The ‘2nd Dhaka Declaration' has urged the international community to work for ensuring a safe, dignified and voluntary return of Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh in the face of Myanmar military crackdown.
The Dhaka declaration also encouraged the participating states to support the steps taken by the International Criminal Court and International Court of Justice to ensure justice and accountability for the Rohingya people.
The declaration was made public on the second day of the two-day international e-conference titled "Connecting Rohingya Diaspora: Highlighting the Global Displacement" concluded on Wednesday night.
The conference was organised, marking the third anniversary of the massive influx of Rohingya into Bangladesh, by ActionAid Bangladesh in association with the Centre for Genocide Studies, Dhaka University and the Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University.
On the concluding day of the conference, representatives, teachers and researchers from the Rohingya Diaspora in the United Kingdom (UK), Canada, Japan, Australia, India, Bangladesh and Malaysia presented their papers.
TunKhin, president of the Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK, highlighted the plight of Rohingya people living in the UK.
"We have been pressuring the British government to take strong action against the Myanmar government, as well as to impose sanctions on military-owned and regulated companies, and to impose a global arms embargo on Myanmar,” Tun added.
Noting that they are also pushing for the restoration of Rohingya citizenship in Myanmar, the Rohingya leader said, “We are against repatriation until the Rohingya are safe and secure in Myanmar.”
MiwakoHosoda, professor and vice-president, Seisa University, Japan, said, “Although Japan is a member state of the 1951 Convention, there are very few examples of recognizing refugees. The Rohingya have been repeatedly denied refugee status by the Japanese government, and some immigration bureaus have even forced them to leave Japan.”
Hla Myint, president, Rohingya Intellectual Community, Sydney, Australia, said in his paper that around 600,000 Rohingya people in the Myanmar's Rakhine state are still at risk of genocide.
“For a long-term solution, the Myanmar government must recognize the citizenship and ethnic identity of the Rohingya. Under the auspices of the United Nations, all refugees must be repatriated unconditionally," added Hla Myint.
Sabyasachi Basu Ray Chowdhury, professor, Department of Political Science, Rabindra Bharati University, said “Rohingya are living a kind of almost invisible life in India.”
Kazi Fahmida Farzana, a senior lecturer at the University of Utara Malaysia, said “Malaysia is a destination country. There are currently 111,280 Rohingya in Malaysia (as of April 2020), accounting for 56 percent of the total number of refugees and asylum seekers. There are also an estimated 300,000 to 400,000 unregistered Rohingya.”
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen joined the two-day e-conference as the chief guest on the first day, whereas Cherno Marenah, solicitor general and legal secretary, Ministry of Justice, Gambia, joined it as the guest of honour.