Experts have emphasised the urgent need to establish communication with Myanmar’s Arakan Army to facilitate Rohingya repatriation and ensure Bangladesh’s security. They stated, “While there was an agreement with Myanmar’s junta government, they no longer control Rakhine state. Rakhine is now under Arakan Army’s control. Without establishing relations with them, Rohingya repatriation won’t be possible.”
These observations were made during a seminar titled “Rohingya, Rakhine and Myanmar’s Context: Bangladesh’s Risks” organised by the Policy Research Center on Thursday.
Held at the National Press Club’s Zahur Hossain Chowdhury Hall, speakers criticised the recent controversy surrounding the proposed “humanitarian corridor”.
They noted, “The geopolitical landscape at our borders has changed. Even India has established trade links with the Arakan Army along the Mizoram border. We must do the same. The opportunity to engage through a humanitarian corridor was recently lost due to unnecessary debates.”
Former Ambassador Mohammad Sufiur Rahman warned that failure to repatriate Rohingyas could eventually threaten Bangladesh’s territorial integrity. Delivering the keynote address, he explained, “Of Rakhine’s original 1.8 million Rohingya population, only about 400,000 remain. Nearly 1.4 million are now in Bangladesh. If this continues, Rakhine may become Rohingya-free, making repatriation impossible. Immediate military, commercial, and humanitarian engagement with the Arakan Army is essential.”
Dr Dilara Chowdhury, former professor of Government and Politics at Jahangirnagar University, suggested ASEAN could facilitate Rohingya resolution while stressing, “Establishing contact with the neighboring Arakan Army is imperative for our national security interests.”
Additional speakers included Brig Gen (Retd) Mohammad Hasan Nasir of Nexus Defense & Justice, researcher Dr Mahbubul Haq from Malaysia’s Sultan Zainal Abidin University, and diplomatic correspondent Parimal Palma of The Daily Star. Policy Research Center CEO Dr Shakil Ahmed moderated the discussion.