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Published : 02 May 2025, 10:56 PM
Amid the ongoing debate over a “humanitarian corridor” for aid to Myanmar’s Rakhine State, Chief Advisor’s Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam has said if the United Nations (UN) leads the initiative, a decision will be made after discussions with "everyone" involved.
Speaking at Chattogram Circuit House auditorium on Friday afternoon, he said: “We agree to the humanitarian corridor if the UN takes the initiative.
“The whole thing will proceed after speaking to both countries.”
“When the UN operates, it engages all relevant parties – that means they will talk to the Myanmar government and also speak with us. A decision would only be reached after that,” Shafiqul added.
Talks on such a channel first emerged after UN Secretary-General António Guterres visited Dhaka earlier this year.
On Apr 8, Khalilur Rahman, the chief advisor’s top aide, publicly mentioned the concept of a “humanitarian channel” for the first time.
He said discussions about Bangladesh’s potential involvement in such a mechanism began during a Feb 7 meeting with Guterres in New York.
According to him, preliminary consultations had taken place with the Arakan Army, international organisations, and the Myanmar government.
“We told him [Guterres] that there is no alternative to international assistance to address the humanitarian crisis in Rakhine. That operation must take place under UN supervision,” Khalilur said.
About three weeks later, Foreign Advisor Touhid confirmed that the interim government had made a policy decision in principle to allow a “humanitarian passage”.
Speaking at the foreign ministry, he said: “I can confirm that, in principle, we agree to it. Because a humanitarian passage will be provided.”
“But we do have certain conditions. I won’t go into those details, but if those conditions are met, we will certainly cooperate—under UN supervision.”
His remarks have sparked political debate, with parties opposing the interim government's unilateral decision without consultation.
Amid growing criticism, Shafiqul said on Tuesday the government has held no talks with the UN or any other organisation on a “humanitarian passage” or “corridor”.
In a Facebook post, he wrote: “If the UN takes the initiative to deliver humanitarian aid to Rakhine, Bangladesh will be ready to provide logical and structural support.”
Against this backdrop, the UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Dhaka issued a statement outlining its legal obligations and limited role in such operations without bilateral approvals.
“The UN has a legal obligation to obtain permission from the concerned governments to deliver cross-border assistance. Without this, the UN's direct involvement is limited,” the statement reads.
On Friday, Shafiqul said the “humanitarian corridor” was being discussed because of an ongoing conflict in Rakhine resembling civil war. “There’s now a humanitarian crisis there, affecting the Rohingya community and others living in Rakhine.”
The press secretary termed the political reaction to the corridor discussions “premature”.
“This will require consensus. We believe this is still a distant matter. As we’ve said before, when a final decision is needed, it will be taken after speaking with everyone,” he added.
He also spoke about foreign investment in Chittagong Port.
In response to a question, he said foreign investors and operators are expected to join Chattogram port projects by September this year.
“We are in talks with companies that have experience operating in 70 to 80 ports. The interim government aims to finalise this by September,” Shafiqul added.
