Rohingya crisis can only be solved in Myanmar: Press secretary

The Rohingya crisis can only be resolved through their voluntary repatriation to Myanmar, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser Shafiqul Alam has said.

He added, “But to make this happen, groundwork must be prepared. The kind of diplomatic pressure needed, we hardly pursued that after 2017–18. The reason is, we had outsourced our foreign policy.”

He made the remarks on Saturday (September 20) while speaking at a workshop for journalists titled “Beyond Headlines: The Rohingya Crisis Through a New Lens” jointly organised by Press Institute Bangladesh (PIB) and Oxfam in Bangladesh.

Shafiqul Alam said, “If you mortgage your foreign policy to someone else, your hands and feet are tied. How far can you then go, and with whom will you move discussions forward? Because of this outsourcing, the issue has been completely buried.”

The Press Secretary said the gravity of the Rohingya problem as a serious humanitarian crisis is not being highlighted adequately. He noted that Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus considered how to bring this issue back into global focus so that it once again becomes a headline, compelling the international community to talk about it. In that context, the Chief Adviser had requested the United Nations to convene a discussion, and on September 30 he himself will lead it. “The Chief Adviser will address the session. We expect participation from more than 150 countries. We hope the conference will move towards a solution to the Rohingya crisis,” he said.

He further added, “This requires a long-term sustainable solution, and for that significant diplomatic pressure is essential—something that has truly been missing. The interim government is making strong efforts in this regard. Our Foreign Affairs Adviser and National Security Adviser have discussed the issue with many countries and visited many places. Dialogues are ongoing with several global powers. We are hopeful. In March this year, the UN Secretary-General himself spent an entire day with the Rohingya and even observed fasting in solidarity. We expect this international conference will bring the crisis back on the global map and attract urgent attention.”

When asked why politicians are joining the UN session, Shafiqul Alam said, “Most of our political parties were involved in the July Movement. These political parties are our stakeholders. The Chief Adviser himself invited them. This year’s 80th UNGA session is very important. Many world leaders will be there. Our politicians will have the opportunity to engage with them and later join the Rohingya conference.”

In response to a question on why only three parties were chosen, he said, “You have to consider resource limitations. The UN session lasts for three months. The government may later decide to send others as well.”