Human Rights Watch on Thursday (May 18th) criticized a plan to return Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar, saying it poses "grave risks" to their lives and freedom. Bangladesh hosts about one million Rohingya, including some 750,000 who fled in 2017 a campaign of repression of this Muslim minority by the Burmese army, now under investigation for "acts of genocide" before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
The two countries are considering the return to Burma in the coming weeks of about 1100 people as part of a pilot project, although the UN has repeatedly said that conditions are not met. "The Bangladeshi authorities should not forget why the Rohingya became refugees, and recognize that none of these factors have changed," HRW said in a statement.
'Voluntary' repatriation, says Bangladesh
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Bangladesh is embarrassed by its role as host, but sending refugees back under the control of a ruthless Burmese junta will only set the stage for another devastating exodus." Bangladesh's refugee commissioner, Mizanur Rahman, denied any forced return. "Repatriation is voluntary," he told AFP, assuring that "HRW's claim is false".
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About 600,000 Rohingya in Myanmar's Rakhine State are confined to squalid camps and villages that make them vulnerable to extreme weather events such as the recent Cyclone Mocha, he added. The cyclone killed more than 80 people in Myanmar, according to statements made by local leaders and officials to AFP.
In early May, a delegation of about twenty Rohingya visited two resettlement camps in Rakhine where the Burmese junta plans to house them. AFP spoke to several people who were part of the visit and they expressed great reservations, especially after the passage of Mocha. "We are not ready to set foot in Burma. The arrangement they made for us is not enough for our safety. We also failed to get justice for the persecution we suffered," said Hafiz Solaim, 38. "We don't trust the Burmese government.
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Despite living in Myanmar for generations, most Rohingya do not have access to citizenship, health or education in the Buddhist-majority country, which the military has ruled since the February 1, 2021 coup.