OIC team starts visiting Rohingya camps today
A delegation from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is set to visit the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar for four days from today.
The team would get first-hand information on the state of human rights violations faced by the Rohingyas in Myanmar to prepare a report.
During the visit, the officials from the OIC General Secretariat would also discuss the humanitarian needs and other issues of concern with the relevant authorities in Bangladesh.
Later, they would submit the report to OIC Secretary General Dr Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen.
A detailed report both on the human rights situation of the Rohingyas in Myanmar and their urgent humanitarian needs would be presented to the upcoming OIC Council of Foreign Ministers scheduled to take place in May this year in Dhaka.
The delegation consists of members of the OIC Independent Permanent Human Rights Commission (IPHRC), one of the principle statutory organs of the OIC, and officials from relevant departments of the OIC General Secretariat, including the Minorities, Information and Humanitarian Affairs.
The visit is undertaken, in coordination with the government of Bangladesh, to ascertain the human rights and humanitarian situation of the Rohingyas in Myanmar, according to an OIC statement.
Despite repeated requests by the IPHRC, the Myanmar authorities did not allow to undertake a fact-finding visit on the human rights situation faced by the Rohingyas in the Rakhine State.
In the absence of a positive response from the Myanmar government, the IPHRC has decided to visit Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar, the statement says.
The IPHRC has routinely pronounced its strong concerns and condemnation on the state of human rights violations faced by the Rohingyas in Myanmar at all relevant UN forums.
The OIC has repeatedly called upon the Myanmar government that Rohingyas must be allowed to return in safety and dignity to their original places of residence and that the authorities must take concrete steps to address the root causes of tensions in Rakhine State.
Meanwhile, Indonesian President Joko Widodo is likely to be here on a two-day official visit this month to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues, including the Rohingya issue.
The two countries are now in discussion to finalise the visit, a foreign ministry source said.
The Indonesian president, during the visit, would have meetings with President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In September last, Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi visited Dhaka and discussed the Rohingya issues.