UN urged to dial up pressure on Myanmar

Civil society leaders on Wednesday said the international community, including the United Nations, has completely failed to exert enough pressure on Myanmar for taking back its Rohingya people from Bangladesh. 

At a discussion by the Cox's Bazar CSO-NGO Forum – a network of around 50 local and national organisations working in Cox's Bazar – on the eve of the fifth anniversary of Rohingya influx to Bangladesh, they solely held Myanmar responsible for the refugee crisis.

Abu Murshed Chowdhury, co-chair of the forum and chief executive of Programme for Helpless and Lagged Societies (Phals), said there has been no successful effort for Rohingya repatriation by the UN so far, except a few resolutions.

"This has left the Rohingya population as well as the locals in uncertainty and frustration. To secure the repatriation, formal and informal diplomacy should be prioritised," he added.

In the face of persecution and brutal military crackdown in Myanmar's Rakhine state in 2017, about 750,00 Rohingya poured across the border seeking refuge in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh is currently harbouring more than 1.1 million Rohingya as the camp in Cox's Bazar Kutupalong has turned into the world's largest refugee settlement.

The UN described the Myanmar army's crackdown on the Rohingya as a "classic example of ethnic cleansing", while others have accused the country of committing genocide against the Muslim-minority group.

Bimal Chandra Dey Sarkar, chief executive of Mukti Cox's Bazar, said, "Nearly half of the Rohingya population are children and young adults. They must participate in a variety of camp activities and receive training so that they can lead a dignified life after returning to their homeland."

Md Mujibur Rahman of Sushilan shed light on the environmental cost for accommodating the refugees in the beach town. He called for banning plastic in the camp and forming a fund for environmental restoration.    

Md Arifur Rahman of Young Power in Social Action (YPSA) said the authorities should intensify monitoring in the camp so that religious extremism cannot compound the situation.  

Disaster Forum's Gawher Nayeem Wahra said repatriation should be kept at the centre of all Rohingya programmes. A national strategy for resettlement should be developed and the implementation should be regularly reviewed.

Barrister Manzoor Hasan of Brac University's Centre for Peace and Justice said the Rohingya issue has become a protracted crisis, requiring regional and international initiatives.

Rezaul Karim Chowdhury, executive director of COAST Foundation, said if sustainable repatriation is not ensured, the Rohingya crisis could become a serious threat to development works in Cox's Bazar and elsewhere.