by Nazmul Haq Shamal
Since August 2016, Bangladesh has been enduring the extreme burden of hosting 1.20 million Rohingyas in the country, who were forced to flee Myanmar due to cruel genocide perpetrated by Burmese military junta. Despite repeated promises of taking back the Rohingyas from Bangladesh, Myanmar authorities have been playing numerous forms of deceptive tactics in delaying the process.
The Rohingyas in Bangladesh are not only causing tremendous economic burden, it also is creating numerous forms of socio-environmental problems. The international community has miserably failed in doing anything effective in compelling Myanmar authorities in taking back Rohingyas. Instead, World Bank in a recent report has suggested Bangladesh to integrate the 1.20 million Rohingyas into Bangladesh society, meaning, they are asking Bangladesh to ultimately absorb the Rohingyas as our citizens. Such recommendations from World Bank not only is impractical and ridiculous, it also is an evil attempt of pushing Bangladesh towards further and deeper crisis on the Rohingya issue.
This ridiculous recommendation of the World Bank reminds us of the conspiracy that it played centering the Padma Bridge project. As we remember, at that time, World Bank was biased by several unscrupulous individuals including a controversial editor of a daily newspaper and his cohort – the scandalous Nobel Peace Prize winner. By obstructing Bangladesh’s loan proposal, those conspirators thought they can sabotage the Padma Bridge project. But it wasn’t. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has implemented this multi-billion-dollar project with our own funding, thus proving, under her magnanimous leadership, Bangladesh’s progress and prosperity can never be obstructed by any evil forces.
Bangladesh is looking for support from the international community in resolving the long-standing Rohingya crisis. During the 76th session of the United Nations, we do believe, the Rohingya issue will be discussed by all the member nations and a unanimous decision will be adopted in exerting maximum pressure on Myanmar in immediately beginning the process of repatriation of Rohingyas.
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Nazmul Haq Shamal, a contributor to Blitz, is the editor of the Dainik Notun Shomoy
Online edition: weeklyblitz.net
