Speakers at a roundtable in the city on Thursday laid emphasis on multi-year planning to tackle the Rohingya crisis as the repatriation of the refugees continues to be delayed and the crisis has become more protracted.
They also called for elevating human dignity of the Rohingyas by arranging formal education for them so they can engage themselves in meaningful and productive activities and do not have to idle away their time.
The roundtable titled Human Dignity of Rohingya People: Bangladesh Perspective was organised by The Daily Samakal in cooperation with COAST.
Acting Editor of the Daily Samakal Mustafiz Shafi and Executive Director of COAST Rezaul Karim Chowdhury presided over the event.
Mohammed Abul Kalam, additional secretary and refugee relief and repatriation commissioner, at the event rejected the prevailing negative perceptions of Rohingyas.
Citing his experience of working with Rohingyas, he said they are normal, religious and law abiding people, who were made victims of atrocities and propaganda systematically by the Myanmar regime.
UNHCR Country Representative Steven Corliss at the roundtable pointed out the root cause of Rohingya refugees' displacement, saying the solution to the crisis lies with Myanmar.
He also focused on supporting the affected host communities to ensure peaceful social cohesion.
Columnist Sayed Abul Maksud said, "It is our national responsibility to keep up the human spirit that the nation and the government have shown in opening the country's border."
The speakers also emphasised that the Rohingya children should be provided with proper education.
They also underlined the need for arranging productive technical education for the Rohingya youths, who constitute more than half the refugee population.
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