Unite Rohingya diaspora to end the plight: Experts

The Rohingya diaspora itself can play a crucial role in bringing about a change in the state of affairs and thus ending the plight of the community, said experts, policymakers and human rights activists.   

The crisis could be resolved by uniting the Rohingya diaspora around the world, they said at a two-day virtual conference ending Wednesday. 

Titled "Connecting Rohingya Diaspora: Highlighting the Global Displacement", the conference was organised by ActionAid Bangladesh in association with the Centre for Genocide Studies at the University of Dhaka, and the Centre for Peace and Justice at Brac University.

The conference came to an end through the presentation of "Dhaka Declaration-2020" in the closing ceremony. 

On Tuesday, Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen attended the inauguration ceremony of the conference as the chief guest.

He said, "Despite Bangladesh's willingness to achieve peaceful repatriation of Rohingya refugees, Myanmar's disinterest is proving to be a major obstacle. A safe zone has to be established in Rakhine under the monitoring of the international community to ensure Rohingya repatriation."   

He expressed concerns over the possibility of conflict if the situation prolongs, and urged the international community to put pressure on Myanmar to achieve peaceful repatriation of the Rohingya people. 

Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmed of the international relations at the University of Dhaka, also the director of the Centre for Genocide Studies, said that connecting the Rohingyas inside and outside of Myanmar is a timely issue.

He thanked Gambia for representing the Rohingya genocide case at the International Court of Justice. 

Cherno Marenah, solicitor general and legal secretary at the Ministry of Justice, Government of the Republic of The Gambia, said, "In October, Gambia will submit the first memorandum in the case at the International Court of Justice. We are working extremely hard along with international lawyers." 

Farah Kabir, country director of ActionAid Bangladesh, said, "We do not want the plight of the Rohingyas to prolong. The Rohingya diaspora itself can play a crucial role in bringing about a change." 

This issue can be resolved by uniting the Rohingya diaspora around the world, she added.

Azeem Ibrahim, director of the Centre for Global Policy in Washington DC, said, "It is not easy for the Rohingya diaspora to go back to their country. They will have to unite with other minority communities to resolve this issue." 

Yasmin Ullah, a Rohingya activist staying in Canada, said, "Approximately, 1,500 Rohingya refugees are settled in Canada and North America, and most of them are survivors of violation of human rights in Myanmar. The second and the third generations of Rohingyas in Canada and North America suffer from a serious identity crisis as the diaspora is struggling to preserve its culture." 

Professor Michimi Muranushi of law at the Gakushuin University in Japan said, "The Japanese government has for years ignored the Rohingya diaspora's requests to acknowledge their refugee issue."

Ma Htike, a PhD student at the Queen Mary University of London, termed the citizenship act of Myanmar 1982 a racist law. 

"The implementation of this law has challenged the rights of the minorities of the country." 

"Around 135 minority groups were declared indigenous people, and the rest were declared settlers. Due to this act, the Rohingya people lost their citizenship rights which was a violation of human rights," she added. 

In order to mark the third anniversary of the massive Rohingya influx into Bangladesh, the conference has presented the miserable scenario of the Rohingya community by listening to the experiences of the Rohingya diaspora, and connecting the Rohingya people living both in and out of Myanmar. 

The e-conference was attended by experts, researchers, academicians, human rights activists, and humanitarian workers working on the Rohingya diaspora from 12 countries, including Bangladesh and Myanmar.