DHAKA, March 9, 2021 (BSS) – United States (US) Ambassador to Bangladesh
Earl Miller today said his country wants to see ‘real progress’ on ground in
Myanmar so persecuted Rohingya community can return to their land of origin
in sustainable manner.
“We really want to see some progress having people (Rohingyas) return (to
Myanmar),” he told reporters after inaugurating a US funded ‘STEM’ education
project at BRAC center in the capital.
Miller said conducive condition on the ground for safe, sustainable,
dignified return of all Rohingyas must be ensured and the repatriation
‘should start immediately’.
“What’s happening next door (Myanmar) … (and) how that will affect the
(Rohingya) repatriation efforts, we have to see,” Miller said indicating the
recent military coup in Myanmar.
The US envoy invited international community to join US in imposing severe
sanctions on Myanmar that assault democracy.
Miller said international community should step up more and help
Bangladesh in the region and globe resolve the crisis.
Bangladesh is hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in
Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there since August 25, 2017
after a military crackdown by Myanmar.
That military crackdown is dubbed a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing”
by the UN and “genocide” by other rights groups.
The Us ambassador along with Australian and Japan envoys here visited
Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar last week to reiterate their unwavering support
to Bangladesh’s humanitarian aid towards persecuted nationals of Myanmar.
Adding, that was his 12th visit to Rohingya camps, Miller said the visit
gave a very positive strong message for continuing support from the
international community.
“Not only support of humanitarian assistance .. support for ongoing
pressure on Myanmar (as well),” he said.
As a partner country of Bangladesh, Miller said, the US under the new
Biden administration has been trying to resolve the Rohingya crisis.
“We will continue to push (Myanmar) … (as well) to support the host
community,” he said.
He said the new US government has taken the Rohingya crisis seriously
while it has started reviewing the genocide incidents allegedly occurred in
Myanmar against its minority communities.
The Us ambassador highly lauded Bangladesh’s frontline health workers for
their ‘remarkable’ achievement in handling pandemic at hugely dense Rohingya
camps in Cox’s bazar that hosts millions of persecuted Myanmar nationals.
In modern history, he said, no country like Bangladesh has taken on so much
burden by absorbing such a huge number of persecuted communities.
On Monday, Foreign minister Dr AK Abdul Momen appealed to the international
community to work sincerely, instead of paying “lip service” for repatriation
of the Rohingyas to Myanmar.
“Imposing sanctions on some generals will not work,” he said suggesting
that the international community should go to Rakhine and ask Myanmar to
create conducive conditions for repatriation of the Rohingyas.
Myanmar has been committing gross human rights violations, but some
countries that advocate human rights are doing business with it and the
volume of their trade is increasing, he added.
During his recent visit to the US last month, Dr Momen said that Dhaka
looks forward to the US government’s concrete steps and leading role,
including his proposal to appoint a Special Envoy on Rohingya, in achieving a
sustainable solution to this Rohingya crisis.
He hoped that the US Biden Administration would put more political and
economic sanctions on Myanmar to create a conducive environment for safe and
dignified return of the Rohingyas to their homeland in Rakhine.
In last three years, Myanmar did not take back a single Rohingya while the
attempts of repatriation failed twice due to trust deficit among the
Rohingyas about their safety and security in the Rakhine state.
Bangladesh handed over biometric data of 8,30,000 Rohingyas while the
Myanmar authority so far verified only 42,000 displaced people out of the
list.