EU to help resolve Rohingya problem

The assurance came when a seven-member EU delegation led by chief of EU Humanitarian Aid Unit Esko Kentrschynskyj met Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr Abdur Razzaque at his office on Tuesday.

The delegation includes EU head of delegation in Dhaka William Hanna, Fabrizir Senesi, David Hill, Oliver Brouant, Abdul Awal and Cristopher Gadrey. During the meeting, the delegation informed the minister that EU is currently providing a support of Euro 17 million for the second phase of Comprehensive Disaster Management Programme (CDMP) of Bangladesh.

About resolving the Rohingya refugee problem, the delegation members said the EU has been working with the government of Myanmar and it has taken a Euro 100 million project there. They expected that the Rohingya refugee problem will be resolved through the project.

The EU also assured that its assistance for Myanmar's Rohingya refugees living in two camps in Cox's Bazar and said it will give both financial and logistic supports for their return. 

After the meeting, Dr Abdur Razzaque told media that the EU delegation chief has assured him that they will help return to and rehabilitee thousands of Rohingya refugees in Myanmar, while continue to assist Bangladesh for Rohingya refugees so that they can stay here until their return to their homeland. 

Dr Razzaque said Entrschynskyz informed him that they will provide US $ 100 million to Myanmar for the Rohingya refugees' return from Bangladesh and their rehabilitation in their homeland. 

Besides, the EU support for disaster management-related development and rehabilitation projects will continue through government and non-government channels. 

Food Minister Abdur Razzaque told the journalists that issues relating to Rohingya refugees, natural calamity and other matters came up for discussion at the meeting but Rohingya issue dominated the talks. 

Razzaque said he mentioned various problems Bangladesh is facing due to the stay of Maynmar refugees and their continuous infiltration into this country. 

Acknowledging the problems, the EU team said they are aware of the fact that Rohingyas are still coming to Bangladesh from Myanmar though border and different routes. The influx of Myanmar's Rohingyas to Bangladesh needs to be stopped, the delegates agreed. 

"For this the EU will invest USD 100m in Myanmar to facilitate the return and rehabilitation of the Rohingyas refugees which will also stop their infiltration into Bangladesh in the future," Entrschynskyz said.

Dr Razzaque stated that he informed the EU delegation that though official figures of Rohingyas living in two refugee camps in Bangladesh are 24,000, but the actual number of Myanmar's refugees living in different parts and regions of Bangladesh is 3-4 lakh.

 

The minister said he informed the EU team that the stay of such huge Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh has been creating various problems, including economic stress. Besides, Rohingyas are getting involved in various crimes here and creating different social problems in different parts of the country, including Chittagong and Dhaka cities. "More worrying is that the Rohingyas are illegally obtaining Bangladesh passports and going to various countries, including Saudi Arabia, using that and committing various crimes there, tarnishing Bangladesh's image," Dr Razzaque told the EU delegates.