Myanmar agrees to start taking back Rohingya this year

AA

SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh 

20.01.2021 

 

Tripartite meeting facilitated by China also agrees to keep global community in Rakhine State during repatriation.

Rohingya refugees sit on a Bangladesh Navy ship as they are relocated to the controversial flood-prone island Bhashan Char in the Bay of Bengal, in Chittagong on December 29, 2020. ( Stringer - Anadolu Agency ) 

 

Myanmar agreed to calls by Bangladesh at a tripartite meeting facilitated by China to start the much-awaited repatriation of Rohingya in the second quarter of this year, officials said Tuesday.

Bangladesh pushed hard to begin the repatriation, but Myanmar again delayed it, seeking time for logistical arrangements.

“We pushed to initiate the repatriation in the first quarter, but Myanmar sought more time for logistical arrangements and some physical arrangements. So we asked to start repatriation in the second quarter, and they agreed on it,” Bangladesh’s Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen said after the meeting.

The Shoah Foundation: Recording the Voices of Genocide Survivors

BORGEN
January 20, 202

SARTELL, Minnesota—Today at the Dachau Concentration Camp Memorial Site, visitors may tour the death camp in which thousands of prisoners died of disease, malnutrition, forced labor, execution and gruesome medical experiments between 1933 to 1945. As visitors reflect on the horrors committed at the site, they may also view a monument of the phrase, “Never Again.” For Holocaust survivors and human rights watchers alike, “Never Again” has been a rallying cry for preventing the atrocities of the Holocaust from recurring. One organization, the Shoah Foundation, is ensuring that “Never Again” will the world see such horrors by documenting the stories of genocide survivors to spread awareness.

Global Knowledgeability about the Holocaust

Bhasan Char: Home minister

Prothum Alo------ 

Prothom Alo English DeskNoakhali
Published: 19 January 2021

Rohingya exodus from their homeland, making their way to Bangladesh Reuters

Home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal, MP said more Rohingyas are now showing interest to go to Bhasanchar as they feel comfortable and secure there due to steps taken by the government for their comfort and safety, reports BSS.

“A good number of Rohingyas, who have been forcibly displaced from their motherland Rakhine state by Myanmar Army over three years ago, are now showing interest to go to Bhasan Char from Cox’s Bazar, as the government has taken steps to ensure their safety and comfort,” he said.

Saudi- KSrelief Distributes Over 16 Tons of Food Baskets to Rohingya Refugees in Bangladesh

MENAFN

1/18/2021

(MENAFN - Saudi Press Agency) Dhaka, January 18, 2021, SPA -- King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center (KSrelief), in cooperation with Muslim World League, distributed yesterday 16 tons and 800 KGs of food baskets to Rohingya refugees, benefiting 3,500 individuals.

The distribution comes as a part of a project to distribute foodstuffs to Rohingya refugees and their host community in Bangladesh.

The project comes within the framework of Saudi Arabia's support, represented by KSrelief, by providing various humanitarian and relief assistance to the Rohingya refugees to alleviate their suffering.
--SPA

Link : Here

 

 

Bangladesh, Myanmar, China tripartite talks Tuesday

Prothum Alo------ 

Prothom Alo English DeskDhaka
Published: 18 January 2021,

Rohingya exodus from their homeland, making their way to Bangladesh Reuters

Bangladesh, Myanmar and China will hold a virtual tripartite meeting on Tuesday to discuss ways to expedite the Rohingya repatriation process.

Rohingya repatriation talks between Dhaka and Naypyitaw remained halted for nearly a year due to COVID-19 pandemic and the general elections in Myanmar, reports UNB.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will lead the Bangladesh delegations in the meeting scheduled to begin at 2pm (local time) on Tuesday, reports UNB. Vice Minister of China Luo Zhaohui will join from Beijing with Bangladesh and Myanmar delegations, a senior official confirmed.

'Arson' destroys four UNICEF schools in Rohingya camps

FRANCH 24

Cox's Bazar (Bangladesh) (AFP)
19/01/2021

 

UNICEF runs some 2,500 learning centres in the 34 refugee camps in Bangladesh's southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar - AFP

 

Four UNICEF schools for Rohingya children in refugee camps in Bangladesh have been destroyed in a fire, officials said Tuesday, with the UN children's agency calling it arson.

It was unclear who might attack the schools, which were empty at the time, but the security situation in the camps housing around a million people has worsened in recent months.

Book on Rohingya launched at Jahangirnagar University

NEWAGE 

JU Correspondent
Jan 18,2021

 

 

A book, narrating the recent Rohingya crisis and ways to resolve it, was unveiled at a programme in the AR Mallick lecture hall of history department of Jahangirnagar University on Sunday.

JU history department professor Lutful Elahi wrote the book, titled ‘Rohingya and Bangladesh’, as part of his research work on ‘The lifestyle and origin of Rohingya’.

History department organised the event where Lutful Elahi presented the key-note paper and replied different queries on his book.

Dhaka-Washington ties to get stronger under Biden administration: Ambassador Miller

The Daily Star  

UNB, Dhaka

January 17, 2021

Photo courtesy: UNB

US Ambassador to Bangladesh Earl R Miller has said Bangladesh-US relations will only get stronger under the Biden administration.

"I think the relationship between the US and Bangladesh will only grow from strength to strength. I don't see any major changes at this point," he told UNB in an interview.

US President-elect Joe Biden and his team are now all set to take over office on January 20, 2021.

Ambassador Miller, however, said they will have to see what the new administration's policies are and mentioned that many of the people who will be moving to cabinet positions are well-known to him. "Many of them have real focus on the Indo-Pacific region, especially in South Asia."

Rohingya: Why Bangladesh is in a diplomatic fix over Saudi repatriation

FINANCIAL EXPRESS

Deutsche Welle
Published: January 17, 2021 

SOURCE:DW/D.Guha

In a recent interview with DW, Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A K Abdul Momen said that authorities in Dhaka could provide legal documents to some of the Rohingya that live in Saudi Arabia.

The Muslim Rohingya are an ethnic minority originating in Myanmar's Rakhine state. However, Myanmar refuses to recognize them as citizens. For decades, the Rohingya have fled from persecution to other countries, most of them to neighboring Bangladesh.

Almost 40 years ago, Saudi Arabia took in tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees who were facing persecution in Myanmar. The Saudi government told Dhaka in September 2020 that it "would be helpful" if the refugees were given Bangladeshi passports as the kingdom "doesn't keep stateless people."

Rohingyas with Bangladeshi passports considered Bangladeshi: Saudi envoy

The Daily Star 

UNB, Dhaka

January 17, 2021

Saudi Ambassador to Bangladesh Issa bin Youssef Al-Duhailan today said they are considering those Rohingyas as Bangladeshis who have been to Saudi Arabia with Bangladeshi passports.

He said a high-level committee has been formed to scrutinise the process.

Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan who was present at the same programme said the Rohingya issue is a "very old one" and they will look into it in terms of renewal or reissuance of the passports.

"Those who are from Myanmar, are not Bangladeshi citizens... they are citizens of Myanmar," he said. They were speaking at a food distribution event at a Dhaka hotel.

Momen urges filmmakers to work on Rohingyas’ saddest stories

theindepedent

BSS, Dhaka

18 January, 2021 

Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen today urged the filmmakers to make films patronizing the saddest stories of Rohingyas for further sensitizing world community about unimaginable atrocities that were committed against an ethnic group.

“An ethnic minority (Rohingya) that are the victims of hatred and enmity in a land of Buddhism (Myanmar) that believe in Ohinsho and Nirvana, self-purification where hatred and killing is unthinkable and against his teaching,” he said.

Dr Momen made the remark while inaugurating the 19th Dhaka International Film Festival organized by the Rainbow Film Society at National Museum in the capital this afternoon.

Bhashan Char: 3rd batch of Rohingyas to move at January end

Dhaka Tribune  

Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan
January 17th, 2021 

File photo of Rohingya refugees getting briefed about their stay at Bhashan Char after relocating there from the refugee camps in Cox's Bazar, on Friday, December 4, 2020 Humayun Kabir Bhuiyan/Dhaka Tribune

 

A total 3,414 Rohingyas who were previously relocated to the island are doing well, top officials say

The government is planning to relocate the third batch of Rohingyas from the camps in Cox's Bazar to Bhashan Char at the end of this month, multiple sources told Dhaka Tribune.

About 2,000 members of the persecuted community from Rakhine state of Myanmar will be relocated in the third batch, they added.

UN Steps Up Support For Thousands Left Homeless After Fire At Rohingya Refugee Camp

SCOOPworld

Sunday, 17 January 2021,
Press Release: UN News

 

UN agencies have stepped up efforts to help thousands of Rohingya refugees left without shelter after a devastating fire tore through a crowded refugee camp in south-eastern Bangladesh on Thursday. 

WFP Bangladesh A devastating fire broke out on 14 January in Nayapara refugee camp, southern Bangladesh, destroying over 500 shelters.

 

The fire erupted shortly after midnight on Thursday (local time) in the Nayapara refugee camp in Cox’s Bazar, gutting about 550 shelters and 150 shops. A community centre is also said to have been destroyed.

About 3,500 Rohingya refugees, including children, lost their homes and belongings in the blaze, in the middle of winter and the coronavirus pandemic, UN agencies said.

No lives were lost, and the fire was brought under control in a few hours by firefighters, volunteers and refugees.

Rohingya: Tripartite moot raises hopes, skepticism

AA

SM Najmus Saki 

DHAKA, Bangladesh

16.01.2021 

Bangladesh hosting tripartite meeting on Rohingya repatriation bringing China, Myanmar to table on Jan. 19 

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen

Bangladesh is going to host an important tripartite meeting on the Rohingya repatriation issue, which has been frozen for a year, bringing China and Myanmar to the table on Jan. 19.

The last tripartite meeting was held on Jan. 20 last year in New York, and since then Myanmar has been allegedly postponing the bilateral talks despite repeated attempts by Bangladesh.

Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen said it will be a secretary-level tripartite meeting and hopefully it will be productive. However, he averred that “repatriation is the only solution to end the Rohingya crisis, and there will be no alternative.”

Burma Army deploys 1,500 troops to northern Maungdaw amidst lull in fighting

Kaladan Press
Friday, January 15, 2021

About 1,500 Burma Army troops arrived by ship in southern Maungdaw on January 7 and were then transported by truck to northern Maungdaw, according to local villagers.

The troops were seen disembarking in the morning from two naval ships at the fishing village of Alethankyaw on the southern Maungdaw coast, where they entered the Alethankyaw Border Guard Police (BGP) camp.

Locals said the troops coming to shore were wearing civilian clothes, but were carrying military equipment and were obviously soldiers.

The Rohingya refugee crisis needs our attention

Qj JOURNAL
Ema Popovic
January 15, 2021

 
Contextualizing the role of students in protecting basic human rights 

 

illustration by Ashley Chen

Photo: Ashley Chen

 

The Rohingya refugee crisis affects more than 600,000 people(link is external) by taking lives, tearing families apart, and burning homes to the ground. The recognition and awareness of this ongoing crisis by university students, set to become our leaders of tomorrow, is critical in protecting basic human rights going forward.

Myanmar: Serious Rights Abuses Persist

HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH

 

 

 

January 13, 2021

No Justice for Ongoing Crimes Against Humanity, Apartheid

Voters wearing face masks to help curb the spread of the coronavirus line up to cast their ballots at a polling station near Shwedagon pagoda in Yangon, Myanmar, November 8, 2020. © 2020 AP Photo/Thein Zaw

 

(Bangkok) – The Myanmar government has repeatedly violated basic civil and political rights, and failed to hold the country’s security forces accountable for atrocities against ethnic minorities, Human Rights Watch said today in its World Report 2021.

The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party overwhelmingly won the November 8, 2020, election, which was marred by serious problems. Prior to the vote the government prosecuted its critics, censored opposition party messages, and did not provide equal access to state media. Systemic problems include the continued ethnic Rohingya disenfranchisement, the 25 percent of assembly seats reserved for the military, and the lack of an independent and transparent Union Election Commission. The commission cancelled voting in 57 primarily ethnic minority townships for security reasons, but provided little or no consultation or explanation to affected political parties and candidates.

Next Myanmar-Bangladesh-China Meeting on Rohingya Repatriation Set For Jan. 19

Radio Free Asia

2021-01-13

Rohingya refugees aboard a Bangladesh navy ship are relocated to a flood-prone island in the Bay of Bengal, Dec. 29, 2020.AFP

 

A secretary-level meeting between Bangladesh and Myanmar, mediated by China, will be held on Jan. 19 in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on the issue of repatriating Rohingya refugees, the Bangladeshi foreign minister said Wednesday.

Myanmar has not cooperated in ironing out issues to do with the return of the hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees, but Bangladesh is hopeful some headway will made at the upcoming meeting, Minister of Foreign Affairs A.K. Abdul Momen told journalists.

“We hope it will be a fruitful meeting,” Momen said.

He said that China had initially set the date for Jan. 9-10, but postponed it due to Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to Myanmar on Monday and Tuesday.

Tripartite meeting for Rohingya repatriation from Bangladesh on January 19- Foreign Minister Dr. A K Abdul Momen

DD News
13-01-2021

A tripartite meeting between Bangladesh, Myanmar and China for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees will be held on January 19 in Dhaka.

This was announced by the Foreign Minister of Bangladesh Dr. A K Adbul Momen in Dhaka on Wednesday.

The tripartite meeting will take place at the Secretary level. Dr. Momen said that he retains high hopes of a positive outcome of the meeting, reports the official news agency BSS. He informed that the meeting was scheduled to be held this week but it was deferred to January 19 as the Chinese foreign minister is scheduled to visit Myanmar in the meantime.

Rohingya Repatriation: Bangladesh-Myanmar-China tripartite talks Jan 19

daily sun 

UNB
13th January, 2021

Bangladesh, Myanmar and China will hold a tripartite meeting on Rohingya repatriation in Dhaka on January 19 as Dhaka finds their repatriation to Myanmar as only solution to the crisis.

"We hope it would be a fruitful meeting," Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen told reporters on Wednesday about the tripartite talks. He said the meeting will be held at secretary level while such tripartite meeting was last held on January 20 last year.

The Foreign Minister said Bangladesh has handed over a list of 8,40,000 Rohingyas to Myanmar for verification.

"Myanmar has verified very few people. They're very slow. They verified only 42,000 people. There is serious lack of seriousness," said the Foreign Minister.