Int'l community backs Bangladesh

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali yesterday said an international consensus has been created in support of Bangladesh to end the Rohingya plight, thanks to the country's diplomatic efforts.

Because of Bangladesh's continuous diplomatic efforts, especially after the prime minister's speech in the United Nations General Assembly, the international community understood that the crisis originated in Myanmar and they have to resolve it, the minister told a press briefing at his office.

"Hopefully, this consensus will be bolstered in the coming days," he added.

According to the foreign ministry, over nine lakh Rohingyas are currently living in Bangladesh. Of them, 5.4 lakh have entered the country during the recent influx following violence erupted in Myanmar's Rakhine state on August 25.

On Tuesday, nine United States senators including Republican Marco Rubio in a statement lauded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's efforts to end the crisis, thanking her "for her strong leadership and compassion in keeping Bangladesh's borders open and providing assistance to more than half a million Rohingya refugees."

"We thank you for your courageous efforts to protect the most vulnerable individuals fleeing atrocities in Burma," reads the statement, which was provided at the briefing.

The US senators also commended her call that a UN fact-finding mission be granted immediate access to Rakhine state, given the credible evidence of grave human rights violation, including gender-based violence, the statement adds.

Minister Mahmood Ali said there is no reason to think that powerful nations like China and Russia are against Bangladesh, making it clear that the two nations are with Bangladesh over the Rohingya issue.

Russia is supporting the Kofi Annan Commission report, which is also supported by Bangladesh. China puts stresson solving root causes behind the crisis, which is addressed by Bangladesh in a similar way, he saidwhile replying to a query.

"We are working and progress is visible," he said, adding,a solution to the Rohingya crisis would not come overnight.

On Monday, the European Union Council adopted several conclusions to address the Rohingya issue, informed the minister.

Uttering that the humanitarian and human rights situation in Rakhine is extremely serious, they called for an immediate end to violence in Rakhine, sought permission for humanitarian access to Myanmar, safe repatriation of Rohingyas to their homeland, implementation of the Kofi Annan Commission report, and resolving their citizenship crisis.

On Sunday, the issue of Rohingya crisis was adopted as the only "Emergency Item" by the Governing Council of the 137th Assembly of the Inter-Parliamentary Union through a formal voting session in St Petersburg of Russia.

The issue was jointly tabled by Muslim nations Bangladesh, UAE, Morocco, Indonesia, Sudan, Kuwait, Iran and Turkey and availed 1,027 votes.

On Friday, a closed-door UN Security Council meeting with representation of Bangladesh, Myanmar and Rakhine Advisory Commission Chairman Kofi Anan was held to address the Rohingya issue, Mahmood Ali said.

At the meeting, Bangladesh asserted that in line with Hasina's five-point proposal, steps have to be taken so that all Myanmar nationals living in Bangladesh are repatriated in presence of international organisations and through a "joint verification" process.

Bangladesh has also made a point that Rohingya citizenship issue has to be resolved in line with the Annan Commission report.

France as this month's UNSC chair called the meeting along with the UK.

France Permanent Representative to the UN Francois Delattre in his remarks cited that violence continuing in Myanmar "is an ethnic cleansing happening before our eyes", said Mahmood Ali.

The meeting had two objectives: to refuse and denounce the totally inacceptable status quo and support the recommendations of Kofi Annan in his report and to make progress together on their implementation.

On Thursday, Malaysian Prime Minister Najib Razak in a statement expressed appreciation to his Bangladesh counterpart and the government for allowing Malaysia to establish a field hospital in Cox's 

Bazar, aimed at providing medical relief to the refugees.

"I am extremely saddened by the plight of the large number of Rohingya refugees caught up in the latest conflict in Rakhine state in Myanmar," the Malaysian PM stated in the statement, which was also provided at the briefing.

The Bangladesh foreign minister further said Bangladesh would send envoys to any nation if required for its continuous diplomatic efforts to reach a fruitful solution to the crisis.

He said Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan would visit Myanmar on October 30 and is expected to sign two memorandums of understanding over the issue.