ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) has proposed convening an international conference bringing together Bangladesh, China and ASEAN member states to push for a political resolution to the protracted Rohingya crisis.

The proposal was raised on Wednesday during a meeting between an APHR delegation and Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus at the State Guest House Jamuna.

“Two urgent priorities should be addressed. First, an ASEAN-led initiative to mobilize funds for Rohingya refugees. Second, a high-level ASEAN-Bangladesh-China political summit to resolve the crisis,” said Charles Santiago, APHR Co-Chairperson and former Malaysian lawmaker.

Chief Adviser Yunus welcomed the initiative and reiterated Bangladesh’s long-standing request to be included as a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN, arguing that Dhaka’s exclusion prevents the Rohingya issue from being adequately addressed within the bloc.

“We want to join ASEAN in some form because this crisis has become a heavy burden for us. ASEAN should create a platform to highlight it globally,” Yunus said, urging APHR to form a parliamentary group that could include Bangladesh as an invitee.

Santiago noted that ASEAN parliamentarians visited Rohingya camps in Bangladesh in 2018 and have since advocated for the issue to be treated as a regional concern. “We have always tried to flag the Rohingya situation as an ASEAN issue. But in recent years, our focus shifted to efforts for restoring democracy in Myanmar,” he said.

Other APHR representatives present included Malaysian lawmaker Wong Chen, former Philippine congressman Raoul Manuel, and APHR Program Director Chonlathan Supphaiboonlerd.