Bangladesh sees ‘change’ in ASEAN policy on Rohingya issue

Bangladesh has welcomed the recent ASEAN statement on Rohingya issue and considers it as a policy “change” of the 10-nation grouping of which Myanmar is a member.

“We welcome the change,” Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said on Thursday in a briefing in Dhaka as ASEAN foreign ministers in a retreat on Feb 6 in Singapore took note of the latest situation on the Rohingya crisis.

The foreign minister read out the part of the statement where the Rohingya issue was mentioned.

The ASEAN ministers welcomed the Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State between Myanmar and Bangladesh signed on 23 November 2017. They also “looked forward to the expeditious commencement of the voluntary return of displaced persons to Myanmar in a safe, secure and dignified way without undue delay, and stressed the need to find a comprehensive and durable solution to address the root causes of the conflict and to create a conducive environment so that the affected communities can rebuild their lives.”

They urged Myanmar to continue to implement the recommendations of the final report of the Advisory Commission on Rakhine State and welcomed the establishment of the Advisory Board for the implementation of the recommendations on Rakhine State led in his individual capacity by Prof. Dr. Surakiart Sathirathai, former Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Thailand.

The ministers expressed their support to the Myanmar government in its efforts to bring peace, stability, the rule of law, to promote harmony and reconciliation among the various communities, as well as to ensure sustainable and equitable development in Rakhine State.

Foreign Minister Ali said the ASEAN through the statement said what the government of Bangladesh had been saying from the beginning.

“We welcome the way they assessed the situation and thought about the way forward,” he said.

Myanmar military’s relentless campaign of violence has driven more than 688,000 Rohingya across the border to Bangladesh since August last year.

The UN has termed it “ethnic cleaning” while the Amnesty International on Wednesday claimed the ethnic cleansing is continuing as the security forces’ devastating campaign against the Rohingya population in northern Rakhine State is far from over.

Global leaders are coming to Bangladesh to see first-hand the plight of those Rohingya people and also express solidarity with the government of Bangladesh.

British Secretary of State Boris Johnson would come to Dhaka on Feb 9 while a delegation of the European Parliament would visit from Feb 11.