Giving corridor to Rakhine 'completely false': CA

Chief Adviser Professor Dr. Muhammad Yunus on Friday dismissed claims that Bangladesh has granted a corridor to Rakhine State, calling the allegation completely false and baseless.

“We’ve noticed that propaganda is being spread that Bangladesh has provided a corridor for Rakhine. I am saying clearly, this is a complete lie. This is the work of those who are constantly misleading the people of Bangladesh by creating untrue stories and unrest,” he told a televised address to the nation on the eve of the Eid-ul-Azha.

Yunus urged the nation to be careful about the propaganda and not to be misled in any way.

“Despite this propaganda, we will not deviate from our goal. We will continue our work to solve this complex problem,” he said.

The Chief Adviser said UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres during his visit to Dhaka in March last year, proposed a relief channel to address the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine State.

“The UN secretary general said this proposal would be helpful in the repatriation of the Rohingya. The matter stayed at the proposal stage,” he said.

Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus said that around 1.2 million Rohingyas are currently living in Bangladesh, with nearly 100,000 arriving between September 2023 and September 2024 amid intense fighting in Myanmar’s Rakhine State. He noted that many are still attempting to enter Bangladesh due to the ongoing conflict and worsening humanitarian conditions there.

“We have taken steps to curb the influx of Rohingyas and to facilitate the repatriation of those already in the country,” he said.

“When we assumed office, the Rohingya issue had nearly faded from the global agenda. It was no longer a priority for the international community. From that point, we succeeded in bringing the issue back to global attention,” he added.

Yunus said he called for an international conference on the Rohingya in the UN General Assembly in September last year.

All UN member states have agreed on this and have decided to organize a high-level international conference and this conference will be held in New York, USA in September this year, he added.

“At the same time, we have been able to build international public opinion for the repatriation of the Rohingya. During his visit to Bangladesh last March, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres clearly declared that their repatriation to Myanmar is the only solution to the Rohingya problem,” he said.

Another major development on the repatriation issue is the announcement by the Myanmar government of the first-ever list of Rohingyas eligible for repatriation, he said.

During the discussions on the sidelines of the BIMSTEC summit in Bangkok last April, the Myanmar government announced for the first time that 180,000 Rohingyas are eligible for repatriation, he added.

“Formal and informal contacts are being maintained with the Myanmar government and the insurgent groups there to ensure the repatriation of the Rohingyas and the security of our borders. We have discussed the Rohingya crisis with state leaders and government representatives in all the countries we have visited and sought their cooperation. They have also responded positively to our call,” he said.