‘We are ready to go back as soon as possible’
Skip to main content
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
The Business Standard
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
TUESDAY, MAY 17, 2022
  • Home
  • Economy
  • Stocks
  • Analysis
  • World+Biz
  • Sports
  • Splash
  • Features
  • Videos
  • Long Read
  • Games
  • Epaper
  • More
    • COVID-19
    • Bangladesh
    • Infograph
    • Interviews
    • Offbeat
    • Thoughts
    • Podcast
    • Quiz
    • Tech
    • Subscribe
    • Archive
    • Trial By Trivia
    • Magazine
    • Supplement
  • বাংলা
‘We are ready to go back as soon as possible’

Interviews

Mubin S Khan
17 September, 2019, 11:10 am
Last modified: 17 September, 2019, 01:53 pm

Related News

  • Rohingya: Bangladesh seeks global community’s role to resolve crisis
  • Foreign secretary urges OIC Council to put pressure on Myanmar
  • Sustainable solution to Rohingya issues lies on repatriation: Foreign secretary
  • US announcement on Rohingya Genocide: Dhaka hopes it helps repatriation
  • Rohingya repatriation may start this year, says Chinese envoy

‘We are ready to go back as soon as possible’

Md Mohibullah, chairman of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, talks about why the Rohingyas refuse to go back to Myanmar now and what needs to be done to convince them to return

Mubin S Khan
17 September, 2019, 11:10 am
Last modified: 17 September, 2019, 01:53 pm
Md Mohibullah, chairman of Arakan Rohingya Society

Md Mohibullah, chairman of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights, came to the limelight on August 25 this year when a rally organised by Arakan Rohingya Society to observe two years of the latest Rohingya exodus from the Rakhine state of Myanmar, drew more than 100,000 people.

The rally, at which Mohibullah called for a dialogue with Myanmar authorities before the start of repatriation, came only three days after not a single Rohingya showed up for the repatriation process initiated by the Bangladesh government. The Myanmar government had earlier approved a list of more than 3,000 people eligible to be brought back to Myanmar.

Ever since, Mohibullah has been the subject of some scathing criticism and has drawn suspicion from various quarters about his intentions and patrons. In an exclusive interview with The Business Standard's Mubin S Khan, Mohibullah talks about why the Rohingyas refuse to go back to Myanmar now and what needs to be done to convince them to return.

The August 25 rally to observe Rohingya Genocide Day at the camp came as a surprise not just to the authorities but most Bangladeshis as well. Questions have been raised about how all these people were brought together in one place and how the event was financed. Some have even described the event as a conspiracy against Bangladesh. How do you respond to these allegations?

We had observed the Rohingya Genocide Day on August 25 last year, and this was nothing out of the ordinary. This is an important event for the Rohingya people, which is why so many people showed up. We had informed people through our members – we have a camp committee at every camp. We also distributed leaflets at markets inside the camp. Our total expenditure for the event was Tk23,200, including printing five banners that were used at the event. We collected the money through community donation boxes. We have a full break down of how much money we collected and how we spent it, and we have shown that to the authorities. We still have not paid out Tk7,400.

At the rally, we thanked the Bangladesh government and the people of Bangladesh for their generosity, even though we did not mention any individual. The question of hatching a conspiracy against Bangladesh is ridiculous.

In which case, where do you think all this criticism and suspicion is stemming from?

These criticisms are essentially being driven by our diaspora. We have many diaspora groups – BOR in Malaysia, RRCW in London, RCDC in Germany – who are constantly vying to become our official voice and make decisions for us. Now that we are taking up the mantle of our decision-making ourselves, they are not too happy. For example, ARU representatives came to our camp and asked us to directly to support. When we didn't, they got angry and are now conspiring against us.

Last month, you travelled to the US as a representative of the Rohingya community and met US President Donald Trump. You have subsequently been criticised for not raising the Rohingya issue during your meeting. You seem to have come out of nowhere and become the authoritative voice of the Rohingya community. Some say you have been propped up by international NGOs working in the camps. How do you respond to such allegations?

Donald Trump had walked in from another meeting and told us right at the start that he did not have time to speak to us and all our issues would be handled by his vice-president and the secretary of state. That is why I did not raise our issue. When my turn came to speak to him, I slipped in one question: "We have been thrown out of our country and we want to go back. What is your plan to help us?"

We seem to have become everyone's enemy. The locals hate us, the government is suspicious of us because we organised this rally and the NGOs hate us as well because we hold them accountable for the relief they provide us. When their contractors use Rohingyas to implement projects but then don't pay them, we take up the issue.

Why do the locals hate you? In fact, it appears the goodwill Rohingyas enjoyed at the start of the influx appears to have largely disappeared and the locals seem very disgruntled.

This has become a complicated situation. The bad blood in the relation with local people is being sown by the local media. We don't really understand why they are doing this and we are very confused. We had never before dealt with the media because there is no media from where we come from. We have no idea why they decided to reject us. We are the victims, I don't know why we are being made out to be perpetrators. There should be some form of accountability for the media.

You claim to be a 'peaceful leader' of Rohingyas. The latest exodus of Rohingyas was however triggered by the actions of armed groups and Myanmar claims these violent groups enjoy popularity among the Rohingyas. How do you distinguish yourself from those who advocate an armed struggle against the Myanmar army?

The support for armed groups among Rohingyas is very little, and it is dwindling by the day. The Rohingya people realise that an armed struggle against the Myanmar state is futile. The Tamils were the strongest armed group in the world and they fought the Sri Lankan government for the longest time, and yet they were defeated. Armed groups can become strong, but governments grow stronger. We are a small community in a very large state. Talk of armed struggle is both ridiculous and dangerous.

The August 22 repatriation attempt was the second occasion when such attempts have failed. There is now a growing fear among Bangladeshis and the government that the Rohingyas are unwilling to return especially because of the comfort provided at the camps.

As I explained to the government, Myanmar is simply playing a game with repatriation and does not plan to take us back. They are still torturing our people and burning our houses, so it is impossible for us to return now. The process through which our repatriation is being planned is in itself flawed. Allowing Myanmar to vet each and every application, and then repatriate no more than 2,000 to 3,000 people at a time, is not useful. It will take a few lifetimes for all Rohingyas to return at this pace.

Myanmar should be made to agree in writing that they will take back all of the 12 lakh Rohingyas living in Bangladesh. We will then provide proof of residency for each and every one of them. We have that proof, it won't be that difficult to provide.

Do you expect to go back anytime soon?

Yes, and I see progress in that direction. The visiting Myanmar minister agreed to sit with us on our three-point demand – citizenship, ethnicity, and safety and security. To that, we would add, the right to return to our own homesteads in the Rakhine state.

We are ready to go back as soon as possible.

But do you think the Myanmar government would ever create the circumstances for your safe return?

They would, if the right kind of international pressure is put on them. If pressure is put on the Myanmar generals through the Independent Fact-Finding Mission, if the US government sanctions them and if China becomes proactive, the Myanmar military will be compelled to relent.

The Bangladesh government recently decided to restrict the use of mobile phone inside camps. Some feel this is a part of a larger government move to put pressure on Rohingya community to agree to repatriation.

It doesn't really matter to us. We don't need mobile phones to keep in touch because all of us live inside camps, very close to each other, and news and information can spread through the word of mouth. We don't have a livelihood and we are not traders, so mobiles are not that important for that either. It's the Bangladeshi mobile companies that will lose the revenue.

Rohingya Crisis / Top News

Rohingya Crisis

Comments

While most comments will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive, moderation decisions are subjective. Published comments are readers’ own views and The Business Standard does not endorse any of the readers’ comments.

Top Stories

  • Photo: PID
    Prioritise dev projects, spend wisely: PM Hasina 
  • Workers carry sacks of wheat for sifting at a grain mill on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India, May 16, 2022. REUTERS/Amit Dave
    India to allow wheat shipments awaiting customs clearance
  • Govt fixes tolls for Padma Bridge
    Govt fixes tolls for Padma Bridge

MOST VIEWED

  • :Wholesalers as well as retail shop owners withdrew edible oil from the market in the hope of more profit. Photo: Mohammad Minhaj Uddin
    'If the govt can control 25% of the market, the influence of big importers will be reduced' 
  • Though the highways are being widened, the quality of the journey deteriorates as the day passes. Photo: Collected
    'More lanes will not solve the problem, we need to improve the operational condition of highways'
  • Dr Khondaker Golam Moazzem. Sketch: TBS
    ‘Subsidies are facilitating the concentration of exports, not diversification’
  • Dr Zaidi Sattar. Sketch: TBS
    ‘The protection of import-substituting industries is creating an anti-export bias’
  • Syeda Rizwana Hasan. TBS Sketch
    ‘Why don’t the police have sensitivity towards environmental conservation?’
  • Nurul Afsar, deputy managing director at Electro Mart. Illustration: TBS
    Haiko to become next big brand with Konka, Gree

Related News

  • Rohingya: Bangladesh seeks global community’s role to resolve crisis
  • Foreign secretary urges OIC Council to put pressure on Myanmar
  • Sustainable solution to Rohingya issues lies on repatriation: Foreign secretary
  • US announcement on Rohingya Genocide: Dhaka hopes it helps repatriation
  • Rohingya repatriation may start this year, says Chinese envoy

Features

Despite Bangladesh having about 24,000 km of waterways, only a few hundred kilometres are covered by commercial launch services. Photo: Saad Abdullah

Utilising waterways: When common home-goers show the way

4h | Panorama
Illustration: TBS

How Putin revived Nato

6h | Panorama
The reception is a volumetric box-shaped room that has two glass walls on both the front and back ends and the other two walls are adorned with interior plants, wood and aluminium screens. Photo: Noor-A-Alam

The United House: Living and working inside nature

6h | Habitat
Pcycle team members at a waste management orientation event. Photo: Courtesy

Pcycle: Turning waste from bins into beautiful crafts

7h | Panorama

More Videos from TBS

Can your coworker be your closest friend?

Can your coworker be your closest friend?

7h | Videos
The mystery behind Pyramid

The mystery behind Pyramid

8h | Videos
Finland, Sweden decide to join NATO

Finland, Sweden decide to join NATO

19h | Videos
Where you can swim for Tk5

Where you can swim for Tk5

21h | Videos

Most Read

1
Representative Photo: Pixabay.
Bangladesh

Microplastics found in 5 local sugar brands

2
Mushfiq Mobarak. Photo: Noor-A-Alam
Panorama

Meet the Yale professor who anchors his research in Bangladesh and scales up interventions globally

3
Impact of falling taka against US dollar
Banking

Taka losing more value as global currency market volatility persists

4
Govt tightens belt to relieve reserve
Economy

Govt tightens belt to relieve reserve

5
Union Capital asked to return Tk100cr FDR to BATBC 
Banking

Union Capital asked to return Tk100cr FDR to BATBC 

6
How Bangladesh can achieve edible oil self-sufficiency with local alternatives
Bazaar

How Bangladesh can achieve edible oil self-sufficiency with local alternatives

The Business Standard
Top
  • Home
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • About Us
  • Bangladesh
  • International
  • Privacy Policy
  • Comment Policy
  • Contact Us
  • Economy
  • Sitemap
  • RSS

Contact Us

The Business Standard

Main Office -4/A, Eskaton Garden, Dhaka- 1000

Phone: +8801847 416158 - 59

Send Opinion articles to - oped.tbs@gmail.com

For advertisement- sales@tbsnews.net

Copyright © 2022 THE BUSINESS STANDARD All rights reserved. Technical Partner: RSI Lab