COMMENT | Rohingya issue – my heart was never bleeding

malaysia kini

OPINION

S Thayaparan

Do not sabotage the government’s effort in curbing Covid-19 in the name of ‘human rights’. Does our country have the resources and capacity to accommodate these refugees?”

- MCA vice-president Tan Teik Cheng

COMMENT | The “plight” of the Rohingya has somehow united the far-right and progressive elements in social media, and the vitriol against the community – online at least – has brought out allegations of scapegoating and pleas for “empathy” for this community.

 

The PN’s government move to deny a boatload of “Rohingya” refugees from entering Malaysia is a good start as far as I am concerned, but using the excuse of the coronavirus pandemic as some sort of prophylactic against charges of “inhumane treatment” is complete horse manure, if you ask me.

KSA Army chief: Saudi with Bangladesh over Rohingya issues

Dhaka Tribune
Tribune Desk
November 28th, 2019

Saudi Armed Forces General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwailihas meets with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka on Thursday, November 28, 2019 PID

He also praised Bangladesh's steps towards combating terrorism

Visiting Chief of General Staff (CGS) of the Saudi Armed Forces General Fayyadh bin Hamed Al-Ruwailihas said Saudi Arabia will always be there beside Bangladesh over Rohingya issue.

“Saudi Arabia will continue extending support to Bangladesh over Rohingya issue,” he said during a meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her Ganabhaban residence in Dhaka on Thursday, reports UNB.

Singapore to take up Rohingya issue at ASEAN Summit

Prothum Alo------   

UNB . Dhaka

Oct 25, 2019

Singapore foreign minister Vivian Balakrishnan on Thursday said his country would raise the Rohingya issue at the 35th ASEAN Summit that will begin in Bangkok on 31 October.

The Singaporean minister’s remarks came as Bangladesh seeks sustainable return of Rohingyas to their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.

The issue came up for discussion when a delegation from Parliamentary Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs headed by its chairman M Faruk Khan called on the foreign minister of Singapore at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Singapore.

Dhaka seeks Berlin's support on Rohingya issue

Dhaka Tribune
Tribune Desk
October 19th, 2019

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen meets German Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs Heiko Maas in Berlin on Friday, October 18, 2019 UNB

He also asked for German car manufacturers to invest in Bangladesh and set up their assembly plants

Bangladesh has urged Germany to put pressure on Myanmar so that they can start taking their nationals back, noting that not a single Rohingya has been repatriated over the last two years.

China still willing to mediate Rohingya repatriation after second failed attempt

bdnews24.com
Senior Correspondent,
bdnews24.com
29 Aug 2019

China is still offering mediation after two failed attempts to help Myanmar and Bangladesh start the process to repatriate Rohingya refugees.
Newly-appointed Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming on Thursday said China would play “more constructive role” in resolving the crisis.

He made the remarks to journalists after his maiden meeting with Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen at his office.

'Zia was mastermind behind Bangabandhu killing'

THE ASIAN AGE
AA News Desk 
28 August 2019

Road Transport and Bridges Minister Obaidul Quader on Tuesday said BNP founder Ziaur Rahman was the mastermind behind the killings of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and his family members.

"Zia was the mastermind behind Bangabandhu killing on August 15, 1975 and his son Tarique Rahman was the mastermind of the August 21 grenade attack," he said while addressing a discussion in the capital, reports BSS.

China, India, Japan in Myanmar’s pocket: DU teacher Prof Imtiaz on Rohingya issue

bdnews24.com 
Senior Correspondent
bdnews24.com
Updated: 28 Aug 2019 

Dhaka University’s Professor of International Relations Prof Imtiaz Ahmed has said Myanmar is staging a ‘drama’ in the name of repatriating the forcibly displaced Rohingyas as they feel they have 'some important' countries in the region in their ‘pocket’.

 

“They think they have at least three countries in their pocket, so they think, ‘what can Bangladesh do?’” he remarked, naming China, India and Japan, at a discussion on the two years of the latest Rohingya crisis on Tuesday.

Govt has failed diplomatically on Rohingya issue: BNP

bdnews24.com
Senior Correspondent, bdnews24.com
Published: 23 Aug 2019

Senior BNP leader Ruhul Kabir Rizvi says the government has diplomatically failed to repatriate forcibly displaced Rohingyas to Myanmar from Bangladesh.

He made the remarks at an event in Dhaka on Friday, a day after a second attempt to repatriate the Rohingyas fell flat following first attempt made in November last year.

Rohingya issue could turn into unbearable crisis for Bangladesh: ex-UN chief

THEWEEK
By PTI  
July 10, 2019 
 
Ban Ki-moon criticised Myanmar for being reluctant in taking back Rohingya Muslims

The Rohingya issue would eventually become an unbearable crisis for Bangladesh, former UN chief Ban Ki-moon said Wednesday as he criticised Myanmar for being reluctant in taking back tens of thousands of persecuted Rohingya Muslims.

According to the UN estimates, nearly 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in the Rakhine state since August 2017 when the Myanmar army launched a military crackdown

Bangladesh leader Hasina touches down in China amid Rohingya crisis with Myanmar

bdnews24.com
Reazul Bashar from China, bdnews24.com
Published: 02 Jul 2019

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has arrived in China on a five-day official visit -- her first to the Asian superpower after forming government for a third straight term.

A VVIP flight of Bangladesh Biman Airlines took off with the prime minister and her delegation from the Shahjalal International Airport at 5pm on Monday. The plane landed in Dalian’s Zhoushuizi International Airport at 12:10am local time (10:10pm Bangladesh standard time).

Gov't committed to locating PDRM, Immigration in tackling Rohingya issue

Bernama.com

Last update: 01/07/2019

KUALA LUMPUR, July 1 (Bernama) — The government is committed to placing the Royal Malaysian Police (PDRM) together with the Immigration Department soon in resolving the issue of registration of Rohingya refugees.

They are now under the supervision of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR).

Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan Ismail said 173, 731 Rohingya comprising 124,753 refugees and 48,978 asylum seekers were recorded by the UNHCR up to May 31 this year.

“The government had discussed with the UNHCR to place both agencies together in the refugee status determination process...however, it has not been finalised yet " she said in the Dewan Rakyat today.

--BERNAMA

Link :http://www.bernama.com/en/general/news.php?id=1740901

Why the UN failed to save the Rohingya

Al Jazeera
by Joshua Carroll

28 Jun 2019

Insiders say UN sought to downplay criticism of Myanmar and was hamstrung by China, Russia opposition to firm response.

A Rohingya refugee and her children wade ashore after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border by boat in September 2017 [File: Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]

Yangon, Myanmar - When Liam Mahony travelled to Myanmar to advise the United Nations on its handling of the Rohingya crisis, the dozens of aid workers he spoke to were almost unanimous in their appraisal of the organisation's approach.

Their view, the researcher recalls, was "this was all screwed up... this was not going to help the Rohingya population".

PM’s China Visit: Dhaka wants stronger role of Beijing on Rohingya

The Daily Star
 June 29, 2019

Dhaka is expecting Beijing, a close ally of Myanmar, to play a more effective role in addressing the Rohingya crisis as Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visits China from July 1-5.

“We hope Rohingya issue will get prominence during her visit. We have high hopes to see progress in this regard,” Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen said at a press briefing at his ministry yesterday.

Bangladesh seeks more Chinese support to Rohingya issue

AA

Md. Kamruzzaman | 

DHAKA, Bangladesh

28.06.2019 

China, Russia and India now mostly standing in favor of Bangladesh in Rohingya issue, Dhaka's top diplomat claims 

 

Bangladesh will ask more support from China on the issue of safe and dignified repatriation of Rohingya Muslim to their own land in Myanmar, an official said Friday.

"We are hopeful that we will get China’s full support to pressurize Myanmar to return their citizens [Rohingya] with safety and dignity”, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen told reporters in Dhaka while briefing about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's upcoming visit to Beijing.

'ASEAN declaration on Rohingya lacks teeth'

AA

Md. Kamruzzaman

24.06.2019

DHAKA, Bangladesh

Rights group tells ASEAN leaders to set timeline for Myanmar to settle Rohingya issue

Rohingya rights activists have termed Sunday’s ASEAN declaration on the Rohingya crisis, as lacking teeth and spine.

They urged the Southeast Asian grouping of leaders to set a timeline for Myanmar to settle the refugee crises.

Dhaka to share concerns about Rohingya issue with Beijing

Dhaka Tribune
June 23rd, 2019
Tribune Desk 

Rohingyas crossing over to Bangladesh after Rohingya insurgent attacks on Myanmar security forces in August 2017 triggered a sweeping military crackdown Mahmud Hossain Opu /Dhaka Tribune

Prolonged stay of Rohingyas might cause radicalism, uncertainty

Bangladesh will convey to China during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's visit scheduled for July 1-5, its fear of "radicalism and uncertainty" on the security front in the region, due to the prolonged stay of Rohingyas in Bangladesh.

Dhaka to share concerns over Rohingya issue with Beijing

UNB
June 23, 2019
UNB News

Bangladesh will convey its fear of ”radicalism and uncertainty” in the region on security front to China due to the prolonged stay of Rohingyas in Bangladesh during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit scheduled for July 1-5. Photo: AP 

Dhaka, June 23 (UNB) – Bangladesh will convey its fear of ”radicalism and uncertainty” in the region on security front to China due to the prolonged stay of Rohingyas in Bangladesh during Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s visit scheduled for July 1-5.

“If the problem [Rohingya crisis] remains unresolved for a long time, there’s a possibility of growing some pockets of radicalism. If terrorist acts grow, there’ll be uncertainty in the entire region,” said Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen on Sunday.

Asean Leaders Hold Off From Demanding Citizenship for Rohingyas

Bloomberg
By Philip Heijmans
23 June 2019,

Rohingyas at the Unchiprang refugee camp, Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh.
Photographer: Paula Bronstein/Getty Images AsiaPac

Southeast Asian leaders held back from collectively demanding that Myanmar provide citizenship for Rohingyas even as some member nations sought more rights for the persecuted minority group.

Southeast Asian leaders meet, expected to discuss Rohingyas, South China Sea

REUTERS
June 23, 2019
Patpicha Tanakasempipat, Panu Wongcha-um

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Southeast Asian leaders met on Sunday for a second day of a summit in Bangkok, where they were expected to discuss pressing regional issues including the plight of Myanmar’s fleeing Rohingyas and the South China Sea dispute.

Leaders of the 10 countries on Saturday adopted a joint declaration against marine plastic pollution and stressed the importance of a regional trade pact first proposed by China.

Myanmar pushing the region and the world towards a catastrophic situation centering Rohingya refugee issue

BLiTZ
June 16, 2019
Anita Mathur

 After playing dilly-dally with Bangladesh for over two years and fooling the international community with its false promise of taking back over one million Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh, Myanmar has now resorted to its nefarious agenda of making its Rakhine state totally Rohingya free – more precisely – Muslim free.