Rohingya refugees major threat to regional security
Speakers at a panel discussion yesterday said Rohingya refugee problem in Bangladesh constitutes a major problem for the entire region, as under the condition the refugees are living has the potential for giving birth to insurgent groups.
“The problem regarding Rohingya refugee is no longer a problem only for Bangladesh, rather a regional issue. And it would be a bigger problem for the region in future,” said Prof Imtiaz Ahmed.
He said, “It has been a problem for the country years after years and remains the same and there was no change in the situation. Thailand, India and Indonesia have already got involved in the issue and hope there would be some change this time. There has to be an international burden bearing to resolve the problem.”
Focusing on the endless problems facing the Rohingyas, Imtiaz said, “There should have hundreds of insurgent groups under the circumstances they are living. If they live in such circumstances, they would definitely end up becoming violent while the children would end up being soldiers.”
The country should raise the issue at global level and seek international support, suggesting that a meeting of the stakeholders at the national level is required to first brainstorm and fine-tune such an initiative, he added.
The discussion on 'The Rohingyas: From stateless to refugee' was organised by Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) at its office in the city with its Director General Maj Gen Sheikh Md Monirul Islam in the chair.
Former defence attaché of Bangladesh to Myanmar Brig Gen (retd) Salim Akhtar said, “The problem exposed us to near to war once. We are in no condition to go in any kind of war. So, the problem must be addressed by international effort.”
He suggested that Bangladesh provide support to the Rohingya refugees in terms of their skill development and education and the government should also track down the undocumented refugees, because they may get connected to international gunrunning and militancy.
He also suggested bringing the Rohingya leaders to the negotiating table to understand the realities of the situation and finding out a key solution.
Prof Anwar Hossain said, “Multi-dimensional effort is necessary to address the problem regarding the Rohingya refugee. At first, the problem is humanitarian, then demographical and it is concerned with security of the country.”
“The only way out is to address the problem multilaterally with involvement of regional countries,” he added.
Ambassadors of Indonesia, India and Thailand were also present at the discussion and felt the necessity of a combined regional effort to solve the problem.
“Camps are expensive to run. Camps are also discriminatory for the Bangladeshi people living around the area the Rohingya camps are settled,” said Arjun Jain, acting representative of United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
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