Early repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar unlikely

The repatriation of Rohingya refugees sheltered in Bangladesh may take further time as the verification of the first-batch list of Rohingya, handed over by Bangladesh, depends on Myanmar as there is no specific timeframe to complete it.Besides, a favourable and safe environment in Rakhine state, which is necessary for the much-sought reparation, is yet to be created though Bangladesh has handed over the first-batch list to start the repatriation of Rohingya, observes the international community.According to them, the Rohingya living in Bangladesh are yet to get back their confidence to return to their homeland as they still fear further attack on them.“The causes of their flight have not been addressed, and we have yet to see substantive progress on addressing the exclusion and denial of rights that has deepened over the last decades, rooted in their lack of citizenship,” said United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi.He made the observation while making his statement at the United Nations Security Council briefing on Myanmar in New York on Tuesday through videoconferencing from Geneva.M Saiful Islam, a Rohingya who came to Bangladesh on September 14, told newsmen, “If our demands are met, we’re willing to go back.”He said they must be given citizenship in addition to ensuring a safe place for them to live in. “We want to go back to our own land; we don’t want any temporary shelter,” Saiful added.Saiful, who used to work for a non-government organisation in Rakhine, said the Rohingya people must be given compensation as well for the losses they had suffered.Bangladesh has handed over a list of 1,673 families of 8,032 Rohingya to Myanmar to start the first phase of repatriation of the Rohingya people living in Bangladesh to their homeland in Rakhine. “We’re not aware of it (handing over the list of 8,032 Rohingya) but came to know about it from media,” Saiful said.Commissioner of Cox’s Bazar Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC) Abul Kalam said they are working on the ground to complete the necessary works before starting the repatriation.Bangladesh Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal said the Myanmar side has cordially received the list and Myanmar would scrutinise it and then send it back to Bangladesh.Asked about any timeframe for Myanmar to complete scrutiny, Kalam said, “It depends on them. There’s no specific timeframe.”A government official said though there is no specific date for the repatriation but Myanmar showed sincerity and are taking preparations to take their nationals back.Another Rohingya, Hafez Ahmed, from Balukhali-2 camp said none of their demands has been met yet and still people are coming to Bangladesh from Myanmar which shows there is no safe environment in Rakhine state.“We want our citizenship. This must be given. We don’t want to go back now,” he said, adding that he came to know about handing over of first list through BBC radio.Stephane Dujarric, spokesman for the UN Secretary General, said the underlying point is that any return needs to be voluntary and should not be the forced one.“Well, you know, the possibility is that the situation right now is not conducive...I think as the High Commissioner for Refugees said recently, it’s not conducive to the voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees,” he said.The UN Spokesman said repatriation needs to be voluntary and it needs to be done within existing law. “They should not go back to camps. They need to go back to their homes, the homes that they were forced to leave.”A government official said Bangladesh remains engaged internationally for continuing international pressure on Myanmar to take back their nationals from Bangladesh.Bangladesh has also encouraged member states of the European Union to put pressure on Myanmar to ensure the peaceful and sustainable return of forcibly displaced Myanmar nationals from Bangladesh to their homes in Rakhine state.A meeting between Bangladesh and Myanmar will be held in a Myanmar district on February 20 to take back over 6,000 Rohingya now staying along the zero line.