Rohingya repatriation all but certain to begin Thursday

It is all but certain that the much-talked about repatriation of Rohingyas, who had to take shelter in Cox’s Bazar to escape from the unprecedented atrocities orchestrated by Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other ethnic groups in Rakhine, will begin on Thursday, multiple sources told The Independent. No Rohingyas will be sent to their homes in Rakhine against their will, they said unequivocally.

At the last meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on October 30 in Dhaka, it was decided that 15th November will be the beginning of the repatriation, which, according to the agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar on November 23, 2017, was supposed to kick off within January 22.

The officials also said that the first batch of Rohingyas will be repatriated through river route and that Bangladeshi officials have been informed by their counterparts in Myanmar that preparations have been made on the other side of the border to receive them.

The Myanmar side has verbally confirmed Bangladesh that the repatriation will begin on Thursday, but the official confirmation is yet to come, they said.

“Yes, as we speak, we are going to begin the repatriation on Thursday. We have had verbal confirmation from the Myanmar side and we are expecting official written confirmation very soon,” a senior foreign ministry official actively involved with the process has said.

So far, 2,260 Rohingyas have

been cleared by the Myanmar authorities, he said, adding that although it was decided earlier that 150 people will be repatriated daily, Bangladesh has requested its second neighbour to take all the cleared 2,260 people on the day of beginning.

“Let’s see how the authorities of Myanmar respond,” said the official.

“Look, we know the concerns from various quarters. We care about these people. Otherwise, we would not have given them life-saving shelter. I can assure that none will be sent against their will,” said a senior government official based in Cox’s Bazar.

When asked if the condition is favourable on the other side of the border, he said, “Look, you cannot expect a perfect condition. What we have seen and what we have been told by the Myanmar authorities suggest things are better than before.”

About the concerns expressed by the international community including different organs of the United Nations system, the official said, “The latest crisis is more than a year old. What has the international community done to make Myanmar to create a favourable situation for the Rohingyas?”

The officials said that there are three types of people among the Rohingya community living in Bangladesh.

A group of people wants to go to Rakhine right now, another group is unsure while the third group wants to return with all their rights including citizenship, they elaborated.

The officials also said that as soon as the list of 2,260 cleared Rohingyas was sent to the Bangladesh side, it has been shared with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to check the voluntariness among the Rohingyas.

 

 

Rohingya repatriation all but certain to begin Thursday

It is all but certain that the much-talked about repatriation of Rohingyas, who had to take shelter in Coxs Bazar to escape from the unprecedented atrocities orchestrated by Myanmar security forces, local Buddhist mobs and people from other ethnic groups in Rakhine, will begin on Thursday, multiple sources told The Independent. No Rohingyas will be sent to their homes in Rakhine against their will, they said unequivocally. At the last meeting of the Joint Working Group (JWG) on October 30 in Dhaka, it was decided that 15th November will be the beginning of the repatriation, which, according to the agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar on November 23, 2017, was supposed to kick off within January 22. The officials also said that the first batch of Rohingyas will be repatriated through river route and that Bangladeshi officials have been informed by their counterparts in Myanmar that preparations have been made on the other side of the border to receive them. The Myanmar side has verbally confirmed Bangladesh that the repatriation will begin on Thursday, but the official confirmation is yet to come, they said. Yes, as we speak, we are going to begin the repatriation on Thursday. We have had verbal confirmation from the Myanmar side and we are expecting official written confirmation very soon, a senior foreign ministry official actively involved with the process has said. So far, 2,260 Rohingyas have been cleared by the Myanmar authorities, he said, adding that although it was decided earlier that 150 people will be repatriated daily, Bangladesh has requested its second neighbour to take all the cleared 2,260 people on the day of beginning. Lets see how the authorities of Myanmar respond, said the official. Look, we know the concerns from various quarters. We care about these people. Otherwise, we would not have given them life-saving shelter. I can assure that none will be sent against their will, said a senior government official based in Coxs Bazar. When asked if the condition is favourable on the other side of the border, he said, Look, you cannot expect a perfect condition. What we have seen and what we have been told by the Myanmar authorities suggest things are better than before. About the concerns expressed by the international community including different organs of the United Nations system, the official said, The latest crisis is more than a year old. What has the international community done to make Myanmar to create a favourable situation for the Rohingyas? The officials said that there are three types of people among the Rohingya community living in Bangladesh. A group of people wants to go to Rakhine right now, another group is unsure while the third group wants to return with all their rights including citizenship, they elaborated. The officials also said that as soon as the list of 2,260 cleared Rohingyas was sent to the Bangladesh side, it has been shared with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to check the voluntariness among the Rohingyas.