Bangladesh refuses to allow Rohingya refugee boats carrying about 500 refugees
Dhaka … News Time
Bangladesh has refused to allow ships carrying Rohingya refugees stranded in the Bay of Bengal to enter its territorial waters, which carry about 500 refugees. According to Al Jazeera, speaking on the issue of Rohingya refugees stranded at sea for a week, Bangladesh Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momin said that it is not the responsibility of Bangladesh. He said that why Bangladesh is being asked to take these Rohingya refugees, they are in the deep sea and not even within the borders of Bangladesh. The Foreign Minister of Bangladesh said that the Bay of Bengal is bordered by about eight countries. “It is your responsibility to tell the Myanmar government first because they are its citizens,” he said.
According to the report, about 500 people were on board the two fishing boats, including women, children and men, who were not allowed to enter Malaysia due to the coronavirus epidemic. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), Rohingya refugees stranded at sea for weeks are without adequate food and water. Just a few weeks ago, Bangladesh rescued 396 Rohingya refugees who had failed to reach Malaysia, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abdul Momin said. “Why should Bangladesh take responsibility every time? Bangladesh has already accommodated more than one million Rohingyas and now we are beyond our capacity,” he said. Contrary to Abdul Momin’s position, Human Rights Watch demanded that the Bangladeshi government allow the stranded refugees to land immediately and provide them with the necessary food, water and health care.
Brad Adams, director of Human Rights Watch Asia, said Bangladesh had been hit hard by Myanmar’s worst military offenses, but that it was out of the question for refugees stranded at sea to die. He urged the Bangladeshi government to continue to help refugees in dire straits. And preserve the global reputation it has gained in recent years by helping Rohingya refugees. Sohail Rana, a lieutenant commander in the Bangladesh Navy, said he had not seen a single Rohingya refugee ship entering the country’s territorial waters. However, one fisherman said that on April 20, he saw two boats of Rohingya refugees heading towards the shore while he was in his boat with other fishermen.
Human Rights Watch said that Bangladesh should fulfill its international obligation and not allow the ship to be returned, as a result of which someone would face loss. In a statement, the organization said that under international law, all countries, including Malaysia and Thailand, have a responsibility to respond to stranded boats and begin rescue operations, and to take the lives of asylum seekers at sea. Don’t put me in danger. It may be recalled that after the army-led operation in 2017, about 7.5 million Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar and took refuge in camps on the border with Bangladesh. The United Nations said in a report that the military operation was aimed at genocide against Rohingya Muslims. Other world powers, including the United Nations, have called Myanmar’s action genocide and the government’s coalition forces have been implicated.
