Any meaningful repatriation remains unlikely under current conditions in Myanmar, Adviser for Foreign Affairs of the Interim Government Touhid Hossain said on Monday.
He blamed the stalemate on Myanmar’s ongoing civil war, fragmented authority, and the continued absence of guarantees for security and citizenship for the displaced Rohingya population.
“We have not yet found a viable solution to this crisis, despite it burdening us for a very long time,” Hossain said while addressing a seminar in Dhaka.
Bangladesh University of Professionals (BUP) and the Armed Forces Division jointly organised the seminar titled "Repatriation of Rohingya in Bangladesh: Strategic Implications on Regional Security and Ways Ahead."
He noted that the 2017 exodus, driven by brutal military crackdowns, was the third major wave of Rohingyas fleeing Myanmar.
"Even before that, nearly 300,000 crossed over slowly and continuously. This is a long-standing crisis," he said.
Bangladesh currently hosts more than one million Rohingyas, with repeated attempts at repatriation failing in the absence of a conducive environment in Myanmar.
Bangladesh now shelters more than one million Rohingyas in overcrowded camps in Cox’s Bazar and on the remote island of Bhasan Char. Successive attempts to facilitate voluntary repatriation—brokered with support from the UN and China—have collapsed amid fears over the lack of rights and safety in Myanmar.
The Rohingya, a stateless Muslim minority long persecuted in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, have been denied citizenship since 1982 and face severe restrictions on movement, education, and employment. While Bangladesh has consistently called for a sustainable and dignified repatriation solution, Myanmar’s military-led government has shown little willingness to create conditions for safe return.
Bd-pratidin English/Tanvir Raihan
