Commemorating 8 Years Of Exodus, Tens Of Thousands Of Rohingya Refugees In Bangladesh Want To Return Safe To Myanmar

Illustration. The ship containing Rohingya refugees was stranded in the Aceh Besar patai area. (Between-Ampelsa)

JAKARTA - Tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar who live in dozens of camps in Bangladesh commemorated their eight-year mass exodus.

They demanded guarantees of security for repatriation from refugee sites in Bangladesh to their homes in Rakhine state, Myanmar. They also refer to the event as a warning of "The Commemoration Day of Genocide Rohingya."

"We want to return to our country with the same rights as other ethnic groups in Myanmar," one of the protesters, Nur Aziz, 19, told AP, Tuesday, August 26.

"The rights as citizens of Myanmar, we also want to enjoy the same rights," he continued.

During the event, refugees gathered in an open field in a large camp in Kutukpalong, Cox's Bazar district, southeastern Bangladesh, on Monday local time.

Among the tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees present were banners that read, "There is no more refugee life" to "Repatriation is the best solution."

The day before, Bangladesh' interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, urged the international community to facilitate the process of returning Rohingya refugees with security guarantees.

Yunus said this in a speech at the three-day conference on Rohingya which took place in Cox's Bazar.