Myanmar exhibiting audacity due to ‘govt’s knee-jerk policy’: BNP

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir on Friday alleged that Myanmar army is exhibiting audacity by mobilising troops along the Bangladesh border due to the government’s ‘knee-jerk foreign policy’.

“The Myanmar army is showing the audacity to mobilise troops along the Bangladesh-Myanmar international border in a completely motivated and unjustified way taking full advantage of our government’s weak foreign policy,” said BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir.

Speaking at a press conference at BNP chairperson’s Gulshan office, he further said, “On behalf of BNP, I strongly protest and condemn such an army deployment by the Myanmar army. I urge the current subservient government to take interregional diplomatic initiatives alongside all-out preparations to prevent such evil acts by Myanmar.”

The BNP leader said the government is not raising voice against the unwarranted deployment of troops by Myanmar. “There has been huge uproar when troops are deployed along the Indo-China border, but our government is silent over the deployment of the army by Myanmar.”

He alleged that the Rohingya crisis has not been resolved over the three years due to the government’s ‘inaction’. “They (govt) only has written a letter to the Security Council silently. So far, the government has not taken any effective step to resolve the Rohingya issue.”

Fakhrul said the army deployment by Myanmar along the border is an outcome of the Bangladesh government’s subservient policy and its failure to mount pressure on the neighbouring country to take back its nearly 12 lakh citizens who took shelter in Cox’s Bazar in the face of mass killing, ethnic cleansing and limitless repression.

“This isolated government has failed to take multifaceted and coordinated efforts that are necessary to resolve the Rohingya crisis. “We’re failing at all levels, globally–regionally and bilaterally–to address this issue,” he observed.

The BNP leader said Rohingya problem is getting complicated since the government has failed to convince the friendly countries to help Bangladesh overcome the crisis created by Myanmar.

“We need to keep in mind that the Rohingyas are the most oppressed community in the world. In order to keep this population alive on the world map, there’s no alternative to rehabilitating them in their homeland with due civil rights and dignity by turning Rakhine State in Myanmar a safe zone under international management and civilian supervision,” he opined.

Fakhrul urged the government to restore democracy and people’s right to vote on the basis of national consensus to gain international community’s confidence, acceptance and sympathy to overcome the Rohingya crisis.

He said the government can follow the procedures and deals signed by Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia during their rules over the repatriation of displaced Rohingyas to get success in overcoming the current crisis.

The BNP leader said the government has no position at the international level to create pressure on Myanmar to take its citizens back.  “In particular, China and India, who can play the most important role and influence Myanmar, have taken a negative stance over the matter. So, interregional diplomatic efforts are crucial to have this problem resolved.”