Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain has criticized the way Bangladesh signed a deal with Myanmar in 2017 to repatriate Rohingyas.
“Many in the government thought the issue would be resolved like before, and that’s why they signed the deal hastily. I think it might have been better not to sign the deal at all,” he said during a national dialogue on the Rohingya crisis held on Saturday in Dhaka.
He lamented that the agreement has still not been implemented.
“At that time, we said it would not be implemented because the way the Rohingyas were evicted was different from before,” said Touhid Hossain, who had written regular newspaper columns on the issue as a former foreign secretary.
The South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG) at North South University (NSU) organized the national dialogue titled "Towards National Consensus on Bangladesh's Rohingya Policy" at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS).
Speakers at the dialogue discussed various initiatives to address the Rohingya issue, with experts emphasizing the urgent need for the repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh, especially in the context of national security.
The primary goal of the discussion was to create a coordinated and united approach to managing one of Bangladesh's most significant challenges.
Since 2017, Bangladesh has sheltered over one million Rohingya refugees fleeing persecution in Myanmar, resulting in substantial social, economic, and political pressures on the country.
The governments of Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the bilateral “Arrangement on the Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State” on November 23, 2017, to repatriate the Rohingyas.
Adviser Touhid Hossain said the Rohingya crisis is a very complex issue that cannot be solved quickly.
“However, we have seen a deal signed hastily. Eight years have passed, and nothing significant has happened. We need to approach this in a way that ensures the Rohingyas can return to their homeland with their rights and safety protected,” he said. “To achieve that, Myanmar's authorities must be trusted, and we need to involve the international community.”
“My personal belief is that change will not happen through words alone. Yes, we must focus on negotiations, but if Myanmar refuses to come to the negotiating table, there should be consequences. This must be guaranteed. Words alone will not help. It is in their best interest to resolve the issue, and we must create conditions that make resolution more likely,” the foreign adviser added.
He also noted that the government cannot have direct relations with the Arakan Army, as it is considered a non-state actor. However, informal and semi-formal relations are possible.
“In Rakhine, without the involvement of the Arakan Army, the central government cannot resolve the crisis. We cannot ignore their role,” he said.
Touhid Hossain criticized the previous government’s policy of not fostering Rohingya leadership. “Rohingya leadership needed to grow, but we did not allow it,” he said.
“We couldn’t ensure security for the leadership that did emerge, and as a result, alternative leadership formed from criminal elements. This was a mistake, but it’s better late than never.”
“We need to support legitimate Rohingya leadership. If we can do that, it will help us in the long run,” he added.
“We also need to ensure a minimum deterrence, something we once had but no longer do. This is something we need to address,” he said.
The adviser emphasized the importance of next year’s high-level conference on the Rohingya crisis.
"It will not solve the crisis, but it’s important," he said. "There’s a term called ‘crisis fatigue,’ and we must not allow the international community to forget the Rohingya issue amid other global concerns."
He suggested that China could play a more active role in resolving the crisis but cautioned that China, like any other nation, will prioritize its own interests. “India will also pursue its own interests,” he added.
On the issue of employment, the adviser pointed out that it’s crucial to ensure local host communities do not suffer.
“Through some corrupt practices, some Rohingyas leave the camps in the morning and return in the evening,” he said, explaining that this is impacting the local job market. “They receive rations, so they can work at a cheaper rate.”
"But I fully support the idea of ensuring their education from grades 8 to 10 with a Myanmar curriculum by recruiting teachers from the Rohingya community,” he added.
He lamented the persistent lack of national consensus in the country, regardless of who is in power. “The opposition always opposes government decisions, making it difficult to proceed with critical issues,” he said.
“When we wanted to move forward on certain matters, we couldn’t,” he recalled, based on his foreign office experiences. “My plea is for us to develop a national consensus. If we can achieve that, it will strengthen our internal unity.”