‘Bangladesh pressurising Myanmar for Rohingya repatriation’
17 March 2023
Staff Reporter :
The Foreign Ministry on Thursday said that the government of Bangladesh has been working tirelessly to pressure Myanmar to expedite the verification process of Rohingyas in order to facilitate their safe and voluntary return.
The Ministry also stated that the repatriation of the persecuted Rohingyas was the only solution, Saheli Sabreen, Spokesperson of the Public Diplomacy Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said this during a weekly press briefing on Thursday.
In response to a question, she said that the repatriation of the Rohingyas is the only solution. We are pressurising Myanmar to expedite the verification of Rohingyas. Currently, a delegation from Myanmar has also been visiting Bangladesh. She also mentioned that 450 Rohingya's interview will be conducted for verification purposes.
A 22-member delegation from Myanmar arrived in Teknaf on Wednesday to verify the listed Rohingya for repatriation. Bangladesh side expressed hope that this visit would result in tangible progress towards resolving the crisis.
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC) sources said that the delegation will be working with Bangladesh authorities for four to five days to identify and verify the Rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh over five years ago.The RRRC said that Bangladesh submitted a list containing the names of more than 800,000 Rohingya individuals who are to be repatriated.
Out of the names on the list, information on 1,140 Rohingya was initially confirmed as verified. Myanmar has given their consent for the return of 711 of these Rohingyas, but has raised objections to the repatriation of another 429 individuals.
Bangladesh government has been urging the international community to support Bangladesh's efforts in this regard and appealing for increased humanitarian assistance to support the Rohingyas who have taken refuge in Bangladesh.
The Rohingya crisis, which began decades ago, has forced over a million Rohingyas to flee their homes in Myanmar due to violence and persecution.
Bangladesh has been providing shelter and humanitarian assistance to the refugees, but the situation remains dire.
Since the Rohingya influx in August 2017, Bangladesh has continued commitment to finding a lasting solution to the Rohingya crisis, and urging the international community to facilitate the repatriation process.
Meanwhile, Opposition Leader of the Parliament Begum Rowshan Ershad in a statement on Thursday expressed strong demands to the government to resolve the Rohingya crisis through repatriation.
"Bangladesh is an overpopulated country. Above it, more than 12 lakh Rohingyas have been staying in the country years after years, creating various crises. The government should immediately take initiatives to resovle it and arrange meeting with Myanmar side," the statement said.
About the role of the United Nations and international community, she said, "We are not seeing any positive step taken by UN and international community in this regard".
"Arrangements of food, education and medical treatment should be made. We should remember that the donor countries have already reduced financial assistance. It will create financial pressure on Bangladesh," she said.
She said if the situation was not resolved immediately the crisis will be of a dangerous magnitude.
Meanwhile, the 22-member Myanmar delegation have been conducting the verification of the Rohingyas for the second day.
