Bangladesh declared on 7th February that it would not permit the entry of any more Rohingya refugees from Myanmar since harbouring the vast majority of them has already jeopardised the country’s security. Obaidul Quader, the minister for road transport and bridges, who is also general secretary of the Awami League, stated, “We will not allow any more Rohingya to enter the country. They have already become a burden for us.”
“We won’t allow any Rohingya to enter the country afresh. Once we opened the border liberally but there is no opportunity to show that generosity again. Rohingyas have become a burden for us. The amount of international aid for the Rohingya has decreased significantly. How long would we carry this burden in this situation,” he asked while addressing a press conference organised at Setu Bhaban (Bridges Building) in the capital’s Banani area.
He added, “This is an internal problem of Myanmar. Conflict with the Arakan Army is their domestic issue. What they would do with their internal affairs is up to them. We will talk to those who are concerned so that we don’t have any panic or concern for their (Myanmar) problem.”
The minister informed that his nation is in negotiations with China and India to make sure that Bangladesh is not impacted by the domestic strife in neighbouring Myanmar, “We are holding talks with China and India, in particular. Our foreign minister has gone to India. We are also discussing with China. The Myanmar ambassador to Bangladesh was summoned. The envoy said Myanmar will take back those who fled to Bangladesh due to the conflict.”
As fighting between Myanmar’s rebel forces and its junta regime intensified, several hundred more people, mostly from the Chakma ethnic group and some Rohingya have gathered on the Myanmar border to enter Bangladesh, per Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and repatriation commissioner based in Cox’s Bazar. Bangladesh, according to him is “overburdened” by Rohingya.
He highlighted, “It has been seven years and we have not been able to repatriate them. Keeping Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh has become a threat to our security, law and order. It is creating a vulnerable situation for cross-border crime.” He pointed out. “The aid agencies that were providing financial support previously are also pulling back and it is creating a lot of economic stress for Bangladesh.”
He urged humanitarian groups such as the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to offer sustenance and medical aid to individuals ensnared in the violence in Myanmar as a result of the continuous fighting. He conveyed, “It will ensure that people do not have to cross the border and come into Bangladesh. It will also reduce the pressure on us.”
A request for a reaction to the minister’s remarks was not immediately answered by the United Nations refugee agency (UNHCR). The organisation had earlier proclaimed, “Over the years, Bangladesh has generously provided sanctuary to those fleeing violence. UNHCR is in constant contact with the Bangladesh authorities and continues to advocate for civilians fleeing violence to have access to safety.”
Shariful Islam, a spokesman for Bangladesh’s Border Guard noted that at least 327 border troops and police from Myanmar, some of whom had been shot had fled to Bangladesh during the last several days due to the rising level of violence. The nation summoned Myanmar’s ambassador on 6th February in protest at the growing violence along the border that has killed two people on the Bangladeshi side, including a Rohingya.
Bangladesh has little chance of repatriating the Rohingya from the world’s largest refugee settlement across the border to Rakhine since Myanmar’s military rulers regard them as foreign interlopers and have refused them citizenship. About a million Rohingya refugees reside in Cox’s Bazar, a border province of Bangladesh after a majority of them escaped a military crackdown in 2017 during an ongoing decade-long conflict. Bangladesh govt has shifted some of the refugees to Bhasan Char, and over 30,000 Rohingya refugees live in modern facilities built on the newly-formed Island.
