Without mentioning any specific date, the visiting Myanmar Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Minister Win Myat Aye yesterday reiterated that the repatriation process of Rohingya people, who took shelter in Bangladesh, will begin ‘very soon’. “I am very sure we can start the repatriation process as soon as possible,” said Aye after meeting with Bangladesh Minister for Foreign Affairs Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, and Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at state guesthouse Padma yesterday evening.
About Myanmar citizenship of Rohingya people, he said they would have to follow standard procedures for the citizenship.
Replying to another question, the visiting Myanmar minister said Myanmar would allow the UN representatives to visit the Rakhaine state in Myanmar.
About Myanmar government’s action against those involved in cleansing operation against Rohingya, he replied that they would take action against those would be found involved with such crimes after the state law.
Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali termed the bilateral discussion fruitful saying that both the sides reached a consensus to start the repatriation process shortly.
“We have discussed the problems for repatriation process of Rohingya. It needs good will of both the sides,” he said adding that there is lot of good wills and fine relations between the two countries, and both sides agreed to start the repatriation as soon as possible.
The Minister also said Myanmar assured that after the return, the Rohingya people might not get their previous livelihood back but their quality of living would be better than before their ‘deportation’ from Myanmar to Bangladesh.
Minister for Home Affairs Asaduzaman Khan Kamal said that he requested the delegate to start the repatriation process as soon as possible since Bangladesh is facing lots of problems for the hundreds of thousands of Rohinygas.
Asked about MoUs with UNHCR and UNDP, the Myanmar Minister said they will soon finalize the proposed MoUs and those will soon be signed to assist the repatriation process.
Senior officials of both the countries were present during the hour-long meeting that began at 6:00pm.