2023-07-21 23:25:45
DHAKA: Rohingya activists in Bangladesh are calling on the international community to increase pressure on Myanmar following a fresh appeal at the UN for the safe and sustainable repatriation of the persecuted minority to their home country.
Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar have faced decades of systematic discrimination and persecution, including the 2017 military crackdown that left thousands dead and hundreds of thousands displaced in Rakhine State.
Earlier this month, the UN Human Rights Council adopted a resolution on the human rights situation of Rohingyas and other minorities in Myanmar. This resolution is one of the last to call on the government of Naypyidaw to put in place “conducive conditions for voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation”.
“To ensure sustainable repatriation, the international community should put much more pressure on the Myanmar government,” Mohammed Rezuwan Khan, a Rohingya rights activist in Cox’s Bazar, told Arab News this week.
“All Rohingya want to return to their country of origin. But the situation must be favorable in the Rakhine region. In the current situation, if we go back, the Myanmar government will persecute us again,” he said.
Khan is one of more than a million Rohingya languishing in refugee camps in Bangladesh, a country that for years has hosted them and provided them with humanitarian aid despite not being a signatory to the 1951 UN Refugee Convention.
The developing country spends around US$1.2 billion (US$1 = 0.90 Euros) a year to support the Rohingya, as international aid to the community has been declining since 2020. The UN World Food Program cut food rations for the group earlier this year; his appeals for donations not having been heard.
The Rohingya community in Cox’s Bazar is suffering as they seek to know their future with certainty, Khan said.
“If we are forced to stay here any longer, it will create a lost generation of Rohingyas,” he warned, referring to the lack of education and work opportunities for the community.
Rohingyas in Myanmar also feel “not safe enough”, Khan reported, while those in Bangladesh also feel unsafe due to increased crime in the camps.
“There is a permanent feeling of insecurity among us,” revealed Khan.
“I don’t know when I will be killed by whom. That’s why we don’t want to continue living here. We call on the international community to find a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis,” he insisted.
Many risk perilous boat crossings to leave Bangladesh and reach countries such as Malaysia and Indonesia. In 2022, more than 3,500 of them attempted dangerous sea crossings, according to the UNHCR.
Despite several plans for the Rohingya to return to Myanmar over the years, no concrete progress has been made. The most recent attempt was in May. Refugee community leaders and Bangladeshi officials visited Rakhine State to assess the possibility of repatriation.
Mohammad Jubaer, president of the Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights in Cox’s Bazar, stressed the importance of accountability.
“The international community should ensure that certain aspects of responsibility are respected, such as dignity, security, etc. Where we will live in Myanmar should be a safe area maintained by the international community. Otherwise, the Myanmar authorities will force us back to Bangladesh as before,” Jubaer told Arab News.
“It’s not just about the persecution of the Rohingya. All other ethnic minority groups in Myanmar must be protected,” he stressed.
He added: “The international community should put more pressure on Myanmar to make sure of that.”
Developed countries and intergovernmental organizations have “ethical responsibilities” when it comes to the Rohingya issue, said Mohammed Nur Khan, a Bangladeshi human rights activist and migration expert.
“Since these countries are in an advanced position in terms of political and financial situation, the ethical responsibilities fall more on them. First of all, they can open the door to discussions within the United Nations. This is absolutely crucial,” Khan told Arab News.
“Secondly, they can compel the Myanmar junta to create an enabling environment by taking different approaches like imposing economic and other sanctions. The international community should more actively involve regional associations such as ASEAN,” he explained.
According to Khan, the latest UN resolution could spur the Myanmar government to redouble its efforts to improve the situation in Rakhine state, but it is uncertain whether it can create a fully favorable environment for the Rohingya.
The UN resolution follows high-level visits to refugee camps in Bangladesh, including those by OIC Secretary General Hissein Brahim Taha and International Criminal Court Attorney General Karim Khan.
“But it has to be done, even if it takes time. Without this, we could not take the right decision in repatriating the Rohingyas. I don’t think the current situation in Rakhine is conducive to creating a safe environment for anyone,” Khan said.
This text is the translation of an article published on Arabnews.com
1689990245
#Rohingya #activists #call #increased #international #pressure #Myanmar