United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres urged India to help Bangladesh in supporting the Rohingya community in humanitarian assistance and also to influence Myanmar to bring about reconciliation.
Guterres added such “discriminatory situation” could invite terror groups to exploit the population and India is an absolutely essential component in becoming an honest broker to calm down on-going conflicts.
Rohingya community is an ethnic minority in Myanmar. The government forces cracked down on them about a year ago heavily forcing more than seven lakh people to flee the country. Most of those are currently residing in Bangladesh and in India about 40,000 of such refugees are scattered.
In his maiden visit to Indian and commenting on the adoption of the Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism (CCIT) he said the delay has been due to non-agreement on the definition of terrorism by member states.
CCIT was proposed by India in 1996.
He said, “I have never seen a community so discriminated in the world as Rohingyas.”
He further added that he Rohingya people have no access to health and education in Myanmar and so feeling of racism against them is deep rooted.
He recalled his visit to India as High Commissioner for Refugees and said Myanmar president has asked him to resettle the issue in some other countries.
Guterres said making the Rohingya’s refugees is not his role, but to solve the problem of refugees. He alleged that the reaction of the armed forces against them was brutal.
