Dhaka, Sept 4 (V7N) – A delegation from ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR), led by former Malaysian legislator and APHR Vice-President Charles Santiago, paid a courtesy visit to Chief Adviser Dr. Muhammad Yunus at the state guest house, Jamuna. The meeting focused on proposing concrete initiatives to address the Rohingya crisis by involving Bangladesh, China, and ASEAN member states through a macro-regional conference and funding mechanisms.
 
 
Mr. Santiago outlined two priority proposals: establishing an ASEAN-led fund for Rohingya support and organizing a joint political summit involving ASEAN, Bangladesh, and China. He emphasized the urgency of these measures.
 
Dr. Yunus responded by advocating that Bangladesh becomes a sectoral dialogue partner of ASEAN, enabling it to directly raise the issue in regional forums. He noted that the Rohingya crisis has become “a massive burden” for Bangladesh. Dr. Yunus suggested creating a parliamentary platform under ASEAN’s umbrella that would formally include Bangladesh and allow for direct engagement on the crisis.
 
 
Mr. Santiago also recalled ASEAN officials' 2018 visit to Rohingya camps, acknowledging that they had closely monitored the situation since. However, in recent years, ASEAN has remained largely silent on the issue. “At that time, the focus was on restoring democracy in Myanmar,” he said. “Now, it is time to bring the Rohingya problem back to the core agenda of ASEAN.”
 
The meeting also included Malaysian MP Wang Chen, former Philippine Congress member Raul Manuel, and APHR Program Director Chonlathan Sufaibunlard, who reaffirmed support for renewed ASEAN attention and action on the humanitarian crisis.
 
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