Bangladesh’s Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus to Address Rohingya Crisis at UN Meeting
New York [US], September 25: Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Advisor to Bangladesh’s interim government, will hold a ‘high-level’ meeting about the Rohingya situation during the 79th United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), according to Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Advisor Md Touhid Hossain.
Speaking on the sidelines of the UNGA, Hossain mentioned that Yunus will address the assembly on September 27. Before his speech, Yunus will meet various people and participate in different events. Hossain stated, “He (Muhammad Yunus) will give the speech on the 27 September here (UNGA). Before that, he is meeting people and participating in different functions. We are having a meeting on Rohingya. It will be a high-level section meeting on Rohingyas. He is trying to connect as many people as possible.”
The Rohingyas, a mostly Muslim minority in Myanmar, have faced prejudice and interethnic conflict for a long time. A military crackdown in Myanmar in 2017 forced at least 750,000 Rohingyas to flee to Bangladesh. This crackdown is also the focus of a ‘genocide’ case at the International Court of Justice in The Hague. Recently, thousands more Rohingyas fled to Bangladesh from the Rakhine state in western Myanmar due to escalating combat between the military dictatorship and the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group.
When asked about the situation of minorities in Bangladesh, Hossain said the interim government is doing “everything possible” to protect all its citizens, including Hindus. He added, “Any violence that has taken place is being shown as violence against Hindus; this is not correct. I think Indian media needs to come out of this hyping up this issue. We are doing everything possible for the protection of our citizens, and Hindus in Bangladesh are our citizens, we are taking care of them.”
Bangladesh has seen significant unrest, including the ouster of Sheikh Hasina amid student protests that turned into a massive anti-government movement. This period saw several incidents of violence, particularly targeting minorities. Protesters have also demonstrated against Yunus in New York, chanting slogans like “Go Back” and “Step down” due to alleged attacks on minorities in Bangladesh.
Md Touhid Hossain also met with India’s External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar on the sidelines of the UNGA. Hossain said, “All the aspects of bilateral relations were discussed.” Bangladesh’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs shared details about the meeting between the two leaders.
Doubts Revealed
Chief Advisor -: A Chief Advisor is a top person who gives important advice to the government. In this case, Muhammad Yunus is helping the temporary government of Bangladesh.
Rohingya crisis -: The Rohingya crisis is about a group of people called the Rohingya who are being treated very badly in Myanmar. Many of them have run away to Bangladesh to be safe.
United Nations General Assembly -: The United Nations General Assembly is a big meeting where leaders from all over the world come together to talk about important issues. This meeting happens every year.
interim government -: An interim government is a temporary government that is in place for a short time until a new, permanent government is chosen.
persecution -: Persecution means treating someone very badly because of their race, religion, or beliefs. The Rohingya people are being persecuted in Myanmar.
minorities -: Minorities are groups of people who are different from the majority of the population in terms of race, religion, or culture. In this case, the Rohingya are a minority in Myanmar.
Muhammad Yunus -: Muhammad Yunus is a famous person from Bangladesh who helps poor people by giving them small loans to start businesses. He is now helping the government as a Chief Advisor.
protests -: Protests are when people gather to show that they are unhappy about something. In New York, people protested against Muhammad Yunus because they believe he did not protect minorities well.
