Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Yao Wen on Saturday said China, as a responsible major country, has been "unswervingly mediating" between Bangladesh and Myanmar to promote the repatriation of the Rohingyas to their homeland. The ambassador was delivering a keynote speech at a symposium as part of the Cosmos Dialogue Ambassadors' Lecture Series entitled "Bangladesh-China Relations: Prognosis for the Future" at a hotel in Dhaka.
Over the last five years, displaced Rohingyas have appeared as a serious burden on the economy and environment of Bangladesh. Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.2 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar district since August 25 in 2017, and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a "textbook example of ethnic cleansing". Both countries signed a repatriation agreement on November 23, 2017,. But five years on, even a single Rohingya have not returned to their motherland in fear of being persecuted upon their return. It needs no emphasising that voluntary repatriation of the Rohingyas is the most viable and durable solution to the crisis. However, it is worth mentioning that repatriation attempt failed twice in November 2018 and August 2019 amid Rohingyas' lack of trust in the Myanmar government. Bangladesh wants to resolve the Rohingya crisis through peaceful negotiation and the country expects similar reciprocity from Myanmar and international community. We have done the best we can to ensure Rohingya repatriation through peaceful negotiation but nothing has gone in our favor so far. It seems we are paying the price for showing empathy to a persecuted minority population of a neighbouring country.
The international community
and UN should exert their influence
on Myanmar to create a conducive
environment so that the Rohingya
refugees can return to their homeland
with safety, security and dignity
In order to make voluntary repatriations happen, Myanmar has to ensure that Rohingya refugees will not be persecuted upon their return. To this end, the international community and UN should exert their influence on Myanmar to create a conducive environment so that the Rohingya refugees can return to their homeland with safety, security and dignity. We expect a more vigorous role of the international community on the diplomatic front to compel Myanmar to take back forcibly displaced Rohingyas.
It is alleged that Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar have turned into hotbeds of crime. According to media reports, criminal gangs, active in the camps, often lock into bloody confrontations over control of markets, Yaba smuggling, and human trafficking. Also, Rohingyas have been engaged in serious confrontations with locals over supremacy of drug smuggling. The authorities concerned should take necessary measures to beef up security as much as possible and catch the perpetrators especially the gangs that are carrying out criminal activities.