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Editorial

Rohingya crisis ticking time-bomb

How it has become a threat to regional stability


Bangladeshpost
Published : 12 Nov 2019 05:50 PM | Updated : 07 Sep 2020 06:41 PM

While opening the three-day ‘Dhaka Global Dialogue-2019’ Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday rightly addressed Rohingyas as a threat to the security not only for Bangladesh but also for the whole region. 

Experts are of the opinion that if the Rohingya issue is left unresolved, the crisis can destabilize the county and the entire region as well. Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar have turned into hotbeds of crime. Criminal gangs, active in the camps, often lock into bloody confrontations over control of markets, Yaba smuggling, and human trafficking. Forty-three Rohingyas were killed in the last two years in internal conflicts among these gangs while 32 others died in gunfights with security forces. Nearly 1,100 Rohingyas have been accused in 471 cases – 208 of them related to narcotics – since the influx began in late August 2017. It is a situation that is inevitable when thousands of desperate people are forced to stay in cramped, unhygienic conditions for months on end.


Rohingya refugees are a ticking time-bomb

 which the authorities concerned 

must address in no time


Rohingyas are now living in deplorable conditions in Bangladeshi camps with little political or social liberties. The only connectivity they have with the external world is through the NGOs and social media connections available to a handful of educated Rohingyas. Experts assert that prolonged stay in the Rohingya camps may convince many Rohingya inmates to adopt militant measures to get back their ancestral homes and fundamental rights. Such a possibility becomes more real when religious zealots can access the Rohingyas and motivate them to seek a route to violence to achieve political and 

social rights. 

The Rohingyas continue to remain the world’s most persecuted minority. When acts of genocide do occur, it leaves lasting memories for the victims, and this could be psychologically destabilizing for children growing up in camps. Many observers believe that the Rohingya refugees are a ticking time-bomb which the authorities concerned must address in no time.

Considering all above it can be said that if the Rohingya crisis is left unsolved in the coming days, a number of threats will emerge to jeopardize stability, peace and security of the entire region. Now the question is, whether or not Myanmar will move from a policy of trickling and tricking of Rohingyas rehabilitation to a more whole-hearted approach.