ROHINGYA REPATRIATION arrangement with Myanmar

Deal covers only new arrivals

Separate deal needed for those who arrived before Oct 9, 2016

Thursday’s deal between Bangladesh and Myanmar on the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas has no mention of words like ‘Rohingyas’ or ‘forcibly-displaced or atrocities’ The arrangement will cover only those Rohingyas who crossed into Bangladesh after October 9, last year and August 25 this year, to escape the atrocities orchestrated by the security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other ethnic groups in Rakhine state, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said at a press conference held at the ministry yesterday. In line with the desire of Myanmar, the repatriation deal has been signed according to the principles of the joint statement issued by Bangladesh and Myanmar in 1992, said the minister, adding the agreement is legally binding.

Expressing his satisfaction over the deal titled ‘Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State,’ the minister rejected the notion that the instrument was signed ignoring the interests of the country.

“The main objective is to send back the Rohingyas. Nitty-gritty of the agreement, errors, it doesn’t have this and that, etc – There’s no use of saying these. The important thing is that they (Myanmar) have agreed to take the Rohingyas back,” he said.   

The repatriation of the Rohingyas who crossed prior to October last year will be taken care of separately after the completion of the returns of the new arrivals, according to the agreement.

More than 6.22 lakh Rohingyas have arrived in Cox’s Bazar since August 25.

In October last year, more than 2 lakh Rohingyas had taken shelter in Bangladesh. Prior to that 3-5 lakh Rohingyas arrived at different times and have been living in Bangladesh for decades, creating various socioeconomic problems in the country.

Minister Ali said that upon return, the Rohingyas will live in temporary arrangement for a limited period and that Myanmar has agreed to take assistance from the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, based on its need with regard to repatriation of the Rohingyas.

“Their houses have been torched….where will they stay after going there…I have talked to China and Myanmar over the Rohingyas’ rehabilitation and they agreed to extend their cooperation,” he said.

 “The signing of the arrangement is an initial step….there are more steps. Both sides agreed to take assistance from the UNHCR in the Rohingya repatriation process. Myanmar will take its assistance as per their requirement,” added the minister.

The deal, however, could not satisfy the government officials concerned as the bilateral instrument could not address some of the pressing issues.

While talking to The Independent yesterday about the deal, the government officials said that their expectations were much higher and efforts were also there to get things in Dhaka’s ways.

But, they said that Bangladesh had to concede to some aspects of the deal.

 “If you tell me to put it in a simple manner, I’ll say the deal hasn’t satisfied me. We wanted much more,” said a senior official familiar with the negotiations.

“We wanted a specific timeframe for the completion of the repatriation. We were pressing for a one year timeframe. But, we couldn’t get Myanmar agreed on this. Instead, we settled for a reasonable time which can be between two to three years,” he said.

“We also tried hard to include all the Rohingyas living in the country, but Myanmar wouldn’t agree with this. So, we may have to sign a separate agreement for those who came prior to October last year. It means more time killing,” said the official.

To a question, he said, “The main problem is that it is very difficult to trust the government of Myanmar.”

“Look, we all know Myanmar is a very difficult country to deal with. We didn’t have any other way but to agree on the texts of the deal. Yes, we wanted more,” said another official.

“Our only focus is to send the Rohingyas back to their homes as soon as possible and we have to keep the international pressure on Myanmar,” he said.

Responding to a question, another official said, “The repatriation will take place bilaterally with the involvement of the UNHCR. But, the issues related to holding the perpetrators accountable, the citizenship of the Rohingyas, addressing the root causes and overall implementation of the recommendations of the Annan commission will be handled by the international community.”

“The Rohingyas will be repatriated as residents of Myanmar, not as citizens,” he informed.

ARRANGEMENT ON RETURN OF DISPLACED PERSONS FROM RAKHINE STATE 

 

 

ROHINGYA REPATRIATION arrangement with Myanmar

Deal covers only new arrivals

Separate deal needed for those who arrived before Oct 9, 2016

Thursdays deal between Bangladesh and Myanmar on the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas has no mention of words like Rohingyas or forcibly-displaced or atrocities The arrangement will cover only those Rohingyas who crossed into Bangladesh after October 9, last year and August 25 this year, to escape the atrocities orchestrated by the security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other ethnic groups in Rakhine state, Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said at a press conference held at the ministry yesterday. In line with the desire of Myanmar, the repatriation deal has been signed according to the principles of the joint statement issued by Bangladesh and Myanmar in 1992, said the minister, adding the agreement is legally binding. Expressing his satisfaction over the deal titled Arrangement on Return of Displaced Persons from Rakhine State, the minister rejected the notion that the instrument was signed ignoring the interests of the country. The main objective is to send back the Rohingyas. Nitty-gritty of the agreement, errors, it doesnt have this and that, etc Theres no use of saying these. The important thing is that they (Myanmar) have agreed to take the Rohingyas back, he said. The repatriation of the Rohingyas who crossed prior to October last year will be taken care of separately after the completion of the returns of the new arrivals, according to the agreement. More than 6.22 lakh Rohingyas have arrived in Coxs Bazar since August 25. In October last year, more than 2 lakh Rohingyas had taken shelter in Bangladesh. Prior to that 3-5 lakh Rohingyas arrived at different times and have been living in Bangladesh for decades, creating various socioeconomic problems in the country. Minister Ali said that upon return, the Rohingyas will live in temporary arrangement for a limited period and that Myanmar has agreed to take assistance from the UNHCR, the UN refugee agency, based on its need with regard to repatriation of the Rohingyas. Their houses have been torched.where will they stay after going thereI have talked to China and Myanmar over the Rohingyas rehabilitation and they agreed to extend their cooperation, he said. The signing of the arrangement is an initial step.there are more steps. Both sides agreed to take assistance from the UNHCR in the Rohingya repatriation process. Myanmar will take its assistance as per their requirement, added the minister. The deal, however, could not satisfy the government officials concerned as the bilateral instrument could not address some of the pressing issues. While talking to The Independent yesterday about the deal, the government officials said that their expectations were much higher and efforts were also there to get things in Dhakas ways. But, they said that Bangladesh had to concede to some aspects of the deal. If you tell me to put it in a simple manner, Ill say the deal hasnt satisfied me. We wanted much more, said a senior official familiar with the negotiations. We wanted a specific timeframe for the completion of the repatriation. We were pressing for a one year timeframe. But, we couldnt get Myanmar agreed on this. Instead, we settled for a reasonable time which can be between two to three years, he said. We also tried hard to include all the Rohingyas living in the country, but Myanmar wouldnt agree with this. So, we may have to sign a separate agreement for those who came prior to October last year. It means more time killing, said the official. To a question, he said, The main problem is that it is very difficult to trust the government of Myanmar. Look, we all know Myanmar is a very difficult country to deal with. We didnt have any other way but to agree on the texts of the deal. Yes, we wanted more, said another official. Our only focus is to send the Rohingyas back to their homes as soon as possible and we have to keep the international pressure on Myanmar, he said. Responding to a question, another official said, The repatriation will take place bilaterally with the involvement of the UNHCR. But, the issues related to holding the perpetrators accountable, the citizenship of the Rohingyas, addressing the root causes and overall implementation of the recommendations of the Annan commission will be handled by the international community. The Rohingyas will be repatriated as residents of Myanmar, not as citizens, he informed. ARRANGEMENT ON RETURN OF DISPLACED PERSONS FROM RAKHINE STATE