Wake up Bangladesh, it’s time for a foreign policy!

[wiseone2]

How many times does India need to visit to "strengthen ties"

People need to wake up and smell the coffee, BD is a slave country.

Bangladesh is no slave of India. You have to work with your neighbors

 

[Banglar Bir]

Rohingya repatriation: Myanmar places four conditions
Tribune Desk
Published at 06:20 PM November 15, 2017

A young Rohingya woman in front of her rickety hut at Dargachhara village in Teknaf upazila, Cox's Bazar Syed Zakir Hossain/Dhaka Tribune
Bangladesh has repeatedly denied accepting such conditions
Myanmar government has placed four conditions before it proceeds with the repatriation of Rohingyas who fled their homeland and entered Bangladesh to escape persecution.

According to Kolkata-based newspaper Anandabazar, Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Secretary U Kyaw Zeya marked the conditions as “strict” during an international conference on India-Myanmar relations in Yangon on Friday.
The conditions are-
– Those Rohingyas who can provide documented proof of long-term residence in Myanmar,

– Those Rohingyas who want to return to Rakhine of their own will,

– Those who can prove that they have relatives on the Myanmar side of the border,

– In the case of children, those who can provide evidences their parents are permanent residents of Myanmar.
Myanmar said it will take up to 300 Rohingyas back per day if they can provide the necessary documents.
However, Bangladesh has repeatedly denied accepting any such conditions.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/s...-repatriation-myanmar-places-four-conditions/

 

[Ryuzaki]

At rate of 300/day,it will take years for all Rohingyas to return

 

[Banglar Bir]

UN SC RESOLUTION
A road map for speedy repatriation process of Rohingyas
Abdul Hannan
The latest Security Council consensus statement, the fourth in a row in course of last three months is the most comprehensive, substantive and explicit one providing a framework of road map for speedy repatriation process of Rohingyas to their home in Myanmar.
The statement is clear and forthright with no scope for ambiguity or equivocation and calls upon the stakeholders of the crisis to get down to business in right earnest in cooperation with the UN and other relevant international organisations immediately.

The Security Council strongly condemned the violence that has caused more than 600,000 Rohingyas to flee Myanmar to Bangladesh.
The statement called on Myanmar to ensure no further excessive use of military force in Rakhine state and expressed grave concern at human rights violation.
The statement stressed the importance of bringing those responsible for human rights violation accountable.
Suu Kyi’s predictable reaction
Britain initially circulated a security resolution with similar language backed by France and the US. But the resolution was legally binding and China strongly opposed it. So Britain and France turned the resolution into a presidential statement which nonetheless remains the strongest Council statement ever on the issue, albeit without the clout and weight of a resolution.

The British and French delegations in the Council received well deserved thanks and appreciation from the permanent representative of Bangladesh for their persistent and active interest for adopting the most comprehensive statement on the matter.

The most important operative paragraph in the statement is when it urged upon the government of Myanmar to work with the government of Bangladesh and the UN to allow the voluntary return of all refugees in condition of safety and dignity to their homes in Myanmar.
The Security Council statement also urged upon Myanmar and Bangladesh to invite the UN High commissioner for refugees and other relevant international organisations to participate fully in the joint working group for implementation of repatriation process.

This last proposal rankled in the mind of Myanmar which sharply reacted that UN involvement would seriously harm the current bilateral negotiations. Her argument is ridiculous as she wants the joint working group to remain confined to bilateral negotiation between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

The reason of Myanmar de facto leader Suu Kyi’s displeasure and adverse reaction of denunciation of council proposal as an undue pressure is not far to seek. Myanmar wants to pursue a policy of foot dragging, soft peddling and subterfuge through bilateral protracted talks. Her obduracy and intransigence on the matter is clear.
By her angry reaction she has only betrayed her hypocrisy and perfidy to thwart and frustrate the repatriation process with one pretext or another.
Follow Security Council’s roadmap
The recent Ananda Bazar disclosure of absurdity of her four conditions of verifying the bonafide of residence in Myanmar of Rohingya refugees is a case in point. But she should understand that the plight of Rohingyas is now fully internationalised and its solution involves participation of international community. There is no getting away from it.
The Security Council has provided the road map for expeditious solution of the crisis and Myanmar military authorities should implement it with unquestioning obedience.

Now during the forthcoming visit of our Foreign Minister to Myanmar, he should insist on inviting participation of UNHCR and other relevant organisations in the joint working group in accordance with the directive in the security council statement and not fall into the trap of bilateral negotiations as laid down by Myanmar as a delaying tactics.
Our civil society has always expressed concern about the potential danger of bilateral negotiations without UN and international participation to resolve the problem.

Myanmar delegation in the Council debate continued to refuse to face the reality of Rohingya situation in the face and shifted the blame on so called terrorist attacks by Rohingyas as the root cause.

Bangladesh representative Masud bin Momen regretted the continual denial by Myanmar and nailed the lie of so called terrorist attack as a fiction and figment of imagination. He said that time was of essence to solve the massive humanitarian catastrophe caused by exodus of persecuted and displaced Rohingyas to Bangladesh.
Pressures mounting on Myanmar
The pressure on Myanmar is mounting. The 3rd committee of the UN General Assembly is soon going to pass a resolution on Rohingya crisis seeking early repatriation of Rohingyas to their homes in Myanmar. The Council statement also wanted the secretary general to appoint a special representative to supervise the repatriation process.

The statement was serious when it urged upon the secretary general to report progress on the matter to the Security Council after 30 days.
Unless Myanmar wish to be consigned once again as an international pariah, she should heed the counsels of good sense, honour and dignity by the international public opinion.
Abdul Hannan is a columnist and former diplomat.
http://www.weeklyholiday.net/Homepage/Pages/UserHome.aspx

 

[Banglar Bir]

Chinese foreign minister to visit Myanmar, Bangladesh amid Rohingya crisis
Reuters
Published at 08:22 PM November 16, 2017
Last updated at 08:25 PM November 16, 2017

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi REUTERS
China and Myanmar have for years maintained close economic and diplomatic relations
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi will visit Myanmar and Bangladesh from this weekend, his ministry said on Thursday, amid a crisis over Myanmar’s treatment of Rohingyas.

More than 610,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since late August, driven out by a military counter-insurgency clearance operation in Buddhist-majority Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

A top UN official has described the military’s actions as a textbook case of “ethnic cleansing”. Myanmar rejects accusations of rights abuses.

China has expressed support for what it calls the Myanmar government’s efforts to protect stability.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters that Wang would go to Bangladesh and Myanmar this weekend where he would meet his counterparts and exchange views on bilateral ties and issues of mutual regional concern.

On Monday and Tuesday, Wang would attend a meeting of Asian and European foreign ministers in the Myanmar capital of Naypyitaw, Geng added.

He did not say whether Wang would discuss the Rohingya issue.

China and Myanmar have for years maintained close economic and diplomatic relations.

The United States and other Western countries have become more engaged with Myanmar in recent years, since it began a transition to civilian government after nearly 50 years of military rule.

International concern over the Rohingya situation has grown.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson called during a visit to Myanmar on Wednesday for a credible investigation into reports of human rights abuses against the Rohingya committed by Myanmar’s security forces.
http://www.dhakatribune.com/world/s...-minister-visit-myanmar-amid-rohingya-crisis/

 

[Banglar Bir]

Rohingya issue: Bangladesh caught in its short-sightedness
Published: 00:05, Nov 29,2017 | Updated: 01:15, Nov 29,2017

WHY no one seems to be too enthusiastic about the recently signed MoU between Bangladesh and Myanmar on Rohingya repatriation is best explained when our foreign minister says that it has been drafted as Myanmar desired. He added that Bangladesh is happy that Myanmar has agreed to take some of them back.
But Myanmar may be comfortable that the heat will be low now after the MoU and, of course, it can send more refugees any time and Bangladesh can do little about it. Rohingya situation/status has not changed since 1977 and Bangladesh remains at the mercy of Myanmar’s political will.

The facilitator appears to be China who was beginning to feel the heat internationally and knew that at some point of time, the United States might offer something to Bangladesh or do something that could make China uncomfortable.

China’s stake in Myanmar is high and it can still call the shots there and that is what mattered in the end. It came to Bangladesh and reduced the multi-lateral directions that Bangladesh was being forced to take and made it firmly bilateral under Chinese supervision. It was what both China and Myanmar had wanted knowing from the past that Bangladesh’s capacity to diplomatically handle the Rohingya on its own is limited.
Does the MoU mean much?
THE MoU basically takes the heat off Myanmar and gives China more space to pursue OBOR and other economic priorities. But it leaves Bangladesh as vulnerable as before. Given that the MoU follows the 1992 framework closely, the flaws of that one remains. It appears hurriedly cobbled together but as pro-Bangladesh government analysts are saying, It is a beginning at least.

A critical part of the MoU say, only those who came after the alleged ARSA attack will qualify to be considered for repatriation. By doing so, Bangladesh has endorsed the Myanmar, China and Russian position that all of this was due to Rohingya insurgency and not Myanmar army activities.

This also means that the Rohingya refugees before the alleged attack have lost the right to return as the MoU specifically denies/ignores the existence of any such people making the return of all Rohingyas impossible. Thus, about 4,00,00 are now here to stay as Myanmar wanted. It also relieves itself of any accusation that an ethnic cleansing took place.

Ethnic cleansing was actually used by the United Nations which has said that the situation in Myanmar is not fit for the refugees to return. Our media also report that most Rohingyas now in the camps are also not willing to return either. Where does the situation go from here now?
Will refugees return if they at all go back?
IT IS certainly not in favour of the refugees because they are not even a party to the discussion. It is an MoU between Myanmar, which does not recognise the Rohingyas as its citizens, and Bangladesh, which does not accept them as refugees. In this strange quandary, the Rohingyas have no role to play. They are not just victims but invisible too.

But several issues have been mentioned regarding their return to Myanmar which may mean that this is just a time-buyer and another deluge is possible in future. This is apart from the fact that many may not be able to prove their status as residents of Myanmar as mentioned in the MoU.

The 1993 term was vague on their status and the citizenship or associate citizenship is not about to be returned to them; so, even if they do return, they will be housed in temporary shelters and camps which many fear will be used to coerce them again. In that case, what guarantee is there that they will not escape back to Bangladesh? Commenting on the MoU, the Australian web site ‘Conversation’ which has covered the issue since the crisis says:

‘The idea of voluntary return stems from a 1993 agreement between Bangladesh and Myanmar, under which those Rohingyas who can prove their identity must fill in forms with the names of family members, their previous address in Myanmar, their date of birth, and a disclaimer that they are returning voluntarily. But those who do choose to return will face extortion, arbitrary taxation, and restrictions on freedom of movement. Many will be required to undertake forced labour, and some will face state-sponsored violence and extrajudicial killings.’
Given this scenario, how far will the MoU guarantee a safe repatriation?
It is admitted by all that China has played a critical part in getting the MoU signed as all the negative publicity was hurting China’s image as the prime vendor in the region. China needs aggressive marketing stances which have stumbled a bit recently in the region. However, it remains strong enough to push Myanmar and Bangladesh to a MoU and in this equation the Rohingyas are not a factor.

The problem is that an MoU that was signed and admitted by the foreign minister was largely done as sought by Myanmar. The world has cited evidence of ethnic cleansing and the people responsible are still in power. No dates and guidelines, no guarantee of safety, no involvement of the United Nations — barring consultation with the UNHCR — if and when Myanmar decides, and, of course, no mention of any long-term plan that leaves Bangladesh as vulnerable as before to a fresh exodus.

Will Bangladesh force the Rohingyas to return if they refuse as it looks like? Will they erect fences to prevent another exodus? At this point, it seems more like a victory for China followed by Myanmar and a helpless Bangladesh caught in the trap of its own short-sightedness.

Afsan Chowdhury is a journalist and researcher.
http://www.newagebd.net/article/29354/rohingya-issue-bangladesh-caught-in-its-short-sightedness

 

[Banglar Bir]

Rohingya crisis: 73 countries respond to Bangladesh’s call at UNHRC
Sheikh Shahriar Zaman
Published at 01:50 AM December 04, 2017

Rohingya refugee children carry supplies through Balukhali refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, October 23, 2017 Reuters
China and India have refrained from taking a side, but Bangladesh is continuing diplomatic effort to get its powerful neighbours on board
Bangladesh is yet to sidestep from mounting international pressure on Myanmar even after signing a bilateral agreement on Rohingya repatriation. And as a part of the process, the government has invoked the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) to call a special session to discuss the human rights condition of the Muslims and the other minorities in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia recently sent a notice to the UNHRC in this regard, and received support of 33 of the 47 member states. Also, 40 other states, which are not UNHRC members, have given their support to the move.

Although, China and India refrained from taking a side, Bangladesh is continuing diplomatic efforts to get its powerful neighbours on board.

A Bangladesh government official said they were trying to adopt a unanimous resolution regarding the special UNHRC session.

All the subjects mentioned at UN’s Third Committee Resolution are also in the latest resolution of UNHRC. Some new issues have also been appended with it, another official added.

In the Third Committee Resolution, Myanmar was asked to reconsider its 1982 Citizenship Act to provide the Rohingyas with full-fledged citizenship. The resolution had also asked the Myanmar government to bring those involved in the Rohingya persecution to book.

Asked which elements were added to this resolution, the second official said: “We want the UNHRC to be more involved with the issue and that is why we have made the special recommendation.”

For and against Bangladesh’s call
Among the 47 UNHRC member states, China has always been on the side of Myanmar. They had asked Bangladesh to be more ductile and resolved the issue bilaterally.

Referring to this, the government official said: “Our effort to have China change their position is still on.”

Regarding India’s stance, the official said: “We are also maintaining contact with India. We want the resolution to be unanimously adopted. Even if any nation chooses to go against it, we still believe the resolution will be accepted nevertheless receiving majority vote.”

More than 620,000 Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh in the face of an ethnic cleansing carried out by Myanmar military forces in Rakhine state since August 25.

Since then, the Bangladesh government has been making extensive diplomatic efforts to stop the atrocity and send back the Rohingya refugees to their homeland.
The article was first published on banglatribune.com
http://www.dhakatribune.com/bangladesh/nation/2017/12/04/rohingya-crisis-rights-council/