Rohingya issue snowballing?

The repatriation exercise was hailed as an international success because of the sheer magnitude of the humanitarian task involved. The UNHCR and Bangladesh government could congratulate each other on the positive outcome of negotiations with the Myanmar government. So far so good.

Now, with the foot-dragging on the issue of further repatriation involving 19,841 Rohingya refugees, their number perhaps exceeding the benchmark due to new births, we have an upshot which seems like almost a replay of the humanitarian concerns that had visited us a decade or so ago. By unofficial accounts, there has been a sizeable illegal immigration from the Myanmar side of the Rohingyas into our territory. So, the number of refugees sheltering in Bangladesh is said to be much higher than the 20,000 mark. We would like to have an official statement putting the whole issue in perspective.

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

Needless to say, there is a strong ground to carry out a census of the Rohingyas in our country and bring it up before the UNHCR on the one hand for humanitarian assistance and engage the attention of the Myanmar government on the other so that the exodus is stopped.