A Rohignya crisis became a subject for discussion at the UN General Assembly this week. The international community urges Myanmar to stop “ethnic cleansing” in Rakhine state and to create “safe zones” inside that country to protect all civilians, under the supervision of the UN.
The Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed the General Assembly on Sep 21, she said that her country is currently sheltering over 800,000 forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Myanmar and that the ongoing atrocities and human rights violations in Myanmar’s Rakhine state once again aggravated the situation at the Bangladesh-Myanmar border.
The PM Hasina insisted in her address that Myanmar should stop the practice of “ethnic cleansing” in Rakhine and establish the UN fact-finding mission to the country. Additionally, Sheikh Hasina expressed her vision of the ways how to settle the problem. First of all, the UN needs to establish the “safe zones” inside Myanmar, that could help to protect all civilians irrespective of religion and ethnicity.
Often, during such kind of the conflicts, the governments underscore the importance of upholding effectiveness and credibility of UN peacekeeping operations. It is the right time for Bangladeshi government to create and maintain the needed infrastructure. Of course, there is a ‘zero tolerance’ approach to any allegation of sexual exploitation and abuse, Ms Hasina said.
In a final of her speech, the Bangladeshi prime minister endorsed the UN “voluntary compact” on this issue.
