Displaced Rohingya 'dissatisfied' with arrangements for possible repatriation on maiden visit to Myanmar

Md. Kamruzzaman and SM Najmus Sakib

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AA) - Rohingya refugees expressed dissatisfaction Friday about preparations in Rakhine State in Myanmar for possible repatriation.

They reiterated that they want citizenship rights returned and a guarantee to be resettled in their original places from where they were ousted.

A 20-member Rohingya delegation, and Bangladeshi officials, visited Maungdaw Township and surrounding villages in Rakhine State to assess resettlement preparations for the Rohingya.

Community leader Sufian said the team visited areas and Myanmar authorities gave them a book that had details about the development.

“Myanmar authorities wrote details in that book. Just after taking a rest for some time, we were taken to another house to hear their briefing. Later we just visited some close areas,” he said.

In response to a question about whether the delegation is satisfied with settlements for repatriation, he said some Rohingya survived there and work. “But I saw that Myanmar authorities have developed camps there in my own village. We want to get back my land and develop my own house as it was earlier.”

More than 750,000 Rohingya fled a brutal military crackdown in Rakhine State in August 2017 and fled to Bangladesh, pushing the number of the persecuted people in Bangladesh’s congested camps to more than 1.2 million.

Since the crisis, Bangladesh was trying to repatriate displaced Myanmar citizens with rights and dignity.

Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, Mohammed Mizanur Rahman, who led the team in Myanmar, told reporters the only solution to the Rohingya crisis is repatriation.

“Bangladesh always demands that this repatriation should be sustainable and dignified. Bangladeshi authorities requested that before starting the repatriation, the Rohingya who would be repatriated should visit Rakhine State to see the preparation and arrangements of resettlement,” said Rahmad.

He said the visit was a “go and see” trip and authorities granted Bangladesh’s request and the Rohingya visited.

“We visited the Maungdaw Township and surrounding villages and we saw many Rohingya there doing business,” he said.

Rahman said Myanmar authorities prepared settlements for Rohingya under a pilot project. There are homes, employment opportunities and schools for Rohingya children as described by Myanmar officials.

The settlement was mostly built with support from India, Japan and China, according to the official.
In reply to a query that the Rohingya are not satisfied with settlements, Rahman said for a solution to work they must consider issues and have the mentality to sacrifice.

“Satisfaction is an abstract matter. We have to remember that a problem of nearly 7 decades will not be solved in a day. But we want to start the repatriation. And to do that such initiatives have been taken,” he said.

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- No commitment on citizenship rights

Rahman said Myanmar junta officials did not make a commitment to handing over citizenship to the displaced Rohingya under the pilot project immediately or before possible repatriation.

“Myanmar officials said that the confirmation of citizenship is a long process and would take more time to complete. Therefore, Myanmar won’t provide citizenship to the Rohingya people who want to repatriate under this pilot project,” he told Anadolu.

The development disappointed the delegation, according to Rahman.

“Being a Bangladeshi official my observation won’t reflect on citizenship as it is the Myanmar government responsible to ensure. But what we can say is our goal is the repatriation of Rohingya and there is no progress in the last about six years,” he said. “It is now up to the Rohingya people if they prolong their life in the refugee camps or join the initial step of the repatriation process.”