There must be immediate halt to persecution
The proposal by the government of Myanmar to take back the Rohingyas is a positive development. We welcome the move but of course nothing has been said precisely about how this repatriation is to take place. We understand that a joint working group will be set up between Bangladesh and Myanmar to work out the modalities of repatriation that include a verification process.
But before we get to the subject of Rohingyas returning to their homeland, three imperative conditions must be fulfilled by Myanmar. Firstly, the flow of Rohingyas from that country must be halted immediately. Thousands of people are still streaming over the border to Bangladesh every day, and unless Myanmar takes steps to halt the ongoing military action in Rakhine State, the refugee crisis will not end. As much as we would like to believe the Myanmar government’s position on the displaced community’s repatriation, its sincerity will be tested if the persecution of the Rohingya stops immediately. Despite claims by the Myanmar authorities that no military action has taken place in Rakhine since September 5, there has been ample evidence to the contrary.
Secondly, the Myanmar authorities must ensure a stable, congenial condition in Rakhine to generate a sense of safety in the minds of the Rohingya to motivate them to return. Bangladesh is already hosting more than 500,000 of Myanmar’s minorities since the brutal suppression that has been termed by the UN as “ethnic cleansing”. Unless the hostilities against an unarmed civilian populace end, the exodus will continue and there cannot be any repatriation.
Thirdly, there must be a timetable for completing the repatriation, and the UNHCR should be party to the MoU, as it was back in 1993, to facilitate repatriation of Myanmar nationals.