Suu Kyi’s Rohingya speech is too little, too late: B’desh

Smita Sharma

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 19

Myanmar leader Aung San Suu Kyi breaking her silence on the Rohingya crisis in a televised address is “too little, too late”, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India Syed Moazzem Ali said today, adding that there were not too many encouraging signs.

Editorial: India & Rohingya 

Speaking to The Tribune, he said, “She evaded the core issue of Myanmarese recognition of its own population as free citizens of the country. We have emphasised that a solution to the Rohingya crisis has to be found in Myanmar itself. Necessary conditions must be created so that refugees could return to their land and live with dignity, honour, security and full democratic rights.” 

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The envoy stressed that the Rohingya were not just Muslims, since there was a sizeable number of Hindus too among the refugees in Bangladesh. Estimates suggest an influx of some 4,00,000 Rohingya adding to the existing 3,00,000 refugees.

After initially taking a security approach to the issue, the Narendra Modi government, under domestic criticism and pressure from Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina, focussed on the humanitarian aspect of the crisis.

Following the joint statement issued after Modi’s state visit to Myanmar, Ali had met Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar to impress upon the same. India subsequently sent relief material under “Operation Insaniyat” to refugee camps in Bangladesh. According to Ali, “More substantial relief aid is reaching Bangladesh by ship in the coming weeks.”

But he hopes as the closest neighbour of Bangladesh, India will play a bigger role in the final settlement of the Rohingya issue.

Asked about India’s legal position seeking to deport the illegal Rohingya refugees perceived as a threat to national security, the envoy refused to comment on India’s internal stand.

But elaborating on challenges to peace and security of the region, he said: “Influx of this kind of huge population obviously creates a certain amount of risk for all of us because these people can fall into the wrong hands.”

Meanwhile, the Rohingya issue did not figure in the brief meeting between Sheikh Hasina and Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj on the UNGA sidelines on Monday. But another detailed meeting is expected while they are in New York.

Ali welcomed the rare unanimity among UN Security Council members a week ago on the issue and hoped the US and global community would play an active role. “We are asking them to play a collective role to put pressure on Myanmarese authorities to change their mindset, so they accept their own people as part of their society.”

The High Commissioner said Dhaka was open to a joint verification process of the refugees with Naypyitaw as advised in the Kofi Annan Commission report, but asked if Myanmar is ready to implement the report at least as an interim solution.

‘India must step in’

India and China should assert their good offices on the Myanmar military and authorities to create necessary conditions for the return of the Rohingya refugees, otherwise it will create a problem for all of us.

Syed Moazzem Ali, Bangladesh High Commissioner to India