ZCZC
BSS-30
PM-CONGRESSMAN-RAKHINE
PM bins US congressman’s proposal for attaching Rakhine to Bangladesh
DHAKA, July 8, 2019 (BSS) – Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina today outright binned a
recent proposal by a US congressman that Myanmar’s Rakhine state should be
brought under Bangladesh territory calling it a “flagitious” proposition and
asked him rather to mobilize campaign for safe return of over a million
Rohingyas to their homeland.
“This is a flagitious and unjustified proposal. It is never acceptable . .
. we are happy with our 54,000 square mile or 1,47, 000 square kilometer
territory,” she told a press conference as asked for comments on Congressman
Bradley Sherman’s proposal during US congress’s hearing on State Department’s
budget for South Asia last week.
Sheikh Hasina added that Bangladesh offered makeshift refuge to the ethnic
minority Muslim Rohongyas in its territory on humanitarian grounds which
“does not mean, it wants to annex the Rakhine state”.
The premier reminded Sherman, chairman of US Congress Sub-committee on
Asia Pacific, of the civil war of his country in the past and said Bangladesh
would not do anything which would affect regional stability and peace.
“They may be a big country, but how a Congressman of the country forgot
the past of their civil war and how they think that those days (civil war)
will not come back again,” she said.
Sheikh Hasina said, moreover, Rakhine appeared to be exposed to frequent
unrest and “knowing and understanding that, why we will attach a troubled
area to our territory,” she questioned.
“We will never do it,” she said.
The premier said Bangladesh honored Myanmar’s sovereignty while Rakhine
was part of its territory and what Dhaka wanted was the safe return of the
Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine state.
“Giving shelter to the Rohingyas does not mean that we will attach a part
of the state. We’ve not such a mentality and we don’t want it. We want every
state will remain with its sovereignty,” she said.
She said instead of floating such proposals, the US congressmen should do
something so “Myanmar takes back their citizens from Bangladesh and that will
be their humanitarian gesture”.
Sheikh Hasina said they should see the violation of human rights, rather
refrain from creating trouble inside a country. “Fire was engulfed wherever
they gave hand … peace didn’t come anywhere and militancy and unrest were
created,” she said.
“We are trying to maintain peace in the region but there are efforts by
them to lit fire … it’s never acceptable,” she added.
According to media reports Sherman made the proposal on June 13 as a
brutal military crackdown forced tens of thousands of Rohingyas to flee to
Bangladesh deserting their home creating world’s biggest refugee crisis.
The UN called the atrocities as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing
while rights groups described it as genocide.
The premier’s press conference came two days after her return from China
after a five-day official visit largely to draw Beijing’s effective support
to mount pressure on Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas.
She told the press that Chinese leaders assured Dhaka of pursuing their
crucial ally Myanmar to end the crisis by taking back the Rohingyas.
“China assured us it will remain beside Bangladesh in the repatriation of
the Rohingyas. Is it not good news for us? Hasina said.
BSS/SH/AR/1922 hrs