There has been no discussion with Bangladesh on the repatriation of Rohingya since the civil war intensified in Myanmar in the last six months. Dhaka-Naypyidaw is now busy with the repatriation of Myanmar's Border Guard Police (BGP) and soldiers who have taken refuge in Bangladesh. Bangladesh recently sent back another 288 BGP military personnel by sea.
At least 330 BGP and army personnel fled to Bangladesh after the civil war intensified in Myanmar. These 330 people were sent back on February 15 after much negotiation between the two countries. The incident did not stop there. The BGP and army members of Myanmar are taking refuge in this country after being chased by regular insurgents. After February 15, BGP armies infiltrated Bangladesh again in small numbers, almost regularly. Bangladesh sent back 288 people again on April 25 after a long discussion. In return, 173 Bangladeshis who were in prison in Myanmar have also returned.
Officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs associated with the BGP-army repatriation process said that several inter-ministerial meetings were held under the leadership of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarding the return of citizens of Myanmar and Bangladesh. The citizens of the two countries were repatriated in view of the decisions taken in these meetings. The process, including the proposal for repatriation, is completed through the Embassy of Myanmar in Bangladesh and the Bangladesh Embassy in Yangon. This program is carried out with the assistance of the Ministry of Home Affairs under the initiative of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Myanmar has also granted amnesty to Bangladeshis serving prison terms in that country. At first, Myanmar agreed to repatriate 144 verified Bangladeshi nationals who had completed prison terms or received amnesty. However, in the special action of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the authorities of the country agreed to end the imprisonment in Myanmar and send them back after verifying the citizenship of all the prisoners and those under trial. As a result, they released 29 more Bangladeshi citizens. The liaison of the Bangladesh Embassy in Yangon and the representative of the Bangladesh Consulate in Sittwe, Arakan coordinated with the Myanmar authorities in this regard.
Those concerned said that the officials of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have to spend a very busy time with the repatriation of the army. So at the moment, there is no discussion of Rohingya repatriation. In addition, the repatriation of several Rohingyas, which was previously agreed upon, has also been blocked due to this situation.
"There is a war in Myanmar. Pushing the Rohingya into this situation would be inhumane. It is inhumane to discuss repatriation amid war. Now the situation is worse than the reason they left the country and came to Bangladesh," Tauhid Hossain, former foreign secretary, told the Khaborer Kagoj in this regard.
However, Dhaka has continued to communicate with other countries even though talks on Rohingya repatriation with Myanmar have 'stopped'. During his visit to India in January, the Foreign Minister discussed Rohingya repatriation with India. Hasan Mahmud. Apart from this, during the recent visit of the Prime Minister to Thailand, the country's assistance in the repatriation of Rohingya was sought.
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud discussed Rohingya repatriation with India during his visit to India in January. Apart from this, during the recent visit of the Prime Minister to Thailand, the country's assistance in the repatriation of Rohingya was sought.
The foreign minister has recently sought the help of Indonesia and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the speedy repatriation of the Rohingyas. Apart from this, due to the diplomatic activities of Bangladesh, the foreign ministers of the G-7 countries have called on Myanmar to repatriate the Rohingyas quickly. The G-7 countries are Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom, and the United States.
'Myanmar's situation has never been better. Sometimes the situation is bad, sometimes good. So, the current situation will not be a hindrance to Rohingya repatriation. We are optimistic about repatriation," said Foreign Minister Dr. Hasan Mahmud.
A report by the Public Security Department to the Home Ministry-related Parliamentary Standing Committee has warned that the ongoing war situation in Myanmar's part across the Teknaf border in Cox's Bazar is likely to deteriorate further in May. As a result, Rohingya infiltration attempts may increase across the Myanmar border at Teknaf. Apart from this, the infiltration of BGP members in Myanmar may also increase.
The report of the Public Security Department of the Ministry of Home Affairs also mentioned some risks. These include controlling the infiltration of Myanmar nationals (Rohingya/Mog), ensuring security along the unprotected land and water border between Bangladesh and Myanmar, preventing illegal smuggling of Rohingya rations, etc.
