Bangladesh is agreeable to a UN proposal for humanitarian support for the Rakhine State of Myanmar, but a decision is yet to be taken, said a key spokesperson of the interim government.
“We want to make it categorically clear that the government has not discussed the so-called ‘humanitarian corridor’ with the UN or any other entity. Our position is that, should there be a UN-led humanitarian support initiative for the state of Rakhine, Bangladesh would be willing to provide logistics support,” said Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser.
Quoting UN organisations’ observations, he said: “According to UNDP, the Rakhine State is facing an acute humanitarian situation. Bangladesh has a stellar record of helping countries in times of distress, as exemplified by our aid to Myanmar following the recent devastating earthquake.”
“Moreover, we are concerned that persistence of suffering may lead to further inflows of people from Rakhine into Bangladesh, which we cannot afford. We also believe that UN-supported humanitarian aid would help stabilise Rakhine and create conditions for the return of refugees to Myanmar,” he said in a Facebook post in response to media queries and reports.
Given the present conditions, Shafiqul Alam said, the only viable route for delivery of aid to Rakhine is through Bangladesh. “Bangladesh is agreeable in principle to provide logistics support for the transportation of aid through this route,” he noted.
“However, there has not been a decision on the provision of aid to Rakhine. We are in touch with the concerned parties in this regard. In due course, we will consult relevant stakeholders in Bangladesh,” the CA’s Press Secretary said in an oblique reference to BNP, which commented that a decision on a corridor should not have been taken without consultation with the main stakeholders in the country.
Responding to various media reports that the “humanitarian corridor” is part of a geopolitical design by a major world power, he said: “As regards the reports of involvement of a major power, these are pure and unadulterated propaganda. We have seen a constant barrage of malicious disinformation hurled against Bangladesh in recent months, which is still continuing. This sort of propaganda is no different.”