MYANMAR officials were in a state of readiness at the reception and transit centres in Maungtaw, Rakhine State, on 22 August to carry out the most important task of repatriation under the bilateral agreement with Bangladesh. But, till sundown, no displaced person had returned.
For the repatriation, officials of the Rakhine State Government and the ERAT Team were waiting on the Myanmar side, while one representative from the Myanmar Embassy in Dhaka and officials from the Bangladeshi Foreign Ministry were stationed in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
According to the news media, the main reason why displaced persons have not returned to Myanmar is that they face the threat of killing by ARSA terrorists, if they come back. Some displaced persons at the camps have fled because of the threats. Another reason is that the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the Bangladeshi authorities have been scrutinizing displaced persons to check if they want to return to Myanmar of their own volition.
Myanmar has made preparations to receive displaced persons from Rakhine, who are currently residing in Bangladesh, as part of a bilateral agreement with the neighbouring country. For voluntary return, the displaced persons have to fill up forms first, and this is the procedure agreed upon by Myanmar and Bangladesh. But, carrying out this procedure close to the repatriation date has hampered the return of refugees.
The list of 3,450 displaced persons sent from Bangladesh, to be accepted by the Myanmar side on 22 August, came after the Myanmar authorities scrutinized the list of returnees to ensure they were not involved in terrorist attacks. Plans were made to accept 3,450 displaced persons in seven groups, and Myanmar had requested that 444 Hindus who are willing to return be included in the first group of returnees.
In a news report carried by Narinjara Media, a leader of the Hindu displaced persons has stated that Hindu displaced persons from the Kutupalong Camp want to return to Myanmar, but the Bangladeshi government has not given them any information regarding their return.
Myanmar has apprised Bangladesh of its willingness to expedite the repatriation of the 444 Hindus since 23 November, 2017. There have been repeated requests by Myanmar for their early repatriation. All these requests have been ignored.
The smooth repatriation of displaced persons would require adherence to the bilateral agreement that the two countries have signed.
