UN urges Myanmar to prioritise refugees’ return

International Desk: Michelle Bachelet, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, has urged Myanmar to take substantive measures to pave the way for the voluntary return of Rakhine State refugees from cramped temporary shelters on the Bangladesh border.

She expressed concern over the alleged failure of the Myanmar government “to take any meaningful measures toward the safe, dignified, voluntary and sustainable return” of the Muslim refugees from northern Rakhine.

“Establishing the conditions for the refugees to return voluntarily, in safety and dignity, must be a priority, alongside measures to ensure that the rights of ethnic and religious minorities will be fully respected – including the Rohingyas’ right to self-identify as ‘Rohingya’,” she said in a statement at the Human Rights Council in Geneva on Thursday.

Many in Myanmar do not recognise Rakhine Muslims as one of the country’s 135 ethnic groups. They consider them illegal immigrants from Bangladesh despite their having lived in Rakhine for generations.

A local Muslim ethnic group in Rakhine known as Kaman is recognised by the Myanmar government as an ethnic group.

Bachelet expressed concern that the escalating clashes between government forces and Arakan Army fighters could further delay the return of the refugees from Bangladesh.

“Armed clashes in Rakhine State between the Army and the mainly Buddhist Arakan armed group are taking on new magnitude, with further impact on civilians,” she said.

Myanmar has always maintained that it is ready to accept the return of the Rakhine refugees, but the international community and humanitarian organisations said there are not enough mechanisms in place to ensure their safety and security.

It is estimated that more than 700,000 Muslims have fled northern Rakhine since August 2017, when the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) launched deadly attacks on security outposts and the Tatmadaw responded with a brutal crackdown.

Agencies


risingbd/Dhaka/March 8, 2019/Nasim