Rohingya exodus will pose security threat in the region
Security Affairs Adviser to the Prime Minister Maj Gen (retd) Tarique Ahmed Siddique yesterday urged international agencies to work earnestly to ensure a safe environment in Myanmar for the repatriation of Rohingyas.
He pointed out that the exodus of over 1.1 million Myanmar people to Bangladesh will not only pose a security threat to Bangladesh but also to many Asian countries.
“Foreign NGOs like UNHCR and IOM must ensure that they [Rohingyas] will be safe in Myanmar; otherwise they will be too scared to go back,” he said while addressing the inaugural session of a two-day security meet in Dhaka.
Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) arranged the “Second Meeting of Track 1.5 Bimstec Security Dialogue Forum” at its auditorium.
Speaking as chief guest, Siddique said if the Rohingya problem is not solved, apart from Bangladesh, many other nations will be affected.
“We should solve it amicably… should try to concentrate on how to solve the problem [Rohingya crisis]. I’m hopeful about it,” he added.
Highlighting various security threats, Siddique said under the current circumstances, cooperative security is an ideal approach to address regional security.
“The concept of cooperative security believes that nations have more common interests… and some common threats,” he added.
Siddique said recent terrorist attacks in Sri Lanka and India justify the necessity for regional cooperation in countering extremism and terrorism in the Bay of Bengal region.
The security affairs adviser said there are also various types of non-traditional security concerns like climate change, energy crisis, food and security issues, water scarcity, forced migration, displacement, and cybersecurity.
The security expert said Bangladesh has been successfully curbing the menace of terrorism and militancy from its territory, as the present government accelerated the efforts by initiating a “zero tolerance policy”.
“The policy is implemented through combination of enactments of laws, specialised forces and community mobilisation,” he said.
Noting that tracking militant financing is crucial, Siddique said Bangladesh is the first country in South Asia that enacted the Money Laundering Prevention Act-2012. “The government has also announced a zero tolerance policy against drugs.”
Siddique said regional security is vital because every region has its security environment defined by geographical location, and geopolitical and socioeconomic situations.
He said Bimstec member states share similar legacies and are interlinked with values, ethics and destinies.
Population of the Bimstec countries accounts for one-fifth of the world’s population, which offers a huge advantage for achieving secured technology and economic cooperation from the blue economy of the Bay of Bengal, Siddique added.
Acting Foreign Secretary Kamrul Ahasan and Bimstec Director General Ambassador M Shahidul Islam also spoke at the event, chaired by BIISS Director General Maj Gen AKM Abdur Rahman.
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