May democracy return to Myanmar
The military coup in Myanmar has put an end to the country's nascent democratic process that began after a long-running military dictatorship. Democratic leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s party won a landslide victory in the parliamentary elections last November that created tension in her relation with the military leaders.
According to the constitution, one-fourth of the seats in parliament are reserved for army members. Still the army leadership became sceptical of their power. They brought allegations of massive fraud in the election. But the election commission could not identify any evidence that could prove the allegations.
In this context, on Sunday morning, the day the new parliament was due to convene, the army assumed power and declared a state of emergency for a year. They arrested several NLD leaders and members of parliament, including state councilor Aung San Suu Kyi and president Win Myint.
It is hard to believe that the army is talking about handing over power to the people through new elections. The army leadership declared a state of emergency and cancelled internet and banking services. They were opened later, though. Army patrols have been intensified in major cities, including Yangon and Nay Pyi Taw.
The whole world is shocked and worried about the military coup in Myanmar. The United States has said in a statement that sanctions would be imposed on Myanmar if its democratic rights were not restored. The European Union condemned. ASEAN member states, along with Japan, have called for a peaceful solution to the problem internally. On the other hand, China's response is flexible. They have warned against outside interference in Myanmar's internal affairs.
The reason for our concern over the military coup in Myanmar is that Bangladesh has now been harbouring 1.1 million Rohingya refugees fled from Rakhine state in Myanmar due to military atrocities. When the Myanmar army carried out genocide against the Rohingya people in 2017, around 750,000 people took refuge in Bangladesh to save their lives.
Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya were already living here. Bangladesh has given them shelter for humanitarian reasons. But the desired assistance from the international community was not forthcoming to prevent this humanitarian catastrophe. In particular, the role of China and India, Myanmar's two largest neighbours, has been in question since the beginning.
The Myanmar government has been pursuing a policy of denial regarding the Rohingya. They are also procrastinating with repatriation. The latest talks with the China mediation, after the imposition of military rule, are likely to backfire. However, foreign minister Abdul Momen expressed hope that the talks would continue.
We do not want to interfere in the internal affairs of Myanmar. It is expected that they will solve their own problems. But the country must take back more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees immediately.
Aung San Suu Kyi, once Myanmar's democratic leader, has remained silent about the military's crackdown on the Rohingya. Yet we believe the country should be run by elected representatives. In the new political reality, there is no doubt that international pressure to speed up the repatriation of Rohingya refugees and our diplomatic efforts will have to be stepped up.