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Dhaka rejects WB proposal

Rohingyas displaced people, not refugees: Dr Momen


Published : 01 Aug 2021 10:31 PM | Updated : 02 Aug 2021 01:10 AM

Bangladesh has rejected outright the World Bank’s proposal to integrate the Rohingya population into the country.

“In our county we don’t have refugees. Rohingyas are not refugees. They are displaced people temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh. We did not sign the refugee convention. So, we don’t recognise them as refugees,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told the Bangladesh Post.

“Yes, it’s a pressure. We reject this pressure,” he said as the Washington-based global lender proposed a programme as part of its Refugee Policy Review Framework globally for refugees.

Bangladesh is hosting over 1.2 million forcibly displaced Rohingyas of Myanmar’s Rakhine state and most of them arrived here since August 25, 2017 after a military crackdown which has been termed by the UN a ‘text book example of ethnic cleansing’.

The UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a resolution calling for a solution to the Rohingya crisis in July this year.

This is the first time that any resolution on the issue was adopted in the UN without a vote since the massive influx of the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar into Bangladesh in August 2017.

Dhaka has always been serious about the safe and dignified return of the Rohingyas and signed deals with Myanmar in this regard. The government is also ensuring education to the Rohingya children in their local language so that they can reintegrate once they return to the Rakhine State. However, Myanmar did not take back any Rohingya so far.

The World Bank in its proposal which was sent to the Economic Relations Division suggested steps so that they can be integrated into Bangladesh. Those steps include issuing birth certificate, teaching them local language and providing jobs without any discrimination.

The foreign minister told the Bangladesh Post that the World Bank prepared the report based on 16 countries on how to reintegrate refugees. They will fund those programmes.

“We cannot be a party to this guideline,” he said as the government does not recognise them as refugees.

“They (WB) said they (Rohingya) should get the job in Bangladesh. They should be offered with all rights and privileges as Bangladeshi nationals. Then they can be integrated into the society and they can have a better future”.

“Of course they (Rohingyas) will have a better future back in their country of origin,” said the foreign minister.

“We said no, we don’t agree with this. You give money to them as Rohingya in Bangladesh and you spend it. It’s your duty to give them service. So give them that service.”

Asked about the ramification of rejecting the Washington-based lender’s proposal, the foreign minister said: “We are not that much dependent on aid”.

“We said you take them (Rohingya) to another country and spend your money there. If needed, we will give some funds in that”.