Tag Archives: Rohingyas

MNA Editorial Desk: The UN Refugee Agency on Thursday said it is extremely difficult to set a timeline when the conducive environment for the return of Rohingyas will be created. The UNHCR called on the international community to continue its support to Bangladesh and the humanitarian response while, in parallel, working with the Myanmar government to support Myanmar to create the conditions conducive to sustainable return, reports UNB. “It’s extremely difficult to set a timeline (when the conducive environment for Rohingya return will be created). There’re too many factors,” UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T Clements told reporters at a ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Mentioning that Rohingyas will have a better living in Bhashan Char once relocated there, Bangladesh on Tuesday said it will not force any of the displaced people to avail of the relocation opportunity. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen shared Bangladesh position with visiting US acting assistant secretary Alice Wells during a meeting held at his office in the evening. Dr Momen and the senior US official briefed reporters separately at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs after the hour-long meeting, reports UNB. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas who have fled their homeland in Rakhine ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen on Tuesday said a new list of around 50000 Rohingyas has been handed over to Myanmar to expedite Rohingya repatriation efforts. The minister disclosed this talking to a small group of reporters at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, reports UNB. On July 29, Bangladesh handed over a fresh list of 25,000 Rohingyas to Myanmar for verification before their repatriation to their place of origin in Rakhine State. Bangladesh has so far handed over names of around 55,000 Rohingyas to the Myanmar authorities. Turning to Abrar murder he said diplomats’ comments over Abrar ...

MNA International Desk: A UN human rights expert has implored Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi to ‘feel with her heart before it is too late’, saying that even if Rohingyas wished to return they have little to go back to. Yanghee Lee, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, told the Human Rights Council on Tuesday the situation in Myanmar was of extreme concern, and was not what she and others had hoped to see nearly four years after the election of the National League for Democracy. “I’d like to ask the State Counsellor ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Monday urged the United Kingdom (UK) to continue supporting Bangladesh in international forum especially in the United Nations (UN) for creating pressure on Myanmar in order to ensure sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas. He advocated it while addressing a delegation of 14 British parliamentarians led by Ms. Ann Mette Kjaerby at the foreign ministry. The parliamentarians are visiting Bangladesh on a study tour on sexual and reproductive health. Dr Momen told the delegation about the atrocities carried out by Myanmar on the Rohingyas and sought support for ensuring safe and ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The European Union (EU) has provided a fresh fund of €2.0 million to the United Nations World Food Programmes (WFP) for carrying out its humanitarian activities for the Rohingyas refugees. The new funding will help WFP sustain lifesaving food assistance to the refugees, address high rates of malnutrition among children and mothers, while also protecting them from the risks of monsoon season, said a WFP statement on Thursday. “Two years on since the biggest influx of the Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh, the situation in the camps in Cox’s Bazar remains critical,” says Richard Ragan, WFP Representative and ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The government and the UNHCR have taken all necessary steps to begin repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Myanmar’s Rakhine State on August 22 (Thursday), an official said on Monday. Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner’s (RRRC) office and the UN refugee agency are looking into various aspects of preparation including safety measures. Myanmar has cleared a list of 3999 Rohingyas of 1038 families for the first phase repatriation. UNHCR will start interviewing Rohingyas of the list cleared by Myanmar from Tuesday (today) to know whether they are willing to go back to Rakhine. Bangladesh ...

MNA Editorial Desk: India has urged the world to help Bangladesh cope with the “humanitarian burden” mentioning that they are “deeply conscious” of the humanitarian and security implications due to the presence of huge Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar. India has praised Bangladesh generosity and recognized the economic burden this crisis places upon Bangladesh’s society and economy, according to the Annual Security Outlook 2019 released by Asean. Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas and most of them entered the country after August 25, 2017 as Myanmar launched a brutal offensive targeting the mainly-Muslim ethnic minority. Though Bangladesh and Myanmar ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Myanmar is ready to welcome the Rohingyas and now they themselves have to take the decision whether they will go back or not, said the Myanmar foreign secretary U Myint Thu on Monday. “We are ready to welcome them, we are ready to receive them. But the only thing is that they have to decide by themselves whether they will go back or not” he told reporters after wrapping up the delegation’s meeting with the foreign ministry officials at the state guest house Meghna in the city. “We have provided them with all information regarding our preparations ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The Office of the Prosecutor of International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday laid emphasis on “effective, timely and tangible” cooperation from all stakeholders as an authorization for an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya people is still pending. “We hope to engage as quickly as possible,” Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart told reporters at a press conference in a city hotel. He said they will work in strict conformity with the law if they are authorized to do an investigation. “We will do so independently, impartially and objectively; these are principles which guide all ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Monday said international organizations and UN agencies should work inside Myanmar for the return of Rohingyas to their homeland. She also said Myanmar should start the repatriation process to take its nationals back from Bangladesh. The Prime Minister said this when outgoing French Ambassador Marie-Annick BOURDIN met her at her official residence Ganobhaban, reports UNB. PM’s Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim briefed reporters after the meeting. He said the Prime Minister again expressed her firm stance that Myanmar has to take back its over 1 million nationals from Bangladesh. She also said Bangladesh ...

MNA Culture & Entertainment Desk: Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the UN has recently hosted the screening of a docu-fiction film on the forcibly displaced Rohingyas residing in the camps in Cox’s Bazar. In commemoration of World Refugee Day, the mission hosted the screening of the film titled “JonmoBhumi” or “The Birthland”. The event, held at the United Nations headquarters, was co-sponsored by the Permanent Mission of Kenya to the UN and United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR). The film is a life story of a Rohingya woman named Sophia, who was forced to flee her homeland, the Rakhine ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday requested its Judges to authorize an investigation into alleged crimes like deportation, other inhumane acts and persecution committed against Rohingyas from Myanmar. As Myanmar is not a State Party to the Rome Statute, but Bangladesh is, it is important to keep in mind that the authorization to investigate, if granted by Judges, would not extend to all crimes potentially committed in Myanmar, but will focus on crimes allegedly committed in part on the territory of Bangladesh, according to the ICC. Investigating deportation will, however, mean taking a ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Wednesday said if the displaced Rohingyas can’t be repatriated soon, the security and stability of Bangladesh may be hampered. “If we can’t send them back soon, there is apprehension that our security and stability will be hampered,” she told Parliament while replying to a tabled question from Awami League lawmaker Nur Mohammad (Kishoreganj-2), reports UNB. “It is very tough matter for us to arrange food, clothes and accommodation for the over 1.1 million Myanmar nationals for an indefinite time.” This is why the government has been making diplomatic efforts to find out ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Refugees originating from Myanmar represented the fourth largest population group by country of origin and most Rohingyas from the Southeast Asian nation were hosted by Bangladesh (906,600) at the end of the year 2018, says a global report on Wednesday. However, according to government data, Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas and majority of them came since August 25, 2017, when Myanmar military launched crackdown on the community. The number of people fleeing war, persecution, and conflict exceeded 70 million in 2018 and this is the highest level that UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has ...

MNA Editorial Desk: A nationwide drive has been launched in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to generate donations for Rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh to escape persecution in Myanmar. The initiative launched by the Emirates Red Crescent – From the UAE for Rohingya Children and Women – aims to provide the more than 1 million displaced people with food supplies, medical assistance, clean water, education and housing, said the UAE Embassy in Dhaka on Sunday. Till May 24, the nationwide campaign to support Rohingyas raised US$ 8.91 million on its first day, with residents across the country showing their support. ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The UN refugee agency, UNHCR, and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) have taken measures to ensure the protection of Rohingya families in Cox’s Bazar district during the expected heavy rains and strong winds caused cyclone Fani. According to the World Metereological Organization (WMO), the forecast on Friday was that cyclone Fani “would move north-northeast towards Bangladesh where there were concerns about the effects of potential coastal flooding”. Bangladesh is hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas, most of whom fled Myanmar in 2017. The impact is expected to be less severe in areas such as, for example, Cox’s ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Bangladesh has sought US support to create a safe zone in Rakhine for Rohingyas, monitored by international human rights groups, with credible international pressure on Myanmar for their safe return. Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo in Washington, D.C. on Monday and discussed the situation. This was the first meeting between the two leaders since their assumption of office in respective governments. Issues featuring in the meeting were: repatriation of the Rohingyas and creation of credible international pressure on Myanmar in that respect, deportation of Bangabandhu’s killer Rashed Chowdhury ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has said Bangladesh will keep up its efforts to repatriate displaced Rohingyas through negotiations, not engaging in any conflict with Myanmar. “Since they (Myanmar) are our close-door neighbours, we’ll never engage in any conflict with them. Rather we’ll have to continue efforts so that they’ll take back their nationals through negotiations,” she said while visiting the Defence Ministry in the city on Thursday. The Prime Minister said Bangladesh provided shelter to some one million Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds. “It’s surprising to the world how we provided shelter to such huge people and saved ...

MNA Editorial Desk: The United Nations (UN) has appreciated Bangladesh’s efforts to seek alternative locations for Rohingyas but sought clarification about the modalities of potential relocation of Rohingya people to Bhasan Char. The government of Bangladesh has said it plans to relocate Rohingya people from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char which could help to “decongest” the overcrowded settlements in Cox’s Bazar. Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingya people in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived here since August 25, 2017. “We’re seeking clarification about the modalities of any relocations, the living conditions that would be provided ...

MNA Editorial Desk: Dhaka wants a “safe heaven” for the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals in Rakhine state by ensuring their safe, secured and dignified repatriation under the monitoring of India, China and other ASEAN nations. “We want a safe heaven for the Rohingya people in Myanmar’s Rakhine state and that haven has to be monitored by India, China and other ASEAN nations —As China and India are friendly to Myanmar, it may accept this proposal,” said Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen in New Delhi last evening, BSS reports. Talking to BSS, Momen said that he requested his Indian counterpart ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: UN secretary general Antonio Guterres urged India to pressure Myanmar for the safe and dignified return of Rohingyas to their homeland. Speaking up for Bangladesh, he said, “It was unacceptable that countries like Bangladesh have to accept a million refugees. Generosity is inversely proportional to richness, I think.” Guterres reserved some of his sharpest commentary for the Myanmar authorities. “I have never seen a community so discriminated in the world as the Rohingya.” He acknowledged reform of the UN Security Council is necessary but much as he would want it, he was powerless to do it alone, ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: The government of Bangladesh and the United Nations will jointly address conflict-related sexual violence committed against members of the Rohingya population forcibly displaced from Myanmar to Bangladesh. The United Nations and the government of Bangladesh signed a ‘Framework of Cooperation’ in this regard, reported news agency. The Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Pramila Patten, after signing the document, said, “I believe that through this Framework of Cooperation the Rohingya survivors of sexual violence will benefit from enhanced service-delivery, accountability and protection.” During her two official visits to Bangladesh, in November 2017 ...

MNA Feature Desk: Some 4,300 acres of hills and forests were cut down to make temporary shelters for Rohingyas and ensure facilities and cooking fuel for them in Ukhia and Teknaf of Cox’s Bazar threatening the biodiversity of the ecologically critical areas of the country, a new report of the United Nations. Some of the key impacts are likely to become irreversible if measures are not taken immediately, the report said. Since the influx in August 2017, coupled with the host community and Rohingyas from past influxes, the crisis-hit population is now almost 1.5 million in Cox’s Bazar, creating a ...

MNA National Desk: Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Sunday urged the international community to come up with specific effective steps to force Myanmar to take back their over one million forcibly displaced nationals living in Bangladesh as per the agreements signed between the two countries. “Bangladesh and Myanmar have inked bilateral agreements for the safe and permanent repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals. To continue the pressure on Myanmar for implementing the agreements, I urge the international community to take specific effective steps,” she said. The Prime Minister said this while inaugurating the Regional Hub of the Islamic Development ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: United Nations Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Adama Dieng has urged ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda to consider the recommendation of its Chamber to decide on the opening of an investigation into the atrocities against Rohingyas without delay. He said the decision of the Pre-Trial Chamber of the International Criminal Court (ICC) provides victims an opportunity to access justice for some of the crimes they have endured, which is an important first step, reported news agency. Myanmar has refused to cooperate with any impartial investigation into the matter and continues to insist hiding behind its sovereign ...

MNA Exclusive Desk: Myanmar’s military carried out mass killings and gang rapes of Muslim Rohingya with “genocidal intent” and the commander-in-chief and five generals should be prosecuted for orchestrating the gravest crimes under law, UN investigators said on Monday. The civilian government led by Aung San Suu Kyi has allowed hate speech to thrive, destroyed documents and failed to protect minorities from crimes against humanity and war crimes by the army in Rakhine, Kachin and Shan states, they said in a report. In doing so, it “contributed to the commission of atrocity crimes”, the report said. A year ago, government ...