At the 18th East Asia Summit held on September 7, 2023, the President of Bangladesh, Mohammad Shahabuddin, called for urgent action from the international community to act on an urgent basis to find a durable solution to the Rohingya Crisis, stating that the phenomenon has pushed Bangladesh to its extreme limits.
The Bangladesh President said in this address at the inauguration ceremony of the 18th East Asia Summit at the Jakarta Convention Centre in the Indonesian capital.
Remarks by Bangladesh President
“It is the collective responsibility of the international community to find a durable solution to this crisis in its place of origin, which is Myanmar. Further delay in commencing safe, voluntary and sustainable repatriation and shortage of humanitarian support may put the entire region at risk,” he said.
“Bangladesh PM Sheikh Hasina sheltered 1.2 million forcible displaced people from Myanmar on humanitarian grounds. Even in the seventh year of the crisis, there is no solution in sight where Bangladesh is pushed to the limits,” he said.
The President of Bangladesh also underscored the importance of the IORA (Indian Ocean Rim Association) and said that Bangladesh wishes to enhance its relations with ASEAN.
“I believe that the IORA engagement in the Indo-Pacific region would ensure fair, equitable and sustainable trade and environment that would enhance economic growth and cooperation while building resilient regional and global values chains,” said Shahabuddin.
All About East Asia Summit
The East Asia Summit is the foremost of the ASEAN-centred mechanisms in the Indo-Pacific. Since its inception in the year 2005, it played a key role in providing the platform for dialogue and discussions on matters of strategic significance and importance in the region. The EAS is held annually by the leaders of the 18 countries of the Asia-Pacific Region formed to further the objectives of regional peace, security and prosperity.
The membership of the EAS consists of the ten ASEAN member states which are namely Vietnam, Brunei, Philippines, Malaysia, Laos, Cambodia, Indonesia, Singapore, and Thailand, along with Australia, China, India, Japan, ROK (South Korea), Russia and the USA. The first East Asia Summit was held in Kuala Lumpur, the capital city of Malaysia, on December 14, 2005.
Rohingya Refugee Crisis
The Rohingyas are a Muslim ethnic minority group that has lived for centuries in Myanmar. Most of them come from the Rakhine State in Myanmar and are not counted as official or recognised citizens of the Buddhist-dominated country. Their largest exodus occurred in August 2017 after massive violence occurred in the Rakhine State and forced most of them to flee the country and settle in nearby countries and regions such as India and Bangladesh as many villages and residences were destroyed by the Tatmadaw (Myanmar military).
Situation in Bangladesh
More than one million Rohingya Refugees have fled violence in Myanmar. Now, more than 960,000 Rohingya refugees are living in Bangladesh in areas such as Cox Bazaar, Kutupalong and Nayapara. The Bangladesh government has moved 33,000 Rohingya refugees to the Bhasan Char Islands near the country in an attempt to decongest camps in Cox Bazaar.
Bangladesh is a region that is subjected to high humidity and torrential rainfall during the monsoon season. During this season, a large number of crude residences and huts of Rohingya refugees are destroyed. Recently, in May 2023, Cyclone Mocha struck Bangladesh and devastated the camps altogether. They, along with their infants, are often the victims of waterborne diseases like jaundice, hepatitis, malaria and chikungunya. They have very few sources of living and are totally dependent on humanitarian assistance for their very existence.
Situation in India
In India, the government has utilised certain mechanisms, such as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Registry of Citizens (NRC), along with the enforcement of the Passports Act 1967, to keep a check on the rising influx of the Rohingya Refugees into the country. This will ensure that jobs and livelihoods of the natives will be secured and protected as in the case of Assam (NRC).
