New York: Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has proposed a three-point solution to solve the Rohingya crisis, looming large over the horizons of Bangladesh.
Speaking at a high-level event on the 'Global Compact on Refugees: A Model for Greater Solidarity and Cooperation' at UN headquarters in New York on Tuesday, Ms Hasina said her first recommendation was the abolition of discriminatory laws, policies and practices of Myanmar against the minority group.
According to her second proposal, Myanmar must create a conducive environment by building trust and guaranteeing protection, rights and pathway to citizenship for all Rohingyas. If needed, it should create a 'safe zone' inside the country, to protect all civilians, the Bangladesh premiere suggested.
Thirdly, she said atrocious crimes against Rohingyas in Myanmar should be prevented by bringing accountability and justice, particularly in the light of recommendations of the Fact-Finding Mission of the UN Human Rights Council.
''In Bangladesh, now we're faced with the largest forced movement of over 1.1 million traumatised Rohingyas in the shortest time. They've been forcibly displaced from their homes in Rakhine State of Myanmar, where they had been living for centuries.
''While we're providing them with basic necessities, the magnitude of the problem has posed serious challenges for us. We've allocated over 6,000 acres of land,'' she added.The diversion of human and other resources for Rohingyas has taken a toll on the environment, economy and the society, she pointed out.
The Bangladesh Prime Minister reiterated that Rohingya crisis has originated in Myanmar and the solution has to be found there, said a UN statement here.''As a responsible government, we've opened our border and provided shelter to the forcibly displaced Rohingyas. By doing so, we've not only saved lives, but also stabilised the entire region by containing the crisis within our border,'' she said.
Given the scarcity of land and other socio-cultural and environmental impacts, Ms Hasina said the Bangladesh government was going to relocate Rohingyas to a newly-developed island, Bhashan Char, where they would have better living conditions and livelihood opportunities.
''Safe and sustainable return to the country of origin is particularly important to resolve protracted refugee crisis.
Greater attention needs to be paid to remove the root causes that make people refugee, and those root causes lie in the countries of origin,'' Ms Hasina added.Nearly 700,000 Rohingyas crossed over to Bangladesh, fleeing a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar, since August 25 last year.(UNI)
