Rohingya Repatriation Myanmar sits on proposals, says FM

The Myanmar government is maintaining silence on the proposals moved to build confidence among the displaced Rohingya people as a part of creating an environment conducive to their return from camps in Cox’s Bazar to Rakhine state, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen said on Monday.

‘Myanmar hasn’t said yes or no,’ the minister said at the foreign ministry replying to a question on Myanmar’s position on the proposals, including engaging the ASEAN in resolving the crisis.

The Bangladesh government has proposed about a year ago to engage the ASEAN, of which Myanmar is also a member, and four countries — India, China, Japan and South Korea — for a sustainable solution to the Rohingya crisis, he said.

The Bangladesh government has also proposed to set up a non-military international monitoring of the security measures for the prospective Rohingya returnees.    

The Indonesian government has proposed to take a select group of leaders of the Rohingya for visiting Rakhine to see the steps taken by the Myanmar government for creating an environment conducive to a start of the repatriation.  

These proposals were moved for building confidence among the returnees as ‘they do not have trust on them [Myanmar authorities],’ he said, adding that the Myanmar authorities were yet to give any reply on these proposals.

The Aung San Suu Kyi-led ruling National League for Democracy is expected to maintain absolute majority in the parliament in the elections in strife-torn Myanmar controlled by the military.

Momen said that the Bangladesh government would welcome the new government of Myanmar after the general election held on Wednesday.

He hoped that the government would honour the commitments made in the arrangements signed with Bangladesh on Rohingya repatriation.

Some 8,60,000 Rohingyas, mostly women, children and aged people, entered Bangladesh fleeing unbridled murder, arson and rape during ‘security operations’ by the Myanmar military in Rakhine, what the United Nations denounced as ethnic cleansing and genocide, beginning from August 25, 2017.

The latest Rohingya influx has taken the number of undocumented Myanmar nationals and registered refugees from that country in Bangladesh to over 1.2 million, according to estimates by UN agencies and Bangladesh foreign ministry.

No Rohingyas have returned to Rakhine in Myanmar from camps in Cox’s Bazar of Bangladesh since the signing of the first arrangements in November 2018.

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net