Democracy in Myanmar: Washington wants Dhaka on its side

GBNEWS24DESK//

A major focus of US State Department Counsellor Derek Chollet’s recent visit to Dhaka was the Rohingya crisis, and the US believes that addressing the problem involves restoration of Myanmar’s democracy.

US Ambassador-at-Large for Global Criminal Justice Beth Van Schaack visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar before joining Chollet in Dhaka in meetings with the country’s top leadership and international organisations.

Chollet said part of the reason why they visited Bangladesh was to send the message that the US will continue to stand by Bangladesh in addressing the Rohingya crisis despite so many other challenges around the world.

In early January this year, US National Security Council’s Senior Director for South Asia Rear Admiral Eileen Laubacher visited the Rohingya camps in Cox’s Bazar.

The State Department in a statement ahead of Chollet’s visit said the delegation would meet senior Bangladeshi officials to discuss coordination and response to the Rohingya refugee crisis and “strengthening cooperation in international forums, and advancing the security partnership between the United States and Bangladesh”.

Foreign policy analysts say Washington is increasingly engaged with Dhaka after the US Senate on December 15, 2022, passed the Burma Unified through Rigorous Military Accountability (BURMA) Act, which was also included in the National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA)-2023.

They say the BURMA Act provides additional tools to the US government for increasing humanitarian aid, support for the democracy movement, and sanctions against those funding the Myanmar junta, which took control of the country in early 2021.

Inclusion of the Act in the NDAA-2023 also means Washington has put priority on the Myanmar issue and is ready to expand its funding of various actions against the junta. It will allow the defence department to be engaged in the implementation of actions taken under the law, analysts said.

Foreign ministry officials said the US appeared more positive now than before about the Rohingya repatriation. However, the US emphasises that repatriation is not possible unless the conditions in Myanmar are conducive, which can only be achieved through restoration of democracy.

Former foreign secretary Shahidul Haque said the BURMA Act has provisions to support the civilian groups fighting for democracy. The National Unity Government (NUG) is a major one among the groups. Besides, there are many other ethnic groups fighting for autonomy.

“I believe that the US delegation here tried to understand whether Bangladesh will support the civilian NUG government,” he told The Daily Star.

Chollet told journalists in Dhaka that when he flies back home, he would need to sort out some ideas in addressing the causes of the Rohingya crisis.

Foreign policy analysts say if Washington provides support for the NUG and other civilian groups in Myanmar, there is a risk that China and Russia will bolster their support for the junta, with which both the countries have strong ties.

In that case, armed conflicts in Myanmar will flare up, affecting the neighbouring countries like Bangladesh and India.

Foreign ministry officials say Bangladesh does not want anything that may escalate conflicts near the borders as the country has already been a victim of the refugee influx.

Bangladesh currently shelters over a million Rohingyas, most of whom arrived amid a brutal military crackdown on them in 2017.

A foreign ministry official said, “What we want is the repatriation of Rohingyas and a permanent solution to the crisis. We want democracy everywhere, not only in Myanmar, but it is difficult for us to directly support the NUG.”