Information Minister smells rat in the suspension of Rohingya repatriation
Dhaka: Information Minister Dr. Hassan Mahmud has commented that some NGOs who have been working in various programs in Rohingya camps are instigating the Rohingyas not to go back to Myanmar.
He said that, ‘some NGOs both foreign and local are instigating them and giving provocations not to go back on different pleas. They will be getting huge funds if the Rohingyas stay here. With that fund the NGOs become healthy and fatty!’
On Friday evening (August 23) he told these to the journalists after attending the Janmashtami function of Lord Srikrishna at JM Sen hall in Chattogram city as the chief guest.
Hassan Mahmud pointed out that some time before the suspension of the repatriation of the Rohingyas on August 22, an Alliance of few NGOs issued a statement saying that there is no environment of resettlement at Rakhaine. They also instigated the Rohingyas earlier and still giving provocations not to return. However it is fact that there is lack of confidence among the Rohingyas. But we find that many are giving provocations so that the Rohingyas do not go back.
Information Minister said that Bangabandhu’s daughter Sheikh Hasina gave shelters to the driven out Rohingyas from Myanmar on humanitarian ground. Though the number of Rohingyas were 11 lakhs at that time now it has increased to 12 lakhs. Due to their stay there the environment and ecology of that place have been destroyed. Now the local people of Ukhia and Teknaf have become minority there.
Initially the local people provided helps to the fleeing Rohingyas but now the Rohingyas are involved with various types of crimes. They are involved with various trafficking including Yaba. The social environment is being polluted. So the locals are annoyed with them.
Giving thanks to China and India, the Information Minister said that they are helping the repatriation process. It is due to their efforts and also of the sincere desire the Bangladesh government date and time of the Rohingya repatriation was fixed. But due to the instigations of few NGOs the attempts of repatriation failed.
However the Minister hoped that the repatriation process might begin any time as the government is working along with diplomatic efforts for repatriation. Simultaneously the government is trying to identify the instigators.
The Janmashtami function presided over by national Janmashtami observing parisahd vice-president Babul Ghose was addressed among others by Mayor of Rawjan pourashava Sree Debashish Palit, former general secretary of Janmashtami parisahd Advocate Chandan Talukdar.