UK for permanent solution to Rohingya crisis: British envoy
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| British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake talks to journalists at her residence in Dhaka on September 16, 2017. Photo: Rezaul Karim |
September 15, 2017
British High Commissioner in Dhaka Alison Blake today said there is now a global understanding that the decades-old crisis in Myanmar’s Rakhine State’s cannot be allowed to continue and the UK is active to find a lasting solution to the Rohingya situation.
“And this understanding is not just to stop violence, it’s to come to a lasting solutions,” she said, referring to the statements of her government and the UN Security Council where UK along with the Sweden tabled the issue.
The Security Council at a meeting on September 13 agreed on the importance of a long term solutions to the situation in Rakhine and called for implementation of the recommendations of the Advisory Commission of Rakhine State, chaired by former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan.
Blake said there is no “magic wand” to solve the decades-old crisis overnight. “But there is a global understanding that this cannot be allowed to continue.”
Talking to a select group of journalists, including The Daily Star at her residence today, the British envoy said that Bangladesh has set an example for the world with its response to the Rohingya crisis.
About the current situation, she said the UK was not just active on the humanitarian ground, but as the member of Security Council and friend of Bangladesh, they have been clear to say that people responsible for violence which is the armed forces and security forces must stop it.
“This is a crisis Bangladesh dealing with. But it’s not made in Bangladesh,” she said, adding since the crisis is created in Rakhine, so Myanmar government must take the lead to resolve it.
Alison Blake also said her government has already announced £30 million to meet the humanitarian needs of vulnerable Rohingyas following the August 25 military crackdowns that forced more than 400,000 Myanmar nationals to flee Rakhine State and take shelter in Bangladesh.
Head of DFID Bangladesh Jane Edmondson who was also present with the High Commissioner said there is a “huge coordination” challenges to manage all the resources coming for the humanitarian need.
“We are working with the partners on how to improve this and manage that,” she said, adding that they are also preparing for the “worst-case” scenario.
The UK government, earlier, called for violence to stop after hundreds of thousands of people fled their homes.
