30th January, 2021 11:05:05 Within a few weeks’ time Bangladesh under the leadership of its Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has managed to create two remarkable feats that to some extent have gone unnoticed by the international media. Media - whether local or international - love to spend more time on villains and negative news than on achievements of people and countries. There are governments that reach out to people and contribute immensely to socio-economic development and public welfare but their contributions are often overlooked in the media. This is perhaps truer for countries like Bangladesh. When Myanmar began a systematic genocide to uproot and annihilate its Muslim citizens from its Rakhine state in 2017 to implement its long cherished plan ‘Burma for Burmans’ meaning in Myanmar then known as Burma only Buddhists (of a particular category) will have the right to citizenship and live, not many countries took notice of it. The Myanmar army not only forcefully uprooted hundreds and thousands of its own citizens living there for generations as Burmese, they also resorted to all sorts of crimes against humanity including rape, arson and looting. These wretched people, commonly known as Rohingyas were forced to take shelter in the southern part of Bangladesh and within few months the number of such displaced people swelled to a million. The forcible eviction began in the mid-seventies which later only intensified. These hapless people were huddled into crimped camps. Soon Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina visited these camps, met these wretched people and promised to temporarily house and feed them till they are able to return to their own homeland. Since then many VVIPs, including queens, first ladies and international delegates visited these camps, sympathised with them and had photo sessions and expressed their concern but did nothing meaningful to compel Myanmar to take back their citizens. When the issue was brought before the United Nations instead of playing any meaningful role to persuade Myanmar to take back their citizens some powerful countries, having economic and political interest in Myanmar said the matter should be settled bilaterally instead of bringing it to the international body. The United Nations again fell victim to the petty interest of some powerful member nations. Because of these powerful nations, the United Nations seldom could play its role for which in the first place the world body was created.