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Foreign adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Sunday said that Rohingyas were entering Bangladesh due to ‘corruption’ at the border although the government had a position in principle not to allow any more people from Mynamar.

Responding to a question on the new arrivals of persecuted Rohingays from Myanmar at his Segun Bagicha office, he told reporters that the Rohingyas were not entering Bangladesh through a single route. They were coming through multiple routes, making it very difficult to stop amid fresh tension in border areas with rebel groups taking control in Rakhine state of Myanmar.  

The United New of Bangladesh, meanwhile, quoting Touhid reported that Bangladesh recently had to accept over 60,000 Rohingyas under certain circumstances through various unofficial channels, including border-related corruptions. 

‘We had a position in principle that no new arrival will be allowed. No one was allowed formally. Another thing we need to keep in mind that there is huge corruption in the border. And it is true,’ the foreign adviser said on his recent informal consultation at the ministerial level among Myanmar and its five neighbouring countries.

The six-nation consultation was held in Bangkok on Thursday under the chairmanship of the Thai foreign minister Maris Sangiampongsa, according to the UNB report.

The meeting was attended, among others, by Myanmar deputy prime minister and foreign minister Than Swe.

Asked about a potential new influx of Rohingya refugees, he dismissed such possibility. ‘I do not believe another influx will occur, although many are concerned. We too share these concerns, but we must take measures to prevent it, working with the international community,’ Hossain said.

Speaking at a seminar on Sunday morning, meanwhile, adviser Touhid Hossain said that they were aware of the civil war situation currently prevailing in Myanmar, and the 1.2 million Rohingyas who were forcibly displaced from the Rakhine state under extreme atrocities, and are sheltered in Bangladesh for more than seven years, the UNB reported.

No progress was made in their repatriation and the situation was further complicated by a non-state actor, the Arakan Army taking control of the entire border with Bangladesh, he said.

Referring to his meeting in Bangkok, the foreign adviser said, ‘I told them in no uncertain terms peace and order will be possible in Myanmar, and consequently in the region, unless the Rohingyas lodged in Myanmar can go back to their homes with security and rights.’

It is incumbent on Myanmar and the regional powers to create a congenial atmosphere for their return, he said.

‘I had the scope to talk in details as it was an informal discussion and I explained our position clearly,’ Touhid told reporters at the foreign ministry.   

‘If the Rohingya problem is not resolved, peace and stability that you are thinking of will never be achieved,’ he said, while conveying Bangladesh’s position during the meeting in Bangkok.

He also said that if the Rohingyas, mostly young people, could not be given a hope and if no light was seen at the end of the tunnel, they would become desperate and would do desperate activities.  ‘I made it clear to them.’

The foreign adviser said that offenders were on the both sides of the border and in the Rohingya camps and they made huge money through illegal activities. ‘If these issues are not addressed, peace cannot be achieved,’ he said.

The foreign adviser informed Myanmar that the border was no longer under Myanmar’s control; rather it was now controlled by non-state actors like the Arakan Army. ‘As a state, we cannot engage with a non-state actor. Myanmar must find a way to resolve the issues related to the border and Rakhine,’ he explained.

In Bangkok, Touhid Hossain reiterated the call for a ‘comprehensive roadmap’ for Rohingya repatriation with priority attached to ensuring stability in Rakhine state.

He urged the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and other key regional actors to play an enhanced proactive role in restoring peace, security, and democracy in Myanmar.

‘Bangladesh has every interest to see lasting peace, stability and democracy in Myanmar, and a conducive environment in Rakhine state for the Rohingyas to have confidence to go back there in safety and dignity,’ the adviser affirmed.