ULA/AA opposes junta’s plan to bring back Muslim refugees from Bangladesh as a ploy to garner international recognition

Narinjara News, 3 March 2023

The United League of Arakan/Arakan Army (ULA/AA) opposes the military council’s plan to repatriate Muslim Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh as a ploy to garner more international recognition to the regime and also cover up its real political agendas.

ULA/AA spokesperson U Khaing Thukha stated that the initiative has been viewed as a strategic move to seek international recognition for the present batch of junta forces in Naypyidaw.

“We can realise the junta’s move just to gain international recognition rather than a genuine effort,” added the leader.

“Rakhine State and the areas of some FPNCC members are yet to be stable and its security scenario is not trustworthy,” said Khaing Thukha during the seventh press conference of ULA/AA on 27 February.

Union social work relief and resettlement minister Dr Thet Thet Khaing, international cooperation minister U Ko Ko Hlaing and border affairs minister lieutenant general Tun Tun Naung recently visited Taung Pyo Let Wae, Nga Khu Ya, Hla Pho Khaung localities in north
Maungdaw. They visited the refugee reception center on 7 January and revealed that the refugees would be accepted under a pilot project.

During the second Myanmar-China-Bangladesh tripartite meeting at Dhaka in February 2022, various parties agreed to focus on the refugee readmission process through the pilot project.

Soon after the Maungdaw border police posts were attacked by the ARSA in 2017, the Burmese military organised an ethnic- cleansing activities against the Rohingya people forcing over 700,000 individuals to flee to the neighbouring country according to a UN report.

A UN investigation with strong evidences reported that a lawsuit was lodged at the International Court of Justice  against the crimes towards the humanity and also genocide by the Myanmar military and Gambia (Africa). The case relating to the genocide and human rights abuse to Muslim families, is still going on.