More livelihood opportunities need to be created in Bhasan Char

Says Japanese ambassador

FE Team | Published: April 12, 2022 23:33:43

Japanese Ambassador to Bangladesh Ito Naoki has said more resources need to be put in place on Bhasan Char Island to create more livelihood opportunities for the relocated Rohingyas as what he says the Rohingyas face 'some challenges' on the island despite having some 'solid facilities and infrastructure,' reports UNB.
"It's true that they're enjoying a better safety and security environment. They're living in more solid, concrete buildings. So that's absolutely a positive aspect of their lives," he told the news agency in an interview while sharing experience of his recent visit to the Island but noted that there should be more resources through joint efforts to create livelihood opportunities on the island.
The ambassador said the government of Bangladesh and the international community need to come forward with more resources and the private sector including Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association (BGMEA) can be involved to create more livelihood opportunities, education and skills for the Rohingyas so that 'frustration' does not grow among them which might lead to instability.
Rohingyas are Myanmar nationals and Bangladesh has been hosting them on a temporary basis purely out of humanitarian gesture, Bangladesh says.
Any arrangement in Bangladesh for Rohingyas is solely 'temporary' in nature, said a government official, noting that the Rohingyas want to return to their homeland - Myanmar's Rakhine State - and all need to work constructively to that end.
The government of Bangladesh made it clear that it cannot integrate the Rohingyas and cannot find any permanent solution within Bangladesh while their sustainable repatriation is seen as the only solution.
Asked whether providing more livelihood opportunities will send a signal to Myanmar that the Rohingyas are being settled in Bangladesh, Ambassador Naoki said, "No, I don't think so."
He said the Rohingyas living in Bhasan Char want to go back and repatriation is their goal. "They want justice. Even after almost five years, they're still really looking at their homeland. It's clear they want to go back."
So as long as they have that determination for repatriation, no wrong signal can be sent to Myanmar, said the ambassador.
He said education, skills and livelihood opportunities are essential things before they go back to Myanmar as it seems, given the situation in Myanmar, the Rohingyas are going to stay here for 'some more years.'
"You decided to open up the border. You decided to provide humanitarian support and protection. So now we're in the next stage. That's to equip them with better education, better skills, better livelihood opportunities, I think these are the steps we should take even to facilitate the process of repatriation. That's my view," said the ambassador.
Asked about the possibility of repatriation during the military regime, the Japanese envoy said, "We should not rule out the possibility."
The military seized control on February 01, 2021 following a general election which Aung San Suu Kyi's NLD party won by a landslide.
Bangladesh has said the international community must not shy away from their responsibility to resolve the Rohingya crisis and relieve Bangladesh from the burden as Myanmar authorities are yet to demonstrate genuine political will to resolve the crisis.
"The question that repeatedly strikes our minds is how long we would have to bear the burden and how the international community sustains this level of humanitarian support for such a big number of over 1.1 million population with around 30,000 newborns being added each year," said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam during the virtual launching ceremony of the Joint Response Plan-2022 (JRP-2022) a couple of weeks ago.
He said the displaced people are not expected to opt for return on their own unless a conducive environment in Rakhine is created and confidence building among the Rohingya is done.
The Japanese envoy said they will continue to consider the possibility of further funding to the Rohingya projects both in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char as they are thinking how they can respond to the Joint Response Plan (JRP-2022) which came up last month in Geneva.
This time when the envoy went to the Bhasan Char Island, he was there with a team from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) office in Dhaka.
"So I think JICA will explore the possibility of providing their cooperation. We don't know how soon, we don't know what sort of scale of project they might be able to come up with. But at least they're in a position to consider the possibility," he said. In January 2022, Japan funded as the first donor, $2 million to UNHCR and World Food Programme (WFP) to support their operations on Bhasan Char.
"I observe that the funding we provided has been effectively utilised for the benefit of the refugee population on the island," said the ambassador.