Dhaka: Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh refuse to return to Myanmar unless they are recognised as an ethnic group in their home country, leaders told visiting Myanmar officials as fresh repatriation talks started. A campaign by Myanmar’s military in response to insurgent attacks in 2017 drove 7,30,000 Rohingya Muslims to Bangladesh's southeastern border district of Cox's Bazar, where they live in squalid camps, fearing further persecution if they return. UN investigators have said Myanmar’s operation included mass killings, gang rapes and arson and was executed with “genocidal intent”. Myanmar denies the charge.
This is the second time Myanmar officials have visited the camps in Cox's Bazar in an effort to convince Rohingya refugees to kick-start the repatriation process. In October, Rohingya rejected an offer to return to their homeland when a Myanmar delegation held talks with leaders of the group. The Myanmar delegation, led by permanent foreign secretary Myint Thu, held talks with 35 Rohingya leaders amid tightened security. Rohingya leaders said they wanted Myanmar to recognise them as an ethnic group with the right to Myanmar citizenship.
“We won’t return unless we are recognised as Rohingya in Myanmar,” Dil Mohammed, one of the Rohingya leaders, said. He also said they will not return to Myanmar unless demands for justice, international protection and the ability to go back to their original villages and lands are met. “We want citizenship, we want all our rights. We don’t trust them. We will return only if international protection is in place,” he said.
With the repatriation plan largely stalled, Bangladesh has been considering relocating Rohingya refugees to an island in the Bay of Bengal, but some have expressed concern that this could lead to a new crisis given the island is vulnerable to cyclones.
In November, a formal move to start the repatriation process stalled as no Rohingya agreed to return to Myanmar. The UN refugee agency and aid groups are also doubtful about the plan as they fear for the safety of Rohingya in Myanmar.
