It is true that sheltering large number of Rohingya Muslims is a big burden for a poor country like Bangladesh. It can not give shelters to over one million Rohingyas coming from next door neighbor Myanmar facing planned persecution over the years forever.
Bangladesh still an underdeveloped country. It is struggling hard to upgrade its status and become a developing nation. Hopefully it would reach that target soon.
But the question of Rohingyas survival is hanging in the balance. They have been fleeing to Bangladesh for last three decades. But large number of them started crossing the border in the later part of 2017. By this time the total number of Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh reached over 1.2 million.
International community particularly the United Nations responded quickly in providing food, make shift houses, cloths and other essential items to extremely helpless human beings. They had nowhere to go other than entering Bangladesh crossing the borders.
Since then, they have been living in very congested camps in several upazilas in Cox's Bazar district. The Myanmar government was very brutal in taking actions against them. The Myanmar authority was also showed reluctance in getting back of their citizens. Bangladesh government tried its best to pursue Naypyidaw to get back the people who have been living on Myanmar soil for several centuries.
Following pressure from international community Myanmar showed a little interest to get back the Rohingyas. But they are yet to give them the citizenship or any sort of human rights to live there raising their heads high.
Instead, Myanmar set up some temporary camps in Rakhine province far away from their homestead to keep the repatriated Rohingyas. After keeping them in those camps for several months then they would be gradually re-habilated at their respected homes.
These were their plans. But they even did not disclose that how many days the returnees would stay at camps. In this context a list of 150 Rohingya families was finalized on the basis of bilateral discussion between two countries. They were supposed to start journey towards their beloved homes on November 15.
But international community objected to this process. The UN human rights commission clearly said that none should be sent back without ensuring his rights. The Rohingyas also protested the attempt to rehabilate them by force.
They also brought out processions and demonstrated against the attempt to repatriate them. The Rohingyas clearly said that they would not go back without ensuring their rights. They demanded that before sending them back home their rights must be ensured first. The Bangladesh government at last cancelled the repatriation and rehabilitation process. The move was welcomed by the UN and other international human rights organizations.
We also believe that none should be sent by force to a country where they do not have any right to move or speak. Actually, the Myanmar authority turned its western province Rakhine to a concentration camps. They prohibited all Muslims in the province to move anywhere out of the province without formal permission from the authorities concerned.
It has been applying discriminatory laws and attitudes for a long time towards the Rohingya Muslims who have been living in the area for over two centuries. Once upon a time there was an independent and sovereign state in the name of Roshango in the area which is now called Rakhine. However, a large number of Bengalis migrated and settled there during the British colonial rules.
After getting independence from the British, the Myanmar military rulers started a campaign against the people who settled there during colonial age. The Rohingya Muslims have been victims of that campaign. The authority in a planed way tried to drive out all the Rohingyas from the area terming them as migrant Bengalis and illegal settlers.
Actually, this campaigns for several decades ultimately resulted in fleeing more than one million Rohingyas to Bangladesh. The matter worsened in 2017 when the Myanmar military conducted brutal atrocities against the community following a sudden attack on security forces allegedly by a rebel extreme group. The ordinary people had no relations with the group even maximum of the Rohingya Muslims did not even hear the name of the group.
Still, they were the victims of brutal torture and all sort of persecution by the authority. Getting no way of staying at home or in the locality they were forced to move towards the Bangladesh borders. The Bangladesh authority at first tried to resist them crossing the border. Later, on human consideration the border was opened and food and shelters were provided to them.
For a permanent solution to the issue, the Bangladesh government now should initiate fresh dialogues with Myanmar so that they make some commitment about the safety and security of the returnees. They should ensure that the repatriated Rohingyas would not be victims of torture and discrimination again after going back home. Otherwise, none would go back. Bangladesh also should not force them to go back.
Bangladesh as an independent and sovereign country can launch a campaign through out the world in favor of Rohingyas. The issue is already at the hand of UN but it can do nothing without consent of the big countries having veto powers. In this context, China and Russia are the main opponent in passing any resolution by the UN. Myanmar is getting support from these two super powers.
Therefore, Bangladesh can present the actual fact and pursue these two super powers to refrain from giving veto against any resolution taken by the UN in favor of Rohingyas.
Then Myanmar would likely to be forced to ensure safety and security and provide equal right to its people particularly Rohingyas and others irrespective of cast and creed. Only then we can hope for a permanent solution to the issue. Otherwise, sending them by force will only create further crisis without solving the long Rohingay refugee issue permanently.
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