Repatriation Deal or Vanishing Criticism?

Burmese Government have staged drama in Rohingya repatriation deal signed with Bangladesh, which have been postponed and Burma blames Bangladesh hiding their self-interest.

The gradual repatriations were supposed to begin Tuesday (23^rd January) but Bangladesh officials announced a last-minute delay amid fears that the refugees may be forced to return. Bangladesh has not said how long the delay will last. Myanmar is anxious for repatriations for their self-interest to soften the international condemnation it is facing for the crisis. On Tuesday, Myanmar again said it was ready to begin accepting returning refugees.

Myanmar officials said that by Tuesday afternoon no Rohingya had crossed back into Arakan (Rakhine).

“We are right now ready to receive… we are completely ready to welcome them according to the agreement,” Kyaw Tin, Minister of International Cooperation told reporters in Naypyidaw, Myanmar’s capital.

“We have seen the news that the Bangladesh side is not ready, but we have not received any official” explanation, he added.

The deal that was signed in November, 2017 and Myanmar blamed Bangladesh for delays to the start of a huge repatriation program for Rohingya refugees, as the UN warned of the dangers of rushing their return to strife-torn Arakan (Rakhine) state.

Burma is playing a double game with both Bangladesh and international community as part of their genocidal program and have kept its clearance operation ongoing on the remaining Rohingya itself, creating a chaos.

Internally Burma never planned to accept the Rohingya back to their original land because they are almost successful in the genocide by driving the 2/3 of the Rohingya out of their land.

This repatriation process it’s just a staged drama to vanish the international criticism and pressure mounting over the Burmese government and its process of time buying as well.

Most Rohingyas says they are terrified to return to the place where just a few months ago soldiers and Buddhist mobs shot, raped and killed thousands before setting fires to homes and farmland. They fear more attacks if they return.

Recent fire on Rohingya houses:  CLICK  & CLICK

The UN refugee agency UNHCR said safeguards for potential returnees were still absent, while refugees continue to leave Myanmar and access for aid agencies and the media to Arakan (Rakhine) is restricted.

In a statement it urged Myanmar to implement advisory commission recommendations calling for security for all communities, freedom of movement and solutions for citizenship for Muslim communities.

“Without this, the risk of dangerous and rushed returns into a situation where violence might reignite is too great to be ignored.” 

Besides continues raids and fire on the remaining villages are striking the fear of the returning people who lost family along with property and fled to just save their lives.

More than 700,000 Rohingya escaped to Bangladesh after a brutal army crackdown began in the state last August 2017, while around 100,000 fled an earlier bout of state-sponsored violence in October 2016.

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