Rohingya repatriation by mid Nov: officials

Repatriation of the Rohingya community fleeing their homeland in Myanmar would commence by mid November, Bangladesh foreign secretary M Shahidul Haque announced on Tuesday after the third joint working group meeting of Bangladesh-Myanmar in Dhaka. 

Foreign secretary Md Shahidul Haque led the 15-member Bangladesh delegation while his counterpart Myint Thu, led a 12-member Myanmar delegation.

Addressing a brief press conference after the meeting, Shahidul, without giving specific number of the potential Rohingya returnees, said that the first phase of repatriation would start by mid November.

‘Return is always a complex, difficult process, but if everyone has a political wills it is possible to bring this to a fruitful end. Today we got an impression that both sides have strong political will,’ he said.

Myint said that Myanmar government streamlined lot of measures including promoting public policies to maintain law and order so that Rohingya returnees could get security in the northern Rakhaine state.    

‘We have put in place a number of measures to make sure that the returnees will have secure environment,’ he said.     

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net