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ROUNDTABLE ON — A roadmap for sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis
Dr Salahuddin M Aminuzzaman, Professor and Adviser, South Asian Institute of Policy and Governance (SIPG), NSU , Experts from UNHCR, IOM, and Professors and Experts from NSU — Bangladesh
The Daily Star in association with North South University (NSU) organised a roundtable titled “A roadmap for sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis” on September 24, 2019. Here we publish a summary of the discussion.
North South University recently held an international conference on the Rohingya crisis and some very good quality papers were presented in the conference. We prepared some policy briefs based on the outcome of the conference. We are very proud that we could present the policy briefs to our honourable foreign minister and secretary of foreign affairs before they left for the UN General Assembly. The purpose of this roundtable is to discuss and share the broad observations of these policy briefs based on the proceedings of the conference.
Peacebuilding and conflict resolution depend primarily on unanimity among all the parties involved in the resolution of a crisis. Do we have unanimity in the resolution of the Rohingya crisis? What does resolution mean for Myanmar? For Myanmar, resolution of the Rohingya issue is the “final solution.” That is to denude the entire western Rakhine and northern Rakhine of Rohingyas. For Bangladesh, the solution is that the Rohingyas must go back and be given all their rights that citizens of a country are entitled to. And for the Rohingyas, they want to live in a peaceful atmosphere where they will not be subjected to the type of violence they were subjected to. Then, there should be a facilitator and an honest broker. The one name that came up repeatedly in the presentation is China. We asked China to mediate or at least put maximum pressure on Myanmar. Can China be an honest broker? Does it not have its strategic interests that will stand in the way of its putting pressure? Then again, the three big powers, with some degree of leverage on Myanmar, have allowed their strategic interests to predominate over any other issues: humanitarian or otherwise. And they are really not much concerned about the many ways this will affect Bangladesh. Bangladesh has given shelter to 1.2 million Rohingyas. Is there any other country in the world which has absorbed so much demographic pressure? So, when other countries tell us that Bangladesh is doing a good job and they are supporting us, I would like to say that patting the back doesn’t help.
First, we need to see the issue through a new prism because in terms of solution there are a couple of things that could be worked on: 1) repatriate all of them, 2) many of them will return while some remain as in 1992, and 3) none of them will go back. So, with these three sets in mind, we need to develop our policy. Second, China is helping us, we are hopeful. But we have to understand what kind of values we are talking about over here with respect to Chinese involvement in this problem. Yes, they want to help us repatriate Rohingyas but under what condition? As mentioned, China might say “forced migration” but under the agreement we signed on November 23, 2017 it is difficult to go beyond a voluntary resolution of this problem.
Few ideas and options have emerged from the discussion: the participants noted that we need to understand the Rohingya issues more creatively and strategically, and have to manage our diplomacy very smartly to look for a sustainable solution. Almost all participants emphasised that we need to understand this refugee issue from a historical, geo-political and humanitarian perspective.
We also have to recognise that China matters and therefore it needs to initiate the diplomatic processes of developing a strategic approach. Concerns have been raised about what Bangladesh has learnt from the previous Rohingya refugee crises to be able to develop a coping and addressing strategy. There is no easy solution. We need to explore alternative windows and make a contingency plan. The Rohingya crisis is just not a refugee issue, but also a political concern with the potential to make the region politically unstable leading to more human catastrophes. The international community should therefore develop a comprehensive approach towards addressing the Rohingya issue. A sustainable solution can only be achieved when regional and global powers and the UN agree on a comprehensive package.
