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Rohingya repatriation begins Aug 22

4 || risingbd.com

Published: 03:11, 16 August 2019   Update: 15:18, 26 July 2020
Rohingya repatriation begins Aug 22

International Desk: Myanmar and Bangladesh will start another attempt from August 22 to repatriate thousands of Rohingyas who fled violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine state, officials said on Thursday.

The move follows Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s recent visit to China and Japan, two of Myanmar’s close allies, that want a bilateral solution to the crisis.

On July 30, Bangladesh handed a list of 25,000 Rohingyas of 6,000 families to a visiting Myanmar delegation during a meeting at the state guesthouse, Meghna.

Officials said repatriation begins August 22 nearly a year after a major attempt failed.


Bangladesh had earlier handed Myanmar lists of some 30,000 Rohingyas for verification of their identity, but only 8,000 of them were verified. Repatriation could not begin as scheduled on November 15 last year as the refugees refused to go.

A total of 3,540 refugees have been cleared for return by Myanmar from a list of more than 22,000 names recently sent by Bangladesh, officials from both countries said.
The first group of refugees would return to Myanmar next week, providing any agree to go back.

“We have agreed to the repatriation of 3,540 people on August 22,” Myint Thu, a spokesman for Myanmar’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said.


According to UNHCR, the Bangladesh government shared the names of Rohingya approved for repatriation with the UN agency on 8 August.


“The Government requested UNHCR to speak with these refugees to determine whether they wish to return. In this way, UNHCR will seek to ensure that any return is voluntary,” said the agency document.

A senior Bangladeshi official said the new effort was a “small-scale” repatriation plan, adding that nobody would be forced to return.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said he has “heard something like this”, but was not sure.

Nearly 750,000 Rohingyas fled Rakhine for Bangladesh after a military-led crackdown in August 2017. The United Nations said the perpetrator had “genocidal intent”.

Source: Agencies

risingbd/Aug 16, 2019/Mukul

 

 

 

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