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Rohingya repatriation anytime: Shahidul Haque


Published : 18 Aug 2019 09:36 PM | Updated : 05 Sep 2020 04:30 AM

The process to repatriate Rohingyas will begin any day, Foreign Secretary Shahidul Haque said on Sunday. “Rohingyas will be sent back to their homeland any day,” said the Secretry. He came up with this statement at a seminar on ‘Rohingya Crisis: Ways Forward’ organized by Green and Red Research at BIISS auditorium in the city.

He said, “This is an ongoing process, work is underway on behalf of the government.” Haque further said, “There are many people who are trying to manipulate the process and jeopardize the initiative. All efforts will not be successful.” “We will encourage the Rohingyas to return to their homeland. It is not only in Bangladesh, it is also the main purpose of the initiative that we have agreed to,” he mentioned.

“If they do not go back, they will lose not only their rights to the land, but also all their rights,” he added. We strongly believe that the refugees will return with respect and dignity,” the Foreign Secretary said, adding that for this, the talks are going on between the two governments and it is expected to further progress in the next two weeks.

According to the report published in the international media, the Rohingya repatriation will begin from August 22, in this regard, Shahidul Haque said, "We are continuing discussions with the world community. Hopefully, the process can begin any day now.” Former National Human Rights Commission Chairman Prof Mizanur Rahman said, "We did not give shelter to the Rohingya as refugees, they were given shelter for humanitarian reasons."

“Due to the fact that our country is populated, it is not possible to relocate such a large number of people locally,” he said. “We thought the neighboring countries (ASEAN) would come to support the crisis and help find a solution, but they did not. The world is silently watching while genocide has been committed. The world has not taken expected initiatives to help us repatriate the refugees.”

Former chairman of BIISS governing body Munshi Faiz Ahmed said “The Rohingya crisis was created by Myanmar leaders. Hence, they have to solve it.” He said “We are hoping that the Rohingya repatriation start at least in the small scale, if the Rohingya return to their homeland, then the demand can be discussed later.”

He demanded that the repatriation of the Rohingyas should be safe with respect and dignity.” Representatives from various NGOs and embassies participated in the seminar.