JAKARTA - Bangladesh has confirmed that it will bring back Rohingya refugees if they are uncomfortable after being repatriated to Rakhine state or if the attempted project to repatriate them to Myanmar fails.
Bangladesh's Young Foreign Minister Shahriar Alam said the Rohingya refugees would return voluntarily.
"This is a trial process, there is no massive repatriation. Rohingya refugees will be sent to Rakhine to observe the situation. If they don't feel comfortable, there is an opportunity to bring them back. Thus, we think there will be no debate against the project," he told reporters in the capital Dhaka. quoted from Anadolu via Antara, Tuesday, June 13.
Alam's statement is the latest from Bangladeshi authorities aimed at addressing global concerns and calls for suspending the attempted project, which was jointly carried out between Bangladesh and Myanmar governments and Chinese intermediaries.
Rohingya refugees in Bangladeshese camps have shown concern over the repatriation and have complained of no change in their lives after being sent home to Rakhine without citizenship rights.
Bangladesh and Myanmar are pushing to launch the repatriation project by repatriating some 1,100 refugees.
Nearly 1.2 million Rohingya live in Bangladesh, and most of them fled the brutal military crackdown in Rakhine in August 2017.
While most of the refugees were still in overcrowded camps in the southern district of Cox's Bazar, about three thousand others have moved to Bhasan Char island since late 2020.
Alam said his statement in response to the United Nations (UN)'s rejection of the project. He added that the process of the project was underway to involve the United Nations.
He noted that although there has been no agreement that Rohingya will be repatriated with a certificate from the UN Refugee Affairs Agency (UNHCR), “ they have been notified of our efforts ” for repatriation.
He also protested a statement by UN Special Reporter Tom Andrews regarding the human rights situation in Myanmar.
Alam said Andrews visited Cox's Bazar some time ago and gave a statement about the attempted project, but what he said and the language he used “ made it easier and didn't appreciate our efforts (Bangladesh)".
"We will report this matter to the United Nations," said Alam.
Andrews said on Thursday that Bangladesh should immediately postpone the attempted return of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar, where they face serious risks that threaten their lives and freedom.
In May, Bangladeshi officials brought 20 Rohingya refugees on a re-residential camp visit in Rakhine state, Myanmar to assess the condition of their return place, which ended with the Rohingya delegation's concerns about the plan.
A number of international human rights groups, including Human Rights Watch, have joined the vote against the repatriation proposal.
International human rights groups have urged donor and US governments to call for a delay in repatriation of each Rohingya refugee until conditions are ready for safe and sustainable repatriation.
Despite the many refusals, Bangladeshi authorities seem to be doing anything so that the repatriation project plan can run.
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