Countries investing in Myanmar may not get desired returns if Rohingya crisis remains unsettled: Momen

Reminding about the possible uncertainty in the region, Bangladesh foreign minister AK Abdul Momen on Wednesday sought support from big countries to find a durable solution to the Rohingya crisis through their peaceful repatriation to Myanmar’s Rakhine State, reports news agency UNB.

Indicating the deaths in a turf war in Rohingya camps, the minister said, “This is sad. This is very sad. We’ve long been saying that uncertainty might be created in the region if the Rohingya crisis is not resolved.”

He was talking to newsmen at the foreign ministry. The minister mentioned that it is a matter of worry for them, Myanmar and the entire region.

Momen said the countries like Japan, China, India and Korea which are investing in Myanmar may not get the desired returns on their investment if the Rohingya crisis remains unsettled creating uncertainty in the whole region.

“See, you’re investing in Myanmar. That’s fine. But if uncertainty appears, you won’t get the expected return. So, let’s work together,” said the foreign minister adding no countries did disagree with Bangladesh’s call to find a solution to the Rohingya crisis.

Momen said Bangladesh wants a peaceful repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine state.

The foreign minister further said the government wanted to install barbed wire surrounding camps and withdrew the 4G internet network in the camps in an effort to keep the camps safe.

The government has information that trafficking of girls and children was taking place and traffickers share images of girls and children through smartphones using high-speed internet as part of trafficking, he said.

Momen said the international NGOs opposed the move and made it their main issue.

Responding to a question on his recent Kuwait visit, Momen said from day one Kuwait is supporting Bangladesh for finding a solution to the Rohingya crisis. “They will be supporting us.”

In the last five days, seven Rohingyas were killed in clashes over establishing dominance.

It is unclear how the Rohingyas manage to get hold of firearms. There are allegations that some residents of the camps are involved in criminal activities.

Four Rohingyas were killed and 20 others injured in a turf war in a Kutupalong camp in Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya on Tuesday night.

Additional superintendent of police Rafikul Islam said they recovered four bodies after the clash which took place around 8:00pm in Choumohoni Tabligh Jamaat Markaj area.

An additional armed battalion has been deployed at the camp after the incident.

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingyas in the coastal district.

Factional clashes now occur more frequently at the camps.

Police arrested one of the accused, 20-year-old Ziaur Rahman, son of Mohammad Ibrahim, a resident of Kutupalong camp’s block D.

Members of Rapid Action Battalion arrested nine Rohingyas with firearms, bullets and sharp weapons.

Hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas fled their homeland in Myanmar’s Rakhine state in 2017 after the Tatmadaw launched a brutal offensive targeting the mainly-Muslim ethnic minority.

The overwhelming number of refuge seekers has been kept in makeshift camps in Cox’s Bazar which borders Myanmar since then.

Bangladesh has been urging Myanmar to take back its nationals and the two sides even signed an agreement but there has been no progress.

Prime minister Sheikh Hasina has said the Rohingyas are not only a threat to the security of Bangladesh but also the whole region.

Bangladesh has been urging the global community to take effective steps to resolve the crisis.

Last month, foreign minister Momen told the 27th ASEAN Regional Forum that there is a high possibility that uncertainty could be created in the region if there is no solution to the problem. This could frustrate the hope for a peaceful, secure and stable region.

“Our fear is that if this problem is not solved quickly, it may lead to pockets of radicalism,” he said reminding all that terrorists have no borders and no faith.