Strong UN move on to repatriate Rohingyas

President of the United Nations General Assembly Volkan Bozkir on Wednesday said the UN is making its best efforts to help repatriation of Rohingyas to their motherland with full dignity. In a bid to mount pressure on Myanmar government, the UN is continuing discussion at the general assembly, he added.

The top UN representative said this while visiting Rohingya settlements in southern Bangladesh to see the condition of the persecuted people in the world’s largest refugee camp.

Foreign Secretary Sabbir Ahmed Chowdhury, Turkey Ambassador to Bangladesh Mostafa Osman Turan, Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Shah Rezwan Hayat, Additional Commissioner Mohammad Shamsuddoza, Ukhiya UNO Nizam Uddin AHmed, among others, were present.

“I met with representatives of the Rohingya people in Cox’s Bazar. They survived unimaginable horrors and persecution & undertook treacherous journeys to reach safety in Bangladesh,” Volkan Bozkir, who is a Turkish diplomat.

Bozkir, also known for his active role in the UN against Israeli aggression in Palestine and the killings of Arab civilians, visited the camp at a time when escalating unrest in Myanmar following a February military coup has made the Rohingya’s peaceful repatriation more uncertain.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina also raised the issue during her meeting with Bozkir in the capital Dhaka on Tuesday.

“As we grapple with the recent political turmoil in Myanmar, the concerns regarding the plight of the Rohingya Muslims, especially in the Rakhine State and other minorities in Myanmar should not be forgotten,” Bozkir tweeted.

He also expressed his satisfaction over the arrangements for Rohingya, a stateless people who endured genocide in their home country.

Addressing Rohingya as “Arakan Muslims” – using an older name for Rakhine state, their traditional home – he tweeted: “I thank the authorities for this useful brief & the significant work they are doing every day.”

Bangladesh is currently home to 1.2 million stateless Rohingya, most of whom fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine state in August 2017.

Since Aug. 25, 2017, nearly 24,000 Rohingya Muslims have been killed by Myanmar’s state forces while more than 34,000 were thrown into fires, over 114,000 others beaten, as many as 18,000 women and girls raped, and over 115,000 homes burned down, according to a report by the Ontario International Development Agency (OIDA).

“I listened to their stories & hopes and dreams. Despite everything, they persist,” Bozkir tweeted.

The diplomat also visited the Turkish Field Hospital in Camp No. 9, which provides crucial medical services to the Rohingya refugees. “I commend all humanitarian and medical personnel on the ground for their dedicated work in difficult circumstances," he said.

During his visit, Bozkir was joined by Mustafa Osman Turan, Turkey’s ambassador to Bangladesh.