Zabaniyah
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Rohingya issue should not get in the way, Star-CFAS roundtable told
The Rohingya issue should not become an impediment to the growth of Bangladesh-Myanmar relationship which must move forward under all circumstances, former diplomats and experts said at a roundtable yesterday.
The resolution to the maritime boundary dispute with Myanmar has removed a major obstacle to bilateral ties and opened up a grand opportunity to expand the relationship, they added.
The Rohingya intrusion is only one among other issues in the bilateral relationship which must be kept above all conflicts, they emphasised.
The speakers supported the government steps on the recent influx bid by Rohingyas and said the country should bilaterally and internationally try to sensitise Myanmar to the issue and persuade it to treat Rohingyas fairly as they are its own citizens.
The Daily Star and Centre for Foreign Affairs Studies (CFAS) jointly organised the roundtable tilted "Rohingya issue and Bangladesh-Myanmar relations".
Former foreign secretary CM Shafi Sami said the relationship should not be contingent upon resolution to the Rohingya problem; formidable issues should be kept on one side and relationship on the other.
"We should get Myanmar into a constructive engagement the way China, India and Singapore are doing.
"Bangladesh simultaneously should try and sensitise the Myanmar government to basic rights of all its citizens, he said.
At the same time, he noted, Dhaka also needs to mobilise the diplomatic community all over the world, especially the US, EU and international agencies, to help the Myanmar government to discharge its responsibilities.
Saida Muna Tasneem, director general (UN) of foreign ministry, said official visits between Bangladesh and Myanmar from 2009 onwards are taking the trajectory of relationship to a new level and the country wants to keep it up.
"We acted responsibly towards the Myanmarese nationals and lived up to human rights obligations," she said. "We have not violated any international law by not accepting them [Rohingyas]. Bangladesh gave Myanmarese refugees sovereign land for the past three decades."
Mentioning that security aspect of Bangladesh remains the top priority, Saida said the country needs to consolidate its borders since Myanmar nationals are intruding now and then.
Myanmarese refugees have been transiting through Bangladesh in an attempt to go to other countries as they, with false Bangladeshi passports, have disappeared into Saudi Arabia putting bilateral relations in question, she said.
"We have been hosting them for the last three decades and we cannot afford to take anymore," she said. According to the foreign ministry report, around 600 Rohingyas were pushed back from the border this time.
Former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Shakhawat Hossain said the Rohingya issue has become complicated due to use of refugees by some unscrupulous politicians.
Every time, during the preparation of voter list, the Myanmar refugees were included to be used as vote bank, he said, adding that it is the unscrupulous Bangladeshis who are inviting the trouble.
Another dangerous thing is that the Arakanese Buddhists who are coming to Bandarban are carrying out disruptive activities, he added.
He also urged the home ministry not to allow any Rohingya organisation within the country.
Unless the Myanmar government is made to recognise Rohingyas as citizens of that country, we will have to face this problem time and again, said Shakhawat.
Air Commodore (retd) Ishfaq Elahi Choudhury, registrar of Brac University, said refusing the entry of a person seeking help and sending them back to the sea is something that harms Bangladesh's image throughout the world.
It went against the traditional Bangalee culture and way of dealing things, he said. It is said that Rohingyas hide among local population but that's the problem of governance.
Former ambassador to Myanmar Kazi Anwarul Masud said, "Bangladesh should request the international agencies and key players to tell the Myanmar government that 'you cannot do such kind of persecution or ethnic cleansing'."
Dhaka University Professor Dr Akmal Hussain said the democratisation of Myanmar is a positive aspect and all major international actors are interested in Myanmar.
"Why can't we ask the international bodies to influence Myanmar to solve the Rohingya issue? This problem has to be solved once and for all, otherwise the influx will recur."
Former ambassador Chowdhury Khalequzzaman said the international community should deal the issue diplomatically instead of putting much pressure on Myanmar. Myanmar may not succumb to the pressure.
It would be absolutely wrong if we think of solving the Rohingya issue first and then developing other relations.
Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, BNP standing committee member, said if someone is persecuted, he/she has the right to seek refuge and to be treated as a person not just a number.
The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam said, "We want the Bangladesh-Myanmar relationship to go ahead under all circumstances. Even if the Rohingya issue becomes more complex, our bilateral relationship should progress."
However, the refugees must be treated on humanitarian grounds, he added.
He also said Myanmar is gaining more importance in global and regional scenes, and being the second close neighbour, the country means a lot to Bangladesh in terms of economic relationship.
Moderated by CFAS Chairman Ashfaqur Rahman, the roundtable held at The Daily Star Centre was addressed by Chief Information Commissioner Muhammad Zamir, lawmaker Mostofa Faruk Mohammad, former IGP Muhammad Nurul Huda; Maj Gen (retd) Azizur Rahman Bir Uttam, CFAS Director Shamim Ahmed; former principal of Foreign Service Academy Shahed Akhtar, former ambassador Mahmood Hasan and Brig Gen (retd) Shahedul Anam Khan, editor, op-ed and strategic issues of The Daily Star.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=239779
Who the........?
The Rohingya issue should not become an impediment to the growth of Bangladesh-Myanmar relationship which must move forward under all circumstances, former diplomats and experts said at a roundtable yesterday.
The resolution to the maritime boundary dispute with Myanmar has removed a major obstacle to bilateral ties and opened up a grand opportunity to expand the relationship, they added.
The Rohingya intrusion is only one among other issues in the bilateral relationship which must be kept above all conflicts, they emphasised.
The speakers supported the government steps on the recent influx bid by Rohingyas and said the country should bilaterally and internationally try to sensitise Myanmar to the issue and persuade it to treat Rohingyas fairly as they are its own citizens.
The Daily Star and Centre for Foreign Affairs Studies (CFAS) jointly organised the roundtable tilted "Rohingya issue and Bangladesh-Myanmar relations".
Former foreign secretary CM Shafi Sami said the relationship should not be contingent upon resolution to the Rohingya problem; formidable issues should be kept on one side and relationship on the other.
"We should get Myanmar into a constructive engagement the way China, India and Singapore are doing.
"Bangladesh simultaneously should try and sensitise the Myanmar government to basic rights of all its citizens, he said.
At the same time, he noted, Dhaka also needs to mobilise the diplomatic community all over the world, especially the US, EU and international agencies, to help the Myanmar government to discharge its responsibilities.
Saida Muna Tasneem, director general (UN) of foreign ministry, said official visits between Bangladesh and Myanmar from 2009 onwards are taking the trajectory of relationship to a new level and the country wants to keep it up.
"We acted responsibly towards the Myanmarese nationals and lived up to human rights obligations," she said. "We have not violated any international law by not accepting them [Rohingyas]. Bangladesh gave Myanmarese refugees sovereign land for the past three decades."
Mentioning that security aspect of Bangladesh remains the top priority, Saida said the country needs to consolidate its borders since Myanmar nationals are intruding now and then.
Myanmarese refugees have been transiting through Bangladesh in an attempt to go to other countries as they, with false Bangladeshi passports, have disappeared into Saudi Arabia putting bilateral relations in question, she said.
"We have been hosting them for the last three decades and we cannot afford to take anymore," she said. According to the foreign ministry report, around 600 Rohingyas were pushed back from the border this time.
Former election commissioner Brig Gen (retd) Shakhawat Hossain said the Rohingya issue has become complicated due to use of refugees by some unscrupulous politicians.
Every time, during the preparation of voter list, the Myanmar refugees were included to be used as vote bank, he said, adding that it is the unscrupulous Bangladeshis who are inviting the trouble.
Another dangerous thing is that the Arakanese Buddhists who are coming to Bandarban are carrying out disruptive activities, he added.
He also urged the home ministry not to allow any Rohingya organisation within the country.
Unless the Myanmar government is made to recognise Rohingyas as citizens of that country, we will have to face this problem time and again, said Shakhawat.
Air Commodore (retd) Ishfaq Elahi Choudhury, registrar of Brac University, said refusing the entry of a person seeking help and sending them back to the sea is something that harms Bangladesh's image throughout the world.
It went against the traditional Bangalee culture and way of dealing things, he said. It is said that Rohingyas hide among local population but that's the problem of governance.
Former ambassador to Myanmar Kazi Anwarul Masud said, "Bangladesh should request the international agencies and key players to tell the Myanmar government that 'you cannot do such kind of persecution or ethnic cleansing'."
Dhaka University Professor Dr Akmal Hussain said the democratisation of Myanmar is a positive aspect and all major international actors are interested in Myanmar.
"Why can't we ask the international bodies to influence Myanmar to solve the Rohingya issue? This problem has to be solved once and for all, otherwise the influx will recur."
Former ambassador Chowdhury Khalequzzaman said the international community should deal the issue diplomatically instead of putting much pressure on Myanmar. Myanmar may not succumb to the pressure.
It would be absolutely wrong if we think of solving the Rohingya issue first and then developing other relations.
Lt Gen (retd) Mahbubur Rahman, BNP standing committee member, said if someone is persecuted, he/she has the right to seek refuge and to be treated as a person not just a number.
The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam said, "We want the Bangladesh-Myanmar relationship to go ahead under all circumstances. Even if the Rohingya issue becomes more complex, our bilateral relationship should progress."
However, the refugees must be treated on humanitarian grounds, he added.
He also said Myanmar is gaining more importance in global and regional scenes, and being the second close neighbour, the country means a lot to Bangladesh in terms of economic relationship.
Moderated by CFAS Chairman Ashfaqur Rahman, the roundtable held at The Daily Star Centre was addressed by Chief Information Commissioner Muhammad Zamir, lawmaker Mostofa Faruk Mohammad, former IGP Muhammad Nurul Huda; Maj Gen (retd) Azizur Rahman Bir Uttam, CFAS Director Shamim Ahmed; former principal of Foreign Service Academy Shahed Akhtar, former ambassador Mahmood Hasan and Brig Gen (retd) Shahedul Anam Khan, editor, op-ed and strategic issues of The Daily Star.
http://www.thedailystar.net/newDesign/news-details.php?nid=239779
Who the........?
Hey, you sound quite young so you probably wouldn't know but did you know that if Japan and the Axis won the war, Bangladesh would have been gifted to the Restored Burmese Empire? I wonder what that would have done for your national pride? 
