Bangladesh's premier slams Myanmar for failing to cooperate with efforts to repatriate Rohingya

By Md. Kamruzzaman

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina slammed Myanmar's military junta on Thursday for refusing to cooperate in regional and international efforts to return Rohingya refugees peacefully.

She made the accusation during a media briefing in Dhaka to highlight her recent visit to the US, where she attended the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

In a written speech, Hasina said: "Bangladesh has taken many bilateral, trilateral and multilateral initiatives to repatriate the Rohingya with safety and dignity to their home country. But the sustainable repatriation of Rohingya could not be started till date due to the lack of political wills of Myanmar government."

Bangladesh currently hosts over 1.2 million persecuted Rohingya in 34 overcrowded makeshift camps on a large hilly forest site in Cox's Bazar, the country's southern tourist hub and border district, after fleeing a brutal military crackdown in their home country of Myanmar's Rakhine State in Aug. 2017.

Hasina said, "Bangladesh has been hosting more than 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingya for above five years. We are providing shelter for the oppressed people on humanitarian grounds."

Referring to her speech at the 77th session of the UNGA in September, the premier said she had called on the UN to put effective pressure on Myanmar, a Buddhist-majority east Asian country, to create a suitable environment in Rakhine State for peaceful and dignified repatriation of Rohingya.

She also mentioned the Russia-Ukraine crisis, urging world leaders to take strong and coordinated action to end the conflict and tackle the effects of climate change.

- US sanction on elite force questioned

Hasina also criticized the US sanctions imposed on the country’s elite police unit, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), for alleged human rights violations.

She claimed that the force was provided training, weapons, and other technologies by the US. "So, why are sanctions imposed on the RAB, which is working to eradicate terrorism in Bangladesh?” Hasina questioned the Biden administration.

In December last year, the US Treasury Department sanctioned the RAB and seven of its past and current officials for alleged human rights violations, including extrajudicial killings and enforced disappearances.

Bangladesh, however, refuted the allegations and stated that the force has been working diligently to preserve human rights and combat terrorism.