ROHINGYA REPATRIATION

Dhaka, Naypyidaw form joint panel

Bangladesh and Myanmar yesterday formed a joint working group to start repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas who had to flee their homes in Rakhine to save themselves from the brutalities of the Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other ethnic groups. The working group will comprise 30 members -- 15 from each side. Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque will lead the Bangladesh side in the group. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said the next step of repatriation process will start soon. Ali conveyed the updates to the media after Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar U Myint Thu signed an agreement on behalf of their respective governments in his presence at State Guest House Padma.

A Myanmar delegation, led by the permanent secretary, which arrived in Dhaka Monday evening, held talks with a Bangladesh delegation before finalising the agreement. Representatives from relevant ministries and agencies from both countries participated in the meeting.

The meeting started at 8:45am and ended around 12:10 pm.

UNB adds: As part of preparation for Tuesday's meeting, an inter-ministerial meeting was held at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday where the formation of working group and its structure were discussed.

Earlier, Bangladesh conveyed to the United Nations that a joint working group on Rohingya

repatriation would soon be formed under the terms and conditions of the bilateral arrangement between Bangladesh and Myanmar signed on November 23.

The joint working group was supposed to be in place within three weeks of signing the ‘Arrangement’ on return of Rohingyas.

A specific bilateral instrument (physical arrangement) for repatriation will be concluded in a speedy manner, officials said.

The developments came a day after Human Rights Watch, citing analysis of satellite imagery, said Myanmar’s army burned down dozens of Rohingya homes within days of signing the repatriation deal with Bangladesh.

The watchdog said the repatriation deal was ‘a public relations stunt’ and warned it contained no guarantee the Rohingya would be safe should they return to Myanmar’s conflict-wracked Rakhine state.

An estimated 655,000 refugees from the stateless minority group have poured across the border into Bangladesh since August, fleeing what the US and United Nations have described as ethnic cleansing.

AFP adds: Last week the group Doctors Without Borders released a survey which found that nearly 7,000 Rohingya had been killed in the first month of the Rakhine violence. The military has put the number in the hundreds and denied targeting civilians or committing atrocities, while Myanmar’s leader Aung San Suu Kyi said major security operations stopped in early September.

Myanmar has in the past blamed fires in villages on Rohingya insurgents who on August 25 attacked security posts, killing a dozen police and triggering fierce army retribution.

Responding to international pressure, Suu Kyi’s civilian government signed an agreement with Bangladesh to start the repatriation of the stateless Muslim refugees within two months.

The agreement promises the “safe and voluntary return” of displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh — not just the latest 655,000 new arrivals but more than 70,000 from a separate influx in October 2016.

Testimonies gathered by the agency from displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh suggest few refugees wish to return to Myanmar, where many saw their villages burned to ashes and loved ones killed.

The persecuted minority has been the target of past pogroms in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which does not recognise the group as a genuine ethnicity and has stripped them of citizenship.

Aid groups have warned Myanmar they would boycott any new camps for Rohingya returnees, saying refugees must be allowed to settle in their own homes and not forced into ghetto-like conditions.

ROHINGYA REPATRIATION

Dhaka, Naypyidaw form joint panel

Bangladesh and Myanmar yesterday formed a joint working group to start repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingyas who had to flee their homes in Rakhine to save themselves from the brutalities of the Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other ethnic groups. The working group will comprise 30 members -- 15 from each side. Foreign Secretary M Shahidul Haque will lead the Bangladesh side in the group. Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali said the next step of repatriation process will start soon. Ali conveyed the updates to the media after Foreign Secretary Md Shahidul Haque and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Myanmar U Myint Thu signed an agreement on behalf of their respective governments in his presence at State Guest House Padma. A Myanmar delegation, led by the permanent secretary, which arrived in Dhaka Monday evening, held talks with a Bangladesh delegation before finalising the agreement. Representatives from relevant ministries and agencies from both countries participated in the meeting. The meeting started at 8:45am and ended around 12:10 pm. UNB adds: As part of preparation for Tuesdays meeting, an inter-ministerial meeting was held at the Foreign Ministry on Sunday where the formation of working group and its structure were discussed. Earlier, Bangladesh conveyed to the United Nations that a joint working group on Rohingya repatriation would soon be formed under the terms and conditions of the bilateral arrangement between Bangladesh and Myanmar signed on November 23. The joint working group was supposed to be in place within three weeks of signing the Arrangement on return of Rohingyas. A specific bilateral instrument (physical arrangement) for repatriation will be concluded in a speedy manner, officials said. The developments came a day after Human Rights Watch, citing analysis of satellite imagery, said Myanmars army burned down dozens of Rohingya homes within days of signing the repatriation deal with Bangladesh. The watchdog said the repatriation deal was a public relations stunt and warned it contained no guarantee the Rohingya would be safe should they return to Myanmars conflict-wracked Rakhine state. An estimated 655,000 refugees from the stateless minority group have poured across the border into Bangladesh since August, fleeing what the US and United Nations have described as ethnic cleansing. AFP adds: Last week the group Doctors Without Borders released a survey which found that nearly 7,000 Rohingya had been killed in the first month of the Rakhine violence. The military has put the number in the hundreds and denied targeting civilians or committing atrocities, while Myanmars leader Aung San Suu Kyi said major security operations stopped in early September. Myanmar has in the past blamed fires in villages on Rohingya insurgents who on August 25 attacked security posts, killing a dozen police and triggering fierce army retribution. Responding to international pressure, Suu Kyis civilian government signed an agreement with Bangladesh to start the repatriation of the stateless Muslim refugees within two months. The agreement promises the safe and voluntary return of displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh not just the latest 655,000 new arrivals but more than 70,000 from a separate influx in October 2016. Testimonies gathered by the agency from displaced Rohingyas in Bangladesh suggest few refugees wish to return to Myanmar, where many saw their villages burned to ashes and loved ones killed. The persecuted minority has been the target of past pogroms in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which does not recognise the group as a genuine ethnicity and has stripped them of citizenship. Aid groups have warned Myanmar they would boycott any new camps for Rohingya returnees, saying refugees must be allowed to settle in their own homes and not forced into ghetto-like conditions.