Myanmar delegates visit Bangladesh again to discuss Muslim refugees’ repatriation

By: Web Master
| Date: 27 May 2023
| Viewer: 4.1k

A delegation of Burmese military council visited refugee camps in south Bangladesh for the second 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 of Bangladesh adjacent to Myanmar’s Maungdaw town, and met over 300 Muslim refugees, who had agreed to return home.

“The visiting group did not talk to the refugees directly. They were not permitted to question the refugees. They mostly discussed with the Bangladesh government 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 and led by U Aung Myo visited Teknaf for the first time to access the list of 500 refugees 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 Burmese citizenship. We should be relocated in our original villages. We also need to get back the farms we 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 kept in temporary camps at Nga Khura and Hla Po Khao under Maungdaw township under a pilot project. Later they will be placed in 15 villages from the temporary camps. The concerned authority has already completed its preparation for repatriation.

The United Nations’ report narrates that over 7,00,000 Muslim Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 following the operation carried out by the Burmese soldiers in Maungdaw, Buthidaung and Rathedaung localities. It was a reaction to the ARSA operated attacks on 30 Myanmar police outposts adjacent to Bangladesh.

Myanmar-Bangladesh

Myanmar delegates visit Bangladesh again to discuss Muslim refugees’ repatriation

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