Dhaka: Hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees marked the fifth anniversary of their exodus from Myanmar to Bangladesh today. Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1 million Rohingya refugees who fled from Myanmar over decades. This includes 740,000 who crossed the border in August 2017 after the military launched a “clearance operation” against them.
Since the military took over last year, the safety situation has worsened in Myanmar, and attempts to send refugees back have failed. Meanwhile, the United States, European Union, and other Western nations pledged to continue supporting the refugees’ pursuit of justice in international courts.
Earlier in June, Bangladesh’s permanent representative to United Nations; Ambassador Rabab Fatima addressed the UN General Assembly, urging the UN to expand its programs. It emphasized to return the forcibly displaced Rohingya’s back to Myanmar. Ambassador Fatima further requested that the Special Envoy endeavored to ensure the bilateral return arrangements for Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh be implemented to the soonest.