Dhaka is embarrassed and upset over the international community's pressure to open the border for Rohingyas.
It has urged the international community to take the refugee issue with Myanmar instead of Bangladesh, as the trouble spawned in that country and the incidents of human rights violation are taking place there.
On Wednesday, at a press briefing in Washington, DC, US Department of State urged Bangladesh to respect international obligations under the refugee convention and allow the Rohingyas fleeing the ethnic and religious violence in Myanmar into its territory.
Dhaka vehemently reacted to the call for opening the border for Rohingyas and described such call as “interference in the sovereignty of Bangladesh”.
"Bangladesh is not bound by any international law to open its border for the Rohingyas, as there is no war-like situation in that country and that its government is not forcing its citizens out," Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said in parliament yesterday.
She added the international organisations and other non-governmental entities had better go to Myanmar and extend their support to the Rohingyas instead of pressing Bangladesh to take them in.
Dhaka has conveyed its message to the international community that it does not want any more Rohingyas to enter the country, officials said.
They added that Bangladesh was not deporting any Rohingyas who are living in the country for years; the country rather prefers their voluntary return.
Bangladesh allowed several lakh Rohingyas in 1991 when they crossed the border in the face of persecutions in Myanmar, officials said.
Meanwhile, Charge de Affairs of US Embassy in Dhaka Nicholas Dean, Canadian High Commissioner Heather Cruden and UNHCR Country Representative Craig Sanders yesterday met Foreign Secretary Mijarul Quayes separately and conveyed their governments' stance not to push back Rohingyas and allow them in Bangladesh.
However, the foreign secretary told the diplomats that it would not be possible for Bangladesh to accept more refugees as there were already over five lakh registered and illegal Rohingyas in the country, said officials.
They said the Bangladesh government was highly annoyed with the UNHCR representative as he was making public statements before discussing anything with it.
Foreign ministry sources said the UNHCR representative had sent a three-page letter to the ministry in which he narrated the refugee situation since June 8 and requested the government to let Rohingyas cross the border.
They said the letter was dated June 12, but was handed over to the foreign ministry yesterday. Meanwhile, the UNHCR official had been making public statements for the last few days, which was a gross violation of diplomatic rules.
“The foreign ministry will soon issue him [UNHCR representative] a warning for the violation of diplomatic norms,” said a high official, adding that the government would also issue a warning to another top ranking UN official who had recently held meetings with the locals of Chittagong Hill Tracts and made various allegations against the government.
“None of the countries or agencies that are requesting us to allow refugees are saying anything to Myanmar, but asking Bangladesh to open its border. Are we responsible for the violence in Myanmar?” said a high official of the foreign ministry.
The ministry officials said they had received information that the situation in Rakhine state was becoming stable due to the steps taken by the central government.
They said the Rohingya issue would be given top priority during the Myanmar president's official visit to Bangladesh on July 15-17.
OIC URGE MYANMAR
The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) in a press statement on Wednesday expressed grave concern over the reports of violence against Rohingya Muslim minorities in Arakan province and other parts of Myanmar.
It had been reported in the last few days that repeated attacks on Muslim Rohingyas and on their places of worship, property and residences had taken place in the western province of Rakhine. Also disturbing are the reports of armed mobs surrounding the Central Mosque and the Auk Ywa mosque intimidating worshippers, the note said.
The OIC has condemned such systematic the acts of violence and intimidation against the Rohingyas for decades and urged the OIC member states and the international community to urgently request Myanmar to contain such brutality and bring the culprits to justice.
As the country moves toward democratisation, the OIC expects the Myanmar government to live up to their democratic responsibilities, take all necessary measures to stop violence in the Arakan region, maintain international standards and fully accord the rights of citizenship to Rohingya Muslims, said the press note.