Myanmar’s military-backed government has agreed in principle to take back, in phases, more than 300,000 of the Rohingya refugees sheltering in Bangladesh. The list was confirmed after verification of more than 400,000 names from a roster submitted by Bangladesh. However, Myanmar has stated clearly that no repatriation will begin until there is satisfactory improvement in the security situation in Rakhine State.
The information was disclosed in a statement from Myanmar’s foreign ministry on Saturday. The statement comes as the Rohingya crisis, which began following a military crackdown in Rakhine in 2017, approaches its ninth year.
According to the statement, Myanmar completed final verification of 426,545 refugees from a list of 828,824 names submitted by Bangladesh. Of these, 308,797 were confirmed as registered residents of Rakhine.
Meanwhile, the identities of 113,507 people could not be verified, and Naypyidaw has refused to take back 4,241 individuals, citing allegations of involvement with armed groups.
Myanmar’s junta government said that implementation of the 2018 bilateral repatriation agreement has faced major obstacles due to the 2021 political upheaval and the subsequent intense armed conflict between the military and the Arakan Army. It said that once peace is restored in Rakhine, discussions with Dhaka will continue on repatriating the more than 300,000 registered citizens.
More than a million Rohingya currently live in uncertain conditions in Cox’s Bazar and Bhasan Char. Amid prolonged despair over their refugee status and declining international aid, many are now attempting to reach Malaysia and Indonesia illegally by sea.
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim recently referenced a diplomatic understanding to repatriate 300,000 Rohingya from Bangladesh to Myanmar. However, Myanmar has said it will only take back these registered residents once security is assured.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report