Rohingya Crisis: Foreign secretary calls for probe into Bhasan Char Rohingya demonstration

Foreign ministry will request the authorities concerned to investigate into as to why the Rohingya people demonstrated when a two-member team of the UNHCR headquarters in Geneva visited Bhashan Char on Monday.

Foreign secretary Masud Bin Momen on Tuesday afternoon made the remarks when Prothom Alo asked him about the demonstration where a large number of Rohingyas took part.

UNHCR’s Assistant High Commissioner for Protection Gillian Triggs and its Assistant High Commissioner for Operations Raouf Mazou went to Bhasan Char on Monday when the Rohingya people staged demonstrations for various demands.

At one point, the crowd got agitated and in the process, some of the Rohingyas reportedly sustained minor injuries. Local and international media ran reports of the demonstration.

Masud Bin Momen said, “In recent times there have been a number of important visits to Bhashan Char including the visit of the OIC delegation. I also went there. What happened on Monday was totally unexpected and unwarranted.”

He further said, “But it could not be said that that was totally abnormal. They surely find some differences in comparison with the life in Cox’s Bazar. Not everything regarding the alternatives of livelihood could be arranged there (Bhasan Char). Maybe they are a bit impatient as there is not much scope of some sort of business or other sources of livelihood.”

The foreign secretary said Rohingya people knew from beforehand that the senior UN Officials were going to visit Bhasan Char. There was an arrangement of views exchange meeting between Rohingya leaders (known as majhi) and the UN officials.

Maybe the Rohingya people did not have any faith in their leaders and that’s why 400-500 people gathered there and the chaotic situation arose, he added.

Masud Bin Momen further said, “What happened was a bit too much. The way local and international media covered the incident, I think it would be better not to consider the matter in that way.”

He said the UN officials had questions about two things – whether Bhasan Char is safe and whether their relocation from Cox’s Bazar was voluntary.

After the cyclone Yaas, this is certain that Bhasan Char is safe for the Rohingya and they told the UN officials that they moved from Cox’s Bazar to Bhasan Char voluntarily, he added.