government, society, world and regional power) in same or similar tone, Bangladesh, the region and whole world will continue to feel and experience the blunt of Rohingya crisis in all possible sectors.
Bangladesh Post: Now please brief us about the socio-economic sufferings that Bangladesh is facing due to the influx of huge number of displaced Rohingya citizens to Bangladesh?
Maj Gen NayeemChy: Rohingya issue has multifaceted impact not only on Bangladesh, but also on Myanmar, region and the world. Rohingyas constitute security threat for Bangladesh state and society covering the full spectrum of security landscape. It encompasses, not limited to, human or non-traditional security, transnational security, internal security, militancy and terrorism, radicalism, drug and small arms smuggling, border security etc.
From economic sector, it has put serious impact on the economy of Bangladesh at both macro and micro levels. It is a drain on national resources and an economic burden on Bangladesh. Exodus of the Rohingyas has created demand of large amount of food supply. This high demand for food raised the food price which seriously affected the local population, especially the poor.
The cost of living has increased due to price hike of essential commodities and influx of huge number of aid workers, security and administrative personnel. Border trade (both formal and informal) has stalled which has significant potential. There are many national and international aid organizations working in Cox’s Bazar for the Rohingya refugees.
They need huge number of skilled and unskilled manpower to continue their aid work which is being recruited from local Bangladeshi and Rohingyas. This job opportunity has created a shortage of labour in the local market, and finding workers has been a problem for the local farmers.
On the other hand, Rohingyas are working as day labourers at a lower wage rate than host community which affected the earning of day labourers of host community. Rohingya refugees have occupied the agricultural land, grazing land and mountains to make their makeshift houses. About 30,000 to 35,000 fishers who used to catch fish in Naaf river, now cannot go for fishing leading to a precarious situation. The Rohingya crisis resulted in serious decline in the tourism sector in Teknaf area.
Environmental degradation is another affected sector due to Rohingya influx. Serious deforestation has already taken place. Deforestation contributes to surface water runoff, decreased evapo-transpiration, soil-erosion, global warming, risk of land slide etc. which adversely affect the overall environment.
The installation of thousands of shallow tube wells in Rohingya refugee camps resulted in the sharp fall of water level. Tarpaulins, aluminum, plastic bags and containers are indiscriminately used in Rohingya camps without any planned waste management. These non-disposable items are harmful for the overall environment.
The indiscriminate hill cutting for arranging shelters for the Rohingya refugees resulted in loss of natural setting of terrain and increased the risk of landslide. Due to establishment of Rohingya refugee camps the elephant habitat and their migration paths have shrunk day by day.
There is a rising anxiety amongst the locals of Cox’s Bazar about being outnumbered by the Rohingyas which indicates potential conflict between the Rohingyas and the host community and thereby degrade social cohesion. Social crime like murder, vandalism, smuggling, kidnappings, thefts, robberies and anti-social activities like prostitution has increased.
