Leftist leaders urge China to help resolve Rohingya crisis

Leaders of left-leaning political parties in the country on Monday called upon China to help resolve the ongoing Rohingya crisis with Myanmar.

They also observed that they strongly believe that the Rohingya crisis could be resolved through China's intervention, considering its wide influence on world economy and other aspects.

Over one million Rohingya people have been living at different refugee camps in Cox's Bazar of Bangladesh since August 2017 following a deadly crackdown on them by the Myanmar government.

They were denied their basic rights including citizenships by the Myanmar government.

They fled to Bangladesh to escape inhumane torture and persecution inflicted on them by the government.

The leftist politicians made their observations at a discussion marking Communist China's 70th anniversary at the Institution of Engineers, Bangladesh in the city.

Bangladesher Samyabadi Dal (Marxist -Leninist) organised the event chaired by its general secretary Dilip Barua.

Chairman of Workers Party of Bangladesh Rashed Khan Menon, MP, said that 'Belt and Road Initiative' scheme taken by the Chinese government will largely help Bangladesh move forward.

He, however, feared that if the Rohingya problem is not resolved through Chinese intervention, many good initiatives like 'Belt and Road Initiative' might face difficulties.

President of Communist Party of Bangladesh Mujahidul Islam Selim said, "We believe China will help us (Bangladesh) to resolve the ongoing Rohingya crisis".

He hoped that the existing Bangladesh-China bilateral relation will reach a new height ensuring betterment of the two countries.

Dilip Barua lauded the government's recently launched drive against those who made a fast back through corruption and casino business.

He also demanded that the government take similarly tough action against those who looted money from banks and indulged in political criminalisation and administrative corruption.

He suggested establishing an egalitarian society in the country by eliminating the growing gap between the rich and poor.

Mr Barua, who was once industries minister, said that Bangladesh could take lessons from the success stories of the Chinese great revolution for establishing a Sonar Bangla which will be free from hunger, poverty, unemployment, terrorism, extremism and violence as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahaman.

Chinese Ambassador to Bangladesh Li Jiming, regretting his inability to attend the function, conveyed a message, saying, "China and Bangladesh enjoyed close historical ties, making the two countries good neighbours as well as development partners with mutual understanding and trust."

"Such friendship is also reflected in the frequent interactions between our political parties, where the CPB (ML) has been playing a critical role. I commend the contributions of the CPB (ML) in uniting the comrades in the struggle for the cause of communalism, and look forward to closer cooperation and stronger friendship between the CPB(ML) and the CPC in the future," reads the message.

Mao Zedong, also known as Chairman Moa in China, proclaimed the foundation of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) on October 1, 1949.

The Communist Party of China (CPC) founded in 1921 is the ruling political party of the PRC.

It (CPC) also controls the world's largest armed forces.

.The CPC grew quickly, and by 1949 it had driven the nationalist Kuomintang (KMT) government from mainland China after the Chinese Civil War led by great leader Mao that subsequently helped to establish the PRC.

The CPC also controls the world's largest armed forces.

The Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) is a global development strategy adopted by the Chinese government involving infrastructure development and investments in 152 countries and international organisations in Asia, Europe, Africa, the Middle East and the Americas (Latin and North).

The Chinese leader Xi Jinping originally announced the strategy during official visits to Indonesia and Kazakhstan in 2013.

"Belt" refers to the overland routes for road and rail transportation, called "the Silk Road Economic Belt"; whereas "road" refers to the sea routes or the 21`st century maritime silk road.

talhabinhabib@yahoo.com