Bangladesh interim government chief adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus has once again called upon the international community to exert pressure on Myanmar and the Arakan Army to immediately stop persecution of the Rohingyas and repatriate them to the Rakhine State for a sustainable solution to the protracted crisis.
Addressing the opening session of the High-Level Conference on the Situation of the Rohingya Muslims and Other Minorities in Myanmar held on Tuesday on the sidelines of the ongoing United Nations General Assembly at the UN Headquarters in New York, he rolled out a seven-point proposal seeking actions from the international community for resolving the crisis as Bangladesh hosts more than 13 lakh displaced people from its neighbour Myanmar.聽
鈥楩irst, devise a practical roadmap for safe and dignified repatriation of the Rohingya with reasonable stabilisation of Rakhine. Second, exert effective pressure on Myanmar and the Arakan Army to end violence against the Rohingya and start their sustainable repatriation, beginning with those who recently arrived in Bangladesh and those who are internally displaced,鈥� said Professor Yunus, also a Nobel Peace laureate.
In the third point, he called for mobilising international support to stabilize Rakhine and place an international civilian presence to monitor stabilisation and in the fourth, for supporting confidence building measures for sustainable integration of the Rohingya in Rakhine society and governance, and in the fifth, he asked for mobilising donors鈥� contributions to fully fund the Joint Response Plan.
In the sixth point, the chief adviser called for pursuing accountability and restorative justice. And finally, he underlined the need for dismantling the narco-economy and combating trans-boundary crimes.
He said that the repatriation of the Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland was the only solution to the crisis, as their plight has continued since the genocide began eight years back in the Rakhine State, now largely controlled by the ethnic armed group Arakan Army.聽
鈥楾he Rohingya crisis originated in Myanmar. Its solution lies there,鈥� Yunus said while leading a Bangladesh delegation to the high-level conference.
He called upon the international community to start working for their expeditious repatriation to Rakhine.
Around 70 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, China, Pakistan and European Union on behalf of its 27 member states, and five international agencies like International Organisation for Migration and International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies joined the conference.
The chief adviser鈥檚 press wing confirmed that India was among those who skipped joining the opening session of the crucial event on the Rohingya crisis.