Dhaka calls for urgent steps to find solution

Urging the OIC for a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis, Bangladesh yesterday demanded Myanmar bring back normalcy in Rakhine state immediately and take urgent steps for repatriation and rehabilitation of its Muslim minority people who took shelter in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh also called for ensuring basic rights of Rakhine Muslims and return of refugees and displaced Rohingyas to their homeland as well as restoring their citizenship through necessary review of the existing exclusionary citizenship law.

The call was made by State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam, who led the Bangladesh delegation to the extraordinary session of the OIC Council of Foreign Ministers on the Situation of the Rohingya Muslim Minority in Myanmar.

Security forces in Buddhist-majority Myanmar were accused of widespread abuse against Rohingyas, including killing, rape and torching of thousands of homes, that forced an estimated 65,000 Rohingyas to flee across the border into Bangladesh in the last three months.

Inaugurating the OIC session in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak said the international community cannot remain silent at the continued suffering of the Rohingya Muslims. He demanded Myanmar put an end to the denial of basic rights of Rohingyas and atrocities and violence inflicted on them.

Member states of Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) appreciated Bangladesh's generosity and efforts in hosting hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas for decades and called for their early repatriation, according to a foreign ministry press release.

Shahriar expressed concern over recurrence of instability in Rakhine resulting in Rohingyas being displaced and uprooted from their ancestral homes and compelled to take shelter in Bangladesh.

He stressed the need for ensuring basic rights of the Rakhine Muslims for a durable solution to the problem, with a particular emphasis on restoring their citizenship.

The state minister also demanded urgent measures from Myanmar for repatriation of all documented and undocumented Myanmar nationals, temporarily sheltered in Bangladesh and beyond, to their homeland in Rakhine.

He urged the OIC to continue working for a durable solution to the problem.

OIC's Special Envoy to Myanmar Hamid Albar presented a report on the Rohingyas' plight and highlighted their subjection to atrocities, gross violation of human rights and collective punishment under state-sponsored violence.

He underscored the need for engaging the international community, including the Human Rights Council, with Myanmar and          called upon Myanmar to stop the violence.

 Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi thanked Bangladesh for facilitating her visit to Cox's Bazar to meet Rohingya refugees and the new arrivals from Rakhine and informed the meeting that she would be visiting Sittwe, the capital of Rakhine, shortly.

OIC countries expressed concern about the Rohingyas' plight and called for putting end to discrimination and violence against Rohingyas. 

The resolution and the communique adopted at the end of the meeting emphasised on immediate halt to atrocities, unhindered humanitarian access, end of discrimination, ensuring basic rights including restoration of citizenship through review of the existing law and return of refugees and displaced Rohingyas to Rakhine.

OIC members urged its secretary general to engage more with Myanmar, the United Nations and other international and regional organisations to address the humanitarian situation and to find a durable solution.

 Meanwhile, State Minister Shahriar held bilateral meetings with Malaysian Foreign Minister Anifah Aman, State Minister for Foreign Affairs of Qatar Sultan bin Saad Al Muraikhi and Turkish Deputy Foreign Minister Ahmet Yıldız. He also had a meeting with OIC Secretary General Yousef bin Ahmad Al-Othaimeen.

'END PERSECUTION OF ROHINGYA'

Malaysia yesterday pushed the OIC to pile pressure on Myanmar to end the persecution and killing of ethnic Muslim Rohingyas, reports Kyodo News.

Addressing the OIC meeting, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak warned that if the conflict is not resolved, Southeast Asia will not only see an influx of refugees, but also create a new front for terror groups, such as Islamic State, to exploit and infiltrate.

“I believe I speak for all neighbouring countries when I say that we want to avoid a repeat of the 2015 'boat people' crisis,” he said, referring to thousands of Rohingyas who fled their homeland in Rakhine in boats for Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand in 2015.

Najib said Malaysia will contribute $2.25 million to building infrastructure such as schools and hospitals in Rakhine.

Malaysia is home to about 56,000 Rohingya refugees.

The Rohingyas make up around one million of Myanmar's 50 million population. The government does not regard them as one of the country's 135 official ethnic groups and thus they are denied citizenship.

OIC Secretary General Al-Othaimeen said since the latest military crackdown last October, the grouping received reports of “extrajudicial killings, burning of houses and arbitrary arrests by security forces”, reports that were accompanied by disturbing snapshots of death and destruction.

Al-Othamimeen quoted a report from the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs claiming that between October 9, 2016, and January 5, 2017, over 65,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh.

The defence of Muslim minorities being targeted in this manner is a Charter obligation upon all the OIC member states, he said.