Bangladesh Institute of Peace and Security Studies (BIPSS) President Major General (Retd) Muniruzzaman has said Rohingya refugees add an economic burden, so policymakers must think out of the box and develop pragmatic solutions.

The BIPSS President discussed the historical timeline of the Rohingya refugee influx, stating that there is no end in sight.

“Repatriation is the only solution, in his words,” he said.

BIPSS hosted its lecture club on “Rohingya Refugee Crisis: Restrategising the Future” in Dhaka on Tuesday evening.

The lecture was initiated by the President of BIPSS and later carried on by Barrister Manzoor Hasan OBE, executive director, Centre for Peace and Justice, BRAC University.

Barrister Manzoor Hasan started his speech by highlighting the increase of internally displaced people worldwide.

He mentioned issues like women and girls being trafficked from the camps, decreased funding for refugees, and the changing reality of Myanmar following the military coup.

He criticised intergovernmental organisations like ASEAN and the United Nations (UN).

In Manzoor Hasan’s words, the solution lies in the Kofi Annan report.

His words and thoughts included governance through negotiation, regional perspective, the integrated role of state and non-state actors, and think tanks.

Actors in Rakhine are important since the issue evolved from that very region.

The event was attended by foreign and retired diplomats, retired civil and military officials, academics, journalists and researchers.