Staff Reporter:
Highlighting the importance of a quick and international solution to the Rohingya crisis through joint efforts, Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus on Friday said the solution to the problem is in the hands of the international community, not Bangladesh alone.
“We will keep on raising the issue. Malaysia will be supporting us in raising that. We can’t wait indefinitely. This is something we have to resolve as soon as possible,” he said while responding to a question from UNB during a joint press appearance with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim at a hotel in Dhaka.
The Nobel Peace Laureate said they have discussed the issue as this is also an issue for Malaysia with a smaller number of Rohingyas there.
“We need to find a solution to that problem. And we work together through Asean, through the Malaysian government and through the broader international community,” he said.
Malaysia is going to be the next chair of ASEAN from January 2025.
Prof Yunus highlighted two aspects of the Rohingya crisis – new children born on an average 32,000 every year over the last 7 years adding with the 1.2 million Rohingyas.
He said it is not the birthrate that concerns Bangladesh but it is about what happens in their life. “A whole new generation of young people is growing up. This is a generation of angry young people. They have no future.”
Prof Yunus said the worry for the whole world is that this is a ticking time-bomb that can explode in any way.
He said new entries are also happening every day with a constant flow. “This is a concern I shared with the Prime Minister of Malaysia. He is fully supportive and understands our position.”
Prof Yunus said Malaysia will be supporting Bangladesh through Asean and international forums to find an international solution to this problem.
Seven years ago, on August 25, 2017, some 700,000 Rohingya men, women and children were forced to flee Myanmar and seek protection in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh is now hosting over 1.2 million Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char.
In 2024, humanitarian agencies appealed for $852 million to assist 1.35 million people, including Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshis in surrounding communities. This appeal remains inadequately funded, according to UNHCR.
Chief Adviser Prof Yunus and the Malaysian Prime Minister had a brief one-on-one meeting at the Hazrat Shahjalal Airport before their bilateral talks at Hotel InterContinental.
