It’s a strategic decision: FM about UN resolution on Rohingyas

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday said they have no displeasure against the countries which abstained from voting in the UN resolution and voted against it saying it is a "strategic" decision. 

"It's a strategic decision. We're happy with the results," he told reporters at his office, adding that a total of 132 countries, not 130 as reported in the media, voted in favour of the resolution which is a success for Bangladesh.

China and Russia stood beside Myanmar while India and Japan refrained from voting a draft resolution on the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar was adopted by the UN General Assembly. 

Russia, China, Belarus, Cambodia, Laos, the Philippines, Vietnam, Zimbabwe and Myanmar themselves were the nine countries that voted against the resolution, i.e. in Myanmar's favour.

"Those countries could play a better role which voted against the resolution. We don't have any displeasure against them," Dr Momen said.

A total of 26 countries, including India, Japan, Sri Lanka and Singapore, abstained from voting on the resolution on the situation of human rights of Rohingya Muslims and other minorities in Myanmar. 

The resolution was placed before the 75th General Assembly of the United Nations on Thursday. 

"We're happy that they talked to us before the decision," Dr Momen said explaining why the countries wanted to remain neutral in the UN to use their leverage on Myanmar in finding the solution.

India has recently said they engaged with Myanmar at every level, including the highest level of the civilian government and the highest level of military establishment in the State of Rakhine, where they claimed to make their position clear.

Japanese Ambassador Ito Naoki said they are communicating directly with Myanmar's top military officials and at the government level on the Rohingya crisis as Japan sees it the proper channel to play a role.

China is trying to work with Myanmar and Bangladesh to find a solution through tripartite discussions.

Dr Momen said the Rohingya issue remains a big challenge and expressed his optimism over resumption of the repatriation process in this year. "It's our expectation."

"I've conveyed to my counterpart in Myanmar that we want the process to start. You repeatedly told us that you will take them back after verification and provide safety and security. It's our demand that you will provide it what you promised," he said, adding that creating a conducive environment for voluntary repatriation has to be in place as promised.

The Foreign Minister said there has been no progress from the Myanmar side and in the New Year Bangladesh expects that Myanmar will keep its word.

Historically, he said, Myanmar kept their words as he referred to the progress in 1978 and 1992. "It's our belief and expectation that Myanmar will take back their nations though the figure is big compared to the past."

Bangladesh thinks Rohingyas will "jeopardise regional and international security" if the 1.1 million Rohingya people are left unattended and not given the opportunity to return to their homeland.

"Development is not possible without peace," said the Foreign Minister.

Myanmar did not take back a single Rohingya from Bangladesh over the last three years but Myanmar, in its attempts to "mislead" the international community, claimed that a total of 397 displaced people have voluntarily returned from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Two repatriation attempts turned futile as Myanmar "failed to remove trust deficit" among the Rohingyas and there was "lack of conducive environment" in Rakhine for their return.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the repatriation deal on November 23, 2017.On January 16, 2018, Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a document on "Physical Arrangement", which was supposed to facilitate the return of Rohingyas to their homeland. 

More than three years back, Myanmar's soldiers "targeted, killed, and raped" Rohingya and burned their villages, as the United Nations, Refugees International, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, the U.S. State Department itself, and many others have documented.

Over 800,000 Rohingyas fled the "genocidal violence" and Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas.

Bangladesh says the Rohingyas do not trust their government and Bangladesh gave a number of proposals to build trust among them. Myanmar did not say no to those proposals but no proposal was implemented.

Bangladesh is trying in multiple ways - bilaterally, multilaterally, tri-laterally and through the judicial system – to find a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis.

Bangladesh proposed deployment of non-military civilian observers from Myanmar's friendly countries -- Japan, China, Russia, India and Asean countries.

Myanmar did neither say yes or no on that particular proposal.