Myanmar is deceiving us, NHRC chief says

Myanmar is deceiving Bangladesh on repatriating Rohingya refugees, under a bilateral deal signed between the two countries, said National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) Chairperson Kazi Reazul Hoque.

“Myanmar is just playing games…deceiving us. Even their Nobel Laureate [de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi] is doing the same,” he said at a workshop titled “Reflection on Rohingya Crisis: Since and Beyond” organised by Brac at a city hotel yesterday.

He said Myanmar made no progress on repatriation even though Bangladesh signed the deal on November 23 last year. Some 7,50,000 Rohingya fled a military crackdown in Rakhine state of Myanmar since August 2017, which was termed as genocide by rights bodies.

“We thought handling the issue bilaterally would be better, but they didn’t do anything,” Reazul said at the programme attended by government officials, representatives of the UN and NGOs.

On June 6 last year, Myanmar signed a tripartite deal with UN Refugee Agency and UNDP on repatriation of the Rohingyas. However, Rohingyas did not volunteer to return, saying that the conditions in Myanmar were not conducive to safe return and their citizenship was not guaranteed.

Meanwhile, clashes between Myanmar army and Arakan Army, a Buddhist rebel group fighting for autonomy in Rakhine, have escalated since early this year. UN says the situation in Rakhine is not conducive for Rohingya return even now.

Reazul said the ultimate solution is sustainable repatriation of Rohingya from Bangladesh, and called for the international community to create pressure on Myannar.

The world should remember that “the blood of thousands of Rohingyas could have flown into the Naf river” and it could turn into a huge regional problem if Bangladesh had not provided them shelter, he said, demanding the International Criminal Court to bring to book the perpetrators who committed crimes against Rohingyas.

At the workshop, academics and UN officials pointed out some challenges in need of urgent attention, such as, education of the Rohingya children, engaging Rohingya men and women in productive jobs, reducing the risks of human trafficking, protecting them from natural disasters in the upcoming monsoon and environmental degradation.

They said Rohingya youths will become prone to radicalisation if they are not educated and engaged in jobs.

In response, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Abul Kalam Azad said 3,00,000 Rohingya children are now going to informal schools up to class two. The government has approved their education for class three as well. A good number of Rohingya men and women are also employed in temporary jobs in the camps, and many are getting training. Some are also informally engaged in fishing and farming outside the camps, Abul Kalam said.

Host communities are also being affected due to wage competition and rising prices of essentials, he said. Engaging Rohingya in productive jobs requires huge investments, he added.

Turning to Rohingya relocation to Bhashanchar island in Noakhali, where government has built planned accommodation, he said there is no risk of landslide in Bhashanchar, but such risks are high in Cox’s Bazar during monsoon.

Bhashanchar also offers more options of livelihood, he said. However, it is not going to be forced relocation.