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Myanmar delegates visit Bangladesh again to discuss Muslim refugees’ repatriation
May 27/ 2023 | View Counts :4607
A delegation of Burmese military council visited refugee campsin south Bangladesh for thesecond time on Thursday to discuss the repatriation of Muslim refugees.
The 14-member delegation was led by U Aung Myo, director of Rakhine immigration office.
They visited No 26 refugee camp in Teknaf, a border town ofBangladesh adjacentto Myanmar’s Maungdaw town, and met over 300 Muslim refugees, whohad agreed to return home.
“The visiting group did not talk to the refugees directly. Theywere notpermitted to question the refugees. They mostly discussed with the Bangladeshgovernment officials. I have no idea what they had discussed,"said a person close to the delegates.
Earlier on 15 to 22 March, a delegation comprising 17 people andled by UAung Myo visited Teknaf for the first time to access the list of 500refugees who were willing to return to Myanmar.
According to a source close to the refugees, they put some conditions to return back.
"First point is that we must be granted Burmesecitizenship. We should be relocated in our original villages. We also need toget back the farmswe used to own," he added.
According to Rakhine State premier U Htin Lin, over 1,500 Muslims are planned to be taken back. The refugees will be keptin temporary camps at NgaKhura and Hla Po Khao under Maungdaw township under a pilot project. Later they will beplaced in 15 villages from the temporary camps. The concerned authority has already completed its preparation forrepatriation.
The United Nations’ report narrates that over 7,00,000 Muslim Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 following theoperation carried out by the Burmesesoldiers in Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung localities. It was a reaction to the ARSA operatedattacks on 30 Myanmar police outpostsadjacent to Bangladesh.
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