File:Rohingya Refugees Problem and solutions.pdf

English: Mass Exodus of Rohingya from Myanmer into Bangladesh: Way Forward & Sustainable Solutions;

      The Rohingya are a stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar's Rakhine State, effectively denied citizenship under Burmese law, have faced decades of repression and discrimination. Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya left Myanmar and got sheltered in Bangladesh to escape brutal and systematic violence since 2015. Violence in Rakhine state forced Rohingya to flee, most seeking refuge in overcrowded camps in neighboring Bangladesh, in what UN investigators say amounted to genocide. Myanmar does not recognize the Rohingya as citizens. The UN has described the latest mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims from Myanmar as "the world's fastest growing refugee crisis" and "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing". Amnesty International describes the Rohingya as "one of the most persecuted minorities in the world". Bangladesh is sheltering over one million of Rohingyas in such a densely populated small country which is mounting huge pressure on the country. Despite repeated entreaties by the UN and endless criticism by rights groups and world leaders, Myanmar has refused to bend in its approach to the Rohingya with no sign of improvement in the foreseeable future even. 
      Therefore, a combination of soft & hard strategies, diplomatic dialog, economic measures and show off forces are required for a sustainable solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis. Otherwise, ultimate fate of the Rohingya people is going to be unlike another ‘Bihari’ settlement inside Bangladesh for indefinite period. Furthermore, Bangladesh needs to keep up the pressure on Myanmer, both overt and covert. 

A. Soft & Economic Strategies;

A1. Accepting and Distributing Rohingya population by the international community’s: The world communities have to accept more than a million Rohingya people into their country until their full repatriation into Myanmer. They must share the load that is solely bearded by Bangladesh so far. Bangladesh has demonstrated profound humanitarian commitments to Rohingya people despite of her critically low-level of resources. This generosity must be acknowledged by the international communities. An UN lead diplomatic effort under a Joint Response Plan to prepare and to execute a country-wise list of taking number of refugees is necessary. The country list could be prepared in accordance with their GDP, Population, Area, socio-economic condition of the country. For example, Europe will have to accept and re-distribute 45% of nearly 1.1 million Rohingyas among European countries like Germany-9%, UK-8%, France-7% and so on. America lead by USA & Canada has to accept 25% of the Rohingyas, Australia & New Zealand have to take 5%, Middle-East Countries and Far-East Asian countries have to accept their share of Rohingyas. The Rohingyas fear returning to a precarious state in Myanmar, where they could be vulnerable to attacks from the sort of pro-government vigilante mobs and military forces who razed their villages and murdered and raped their loved ones. Therefore, the world should not turn away from the Rohingya’s suffering and to take the action necessary to allow them to safely return to the homes they fled in terror.

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A2. Economic Flagship Package: For each and every single Rohingya sheltered in Bangladesh, the world community under a joint response plan should accept ten additional Bangladeshi migrant workers under a comprehensive economic package scheme. 10% of the salary from Bangladeshi workers under such scheme of joint response plan would be deducted and collected by the employer country and it would be handed over to Bangladesh on a G to G basis as an international contribution for incurring social and economic cost of maintenance of Rohingya people stranded in Bangladesh. For example, the world should accept 11 million additional workers from Bangladesh for supporting 1.1 million Rohingyas sheltered inside bangladesh.10% salary cut from those Bangladeshi workers could be refunded to support 1.1 million Rohingya people stationed in Bangladesh. The world community would have to accept additional migrant workers from Bangladesh as per their GDP, socio-economic condition and area of the country, size of the population etc to scale up and coordinate the humanitarian response. And obviously Bangladesh dosn’t wants a peanut. She deserves to receive trillions that can heal her socio-economic costs.

A3. Acquiring Soft Bargaining Power: Bangladesh is to be transformed her as a crucial player on diplomacy by utilizing strategic geographical location and through multiplying or synergic effect like Qatar or Switzerland. And she has to utilize this leverage on Myanmer and to international community to take back the world's fastest growing Rohingya settlements from Bangladesh into Myanmer providing due compensation to Bangladesh. Creating several strong economic, diplomatic, strategic and military alliances and bonding with world and regional super-powers like USA, China, Russia, India, Turkey, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, ASEAN, BRICS, D-8 Countries etc. are strongly suggested for this purpose. The soft power of Bangladesh would empower her in shaping Geo-political outcomes. This soft bargaining power should have the strength to force Myanmar to express clear political will manifested by concrete actions for sustainable return and reintegration of Rohingyas into Myanmar.

B. Diplomatic & Military Strategies;

B1. Creating a Safe or Buffer zone: A safe zone or buffer zone of 10 kilometers wide inside Rakhine state of Myanmer from zero border line of Bangladesh would have to be created through international diplomatic effort. UN or international peace-keeping forces lead by Bangladesh would have to be deployed in the buffer zone. The cost of such peach-keeping operation and subsequent establishments should have to be shared by the international community. The Myanmar government is unwilling to resolve the crisis. Therefore, it is left up to the international community to do something with about the situation

B2. Full Repatriation of Rohingyas: 100% Repatriation and rehabilitation of Rohingya stateless Muslim minority in Myanmar's Rakhine State from Bangladesh is to be ensured with due compensation for the social, economic and opportunity costs incurred by Bangladesh by sheltering Rohingya people inside her for all these years. Only safe, dignified and voluntary returns of the people including a meaningful and sustainable rehabilitation of them inside Myanmer could put an end to their current situation. The Myanmer authority must provide a clear pathway towards citizenship of the Rohingya people and must ensure their voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable return. Furthermore, the international community must ensure that the root causes of Rohingya problem are addressed and atrocity crimes committed against the Rohingyas are accounted for.

B3. Military Training: Awarding necessary self-defense training and providing suitable logistic supplies to the Rohingyas who are the textbook example of ethnic cleansing and sending back them into Myanmer will surely crate a real pressure on Myanmer Government towards a speedy and a lasting solution of the problem. B4. Autonomous Rakhine State: Awarding or creating autonomous status of Rakhine or Rohingya state by Myanmer like Nagorno-Karabakh including 100% Repatriation and rehabilitation of Rohingyas there from Bangladesh. A guarantee of citizenship in favor of the Rohingya minorities must be ensured by the Myanmer authority before repatriation.

B5. Hard bargaining power: Achieving Hard bargaining power through acquiring hi-tech military installations like nuclear arsenal, aircraft carriers group including Nimitz class aircraft carriers, nuclear-powered Sea-wolf or Virginia class submarines, Zumwalt (DDG1000) class destroyers, thermonuclear weapon, hypersonic missile, electro-magnetic rail gun, AH-64 Apache gunship, Leopard 2A7 battle tank, developing artificial islands in surrounding maritime areas of Myanmer, supersonic fighter planes, zircon hypersonic missile system, S-500 air defense system, attack drones like MQ9 Raptor drone. These military capabilities along with a show of force will surely enhance hard bargaining power of Bangladesh and will be helpful to overcome numerous diplomatic and military problems without any physical deployment or military engagement. Hard bargaining power of Bangladesh would be helpful towards understanding of Myanmar that ‘the Rohingya crisis is a political one deeply rooted in Myanmar and thus, its solution has to be found inside Myanmar’.

B6. Independent Rohingya Country: Liberating or creating an independent Rohingya, Rakhine or Arakan Country like South Sudan or Israel through a coordinated & massive economic, diplomatic and military pressure along with total repatriation and sustainable rehabilitation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh into the proposed new born Rohingya/Arakan/Rakhine country is the ultimate strategy towards a permanent or a long-term solution to the Rohingya exodus problem. They must be able to return with safety & with dignity to their homes where they lived for centuries. Moreover, around four million Rohingya population living in Myanmer, Bangladesh & India deserve to live in an independent country of their own.

Haque: masudnasim@yahoo.com