Staff correspondent :

Hundreds of forcibly displaced Rohingyas today held rallies at different camps here marking the sixth anniversary of their huge exodus, demanding safe return to their homeland Myanmar.

“We don’t want to stay in Bangladesh any long. Our only demand is to quick return to our homeland Myanmar,” said Musa, a representative of Rohingyas at a camp.

Since August 25 in 2017, Bangladesh has been hosting over 1.1 million forcefully displaced Rohingyas in Cox’s Bazar district and most of them arrived there after a military crackdown by Myanmar, which the UN called a “textbook example of ethnic cleansing” and other rights groups dubbed it as “genocide”.

“We stand here today as survivors, witnesses, and victims of genocide. Six years have passed since that tragic day and yet the pursuit of justice from the international community remains elusive,” Musa said.

Nearly 25,000 Rohingyas joined dozens of rallies with the biggest one held in Kutupalong camp with around 10,000 Rohingyas amid heavy rains.

“Till now no UN organization or international community has taken any credible steps for repatriation rather nowadays a vested quarter started suggesting us to stay in Bangladesh,” Musa claimed.

He said this is inhuman for Rohingyas to live away from their motherland.

Rohingyas gratefully acknowledge the remarkable humanitarian assistance provided by Bangladesh government, specially Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

“We are not just victims, we are survivors repeatedly asking them to ensure accountability,” said Sayeeda, one of thousands Rohinyas those were in exodus in Cox’s Bazar six years back.

“Justice has been delayed, justice has been denied,” Sayeeda said in a choked voice.

At the rally, the Rohingyas placed five- pint demands :

“1. Returning of Rohingyas must be to original lived homeland area of Myanmar’s Arakan Rakhine.
2. Assurances of safety, security, and dignity, all within the upcoming summer.
3. Restored Myanmar citizenship with full citizenship rights like other 135 ethnic groups of Myanmar.

4. Let Rohingyas allow to return and stay in Myanmar like before with peaceful coexistence with other ethnic groups as citizen.

5. Draw the attention of international community and UN organization to take positive step on repatriation.”

In the last six years, not a single Rohingya went back home.

Myanmar agreed to take them back, but repatriation attempts failed several times due to trust deficit among the Rohingyas about their safety and security in Rakhine state.

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