Insistence on talks only with Myanmar sealed Rohingya repatriation deal: Hasina

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has credited her government’s insistence on not involving a third party and continuing negotiations only with Myanmar to Bangladesh striking the Rohingya repatriation agreement, which she touts as “a great success”.

The Southeast Asian nation will take back only those Rohingya refugees who have fled into Bangladesh following the violence on Oct 9, 2016 and Aug 25 this year, as per the agreement signed on Thursday.

“Why do I need to approach a third party?” Hasina said on Sunday while inaugurating the first-ever envoys' conference in Dhaka, attended by top Bangladesh diplomats posted in 58 countries around the world.

“Sure, there had been pressure from the international community but we wanted to maintain our friendship as well since it is a neighbouring nation (Myanmar),” the prime minister said.

“At least we were able to reach an agreement through bilateral discussions.”

The Rohingya Muslim minority in Myanmar fled across the border amid fear of persecution following insurgent attacks on border police on Oct 9, 2016 and Aug 25, 2017.

Nearly 67,000 Rohingyas had entered Bangladesh soon after the Oct 9 attacks, the foreign ministry had said in January this year.

Over 600,000 more have taken refuge in Cox’s Bazar since the Myanmar military began a crackdown in Rakhine State following the August attack.

Nearly 400,000 Rohingyas, who had crossed the border at various points in the past few decades, had already been living in Bangladesh before then.

In 1992, Bangladesh signed a repatriation agreement with the then military regime of Myanmar, following which 236,599 Rohingyas returned to their homeland. But another 2,415 were denied entry even after meeting the criteria under the arrangement.

Last month, Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said the previous arrangement will not work now as the current situation is 'entirely different' and verifying Rohingyas based on their residence in Rakhine is not 'realistic' anymore.

The Myanmar government agreed to sit at the negotiation table after being flayed by the international community for its army operation characterised by mass killings and rapes. 

However, it refused to involve the international community including the United Nations in the discussions and made Bangladesh to go by the 1992 repatriation agreement for striking a new deal.

Hasina inaugurated the three-day conference attended by high commissioners, ambassadors and permanent representatives of Bangladesh on Sunday.

“The political angle used to be at the centre of diplomacy previously but now the focus is on economic diplomacy,” she said at the beginning of her speech.

“We must keep up with the times,” she said and called on the diplomats to find new areas to export goods and manpower and make ways for new investments to flow into Bangladesh.

The absconding killers of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and 1971 war criminals had amassed wealth since 1975 and still are spreading rumours from abroad, she said.

On emigration, Hasina said: “We have to see that our emigrants are not being subjected to any form of harassment abroad. Our duty is to look after them, solve their problems.”

“The high commissioners should sit with them at least once a week or a month to listen to their problems. We must not forget that they are working extremely hard and sending remittances which make up the largest share of our (foreign currency) reserves. With that money, we are operating all these diplomatic missions.

“So be kind to them. Try to win their trust,” she urged the ambassadors.

The diplomats must also take a proactive role in preventing the adverse effects of climate change. "Our friendship will be based on equality, not by being dependent on anyone," the prime minister added.

Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali, State Minister for Foreign Affairs M Shahriar Alam and Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque also spoke at the event.