Shama calls for faster Rohingya verification

State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shama Obaed Islam has called for an accelerated verification process for Rohingya people based on agreed bilateral documents between Myanmar and Bangladesh, including children born in the camps and those who arrived from Rakhine State since 2017.

“Accurate information is essential. Credible verification is essential, and a credible verification process can become an important confidence-building measure between the two sides,” she said while speaking at a seminar titled “10 Years of the Rohingya Crisis: From Humanitarian Assistance to Sustainable Solutions” at a hotel in Dhaka.

She said Bangladesh would stand by the Rohingya, but should not have to stand alone, calling for concerted international efforts to create an environment for their safe, voluntary and dignified return home.

The state minister said the Rohingya deserved more than survival, including a future, a home, security and the right to return to their homeland with dignity and peace.

She urged the international community to ensure that the Rohingya refugees’ 10-year stay in Bangladesh does not become 20 years, stressing that their long-term solution lies in a safe and dignified return to their homeland.

She said the crisis was not merely a humanitarian obligation but also a political and moral responsibility that the international community must shoulder collectively.

Shama Obaed said Bangladesh had previous experience of pursuing Rohingya repatriation in 1978 and 1992 under the leadership of President Ziaur Rahman and then prime minister Khaleda Zia.

“The situation today is much more complex. Yet the principle remains unchanged,” she said, adding that Bangladesh would continue working through bilateral and multilateral channels to facilitate a dignified and sustainable return.

She said humanitarian assistance should not become an excuse for international inaction.

“Bangladesh can provide shelter. Bangladesh can provide humanitarian assistance. Bangladesh can help preserve dignity. But humanitarian generosity cannot become an excuse for international inaction,” she said.