Explaining briefly why India and China were not coming forward in an expected way to help resolve the Rohingya crisis, foreign affairs adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Saturday said there was a potential threat not just for Bangladesh, but the region and beyond.
‘There is no light at the end of the tunnel and I don’t think Rohingya issue is going to be resolved very quickly and easily,’ he said, adding that each country has its own interest and Bangladesh has become a victim of circumstances.
The adviser was speaking at the opening ceremony of the Bay of Bengal Conversation at a hotel in Dhaka.
Chief adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus delivered inaugural speech at the event.
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.3 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.
Talking about India and China’s role, Hossain said that he was not blaming anyone as everyone looks after their own interest.
But that does not seem to tag with Bangladesh’s interest on the Rohingya issue and for which the issue has been lingering, and there is no light at the end of the tunnel, said the adviser.
Unless this issue is resolved, it is going to become an issue for the rest of the world, he said.
Hossain said Bangladesh had not received the expected level of support from its major neighbouring countries regarding resolving the Rohingya crisis.
‘During the last eight years, the amount of or the level of support that we expected from our neighbours, big neighbours, has not been forthcoming,’ he said.
Hossain said the question comes, why China has not forthcoming in resolving the issue on the side of Bangladesh?
Because, he said, Myanmar remains very important for China access to the Bay of Bengal.
Similarly, the Adviser said, India thinks that the Kaladan project is important, and for this project, it has to keep good relations with Myanmar.
He said Bangladesh has been caught in the crosshairs of competing geopolitical interests.
Regarding growing concerns over the future of the Rohingya youth, Hossain said the young generations who have no hopes for the future are not likely to sit idle and watch what others do.
‘There will be a point in time they will become a serious problem not only for Bangladesh but also for our neighbours and people from far away,’ he said.
The adviser said there are three important players — the United States, India and China — in the Bay of Bengal apart of Bangladesh and there is an issue of dominance.
He said the Bay of Bengal is extremely important for Bangladesh due to the access it offers to the rest of the world and for its resources.
The Centre for Governance Studies is hosting the 3rd edition of the Bay of Bengal Conversation 2024, an international geopolitical conference.
Chair of CGS Munira Khan and executive director of CGS Zillur Rahman also spoke at the programme.
Zillur said that the third edition of the Bay of Bengal Conference is the biggest event to date hosted by CGS.
This year’s conference, ‘A Fractured World,’ brings together over 200 speakers, 300 delegates, and an audience of 800 participants hailing from more than 80 countries around the world, he said.