It is good to note that the UN Human Rights Council has unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a solution to the Rohingya crisis on Monday at the ongoing 47th session of the Human Rights Council. It is worth mentioning that since the massive influx of the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar into Bangladesh in August 2017, this is the first time that any resolution on the issue was adopted in the UN without a vote. Therefore, the adoption of the resolution by consensus can be considered a big milestone for Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.2 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas and most of them arrived here since August 25, 2017 after a military crackdown which has been termed as a ‘text book example of ethnic cleansing’. Dhaka has always been serious about safe repatriation of the Rohingya refugees though Myanmar have made every possible effort to thwart it.
We are still optimistic about
fruitful dialogue between
the two neighbors
On top of that, the arbitrary move in Myanmar created uncertainty over the Rohingya repatriation process. However, we are still optimistic about fruitful dialogue between the two neighbors and we hope through negotiation the two countries would end up on a happy note.
We know that in June 2018, Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding with the aim of facilitating the voluntary repatriation of Rohingyas. However, Myanmar did not take back a single Rohingya while the attempts of repatriation failed twice due to trust deficit among the Rohingyas about their safety and security in the Rakhine state.
It needs no mentioning that in order to make voluntary repatriations happen, Myanmar has to ensure that Rohingya refugees will not be persecuted upon their return. To this end, the international community and UN should exert their influence on Myanmar to create a conducive environment so that the Rohingya refugees can return to their homeland with safety, security and dignity.
