Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior Indian officials on Saturday, during her four-day visit to India.
The trip aims to strengthen bilateral commercial relations and improve regional connectivity in South Asia.
The spokesperson for India’s Foreign Ministry, Raveesh Kumar, wrote on Twitter that the two leaders “reaffirmed the mutual commitment to strengthening India-Bangladesh relations for the benefit of not just the two countries but the entire region.”
A joint statement said India and Bangladesh had agreed on the need for greater effort to facilitate the safe return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled a violent crackdown in Myanmar.
The statement, issued by Hasina, said she and Modi agreed that the measures for the Rohingya refugees should include improving security and socio-economic conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine state.
India will provide additional humanitarian aid to help refugees living in camps in Bangladesh, according to the statement.
Hasina recently presented a four-point plan at the UN General Assembly to end the crisis, of which her country has borne the main burden despite not causing it.
Bangladesh has taken the vast majority of Rohingya refugees — more than 700,000 — while an estimated 40,000 Rohingya also have taken refuge in parts of India.
The two leaders also signed agreements on security, energy and transport.
All’s not well
It had been expected that the two nations would also likely discuss their own migrant issues. India has recently sought to identify thousands of what it says are “illegal migrants” from Bangladesh who have entered India across their porous border over the years. India plans to seek their repatriation to Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s foreign minister, A.K. Abdul Momen, recently described the issue as “a matter of great concern.”
Hasina also highlighted that the people of Bangladesh are awaiting implementation of a 2011 agreement for sharing water from the Teesta river, which flows from India into Bangladesh.
Modi told her that his government is working with all stakeholders in India for the implementation of the agreement.
Bangladesh has said it is a lower riparian state and needs Teesta river water during the lean summer season.
The agreement has been pending since it was nearly signed in 2011 as it has been blocked by India’s West Bengal state Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. Banerjee has said the state can’t spare water for Bangladesh because of its summer needs.
Cordial ties
Despite the disagreements, Bangladesh and India currently share friendly ties and both sides appear determined to increase bilateral cooperation in a number of areas.
Furthermore, both New Delhi and Dhaka want to transform the Bay of Bengal region into a hub for connectivity and wealth between South and Southeast Asia, by integrating the region’s markets and removing obstacles to cross-border flows of goods, services and people.
Observers say India is focused on making Bangladesh a central element of its Act East policy, to counter China’s growing influence in South Asia, a region viewed by New Delhi as its backyard.
Experts point out that, whether land-based or maritime, New Delhi’s connectivity plans for Myanmar and Southeast Asia rely crucially on transit rights and infrastructure development in Bangladesh.
No onions, even for Hasina
The visit also comes against the backdrop of India’s decision to ban onion exports, which has caused shortages, soaring prices and widespread anger in Bangladesh, where the vegetable is used in most dishes.
The price of onions is a sensitive subject in South Asia, where shortages can trigger widespread discontent with political ramifications.
Speaking at the India-Bangladesh Business Forum on Friday, Hasina referred to the hardships being faced by Bangladeshis following the Indian government’s decision.
In a lighter vein, Hasina said that after the export ban, she had asked her cook not to use onions. “I have asked my cook not to prepare meals with onions since you have stopped sending us onions. In the future, do alert us if you plan to take such steps so that we can prepare ourselves better,” said Hasina.
One kilogram of the staple vegetable usually costs 30 taka (36 US cents, 32.8 euro cents), but has soared to up to 130 taka after India imposed the export ban over the weekend.
Amid a public outcry, Dhaka quickly took steps to import the vegetable from Myanmar, Turkey, China and Egypt.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
Far from the mainland
Bhasan Char, which means “floating island” in Bengali language, emerged less than 20 years ago in the Bay of Bengal. The island is located 30 kilometers (18.6 miles) away from mainland Bangladesh. The government of the Muslim-majority country plans to relocate some 100,000 Rohingya refugees to this island from overcrowded Cox’s Bazar refugee camps.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
No easy transportation
There is no proper transport for the common people to go to the island. Some people told DW that the roughness of the sea makes it difficult to reach the island on boats during the monsoon season.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
Protected by embankment?
The government has erected a 13-kilometer-long and 3-meter-high embankment to protect the island from high tides and floods. Still, the outer part of the embankment goes 3 to 4 feet underwater twice a month during high tides, according to the island’s shopkeepers.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
Identical buildings
The government has built 1,440 single-storey buildings, with 16 rooms in each, to house the Rohingya refugees. At least four members of a family have to live in a small room. 120 four-storey shelter houses are also available, to be used during cyclones.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
Solar power for energy
All buildings at Bhasan Char are equipped with solar panels to fulfil their energy demands. A big solar field and two diesel generators for electricity have also been installed. The island has a rainwater harvesting system as well as tube wells to provide drinking water.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
Protection from erosion
The silt island is called a “floating island” due to its unstable nature. Satellite images detected the island in 2002. Bangladeshi authorities have built a structure with pylons, gravel and sandbags to stop the erosion of the island.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
Is the island uninhabitable?
While some experts say the island is still very fragile and uninhabitable, climate change specialist Ainun Nishat is of the opinion that people can live here if the embankment is heightened to 6.5 to 7 meters. However, he doesn’t think that farming is possible on the island.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
Rohingya fear cyclone, drowning
The refugees fear they could die as a result of a cyclone if they are forcibly moved to the island. Many of their children could drown in the sea, they say.
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Inside Bangladesh’s isolated ‘Rohingya island’
Will Rohingya move there?
While the island is almost ready to host Rohingya refugees, the government has yet to make a decision on transferring them to it. Several sources say the relocation could take place in November. The Bangladeshi government has hinted it might have to force the refugees to go there if no one chooses to leave the Cox’s Bazar’s refugee settlements.
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sri/ng (AP, AFP)
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