The future of the Rohingya people is not only a Bangladeshi issue, it is now a global issue. Bangladesh has been seeking the cooperation of regional countries and the United Nations to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya since they were first driven from Myanmar in 2017. But the results have not materialised, and the security risk is growing.
According to analysts, the longer the repatriation is delayed, the greater the challenge will become for Bangladesh as well as its neighbours. They point to the risk of drugs, human trafficking, sex crimes, terrorism, extremism and cross-border crimes linked to the presence of a large refugee population.
Bangladesh has been trying to solve this problem diplomatically, seeking the cooperation of Asean member countries and others, including China and Japan. There has been no formal response from Beijing, but on July 24, Taro Honda, the Japanese vice-minister for foreign affairs, expressed his support for the repatriation of the Rohingya during his visit to Dhaka.
