Dhaka, July 18 (UNB)- The government of Malaysia extended a special opportunity for illegal expatriates to leave the country without meeting any legal action.

A press release issued by Bangladesh High Commission in Malaysia said a new program named ‘Back 4 Good’ was launched to implement the plan which permits the expatriates, who entered the country without visa and who are overstaying there, to return home after meeting some easy conditions.

Starting on August 1, the program will be continued till December 31, said the press release citing Malaysian home ministry.

They will have to pay 700 Ringgit for getting special pass and will have to submit their passport, travel documents and air ticket to Malaysian immigration.

Then the authority will provide a special pass to the applicant within a working day. He or she will have to leave the country within seven days after receiving the pass.

All the provinces except Sabah, Sarawak and Labuan will be under the program.

However, the government of Malaysia took the initiative following discussions with its Bangladeshi counterparts at different times.

Dhaka, July 18 (UNB) – China wants implementation of the agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar over the Rohingya repatriation, said its outgoing Ambassador to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo on Thursday.

"We want execution of the deal signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar over the repatriation of Rohingyas," he said when he made his farewell call on Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at her official residence Ganobhaban in the city.

In response, the Prime Minister said if the repatriation of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals starts even on a small scale, it will be good for all, PM's Press Secretary Ihsanul Karim said while briefing reporters after the meeting.

Sheikh Hasina congratulated the Chinese envoy for successful completion of his tenure in Dhaka.

Talking about the bilateral ties between Bangladesh and China, she said, "The diverse field of activities has given momentum in raising our bilateral relations to a new height."

Referring to her recent visit to China, Sheikh Hasina said it was a very good and successful tour. "The discussion with the Chinese leaders, including the President and the Premier, was very fruitful," she said.

The Chinese envoy thanked the government for extending cooperation in discharging his responsibilities during his stay in Bangladesh.

He highly appreciated Bangladesh's tremendous development in the last one decade under the leadership of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Zhang Zuo expressed his hope that Sonar Bangla (Golden Bangladesh) as dreamt by Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman will come true under the dynamic leadership of the Prime Minister.

Sheikh Hasina informed the envoy that she is going to formally invite the Chinese Premier to visit Bangladesh.

PM’s Principal Secretary Md Nojibur Rahman was present at the meeting.

Dhaka, July 18 (UNB) - Human rights violations in Myanmar are creating increasingly serious issues for South and South East Asia, a UN expert said on Thursday, urging stronger action by regional countries to address potential peace and security concerns. 

Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee cited the nearly 1.5 million refugees (Rohingyas) from Myanmar in Bangladesh, India, Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand, trafficking and smuggling of people from Myanmar and the drug trade within and outside the region as examples of deepening concerns.

Lee, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, continues to be denied access to the country and concluded her 11-day mission to Thailand and Malaysia, according to a message received from Kuala Lumpur.

“It is incumbent on Myanmar’s neighbours to acknowledge these most serious issues and that they have been created by Myanmar. The continuing gross violations of human rights in Myanmar jeopardise the lives of people around that country and relentlessly impact Myanmar’s neighbours in such a way that could threaten South and South East Asian peace and security,” she said.

The Special Rapporteur urged regional states to take a stronger position. “When states in this region engage with Myanmar, human rights should firmly be on the agenda. I therefore most strongly urge Asean (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) to prioritise human rights in Myanmar, and to hold the government of Myanmar to its obligations to respect, protect and fulfill human rights.”

During her visit, Lee received reports that the conflict between the Tatmadaw and the rebel Arakan Army (AA) rages on, and that human rights violations and abuses against the civilian population are worsening.

The total number displaced by the conflict since January could now be as high as 55,000 across Chin and Rakhine states.

“The situation is urgent and deserves more attention from the international community,” said the expert.

The government’s almost month-long mobile internet shutdown in nine townships in northern Rakhine and southern Chin was unprecedented and unacceptable, Lee said.

“It is now monsoon season in Myanmar and there have been terrible floods in three townships in Rakhine State. There is no access to mobile internet in any of those townships, meaning that people were not adequately prepared for or warned of the floods that occurred. This has resulted in displacement and houses being destroyed.”

Lee also spoke to people from Myanmar who have grave concerns about the way that hate speech and misinformation campaigns are being waged on social media. It appears that these campaigns are getting more sophisticated, coordinated and strategic, using coded language to get around content restrictions to continue to spread hateful messages.

She said social media companies are taking inadequate and inconsistent action; anything done should be in a transparent manner and in close consultation with civil society and technology organisations in Myanmar.

The Special Rapporteur was distressed that on her mission she received reports of women and girls, some as young as nine, being trafficked from northern Myanmar to neighbouring countries for sex work.

Years of conflict in northern Shan and Kachin states has left families financially desperate, making women and girls vulnerable to human trafficking.

Lee said it is incumbent on the international community to bring about criminal justice in Myanmar.

She also said that victims need to receive reparations for the harm caused to them and they have a right to know the truth about what happened to them, their family members and their communities.

Solid guarantees that violations that have occurred in the past, and continue to occur now, will not happen again in the future are also essential.

“The first step for this to happen is for the Government and the military to reverse its stance of denial, and to recognise what the people of Myanmar have suffered at their hands. The countries in this region, and Asean, have a large role to play in persuading Myanmar to bring about this fundamental shift.”

Dhaka, July 18 (UNB) - The Office of the Prosecutor of International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday laid emphasis on “effective, timely and tangible” cooperation from all stakeholders as an authorization for an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya people is still pending.

“We hope to engage as quickly as possible,” Deputy Prosecutor James Stewart told reporters at a press conference in a city hotel.

He said they will work in strict conformity with the law if they are authorized to do an investigation. “We will do so independently, impartially and objectively; these are principles which guide all of our decisions and actions.”  

ICC Prosecutor Dr Fatou Bensouda has recently requested the Court’s Judges to authorise an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed against the Rohingya people from Myanmar. The outcome of this request is still pending and is before the Court’s judges.

There is a “reasonable basis to believe” that at least 700,000 Rohingya people were deported from Myanmar to Bangladesh through a range of coercive acts.

Stewart, who is leading a delegation here, said once the judges of the court make a determination on the request of the Prosecutor, the Court according to its normal practice, will inform the public of that outcome.

“Confidentiality during any investigation is essential to protect its integrity, and to protect the security of all involved,” he said.

Asked about signing of MoU with Bangladesh, Stewart said this is a normal practice everywhere and a matter of discussion. “There is no negativity from the part of Bangladesh which is a State party to the ICC.”

The Deputy Prosecutor made it clear that Myanmar is not a State party to the ICC and any potential investigation could only focus on crimes allegedly committed in part on the territory of Bangladesh.

Asked about Myanmar’s engagement, he said they have approached  the government of Myanmar but so far they have not agreed to engage with them (ICC).

The Deputy Prosecutor stressed that while trials are accessible to the public at the ICC, investigations are not.

He also said they do not and cannot participate in national political debates or considerations of relations between States.

“Our mandate is completely separate. As a prosecuting office, we aim to bring justice to victims wherever our jurisdiction is met, by establishing the truth of what happened and holding accountable those individuals most responsible for the crimes,” Stewart said.

He said investigating deportation and other alleged crimes would mean, of course taking a close look at the alleged violence which left the Rohingya people no option but to flee Myanmar.

The delegation from the Office of the Prosecutor arrived here on Tuesday on a weeklong visit to engage with relevant stakeholders and explain the judicial process and the status of the situation.

The delegation is not engaging in any evidence collection in relation to any alleged crimes at this stage.

ICC Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda considers that there is a reasonable basis to proceed with an investigation in relation to the alleged deportation of members of the Rohingya people from Myanmar to Bangladesh and related crimes committed in the context of the 2016 and 2017 waves of violence in Rakhine State, Myanmar.

The ICC delegation members already held meetings with Ministers and senior officials here. They are scheduled to leave for Cox’s Bazar on Friday afternoon.

They will visit Rohingya camps and hold a meeting with government authorities there on Saturday.

On Sunday, the ICC delegation members are scheduled to hold meetings with Cox’s Bazar DC, Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) and regional heads of Rapid action Battalion (Rab), BGB and acting superintendent of police in Cox’s Bazar.

They are scheduled to leave Dhaka on Monday.  

Dhaka, July 18 (UNB) – UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has said he has been putting in his best efforts to find a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis.

Secretary General Guterres said this when Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen sought a stronger role from the UN and international community in ensuring a sustainable solution to the protracted Rohingya crisis.

The UN chief expressed concern over the Rohingya issue and thanked Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, including the people of Bangladesh, for their generosity in hosting a large number of Rohingya population on humanitarian ground.

At the bilateral meeting in New York recently, the UN chief and the Foreign Minister discussed a number of specific issues to expedite the efforts of the international community, said the Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations on Thursday.   

Bangladesh is currently hosting over 1.1 million Rohingyas and most of them entered Bangladesh since August 25 amid military crackdowns and "ethnic cleansing" of the Rohingya minority. 

The Foreign Minister requested the UN chief to attend the birth centenary celebration of Father of the Nation Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and deliver a speech on the occasion.

Dr Momen also invited the UN chief to attend the programmes to be arranged by Permanent Mission of Bangladesh to the United Nations.

The Foreign Minister also held a meeting with New York State Senator Luis Sepulveda and discussed various issues of mutual interest.

Luis Sepulveda also met Speaker Dr Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury there.