Is it possible to repatriate Rohingyas by means of diplomacy alone?
When war breaks out in a neighbouring country, this is a matter of both alarm and opportunity. This is particularly true when the country has laid a large part of their burden on a different country. It is prudent not to imagine that the problem can be resolved merely by diplomatic efforts or international rules and regulations.
I am talking about Myanmar. Due to the country's domestic politics, the Rohingyas are not Myanmar citizens. Legally speaking, Myanmar does not recognise them as their citizens. And Bangladesh has been embroiled in this politics of denial.
A sustainable solution to the problem entails that we understand the nuances of their anti-Rohingya or any repatriation politics which has been active for a few decades now and which also has huge public support. It is also important to be able to influence such politics
Providing anyone with citizenship or not, is completely an internal matter of the concerned country. International law or international politics really has nothing much to do in that regard. As a neighbouring country, we really do not have much scope to do anything.
Anthropologically speaking, the Rohingya are a different ethnic group who have been living in Arakan for over a thousand years. Myanmar has been trying to pass them off as Bengalis, but have we very carried out proper in-depth research to counter their contention, to give our counter claims a firm basis? Arguments based on research and information are much stronger than instant counter arguments. We need to pay attention to this matter.
From the days of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, our foreign policy has followed the principle of 'friendship towards all, and malice towards none'. While remaining firm in this principle, Bangladesh can adjust its foreign policy somewhat when it comes to Myanmar. None of the fighting parties in Myanmar is our enemy. They may have enmity among themselves and they may even have strategic ties among themselves too. We can consider discussions with the sides in Myanmar who are willing to share our stand, or at least have affinity with our stand, on the Rohingya question.
We must keep in mind that though various groups are now at war with the junta government, many of these groups at one point of time had been overtly or covertly recognised by the Myanmar government.
As a state, Bangladesh is ahead of Myanmar in many aspects. In the case of mutual relations, we are also not very dependent on Myanmar in any way. And it is the same for them. So we really have nothing to lose if we hold dialogue with Myanmar. In fact, if we keep our friendship intact and take up a strategic stance, many paths may open up for a resolution to the problems in the future.
Bangladesh has certainly displayed a significant depth of humanity in sheltering the Rohingyas. Over a million Rohingyas are sheltered in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is also having to spend a huge amount of them every year. The Rohingya issue has lost its political appeal to the people along the border in Bangladesh. The people want a sustainable solution to the problem. It may not be possible to resolve the problem immediately, but it is possible to have an effective start to the solution.
It must be understood that we can remain neutral about the fighting sides in Myanmar, or we may not remain neutral. Whatever our stance may be, by now it has become clear to us which of the fighting sides in that country are close to our stance regarding the Rohingyas and which sides are not. There is not harm if we start talks, in keeping with international norms, with the sides who are empathetic towards our viewpoint. If fact, such talks are essential. This is all the more relevant at a juncture when the political tides are turning there.
It is essential that Bangladesh's interests are upheld in the Myanmar that will emerge from these changes and that the repatriation of the Rohingyas is ensured. It is possible for Bangladesh it initiate a resolution to the Rohingya crisis, while displaying due respect to Myanmar's sovereignty.
One way is to search for ways to influence Myanmar's political views without interfering in its internal politics. We must bear in mind that the Rohingya problem is an old political problem for Myanmar.
A sustainable solution to the problem entails that we understand the nuances of their anti-Rohingya or any repatriation politics which has been active for a few decades now and which also has huge public support. It is also important to be able to influence such politics.
The bottom line is, state-level dialogue is not enough to reach a sustainable solution to a problem that is so deep rooted in a country's politics. If we want a solution to the Rohingya crisis, we need to consider all possible ways and means and continue working on the issue.
* Syed Masud Reza is an associate professor of the law department at Dhaka University.