Tag Archives: Rohingya

MNA National Desk: German Development Minister Gerd Müller promised €15 million ($16.3 million) to the Rohingya refugees during his trip to Bangladesh on Wednesday. Müller hopes that the boost in funding will help improve the lives of the young among Myanmar’s persecuted Rohingyas in refugee camps as well as in host communities, reports Deutsche Welle. “The development minister plans on implementing measures that would specially support young Rohingyas in the areas of education and income security,” a spokesperson of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and Development told DW. “The projects will be implemented by the governmental organisation GIZ and ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Dozens of Rohingya Muslims, including two children, appeared in court in Myanmar on Friday, the latest group to face charges after attempting to flee conflict-torn Rakhine state. The group of about 20 were among 54 people from the Rohingya minority arrested on Wednesday on the outskirts of the commercial capital Yangon while trying to leave for Malaysia, according to judge Thida Aye, reports Reuters. “The immigration officer submitted the case because they found no identification cards from these people,” she said. Some were barefoot, others clothed in colourful head-scarfs, as they were ushered into the small courtroom ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Bangladesh’s permanent representative (PR) to the UN ambassador Rabab Fatima has said ensuring justice and accountability for the Rohingyas is an important precondition for their safe, dignified and voluntary return to Rakhine State and eventual societal reconciliation. She was addressing the UN Security Council open debate on “Peacebuilding and sustaining peace: transitional justice in conflict and post-conflict situation” held in New York recently. Belgium organised the open debate as the president of the Security Council for the month of February, said the Bangladesh Mission at the UN on Saturday. Highlighting the importance of internationally recognised criminal justice ...

MNA Editorial Desk: More than 750,000 Rohingya fled Myanmar after a military crackdown in 2017. They entered the neighbouring Bangladesh crossing the river with tremendous risk on their lives. Bangladesh was valiant in open its border for this huge number of floating people on humanitarian grounds. These Rohingyas were forced into fetid camps across the border in Bangladesh. They have lost all their assets, human rights and honour on their own soil. United Nations investigators concluded that the brutal military attack with the support of accomplice Buddhist locals had been executed with genocidal intent over these minority Rohingya Muslims. The ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ordered measures to prevent the genocide of Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar, reports BBC. The decision comes despite de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi defending her country against the accusations in person last month. Thousands of Rohingya died and more than 700,000 fled to Bangladesh during an army crackdown in 2017. UN investigators have warned that genocidal actions could recur. The ICJ case, lodged by the African Muslim-majority nation of The Gambia, called for emergency measures to be taken against the Myanmar military until a fuller investigation could be launched. ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Rohingya repatriation is still under severe question despite efforts from all around the world. Unfortunately the Myanmar government may not have received enough pressure to solicit the matter yet. Bangladesh has been hosting around a million Rohingya refugees since August 2017 who have fled their homeland under serious oppression and torture which the United Nations termed as ‘ethnic cleansing’. Though the world community significantly contributed in aiding this huge number of refugees on the Bangladeshi soil, they did not pressurize Myanmar to repatriate this homeless group. Hence, the fate of these Rohingyas still remains under question. The ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Bangladesh on Sunday said Myanmar is solely responsible for the non-commencement of Rohingya repatriation as it fails to ensure conducive environment in Rakhine state. Myanmar must not expect Bangladesh to cooperate in repatriation in an uncertain environment in Rakhine, the foreign ministry said in response to Myanmar’s allegation that repatriation could not be started due to the non-cooperation of Bangladesh. Bangladesh observes that Myanmar is entirely responsible for failure in encouraging the displaced Rohingya to return voluntarily in an appropriate manner. Unfortunately, Myanmar has utterly failed to demonstrate any political will to fulfil its obligations and it ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Gambia will open its case against Myanmar before the UN’s top court in December accusing the mainly Buddhist state of genocide against its Rohingya Muslims, the tribunal said Monday. The small, majority-Muslim African country will ask the International Court of Justice to make an emergency injunction to protect the Rohingya, pending a decision on whether to deal with the wider case. Gambia’s case at the ICJ accuses Myanmar of breaching the 1948 UN Genocide Convention through a brutal military campaign targeting the Rohingya minority in Rakhine state. The ICJ said in a statement that it “will hold ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Arab film and TV star and World Food Programme (WFP) Goodwill Ambassador Hend Sabry visited the Rohingya families in the refugee camps of Bangladesh to show that suffering has no borders and humanity has no boundaries. Sabry, mother of two girls, visited the world’s largest refugee camp on Thursday where over one million Rohingyas have sought sanctuary. “I met inspiring women who have become heads of their households and are doing their best for their children in one of humanity’s most difficult circumstances. They have lost so much but remain hopeful and looking forward to ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Gambia filed a case Monday at the United Nations’ highest court accusing Myanmar of genocide in its campaign against its Rohingya Muslim minority and asking the International Court of Justice to urgently order measures “to stop Myanmar’s genocidal conduct immediately.” Gambia filed the case on behalf of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation. Gambia’s justice minister and attorney general, Abubacarr Marie Tambadou, told The Associated Press he wanted to “send a clear message to Myanmar and to the rest of the international community that the world must not stand by and do nothing in the face of terrible ...

MNA Editorial Desk: US acting Assistant Secretary for South and Central Asian Affairs Alice Wells and US Agency for International Development (USAID) Deputy Administrator Bonnie Glick arrive in Dhaka on Tuesday to discuss bilateral, regional and global issues, including the Rohingya crisis. Though Wells and Glick are coming on the same day, they will have separate engagements here during their three-day stay, officials said.They will also visit Rohingya camps to observe the conditions of the Rohingyas and host communities during their three-day visit. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas who have fled their homeland in Rakhine State after ...

MNA Feature Desk: Over two years have been passed since an enormous Rohingya influx had hit Bangladesh. More than 1.1 million Rohingya people, rightful citizens of Myanmar, are now sheltering on Bangladeshi soil. Our government has provided all sorts of support to them to ensure their shelter, food, water and sanitization even at the cost of our environment, ecology and economy. The global community also extended their support by providing aid for these refugees from all corners of the world. But unfortunately their repatriation is still under doubt as the Myanmar government has portrayed serious lack of intent in creating ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said the world must take all measures to compel Myanmar to create conditions enabling the Rohingyas’ safe, dignified and voluntary repatriation to their ancestral homes. “Rohingya crisis is a formidable challenge for Bangladesh … we want a peaceful and immediate resolution of the crisis. Myanmar has created the crisis and the solution lies in Myanmar,” she said. The prime minister made the comments while participating in an interactive dialogue — “A conversation with Honourable Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina” — at the Council of Foreign Relations (CFR) in New York on Wednesday afternoon ...

MNA International Desk: The United States has urged Myanmar to create the conditions that would allow for “voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable” returns of the Rohingya, based on the informed consent of those who have been forcibly displaced. The US also encouraged the government of Myanmar to work with the government of Bangladesh to facilitate the use of the Burmese curriculum to teach Rohingyas in Bangladesh. This will help facilitate the reintegration of Rohingya youth who choose to return to Myanmar, according to US Department of State. The US made the fresh call while announcing more than $127 million in ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Bangladesh, China and Myanmar have agreed to form a “tripartite joint working mechanism” to evaluate the situation on the ground for Rohingya repatriation. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen came up with development after a joint meeting with his Chinese and Myanmar counterparts on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York on Monday. “On the ground, Bangladesh, China and Myanmar will evaluate the progress jointly,” Dr Momen told reporters after the meeting adding that Myanmar agreed with the Chinese proposal though Myanmar had some objections initially at the meeting. The first meeting of the ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh Hasina will deliver her speech at the 74th Annual General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on September 27. This is going to be her 16th speech at UNGA, a record for any Bangladeshi premiere ever. She has transformed herself from a Bangladeshi leader to a global leader in the course of time. Her influence has gone beyond the 1.7 million Bangladeshi people. She has been vocal on different global issues and played a very significant role in soliciting and addressing global concerns. Bangladesh has received huge ...

MNA International Desk: Myanmar’s army will court-martial soldiers after a new finding in an inquiry into atrocities in Rakhine state, from which more than 730,000 Rohingya Muslims fled a 2017 army-led campaign the United Nations says was executed with “genocidal intent”. On Saturday, the website of Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing said a military court that visited the northern state found soldiers had shown “weakness in following instructions in some incidents” at a village said to have been a Rohingya massacre site. In 2018, the Associated Press news agency reported the existence of at least five graves of Rohingya in the ...

MNA National Desk: Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Thursday said actions will be taken against the NGOs operating in Rohingya camps if evidence is found about their activities that go beyond the terms and references. The minister made the remarks while talking to reporters at state guesthouse Padma after briefing diplomats over the latest Rohingya situation, reports UNB. Dr Momen briefed the diplomats and representatives of the UN agencies as two consecutive efforts to begin the repatriation of the displaced people have failed. Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque were president. ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Thousands of angry and frustrated Rohingya refugees have marked the second anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar into Bangladesh by demanding their citizenship and other rights in the country they fled from. The event comes days after Bangladesh attempted to start the repatriation of 3,450 Rohingya Muslims but none agreed to go back voluntarily. More than 1 million Rohingya live in Bangladesh, reports the Associated Press. On Sunday morning, more than 3,000 gathered at a playground in Kutupalong camp. Some carried placards and banners reading “Never Again! Rohingya Genocide Remembrance Day,” and “Restore our citizenship.” Organiser Muhib ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Permanent Representative of Bangladesh to the United Nations in New York Ambassador Masud Bin Momen has urged the NAM member states, including the ASEAN neighbors of Myanmar, to remain engaged and put in more efforts so that Myanmar authorities do not fail in taking the Rohingyas back. While referring to the oppression against the Palestinian people and violations of international law and international human rights law in the occupied Palestinian territory, he cautioned that mere expression of concerns for the misdeeds in Palestine and other places in the world did not stop these from recurring again. “Therefore, ...

MNA International Desk: The United States has announced sanctions on the Myanmar military’s Commander-in-Chief Min Aung Hlaing and other military leaders it said were responsible for extrajudicial killings of Rohingya Muslims, barring them from entry to the United States. The steps, which also covered Min Aung Hlaing’s deputy, Soe Win, and two other senior commanders and their families, are the strongest the United States has taken in response to massacres of minority Rohingyas in Myanmar, also known as Burma. It named the two others as Brigadier Generals Than Oo and Aung Aung. “We remain concerned that the Burmese government has ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Former UN chief Ban Ki-moon believes Myanmar is not playing the role expected of it in repatriating refugees from Bangladesh to their homeland in order to resolve the Rohingya crisis. Speaking to the media after visiting the Rohingya people at refugee camps in southern Bangladesh district of Cox’s Bazar neighboring Myanmar on Wednesday, he voiced concerns over the ethnic group’s safety back in their country. The former United Nations secretary-general, who is working as chairman of the Global Commission on Adaptation, came to Cox’s Bazar to see the impact of the Rohingya population on the environment of ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Thousands of people in Cox’s Bazar Rohingya camps and host communities are facing the risk of flooding and landslides after several days of heavy rain, UNICEF said on Tuesday. Some of the over 4,000 families affected in the camps, have been relocated to safe places. UNICEF has appealed for $152.5 million to support the organisation’s work for Rohingya children and those affected in host communities in 2019. The current funding gap is $68.7 million. The United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund also noted that more than 500,000 Rohingya children are in need of humanitarian assistance. “Conditions in ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Dhaka and Beijing on Friday agreed on speedy solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis as Chinese President Xi Jinping and Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina held talks in Beijing. “The two leaders have agreed on solving the Rohingya problem fast and said it cannot be kept unresolved,” Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque told reporters after the meeting held at Diaoyuati State Guest House. The foreign secretary said the Chinese president and the Bangladesh prime minister added that two years have passed after the signing of agreements to this effect. “There is no disagreement among us on how ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday sought China’s support to convince Myanmar to start taking back their nationals from Bangladesh at the earliest. The Foreign Minister mentioned that Bangladesh is ready to send back Rohingyas who are in the verified list. He raised the issue when Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo paid a courtesy call on the Foreign Minister at his office, reports UNB. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them entered Bangladesh since August 25, 2017 amid military crackdown against them in Rakhine State. ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Stressing the importance of a peaceful solution to Rohingya crisis, President Abdul Hamid on Saturday sought support and cooperation from CICA partners so that the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals can return to their homeland with safety, security and dignity. “We seek a peaceful solution to the crisis and signed instruments on repatriation with Myanmar. If left unresolved, the crisis can destabilise the entire region,“ he said. The President said this while addressing the 5th Summit of Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures in Asia (CICA) held at Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. “The world knows Bangladesh ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Bangladesh has urged the international community to ramp up pressure on Myanmar so that it creates a conducive environment for Rohingya repatriation. After briefing diplomats stationed in Dhaka on Wednesday morning, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said Bangladesh clarified its position about the matter. “They told us that they’re with us. We told them to increase pressure on Myanmar to create a conducive environment,” he told the media. “Almost all of them agreed to do so.” In the briefing at State Guest House Padma, Momen expressed dissatisfaction over Myanmar’s failure to ensure security and conducive environment ...