Bangladesh Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Md Asaduzzaman has called on Myanmar to take responsibility for protecting the human rights of the Rohingya, describing the crisis as fundamentally an internal issue of the country.

“The Rohingyas are citizens, a community, and people of Myanmar. It is the Myanmar government that ultimately must take steps to protect their human rights,” he said.

The minister made the remarks on Sunday at a discussion titled “Rohingya Issue: Present Reality and Future Course of Action”, organized by the Centre for Policy Research at the National Press Club, Dhaka.

Asaduzzaman said Bangladesh’s earlier governments, including those led by Ziaur Rahman and Khaleda Zia, had made efforts to persuade Myanmar that the Rohingya are an integral part of its territory.

However, he noted that subsequent governments were unable to pursue the issue with the same level of consistency.

The law minister stressed that resolving the protracted crisis would require both strong international backing and greater national unity in Bangladesh. He said Dhaka should engage major powers such as the United States, China and India, but first needed to build consensus at home.

“Before convincing others, the people of Bangladesh must stand together. Irrespective of political affiliations and differences of opinion, we must understand that this land, this Bangladesh, should come first,” he said.

According to UNB, Asaduzzaman said Bangladesh had sheltered displaced Rohingyas on humanitarian grounds and had a moral responsibility to support them under Article 25 of the Constitution.

He said the Rohingya crisis could be viewed from two interconnected perspectives  as an internal crisis of Myanmar and as a humanitarian issue for Bangladesh, which has provided refuge to those fleeing persecution.

The minister also maintained that the Rohingya are culturally and ethnically rooted in Myanmar and are entitled to protection under international law.

“We support addressing the issue from that perspective and on that basis,” he said.

Former Bangladesh ambassador to Myanmar Mohammad Sufiur Rahman presented the keynote paper at the event. Executive Director of the Centre for Policy Research Dr Shafiqul Islam, trustee member Prof Sk Tawfique M Haque and Rohingya women’s rights activist Razia Sultana, among others, also participated in the discussion.

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