Hasina calls for ‘safe return’ of Rohingya to Myanmar, cites security threat

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has once again called on the international community to ensure the safe return of the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to their homeland Myanmar.

She made the appeal citing security concerns about the refugees in a virtual address to the ninth Moscow Conference on International Security on Wednesday. 

Bangladesh hosts more than 1.1 million Rohingya Muslims who have fled decades of persecution and a 2017 military crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar. 

“They are posing a huge security threat to Bangladesh as well as the region,” Hasina said. 

“We have sheltered them on the humanitarian ground but such a huge population can't be lodged for an indefinite period. Hence, may I request the world community to assist us in dignified and peaceful repatriation of the Rohingyas.”

Besides the Rohingya repatriation issue, the prime minister emphasised vaccination to all to fight COVID-19 amid the pandemic, humanitarian assistance to the marginalised people, stopping financing and supply of arms to terrorists, and increasing cooperation among military agencies to ensure global security.

“Peace and security cannot be ensured unless we take appropriate measures to end human deprivation and ensure an environment that provides education and opportunities for all.”

The concept of security now includes, in addition to military threats, the socio-economic and political needs of individuals, mass involuntary migration, environmental security and other non-traditional security threats, Hasina said. 

“Even, new challenges and issues of international security arise due to terrorism, extremism, separatism, weapons of mass destruction, cybercrimes, regional conflicts and ecological catastrophes. Bangladesh maintains 'zero tolerance' policy towards terrorism and extremism.”

The prime minister also noted Bangladesh has been playing an important role in keeping up world peace by contributing the highest number of peacekeepers to the UN peacekeeping missions.

To tackle the pandemic, she said, her government is working to ensure available healthcare support. It is also trying to get vaccines from all available sources to ensure all citizens are vaccinated.