[🇧🇩] Insurgencies in Myanmar. Implications for Bangladesh

[Saif]

Saudi for quick renewal of 69,000 passports

Saudi authorities on Sunday wanted a faster renewal of 69,000 Bangladeshi passports issued to Rohingya people over the years, prompting the Bangladesh authorities to seek...

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Saudi for quick renewal of 69,000 passports
Muktadir Rashid 13 May, 2024, 00:16

Saudi authorities on Sunday wanted a faster renewal of 69,000 Bangladeshi passports issued to Rohingya people over the years, prompting the Bangladesh authorities to seek six more months for necessary steps.

A six-member Saudi delegation, headed by the kingdom's deputy interior minister Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Daoud, flagged the issue once again during a bilateral meeting with a Bangladeshi delegation, headed by home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, in Dhaka.

The meeting was held for three hours at a hotel near Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport a day after the arrival of the Saudi delegation on a chartered plane on Saturday night.

This is the second such meeting between Bangladesh and Saudi authorities over the renewal of 69,000 Bangladeshi passports in less than two years.

In November 2022, the Saudi deputy interior minister visited Dhaka and raised the same issue with the home ministry.

All expats living in Saudi Arabia, from children to adults to the elderly, need an Iqama, an official identification document in the kingdom that allows the individual to open a bank account, sign rental agreements, enter government buildings, and even get their first Saudi SIM card.

A copy of the passport is required, among others, to get the Iqama.

Bangladesh officials told New Age that the Saudi authorities had threatened that they would deport thousands of people to Bangladesh if their Bangladeshi passports were not renewed.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan, however, believed that the Saudi authorities would not deport them, saying that the delegation had inquired about the process of renewing 69,000 Bangladeshi passports.

He claimed a number of Rohingyas using Bangladeshi passports have gone to Saudi Arabia since the mid-1970s, and their passports needed to be renewed.

Asaduzzaman could not say the exact number but added that many of them travelled to Saudi Arabia in 1973–74.

A document related to the matter read, 'necessary steps will be taken for the renewal of their passports within six months.'

Referring to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between Dhaka and Riyadh regarding the renewal of passports, Asaduzzaman said that the Saudi delegation wanted to know if Dhaka had any problems materialising it.

The minister said that Saudi Arabia wanted to sign an extradition treaty with Bangladesh.

The Saudi deputy minister did not make any comments.

The home minister said that they had discussed ways of extending cooperation to enhance the capacity of the Border Guard Bangladesh and the police.

Dhaka also informed the Saudi delegation that they could consider recruiting Ansar members for jobs in the kingdom.

He also sought their cooperation to resolve the Rohingya crisis.​

 

[Saif]

How China, India and Bangladesh could be drawn into Myanmar’s conflict | Lowy Institute

Rakhine state has become a de facto battleground for the competing interests of Beijing, Delhi and Dhaka.

www.lowyinstitute.org

How China, India and Bangladesh could be drawn into Myanmar's conflict
DAVID BREWSTER
Rakhine state has become a de facto battleground for the competing interests of Beijing, Delhi and Dhaka.

Insurgency in Myanmar's western Rakhine state has particular consequences for the broader region (STR/AFP via Getty Images)
Published 8 Nov 2022

The 2021 military coup in Myanmar sparked renewed civil conflict between Myanmar government forces, the Tatmadaw, and perhaps a dozen insurgent groups seeking their own ethnic states. Many of these conflicts have cross-border implications, but the insurgency in Rakhine state has particular consequences for the broader region. China has already been drawn into the conflict in Rakhine state to protect key interests, and India and Bangladesh could soon follow. This may produce unpredictable outcomes.

Over the last decade or more, Myanmar's Rakhine state, which borders southern Bangladesh, has been the scene of brutal ethnic cleansing. In 2017, the Tatmadaw, working with local nationalists, violently expelled more than 700,000 Rohingya people – mostly Muslims – from Myanmar. Around a million now live in festering conditions in the world's largest refugee camp at Cox's Bazar in southern Bangladesh.

The Bangladesh government takes the position that the presence of the Rohingya people on their territory is only temporary and that, one way or another, they must be repatriated to their homeland in Rakhine. But all attempts have been stonewalled by Myanmar authorities.

The Tatmadaw is in retreat and could be expelled from much of Rakhine state. This has some potentially far-reaching consequences for the broader region.

The situation has been further destabilised in the last several months by renewed fighting between the Tatmadaw and local separatists, the Arakan Army, who have taken control of large areas, including the north, much of central Rakhine, and the border with Bangladesh. The Tatmadaw is in retreat and could be expelled from much of Rakhine state. This has some potentially far-reaching consequences for the broader region.

China has significant interests in Rakhine, principally the protection of its transport and economic corridor between southern China and the Bay of Bengal, a key element in the Belt and Road Initiative. This includes the newly-built Kyaukphyu port on the Bay of Bengal and a pipeline and planned road and rail links between the port and southern China. Together, these give China direct access to the Bay of Bengal for the first time in history, with considerable implications for the regional balance of power.

With renewed fighting in Rakhine, China is seeking to protect its investments in the Kyaukphyu corridor by providing substantial support for the Arakan Army, including money and arms. This allows China to gain leverage against the Tatmadaw and hedge its bets.

In 2017, more than 700,000 Rohingya – mostly Muslims – were expelled from Myanmar. Around a million now live in festering conditions in the world's largest refugee camp at Cox's Bazar, southern Bangladesh (Allison Joyce/UN Women/Flickr)

Chinese support for the Arakan Army also provides other benefits, particularly in relation to India's competing Kaladan project in Rakhine, which would connect the Bay of Bengal with India's northeast. The Kaladan project involves construction of new port facilities at Sittwe, a river transit system and a road to India's Mizoram state. When completed, this would provide a direct link between the Indian Ocean and India's northeast states, which are only otherwise tenuously connected with the rest of India.

Delhi hopes the Kaladan corridor will be a driver of economic development in India's northeast. It is also anticipated that it will reduce India's reliance on Bangladesh for transit routes – with some important implications for relations between those two countries.

But there have been long delays in completing the Kaladan corridor, and the Arakan Army has recently seized key territory along the corridor, which gives it considerable bargaining power with India. It is not clear whether India will do a deal with the Arakan Army, or if it will just double down on its long-running support for the Tatmadaw.

Neighbouring Bangladesh also has crucial interests in Rakhine. Fighting in the state is increasingly spilling across the border, stymying Bangladesh's hopes to repatriate Rohingya refugees. Aside from whether Myanmar authorities would ever allow the return of the Rohingyas they recently expelled, the international community would not countenance the repatriation of refugees into a war zone. There seems little chance that Bangladesh could move forward with repatriation in the foreseeable future with the Tatmadaw's agreement.

The takeover of Rakhine state by the Arakan Army would come with risks for all concerned, including whether it could achieve lasting stability and security.

For years, Bangladesh has approached its difficult neighbour with great caution, seeking to de-escalate and de-militarise cross-border violations. But with frustrations building in Dhaka, there may be a hardening in its response and a search for new approaches to the Myanmar problem.

The Tatmadaw claims that the Arakan Army already finds safe havens in ethnically related communities in remote Bangladesh border areas. Bangladesh officially denies this. But there may be growing temptations in Dhaka to assist the Arakan Army's ambitions for an autonomous state. Indeed, Arakan Army control of Rakhine probably provides the only realistic pathway for the repatriation of at least some Rohingyas.

The Arakan Army recently pledged to recognise the citizenship rights of what they call "Myanmar Muslims" and to allow those who still remain in Rakhine to "participate" in any future administration. But many Rohingyas view these statements with deep scepticism given long-running Arakanese nationalist sentiments against Rohingyas. Indeed, some recent incidents, such as shelling of border areas, suggest that the Arakan Army may be trying to fuel tensions between Bangladesh and the Tatmadaw for their own ends.

The takeover of Rakhine state by the Arakan Army would come with risks for all concerned, including whether it could achieve lasting stability and security.

The Tatmadaw's response is difficult to predict. India, too, has strong reasons not to see a group that is in league with China take control of Rakhine. A fully independent Rakhine state could also lead to the further splintering of Myanmar, with unpredictable consequences.

Of all Myanmar's internal conflicts, this is the one to watch. The conflict in Rakhine, fuelled by major power competition and the Rohingya crisis, may have significant ramifications far beyond Myanmar's borders.​

 

[Saif]

Recruits march to training as junta presses conscription

Myanmar’s embattled junta is pressing ahead with military conscription, state media said yesterday, with video footage showing new recruits being marched to training centres across the country.

www.thedailystar.net

MYANMAR CONFLICT
Recruits march to training as junta presses conscription

Myanmar's embattled junta is pressing ahead with military conscription, state media said yesterday, with video footage showing new recruits being marched to training centres across the country.

The military is struggling to crush widespread opposition to its rule following its 2021 coup that ended an experiment with democracy and plunged Myanmar into turmoil.

In February the junta said it would enforce a law allowing it to call up all men aged 18-35 to serve in the military, sending thousands queueing for visas outside foreign embassies in Yangon.

Junta number two Soe Win visited Yangon on Monday and was briefed on "systematic selection" of those being called up, the Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said. The first batch of recruits began training in April, according to broadcaster MRTV, which did not say how many had been signed up. Recruits from the second batch have begun arriving at their training camps, according to a montage broadcast by MRTV last week.

The images showed dozens of men, purportedly at different locations, walking in lines to training centres, some led by soldiers or marching bands.​

 

[Saif]

Myanmar junta presses conscription

Myanmar’s embattled junta is pressing ahead with military conscription, state media said on Tuesday, with video footage showing new recruits being marched to training centres across the country...

www.newagebd.net

Myanmar junta presses conscription
Agence France-Presse . Yangon 14 May, 2024, 23:32

Myanmar's embattled junta is pressing ahead with military conscription, state media said on Tuesday, with video footage showing new recruits being marched to training centres across the country.

The military is struggling to crush widespread opposition to its rule following its 2021 coup that ended an experiment with democracy and plunged Myanmar into turmoil.

In February the junta said it would enforce a law allowing it to call up all men aged 18-35 to serve in the military, sending thousands queueing for visas outside foreign embassies in Yangon.

Junta number two Soe Win visited Yangon on Monday and was briefed on the 'systematic selection' of those being called up, the state-owned Global New Light of Myanmar newspaper said.

The first batch of recruits began training in April, according to state broadcaster MRTV, which did not say how many had been signed up.

Recruits from the second batch have begun arriving at their training camps, according to a montage broadcast by MRTV last week.

The images showed dozens of men, purportedly at different locations across the country, walking in lines to training centres, some led by soldiers or marching bands.

Groups of women and soldiers formed tunnels to greet some of them with flowers or place garlands on their necks.

One group of men were wearing identical T-shirts with 'Natmauk' on the back, the images showed.

Natmauk is the home town of Aung San, who spearheaded the independence struggle against British colonial rule and is revered by Myanmar's military, which he founded.

His daughter, democracy figurehead Aung San Suu Kyi, has been detained by the military since the coup and jailed on charges critics say are designed to remove her from politics.

After arriving at their training centres the second batch of recruits 'took a medical test and were issued with food, military equipment and a stipend,' MRTV said.

It did not say how many men were included in the second batch.

The military service law was authored by a previous junta in 2010 but was never brought into force.

It allows the military to summon all men aged 18-35 and women aged 18-27 to serve for at least two years.

The service term can last up to five years during a state of emergency, which the junta has extended multiple times since its coup.

Around 13 million people will be eligible to be called up, a junta spokesman has said, though the military only has the capacity to train 50,000 a year.

Local media have reported cases of young men being pulled off the streets in Yangon and other cities and taken away to undergo military training.

The junta has denied the reports.

The 2021 coup re-ignited conflict with established ethnic minority armed groups and birthed dozens of newer pro-democracy 'People's Defence Forces' now battling the military across Myanmar.

The conflict has displaced around 2.7 million people, according to the United Nations.

Rights groups say the junta has burned villages, carried out extrajudicial killings and used air and artillery strikes to punish communities it suspects of opposing its rule.​

 

[Saif]

Rohingyas: A permanent guest syndrome?

It's been seven years since the Rohingyas arrived in their latest edition and this time caught most international attention. They had been coming here for a long time, expelled by the Myanmar authorities as outsiders historically. Various Bangladeshi regimes have responded as per their percep

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Rohingyas: A permanent guest syndrome?
AFSAN CHOWDHURY
Published :
May 13, 2024 22:15
Updated :
May 14, 2024 21:25

Reuters file photo

It's been seven years since the Rohingyas arrived in their latest edition and this time caught most international attention. They had been coming here for a long time, expelled by the Myanmar authorities as outsiders historically. Various Bangladeshi regimes have responded as per their perceptions of advantages and difficulties.

However, when they arrived this time, it was a tsunami of arrival - 700,000 in number at least -and the rest is known. What we don't know is what exactly is going on there between not just the two countries directly involved but the big powers pulling the strings to make it happen for their own benefit.

Does Bangladesh matter in all this? That string pulling is happening not because Bangladesh matters but other states linked to Bangladesh do. And Bangladesh can hardly decide the drift of things. Its denial of its own limited external sovereignty and that it's not bilateral but tri-lateral and multilateral relations that decide matters has continued to weaken Bangladesh's official stances. Given the political power equation scenario at the international problem, the Rohingya problem is not just an issue of refugees but an indicator of our global political-economic status.

Humanitarian issues, IOM and other interventions are a constantly asked question. That is another dimension of the crisis which is real, humane and about human suffering that not many bother about in the issue. International relief and humanitarianism is a reality but does it stand alone from the rest of global politics?

The response to the humanitarian crisis has fewer issues that impact on internal and external policies globally so the international community has been very supportive of the problem and helping out Bangladesh with resources and support.

However, if one goes back in time, one can see that the funding countries didn't support Bangladesh in any international way for repatriation of the refugees. That is only to be expected as Bangladesh has been caught in a very uncomfortable international, diplomatic and real crossfire. So what does IOM and other's presence mean in relation to the Rohingya crisis?. It's possible they want prolonging the same as long as it suits the bigger boys. .

The IOM DG Pope recently visited Bangladesh and offered hope and promised to raise more money. She said, "I am deeply grateful to our generous donors for their support and commitment to addressing the urgent humanitarian needs of Rohingya refugees and vulnerable populations in Bangladesh. Their substantial contributions will not only make a tangible difference in the lives of those in need, but they also demonstrate our collective responsibility to uphold the principles of solidarity and compassion on a global scale. Together, we are not only assisting Bangladesh but setting a powerful example for collaborative action in tackling migration challenges worldwide."

The IOM newsletter says, "In March, IOM appealed for USD 119 million to support nearly a million Rohingya refugees in what has been called the world's largest refugee settlement in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, and the vulnerable community generously hosting them. In a momentous step towards preserving Rohingya cultural heritage, DG Pope inaugurated the World Tour of the Rohingya Cultural Memory Centre (RCMC). This exhibition will showcase, in several global locations, the rich cultural heritage of the Rohingya community and raise awareness about their plight." The signal is clear. It's as far as one can go in calling the problem or situation permanent.

Permanent visitors' status is not something anyone is talking about but it's clearly there on the table. Bangladesh has no control over the problem because it's also a battle between China and the West at one level and a regional political situation that is not under anyone's control. When the Rohingya deluge came, Myanmar's boss was Suu-Kyi. She was the West's pet 'democrat" at the receiving end of unconditional support for expelling the refugees if the reality is held up.

At that point as now, Bangladesh didn't matter and doesn't now either. What was good for Suu-Kyi's continuation in power was good for the US as she was seen as a bulwark against Chinese clout.

China has meanwhile helped the Myanmar army topple Suu Kyi but the Myanmar regime is weak and not really a big help to its primary patron. At the same time they have become directly involved in the yaba trade that has created a vested interest group amongst the power structure in Bangladesh.

That has made the Chinese feel better not to mention Myanmar and of course those who matter in many parts of the Bangladeshi power structure. Most yaba is produced in the Chin state which is an "independent " state" run by the Chin Liberation Army. It may be an accident that the Chin state's biggest backer is China.

Bangladesh is not a party to the coming and going of the Rohingyas so it's basically playing the role of a forced host. And the Rohingya's living here as refugees serve most if not all the purposes. They are hated as "Muslim dark skinned Bengalis" and really don't fit into the power framework that China supports there.

The West on the other hand see it as an opportunity to argue that the West sanctioned pro-Chinese Myanmar regime is pretty awful though it had also supported Suu-Kyi when they were initially thrown out at a mass scale.

Meanwhile, the smart ones in both Myanmar and Bangladesh make serious money from the yaba trade, the most openly criminal activity possible. No one minds really. That being the case, the chances of the Rohingyas returning are slim to slimmer. Unless of course, some equations change in global politics.​

 

[Saif]

Myanmar air strike injures 20 at clinic

A Myanmar military air strike on a medical clinic wounded around 20 people in western Rakhine state, according to an ethnic armed group, a resident and local media yesterday.

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RAKHINE STATE
Myanmar air strike injures 20 at clinic

A Myanmar military air strike on a medical clinic wounded around 20 people in western Rakhine state, according to an ethnic armed group, a resident and local media yesterday.

Clashes have rocked Rakhine since the Arakan Army (AA) attacked security forces in November.

AA fighters have seized territory, including along the border with India and Bangladesh, piling further pressure on the junta.​

 

[Saif]

Top Asean officials meet Myanmar junta chief for ‘cooperation’ talks

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

Top Asean officials meet Myanmar junta chief for 'cooperation' talks
17 May 2024, 12:00 am

AFP :

Myanmar's military chief has held talks with top Asean officials on the junta's participation in the Southeast Asian regional bloc, from which it has been isolated since the 2021 coup, state media reported Thursday The 10-member Association of Southeast Asian Nations has led so far fruitless diplomatic efforts to solve the conflict unleashed by the military's putsch, which has displaced 2.7 million people, according to the United Nations.

Myanmar is still a member of Asean, but the generals have been excluded from top-level bloc meetings over their refusal to engage in a peace plan and with their opponents. Army chief Min Aung Hlaing met Asean special envoy Alounkeo Kittikhoun and secretary-general Kao Kim Hourn on Wednesday in the capital Naypyidaw, according to the Global New Light of Myanmar.

They "exchanged views on the issues of Myanmar's cooperation in Asean," the state-owned newspaper reported.

They also "discussed the best cooperation of Myanmar in Asean, the conditions of Myanmar's participation in Asean meetings" and the junta's plan to hold fresh elections, the newspaper said.

The Myanmar crisis has divided Asean — long derided by critics as a toothless talking shop.

Indonesian, Malaysia and the Philippines have called for tougher action against the junta, while Thailand has held its own bilateral talks with the generals as well as detained democracy leader Aung San Suu Kyi.

Last year, officials from Indonesia held talks with a shadow "National Unity Government" that is dominated by lawmakers ousted in the coup and which the junta has designated a "terrorist" organisation.

In January, the junta sent a senior bureaucrat to an Asean foreign ministers meet in Laos — the first time the country attended a high-level meeting of the bloc in more than two years.

More than 5,000 people have been killed and more than 26,000 arrested in the military's crackdown on dissent since the coup according to a local monitoring group.

The coup ended a short-lived experiment with democracy and plunged the Southeast Asian nation into turmoil.

Across swathes of the country, the junta is battling established ethnic minority armed groups as well as pro-democracy "People's Defence Forces."​

 

[Saif]

Myanmar ethnic armed group claims control of western town

A Myanmar ethnic minority armed group on Saturday claimed its fighters had seized control of a town in western Rakhine state, in what would be...

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Myanmar ethnic armed group claims control of western town
Agence France-Presse . Bangkok 19 May, 2024, 00:36

A Myanmar soldier. | AFP file photo

A Myanmar ethnic minority armed group on Saturday claimed its fighters had seized control of a town in western Rakhine state, in what would be another blow to the junta.

Clashes have rocked Rakhine since the Arakan Army attacked security forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since the 2021 military coup.

AA fighters have seized territory, including along the border with India and Bangladesh, piling further pressure on the junta as it battles opponents elsewhere across the Southeast Asian country.

'We seized all bases of the Myanmar Army in Buthidaung,' in northern Rakhine state, the AA said on its Telegram channel on Saturday.

Those seized included a 'military strategic headquarters', it added, without giving details.

Its fighters were still clashing with junta troops outside the town, it said.

Buthidaung sits around 90 kilometres north of state capital Sittwe, which is still held by the military.

Earlier this month, the AA said it had taken hundreds of junta personnel prisoner following an assault on a command near the Buthidaung.

A junta spokesman has been approached for comment.

Communication with Rakhine is extremely difficult, with most mobile networks down.

The AA is one of several armed ethnic minority groups in Myanmar's border regions, many of whom have battled the military since independence from Britain in 1948 over autonomy and control of lucrative resources.

The AA claims to be fighting for more autonomy for the state's ethnic Rakhine population.

Fighting had spread to 15 of Rakhine state's 17 townships since November, the UN's human rights chief said last month.

Hundreds of people have been killed or wounded and more than 3,00,000 displaced, it said.

Clashes between the AA and the military in 2019 roiled the region and displaced around 2,00,000 people.

The military launched a crackdown on the Rohingya minority there in 2017 which is now the subject of a United Nations genocide court case.​

 

[Saif]

Rohingya expats in Saudi Arabia: How long to bear this liability?

Learn about the ongoing discussion between Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia regarding the renewal of passports for Rohingya expatriates in Saudi Arabia and the implications of this decision on both countries.

en.prothomalo.com

Rohingya expats in Saudi Arabia: How long to bear this liability?
Editorial Desk
Published: 18 May 2024, 15: 21

As reported in the media, Bangladesh at the request of the Saudi Arabia government has agreed to renew the passports of 69,000 Rohingya community members living in Saudi Arabia.

These Rohingyas had moved to Saudi Arabia many years ago with Bangladeshi passports. During his recent visit to Dhaka, deputy interior minister of Saudi Arabia Nasser bin Abdulaziz Al-Dawood discussed the matter with home minister Asaduzzaman Khan. Earlier, a memorandum of understanding (MoU) had also been signed between the two countries.

Following his meeting, the home minister said that Saudi Arabia has sought to know about the progress of the passport renewal efforts for the Rohingyas who went to the country with Bangladeshi passports.

Saudi Arabia has promised that they would not send the Rohingya expatriates back to Bangladesh even after their passports have been renewed. Their passports need to be renewed for them to be able to stay in Saudi Arabia, he had added.

Notably, Rohingya migrants who fled from Myanmar towards the end of 70s moved to Saudi Arabia from Bangladesh and Pakistan. While the Pakistan government sent them with travel documents, the Bangladesh government had directly given them passports.

That's why the country has been pressurising Bangladesh to renew the passports. The Bangladesh government has also agreed to renew the passports of the Rohingyas considering the interest of the Bangladeshi expatriates living in Saudi Arabia.

But the number of Rohingya migrants moving to Saudi Arabia from Bangladesh is not 69,000. It's a lot higher than that. In that case, what's the guarantee here that they would not ask to renew the passports of the remaining Rohingya members?

Often, there is news in the media about Rohingya members getting their passports and national identity cards done in the country. Even some of them have been caught at the airport while getting out of this country.

In this situation, we have to also consider the fact if renewing the passports of Rohingya expatriates in Saudi Arabia turns out to be a major problem for us.

There are about 2.8 million (28 lakh) Bangladeshi labourers living in the country. The government can take any step for their safety and welfare. However, we must also be careful so that the Rohingyas holding Bangladeshi passports cannot return to the country.

Bangladesh is now faced with a serious problem concerning the Rohingya migrants' issue. Right now there are more than a million (10 lakh0 Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, major chunk of whom arrived in 2017.

Sending Rohingyas to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports only proves the fact that past mistakes can still haunt you. Pakistan has shown more intelligence in this matter.

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan only talked about the Rohingya expatriates who moved there between 1976 and 1979. But, a lot of other Rohingyas have also gone to Saudi Arabia via Bangladesh after that.

The important question here is that how did these Rohingyas get their hands on Bangladeshi passports? While the actual citizens of the country fall victim to different types of harassments in getting their passports done, the Rohingyas get their passports just like that. The mystery behind it needs to be unearthed as well.

Right when the government is about to renew 69,000 passports to ensure that the Rohingya expatriates living in Saudi Arabia can continue living in that country, more than a million (10 lakh) Rohingyas are residing in Bangladesh. There are no effective initiatives to repatriate these Rohingya migrants.

There came no positive message from the discussion with US Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia, Donald Lu either. He said that the situation in Myanmar is not yet favourable for Rohingya repatriation. Then does Bangladesh alone have to bear the responsibility of those millions of Rohingyas?

It must be kept in mind that these Rohingya migrants are not only creating a severe pressure on our public life, environment and economy but are also spreading narcotics.​

 

[Saif]

Myanmar can demonstrate its willingness by starting Rohingya repatriation: FM Hasan

Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has told outgoing Myanmar Ambassador Aung Kyaw Moe that Myanmar can demonstrate its willingness by at least starting the Rohingya repatriation

www.thedailystar.net

Myanmar can demonstrate its willingness by starting Rohingya repatriation: FM Hasan

Photo: PID
Foreign Minister Hasan Mahmud has told outgoing Myanmar Ambassador Aung Kyaw Moe that Myamar can demonstrate its willingness by at least starting the Rohingya repatriation.

He said this when the Myanmar ambassador called on the minister at the foreign ministry yesterday.

"Repatriation with the full rights of the Rohingyas to Myanmar is the only solution to the Rohingya crisis," Hasan Mahmud told the Myanmar envoy.

Myanmar's foreign minister during a bilateral meeting in Uganda early this year expressed opinion that Rohingya repatriation could start this year.

Aung Kyao Moe told the minister that the current conflicts between the Myanmar army and the ethnic groups is the reason why the repatriation has not happened yet.

However, Myanmar would be try more to start the repatriation of the Rohingya.

Meanwhile, the foreign minister yesterday directed the senior officials of the ministry to effectively coordinate the activities of the Bangladesh missions abroad, supervise and improve the services to the Bangladeshi expatriates.

Chairing the meeting, Hasan Mahmud said Bangladesh needs to achieve the trade targets set by the government.

He discussed various aspects of the activities of the foreign ministry and coordination of the activities of relevant ministries.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen moderated the Senior Officers Meeting.​

 

[Saif]

Keeping tabs on Myanmar events

Amid media reports that the ethnic Arakan Army (AA) has seized control of the Buthidaung Township of the Rakhine State near Bangladesh border with the Myanmar junta's army in full retreat, the Asian Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has called upon the United Nations, ASEAN and wider interna

thefinancialexpress.com.bd

Keeping tabs on Myanmar events
SYED FATTAHUL ALIM
Published :
May 19, 2024 22:00
Updated :
May 19, 2024 22:00

Amid media reports that the ethnic Arakan Army (AA) has seized control of the Buthidaung Township of the Rakhine State near Bangladesh border with the Myanmar junta's army in full retreat, the Asian Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has called upon the United Nations, ASEAN and wider international community to take urgent steps to prevent mass killing of Rohingya population now under siege by the AA. APHR said that since Friday (May 17), Rohingya civilians in Buthidaung town and surrounding villages have been under heavy gunfire and arson attack on houses by AA.

This raises fresh concern about the fate of the Rohingya population who remained in the Rakhine state of Myanmar following 2017's massacre at the hands of the Myanmar army that led to more than 700,000 of Rohingya fleeing to Bangladesh. In February this year, the Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged both the Myanmar security forces and the AA to take immediate measures to minimise harm to Rohingya and other civilians caught in the crossfire following the resumption of armed hostilities between AA and Tatmadaw (Myanmar military) after a yearlong unofficial ceasefire. Myanmar junta's attitude towards the Rohingya is well-known. They would miss no opportunity to abuse, torture and kill the Rhingya people. Alarming reports were already coming from foreign media sources on how the Tatmadaw was orchestrating Rohingya protest against the AA. A news website, The Irrawaddy, run by Myanmarese exiles based in Thailand, in its March 22 report said how the Tatmadaw was trying to sow seeds of ethnic discord in the Rakhine state. Tatmadaw was rounding up Rohingya villagers and forcing them to stage demonstrations against the AA and using those fake demos through the propaganda media under Myanmar military's control. It is not that the AA is unaware of it. Even so, this age-old policy of playing one social group against another works and can cause the intended damage. To all appearances, the damage has been done. The Rohingya are now facing two adversaries at the moment-the Myanmar military and the Arakan Army (AA). In this connection, the chief of the UN Human Rights,Volker Türk, last month warned that intensified fighting in the Rakhine State between the military and the AA was fuelling tension between the Rohingya and the ethnic Rakhine communities (majority of them being Buddhist) fearing that past atrocities might be repeated. Notably, even during 2017's Rohingya massacre members of the majority Rakhine ethnic community took part in the attacks on Rohingya population alongside the Myanmar military. As reported in April 2024 from UN sources, 15 out of 17 townships of the Rakhine State were affected by the fighting resulting in hundreds of deaths and injuries and displacement of about 300,00 people. Being mainly Rohingya-dominated areas, they were obviously facing a grave risk. That was more so because, outraged by their defeat at the hands of the AA, the Myanmar military was forcibly conscripting, bribing and coercing the Rohingya men to join their ranks. That was evidently the cause for resentment of the AA and the majority ethnic group of Rakhine State against the Rohingya. Understandably, the development prompted the UN Human Rights chief to warn the international communities against the repeat of 2017 against the Rohingya community.

The Rohingya people are indeed caught between a rock and a hard place. It is unfortunate that though the Rohingya community constitutes the second largest chunk of the Rakhine State's population after the Buddhist Rakhines, they are the worst victims of persecution in that country. What is troubling is that unless there is any rapprochement between the Rohingya people still residing in the Rakhine State and the AA, we might again witness another wave of these people seeking refuge in Bangladesh because of the persecution.

In this context, can we expect any result from the call the Human Rights bodies including Parliamentarians from Southeast Asia has made urging UN bodies, international community and influential countries of the region to prevail upon the warring ethnic groups like the AA and the Myanmar regime for not starting another round of extermination campaign against the remaining Rohingya population in the Rakhine State of Myanmar? Since APHR has already (on May 18) reported on the indiscriminate attack by the Arakan Army on the besieged Rohingya population in the northern Rakine State, it is clear that the Myanmar military has succeeded in its mission to finish the task of annihilating the Rohingya from Myanmar's soil. It does not matter who does the work for them.

Already overburdened with all the Rohingya refugees that came here since 1970s, let alone the influxes of the 1990s and 2017, any fresh inrush of refugees would be the straw that broke the proverbial camel's back. With the situation in neighbouring Myanmar going from bad to worse every passing day, the prospect of repatriating Rohingya refugees to their homeland is getting dimmer. For any negotiation towards Rohingya repatriation to take place would require a stable government in Naypyidaw. So, there is no scope on Bangladesh's part to sit out the ongoing crisis in Myanmar. Strong diplomatic efforts keeping backchannels open would be required to watch over developments as well as making deals with emerging forces in Myanmar. This is not just for an amicable settlement of the refugee issue. The government has also a huge stake in seeing that we have a friendly neighbour on the Southeastern border.​

 

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Myanmar rebels take on army in brutal civil war.

 

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Cox's Bazar Rohingya camp: 230 makeshift shelters burnt in fire

Around 230 makeshift shelters and 100 establishments were burnt as a fire broke out in a refugee camp in Ukhiya upazila of Cox's Bazar today

www.thedailystar.net

Cox's Bazar Rohingya camp: 230 makeshift shelters burnt in fire

Photo: Collected

Around 230 makeshift shelters and 100 establishments were burnt as a fire broke out in a refugee camp in Ukhiya upazila of Cox's Bazar today.

Apart from this, over 200 other makeshift shelters were damaged due to the fire, said Shafiqul Islam, station officer of Ukhiya fire service. At least 10 people sustained injuries while trying to escape, he added.

The fire broke out at camp-13 in Tanzimarkhola area around 11:00am, Mohammad Samsudduza, additional Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission, confirmed to our Cox's Bazar staff correspondent.

The fire originated from a warehouse of a non-government organisation, he added.

However, the reason behind the fire could not be known immediately.

Shafiqul said fire fighters from Ukhiya and Cox's Bazar and some volunteers doused the blaze around 1:00pm.

Many people became homeless after the fire ripped through their shelters, he also said.

A local NGO claimed that at least 4,000 Rohingyas became homeless due to the fire.​

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.

 

[Saif]

EU, US, others alarmed at ‘increasing harm to civilians’ in Myanmar

The EU, United States and other countries jointly voiced alarm on Friday at the worsening conflict in Myanmar and the ‘increasing harm to civilians’ it was bringing...

www.newagebd.net

EU, US, others alarmed at 'increasing harm to civilians' in Myanmar
Agence France-Presse . Brussels 24 May, 2024, 23:35

The EU, United States and other countries jointly voiced alarm on Friday at the worsening conflict in Myanmar and the 'increasing harm to civilians' it was bringing.

They particularly expressed concern at reports tens of thousands of civilians in Rakhine State — where the Rohingya minority live — have been forced to flee their homes, and called on 'all armed actors to ensure the protection of civilians'.

The signatories of the joint statement — the EU, United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, South Korea, New Zealand, Norway and Switzerland — stressed 'there must be accountability for all atrocities committed in Myanmar'.

Earlier Friday, the United Nations warned that escalating fighting in Rakhine had forced around 45,000 Rohingya to flee, amid allegations of killings and burnings of property.

Clashes have rocked the state since the Arakan Army, which says it is fighting to deliver more autonomy to its ethnic Rakhine population, attacked ruling junta forces in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since a military coup in 2021.

The signatories to the statement said they were 'deeply concerned by the escalating conflict in Myanmar and in particular the increasing harm to civilians, which are driving a worsening and devastating human rights and humanitarian crisis across the country'.

They pointed to credible reports of civilians being targeted and of torture, the use of civilians as human shields, and sexual violence against women and children.

They blamed the government for food and water shortages and cut-off access for medical and other aid.

'In Rakhine State, towns and villages have been consistently targeted by the military regime and armed groups,' the statement said.

'Reports of forced recruitment, including of Rohingya, is further dividing communities and exploiting tensions and mistrust. All populations are facing extreme levels of food insecurity.

'The situation is increasingly dangerous for all civilians, including Rakhine, Rohingya and other ethnic communities,' it said.

The EU, United States and their allies behind the statement urged an immediate end to the violence, and for other countries to stop sending military supplies, including aviation fuel, to Myanmar.

They also called for the release of arbitrarily detained prisoners and for dialogue 'so that democracy can be restored in full'.​

 

[Saif]

45,000 flee in fear of beheading, burning

Breaking News, International News & Multimedia

thedailynewnation.com

45,000 flee in fear of beheading, burning
26 May 2024, 12:00 am

Al Jazeera :

Escalating violence in conflict-torn Myanmar's Rakhine State has forced another 45,000 minority Rohingya to flee, the United Nations warned, amid allegations of beheadings, killings and burnings of property.

Clashes have rocked Rakhine State since the Arakan Army (AA) rebels attacked forces of the ruling military government in November, ending a ceasefire that had largely held since a military coup in 2021.

The fighting has caught in the middle the Muslim minority group, long considered outsiders by the majority Buddhist residents, either from the government or the rebel side.

The AA says it is fighting for more autonomy for the ethnic Rakhine population in the state, which is also home to an estimated 600,000 members of the persecuted Rohingya Muslim minority, who have chosen to remain in the country.

To read the rest of the news, please click on the link above.​