The Ambassador of Bangladesh to the Netherlands Sheikh Mohammed Belal urged for heightened global voice for the immediate repatriation of the forcibly displaced Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their origin in Myanmar as well as for ensuring accountability of the atrocity crimes committed against the Rohingyas in Myanmar. This was conveyed in a seminar titled “Migration Crisis: The Rhetorics and Realities, What is the Real Story?’ organized on 1 October 2018 at the International Institute of Social Studies of the Erasmus University of the Netherlands (ISS) by the Association of Nigerian Students in the Netherlands in association with the ISS, Embassy of Nigeria in The Hague and Embassy of Bangladesh in The Hague.
Ambassador Sheikh Mohammed Belal referred to the Bangladesh’s humanitarian response to over one million Rohingyas forcibly displaced from Myanmar to Bangladesh and highlighted the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s three points placed at the ‘High-level Event on the Global Compact on Refugees on 24 September 2018 in New York during the 73rd UN General Assembly to solve the protracted Rohingya crisis. Elaborating on the Hon’ble Prime Minister’s three points – abolishing discrimination against Rohingyas and addressing the root causes of forced displacement by Myanmar; creating a conducive environment in Myanmar, including creating “safe zone”, if needed; and preventing atrocity crimes against Rohingyas in Myanmar by bringing accountability and justice, the Ambassador urged the international community to be vocal for the justice to the victims of the atrocity crimes in Myanmar and for the immediate repatriation of forcibly displaced Rohingyas to their origin in Myanmar. The Ambassador also pitched for effective migration governance architecture for the benefits of all taking into consideration the realities of historic pattern, current and future trend of global migration. Ambassador Belal also urged all to do their part for adoption of proposed “Global Compact on Refugees” as was proposed during UNGA 2018 in a high level panel involving Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina of Bangladesh.
Members of The Hague-based diplomatic corps and international organizations, academia, students, civil society organizations, among others, attended the seminar. Professor of Leiden University Prof. Ton Dietz, Assistant Professor of ISS Dr. Helen Hintjens and the representative of the Embassy of Nigeria also spoke at the seminar.