Bangladesh vows not to force repatriation of Rohingya to Myanmar

Bangladesh has vowed that no Rohingya refugees will be returned to Myanmar against their will as part of a controversial repatriation plan, the UN Deputy High Commissioner for Refugees said in a statement.

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Refugees who wish to return should have access to clear and factual information so they can make free and informed decisions," UNHCR Deputy High Commissioner Kelly T. Clements said late Monday after a four-day visit to Bangladesh.

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Under no circumstances should refugees be forced or forced to return (to Burma), which the government has assured us it will not do," she added after her meeting with government authorities and refugees. Bangladesh is home to about one million Rohingya, a Muslim minority in Burma. About 750,000 of them fled in 2017 the repression of the Burmese army of which they were victims and which is now under investigation for "acts of genocide" before the International Court of Justice (ICJ).

Repatriation pilot project

Bangladesh and Myanmar are preparing to implement a pilot project to repatriate 1176 refugees, despite concerns from refugees and rights groups such as Human Rights Watch (HRW) that warned of "grave risks" last month.

The project proposed by the Burmese junta plans to repatriate these Rohingya to Rakhine State, their region of origin ravaged by violence. Bangladesh has repeatedly stated that any repatriation would be voluntary. However, several Rohingya affected by the repatriation project told AFP they had been threatened to take part.

"You can't stay here, we will beat you"

A Rohingya man, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said refugee camp officials called him every day. "They told him, 'If you don't leave, you can't stay here, we will beat you.' Another Rohingya, also speaking on condition of anonymity, said he had been ordered to leave, but would only do so if Myanmar returned his land.

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They said, 'You have to leave, you can't stay here,'" he said. "But why should we leave if we don't get our land back?" he added, "if they (the Burmese) give us citizenship, we will go back (to Burma), if they give us back our land, we will leave."

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We continue to advocate for the creation of favourable conditions in Burma so that refugees can return in safety and dignity, and voluntary returns can be sustainable," said Ms. Clements after visiting the camps in Cox's Bazar. Despite living in Myanmar for generations, most Rohingya are stateless and have no access to health or education in the Buddhist-majority country, ruled by the junta since the February 1, 2021 coup.