World has not forgotten Rohingya, host Bangladesh: US Ambassador Miller

The international community has not forgotten the Rohingya or the host communities supporting the refugees in Bangladesh, US Ambassador Earl Miller has said.

“We continue to work with international organizations to encourage Myanmar to create the conditions that allow for the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of refugees,” he said during a visit to the refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar.

“To that end, we strongly support all those calling on the Myanmar military to restore power to the democratically elected government, release all those who have been unjustly detained, and cease attacks on journalists, activists, and others. The military must exercise maximum restraint and refrain from additional violence,” he added.

He was part of a delegation that also included Australian High Commissioner Jeremy Bruer and Japanese Ambassador Naoki Ito on a two-day visit to the district from Mar 3, the US Embassy in Dhaka said in a statement on Saturday.

The visit highlights continued international community solidarity and support for Bangladesh’s refugee response, the embassy said.

The delegation also visited a disaster preparedness project, food programs, a learning centre, a health facility, and spoke with community health volunteers about their role in the COVID-19 response in the Rohingya refugee camps and host communities.

The US government through USAID Bangladesh is working with the World Food Programme to enhance food security in host communities and in the camps the US government is ensuring regular delivery of food assistance to Rohingyas.

“With $1.2 billion in assistance, the US is committed to supporting Rohingya refugees and host communities,” the embassy said.

Australian High Commissioner Bruer said, “We would like to reiterate our strong support for Bangladesh hosting displaced Rohingya.”

With COVID case numbers steadying and with the vaccine in sight, it is “as important as ever, for us to work together with the Bangladesh authorities to ensure humanitarian partners can deliver the much-needed assistance to both Rohingya and host communities,” he added.

“We had this joint mission with an intention to further promote our support for the Government of Bangladesh and to strengthen cooperation with international organisations and NGOs,” said Japanese Ambassador Ito.

Japan will work towards early repatriation of the displaced people, while continuing humanitarian assistance in Cox’s Bazar, as “finding lasting solutions of this crisis is conducive to our pursuit of a Free and Open Indo-Pacific”, he said.

“We strongly hope that, as the coronavirus situation has been improving, comprehensive service delivery including education will restart soon,” he added.