Officials from Myanmar yesterday arrived in Bangladesh to meet with Rohingya refugees as part of a long-stalled repatriation scheme now backed by China, authorities said.
Bangladesh is home to about 1 million Rohingya refugees, most of whom fled a violent 2017 crackdown by the Myanmar military that is now subject to a UN genocide probe.
The stateless and persecuted minority live in overcrowded, dangerous and under-resourced relief camps, and several previous attempts to broker their return home have failed due to reluctance from Myanmar and the refugees themselves.
Photo: AFP
The team of Burmese officials arrived at Teknaf, a river port just across from their shared border with Bangladesh, to meet with several dozen Rohingya families.
“They will discuss repatriation with the Rohingya today and verify their identity,” Burmese Deputy Refugee Commissioner Shamsud Douza said. “The delegates will leave for Myanmar today, but will return tomorrow.”
Bangladeshi officials said Myanmar plans to take back about 3,000 refugees by next month as part of a pilot repatriation scheme brokered in a three-way meeting between the two countries and China in April.
“They are ready to accept them, but the Rohingya are not ready to go. That’s the challenge,” one Bangladeshi government official said on condition of anonymity.
Rohingya community leaders have long said they would only return if they were granted citizenship and resettled in their own land.
“We are interested to go back to our country if Myanmar takes us back to our place of origin, gives us dignity and fulfils all our rights,” said Khin Maung, a prominent Rohingya leader.
“But if our rights are not given, we have questions,” he said.
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