It was only a few days ago that we editorialized on how the international community needs to pro-actively put pressure on Myanmar so that it would own up to the atrocities committed by its army against the Rohingya and create an environment suitable for repatriation.
The most recent resolution adopted by the UN, on the “situation in Myanmar,” would have been a good opportunity for the UN and its members to agree upon actions specific to ensure Myanmar’s cooperation in the repatriation process.
Unfortunately, the resolution failed to address the Rohingya crisis completely.
While it is understandable that the resolution would focus on the current democratic crisis Myanmar is going through, to say nothing at all regarding the Rohingya is unacceptable. The Rohingya faced brutal violence and indescribable atrocities at the hands of the army, the very same army that has now forcefully seized control and is in charge.
Such an omission of the Rohingya crisis by the UN is not only disappointing, it is also an insult to the suffering of the Rohingya, who have for years demanded justice for the crimes committed against them.
And Bangladesh, despite being a lower middle-income nation, despite its burgeoning population and limited resources, is the one who has shown tremendous generosity in giving them a place to live with human dignity, something that their own country of Myanmar never gave them.
Under such circumstances, one cannot help but agree with Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Rabab Fatima when she says that such an omission nurtures a “sense of impunity” in Myanmar -- leaving the Rohingya crisis in the past, unworthy of attention, destined to be forgotten.
That is not something that can be allowed to happen -- Bangladesh must keep making noise regarding the issue, for the Rohingya have waited long enough, and the international community cannot ignore the crisis as simply yesterday’s news.
