Myanmar coup raises fears over Rohingya plight
BANGLADESH HOPES MILITARY WILL PROCEED WITH VOLUNTARY REPATRIATION OF REFUGEES
BANGLADESH called for “peace and stability” in Myanmar after a military coup on Monday (1), and said that it hoped its neighbour makes genuine efforts to move forward the stalled process of voluntary repatriation of Rohingya Muslim refugees.
Bangladesh has sheltered one million Rohingya who had fled violence in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, where most of them are denied citizenship.
A UN-backed repatriation process has failed to take off despite multiple attempts from Bangladesh, which has now started sending some refugees to an isolated island in the Bay of Bengal.
“We have been persistent in developing mutually beneficial relations with Myanmar and have been working with Myanmar for the voluntary, safe and sustained repatriation of the Rohingya sheltered in Bangladesh,” the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.
“We expect these processes continue in right earnest.”
Myanmar’s military seized power on Monday in a coup against the democratically elected government of Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who was detained along with other
to leaders of her National League for Democracy party in early morning raids. “We hope that the democratic process and constitutional arrangements will be upheld in Myanmar,” Bangladesh said.
Suu Kyi’s international reputation was damaged after she failed to stop the forced expulsion of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya from western Rakhine State in 2017.
News of Suu Kyi’s arrest spread quickly in the crowded refugee camps in Bangladesh where about one million Rohingya refugees now live. “She is the reason behind all of our suffering. Why shouldn’t we celebrate?”, community leader Farid Ullah said from Kutupalong – the world’s largest refugee settlement.
Mohammad Yusuf, a leader at the neighbouring Balukhali camp, said: “She was our last hope, but she ignored our plight and supported the genocide against the Rohingya.”
Some Rohingya held special prayers to welcome the “justice” meted out to the Nobel peace prize winner, said Mirza Ghalib, a refugee at the Nayapara camp.
“If the camp authorities had allowed it, you would have seen thousands of Rohingya out on celebration marches,” he said.
Bangladesh authorities said they were “monitoring” the 270-kilometre border in case of a new influx of Rohingya refugees.
Nevertheless, Rohingya in Bangladesh also expressed fears for their people still in Myanmar following the military’s ouster of Suu Kyi. “She was no good for us but there was still hope that through the democratic process we could achieve our rights. Now it seems Myanmar has no democratic future in the near term,” a 31-year-old Rohingya said by telephone from a refugee camp, asking not to be named for fear of reprisal.
“We are very concerned .... Terrified about what’s going to happen to the Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar,” he said.
Dil Mohammed, a Rohingya leader in the camp, said: “We urge the global community to come forward and restore democracy at any cost.”
Maung Kyaw Min, the spokesman for the influential Rohingya Student Union, said there was now increased hope that Rohingya might return to their villages in Myanmar. “Unlike an elected government, this military (government) will need international support to sustain. So we hope they will focus on the Rohingya issue,” he said.