Myanmar confirms nearly 309,000 Rohingya in Bangladesh, security issues delaying repatriation
YANGON: Myanmar’s military-backed government has verified that nearly 309,000 displaced people in camps in Bangladesh are former residents of the troubled Rakhine State, but repatriation will proceed only after security in Rakhine improves, the foreign ministry said.
Myanmar's military-backed administration has officially confirmed that nearly 309,000 Rohingya displaced persons residing in Bangladesh are former residents of Rakhine State, according to a foreign ministry statement released over the weekend. Of the 828,824 names submitted, the ministry has verified 308,797 individuals as former Rakhine residents.
The United Nations reports that over 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh in 2017 following a crackdown by Myanmar security forces, with many more leaving via perilous sea and land routes. Myanmar claims to have identified 4,241 individuals on Bangladesh's repatriation list who were involved in terrorist activities, while an additional 113,507 candidates remain unverified.
The repatriation process will only commence once Myanmar's military determines that security conditions in Rakhine State have significantly improved. Myanmar's military is currently engaged in conflict with the Arakan Army, an ethnic armed group based in Rakhine that advocates for greater autonomy for the region. Myanmar maintains that repatriation is a bilateral matter between the two countries, emphasizing that previous repatriation efforts in 2018 and 2019 failed to yield any returnees despite extensive preparations.
Myanmar had previously agreed to take back 5,000 Rohingya asylum seekers from Malaysia, but the Malaysian government has stated that repatriation will not proceed unless the safety of the individuals is assured.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
