State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam, on Sunday, said the United Nations (UN) was not against the government's Bhashan Char Island plan where it wants to accommodate some 100,000 Rohingya refugees.
"UN is not against Bhashan Char...we do not think anyone from the UN is against Bhashan Char," he said.
The state minister made the comment while addressing a seminar titled "Rohingya Crisis: International Role for Tangible Solutions in Rakhine", organized by the Diplomatic Correspondents Association, Bangladesh (DCAB), at the Bangladesh Institute of International and Strategic Studies (BIISS) auditorium in Dhaka, reports UNB.
Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque, UNHCR Representative in Bangladesh, Steven Corliss and DCAB General Secretary, Nurul Islam Hasib were also present at the seminar chaired by DCAB President, Raheed Ejaz.
Previously, the Bangladesh government said relocating the Rohingya people to Bhashan Char would help address overcrowding in Cox's Bazar's Rohingya camps.
The government had informed the heads of three UN agencies, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, Director General of International Organization for Migration (IOM), Antonio Vitorino, and Head of United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mark Lowcock, about this plan.
Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar, most of whom arrived since August 25, 2017.
Speaking at the event, Imtiaz Ahmed, professor of International Relations at the Dhaka University, said climate conditions could put around 100,000 Rohingyas in danger.
"If the international community is so eager to protect their lives, then they should come up with feasible solutions," he added.
At present, the UN is in discussion with the government regarding critical protection, and operational issues that should be considered before any relocation takes place, to ensure that the refugees would be able to live in safe and sustainable living conditions in Bhashan Char.
Expressing his displeasure over the "premature" reporting on Bhashan Char, by two international media outlets, State Minister Shahriar said these reports created confusion as they had "jumped to conclusions" without proper information.
He also said, the report submitted by a representative of the UN to the Security Council did not contain any negative remarks or anything critical regarding the Bhashan Char plan.
In an optimistic note, he said no country in the world, at the present time could be spared for forcibly sending over 1.1 million citizens their country to another through torture and violence.
Speaking at the seminar, UNHCR Representative Corliss said although the Rohingya people wanted to go back to their homeland, they wanted their fundamental rights in place before returning to Myanmar.
"People need to have the confidence to go back," he said, adding that they were better prepared to protect Rohingyas in the camps now even though monsoon was approaching.
Changing approach towards Myanmar
The government needs to change its approach in dealing with Myanmar over the Rohingya issue as the government has a five-year mandate, opined Prof Imtiaz, emphasizing on involving the international community.
"The body language must change when negotiating with Myanmar," he said mentioning that they (Myanmar) was the country that had committed genocide, not Bangladesh.
He added that Bangladesh wanted a "peaceful" solution to the crisis and would remain engaged with Myanmar.
Prof Imtiaz, also director at Centre for Genocide Studies at Dhaka University, said it would be easier to involve the international community in the Rohingya issue in a much bigger capacity now.
"It is now time for Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina to visit China and India to promote amicable solutions, and stretch from repatriation to formation of safe zones inside Myanmar for Rohingyas," he added.
He suggested sending competent representative teams to important capitals around the world to persuade policymakers and other stakeholders to support the Rohingyas.
He further recommended holding an international conference on the Rohingya crisis, inviting all 19 countries hosting a Rohingya population, members of the media, human rights organizations, researchers, and other civil and political stakeholders.
"This should be done every six months—one in Bangladesh and one abroad," Imtiaz said, adding that the publication and dissemination of reports and visual footage from conferences would add to the knowledge on the Rohingyas and put "pressure" on Myanmar.
