MYANMAR TIMES
Myanmar, Bangladesh and China will meet to discuss the repatriation of Muslim refugees from Bangladesh on Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry said the meeting will focus on resolving issues that hamper the repatriation of the more than 700,000 Muslim refugees who have fled from northern Rakhine State to Bangladesh since August 2017.
Monday’s meeting comes after refugees refused to participate in repatriation attempts last November and on August 22, citing concerns about citizenship and fears for their safety in Rakhine. According to Bangladesh media, the meeting might mount diplomatic pressure on Myanmar to take back refugees in Bangladesh.
Last week, UN human rights expert Yanghee Lee implored Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to “feel with her heart before it is too late,” saying that even if refugees wished to return they have little to go back to.
“Myanmar claims to have done what is necessary for the repatriation to be successful, and continues to blame Bangladesh for any delay,” she told the session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 16.
Myanmar UN Permanent Representative U Kyaw Moe Tun said the government is taking a holistic and inclusive approach regarding the Rakhine issue, and the main cause of the mass exodus from Rakhine was the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army’s threats and horrific atrocities against innocent people.
“The plight of displaced people has been exploited for a political agenda,” he said.
23 Sep 2019
Myanmar, Bangladesh and China will meet to discuss the repatriation of Muslim refugees from Bangladesh on Monday on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ministry said the meeting will focus on resolving issues that hamper the repatriation of the more than 700,000 Muslim refugees who have fled from northern Rakhine State to Bangladesh since August 2017.
Monday’s meeting comes after refugees refused to participate in repatriation attempts last November and on August 22, citing concerns about citizenship and fears for their safety in Rakhine. According to Bangladesh media, the meeting might mount diplomatic pressure on Myanmar to take back refugees in Bangladesh.
Last week, UN human rights expert Yanghee Lee implored Daw Aung San Suu Kyi to “feel with her heart before it is too late,” saying that even if refugees wished to return they have little to go back to.
“Myanmar claims to have done what is necessary for the repatriation to be successful, and continues to blame Bangladesh for any delay,” she told the session of the UN Human Rights Council on September 16.
Myanmar UN Permanent Representative U Kyaw Moe Tun said the government is taking a holistic and inclusive approach regarding the Rakhine issue, and the main cause of the mass exodus from Rakhine was the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army’s threats and horrific atrocities against innocent people.
“The plight of displaced people has been exploited for a political agenda,” he said.
After ARSA launched deadly attacks on security outposts in August 2017,
the Tatmadaw retaliated with a crackdown on Muslims in northern Rakhine,
sending over 700,000 refugees fleeing across the border to Bangladesh.
Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal in November 2017.
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