Japan urged to communicate with Myanmar, find durable solution to Rohingya crisis: PM

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today said she had discussed the Rohingya crisis with Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, requesting the country to find a durable solution to the crisis.

She said the Japanese side was informed of  how the Rohingyas have seriously affected the lives and livelihoods of the local communities in Bangladesh.

"We requested Japan to help find a durable solution to the crisis by using its channel of communication with Myanmar," she said in a joint statement after several instruments were signed between the two sides following bilateral talks with her Japanese counterpart Fumio Kishida at the Prime Minister's Office in Japan.

Sheikh Hasina is visiting Japan after three years since she last visited in the country 2019, before the Covid-19 pandemic broke out.

Earlier, the Bangladesh premier arrived in the Haneda International Airport in Tokyo around 4:45pm local time Tuesday (25 April) as she left Dhaka on a 15-day official tour to Japan, the USA and the UK yesterday.

Japan welcomed the Bangladesh premier by rolling out the red carpet and also gave her a guard of honour at the airport.

Since August 2017, around 900,000 Rohingya refugees have arrived in Bangladesh, overwhelming local resources and putting a strain on the host community.

One of the main impacts of the Rohingya influx has been on the economy of the host community. 

The sudden influx of refugees has led to increased demand for goods and services, driving up prices and creating inflation. This has made it difficult for local people to afford basic necessities, such as food and housing. 

Additionally, the large number of refugees has put a strain on local infrastructure and resources, making it difficult for the host community to access essential services like healthcare and education.

The presence of the refugees has also had an impact on the environment. The Rohingyas have been forced to settle in makeshift camps, often in environmentally sensitive areas, which has led to deforestation, soil erosion, and water pollution, putting a strain on the natural resources of the region.

Many Rohingyas have also been linked to criminal activities, especially the Yaba trade. 

At the same time, water resources have also been depleted due to the sudden increase in the local population. 

Furthermore, the sudden spike in manpower has led to a fall in wages of host community labourers.

Where a Rohingya labourer demands Tk100 for a job, a host community labourer would have charged Tk500.

Many people from the host communities have also shifted to risky and temporary livelihood activities.