As part of the Rohingya repatriation process, Dhaka has started verifying identification of Rohingya Muslims who have fled into Bangladesh to escape atrocities in Rakhine State by the Myanmar security forces and local Buddhist mobs. At the first phase, the authorities concerned will verify identities of about 1 lakh Rohingyas from Cox’s Bazar refugee camps. A nine-member technical committee, headed by the commissioner of the office of the Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC), has been formed to verify their identities.
The foreign ministry has already issued a notification, asking the committee to prepare a list of one lakh returnees containing such details as their names, family, and villages/townships on a priority basis by January 15. The list is to be given to the Myanmar authorities for verification, said sources in the foreign and home affairs ministries.
Earlier, in December last year, senior minister and ruling Awami League General Secretary Obaidul Quader said a list of 100,000 names was to be sent to Myanmar authorities so repatriations could start in late January, this year, under an accord between the two governments.
Talking to The Independent, RRRC commissioner Abul Kalam Azad said
they would start the verification of the forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals from next week from the registered 9.40 lakh Rohingyas staying at different camps in Cox’s Bazaar. “We’ll prepare a list of one lakh Rohingyas within this month after proper verification,” he added. “We’ve set a target of preparing a list of two lakh Rohingyas through verification,” he said.
“After the list is ready, it’ll be sent to the foreign secretary, who is also the chairman of the Joint Working Group (JWG) for repatriating the Rohingyas to Myanmar,” he added.
Foreign secretary Shahidul Haque told this correspondent that the repatriation of the Rohingyas would start after getting the verification list from the technical committee.
“Now, we’re processing other related formalities for repatriating them,” he said.
A senior home ministry official said the JWG would send the primary list of one lakh Rohingyas to its counterpart, the JWG of Myanmar, for approval. “We’ll be able to start the repatriation of the displaced Myanmar nationals to their homeland from this month,” he added. Ali Hossain, deputy commissioner of Cox’s Bazaar, said that a total of 9.40 lakh Rohingyas, now staying in different camps in Cox’s Bazar, had been enrolled so far.
According to Clause 12 of the Terms of Reference (TOR) of the JWG formed by both the countries on December 19 last year, the JWG will ensure the commencement of the process of return within two months of the signing of the arrangement. This must be completed within a reasonable time from the date the first batch of returnees is received. “The parties shall assist the JWG by furnishing all relevant information, data and documents, including past and present family/household lists promptly to the JWG to enable it to consider them and arrive at an appropriate decision within the intended time. It may use other relevant information or data generated by and available with relevant UN agencies as and when necessary,” Clause 14 of the TOR added.
On November 23 last year, Myanmar and Bangladesh had signed an agreement titled “Arrangement on Return of displaced Persons from Rakhine state” during the visit of the Bangladesh foreign minister to Myanmar. More than 655,000 Rohingyas have arrived in Bangladesh since August 25 last year.