eurasiareview
By IPCS
By Krishna Kumar Saha*
June 10, 2023
Displaced Rohingya in Myanmar. Photo Credit: Tasnim News Agency
Bangladesh and Myanmar have recently initiated a repatriation programme to return Rohingya refugees to their homeland—of whom over a million live in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh. These initiatives have drawn support from other countries in the region, including China. There is scepticism, however, about the effectiveness of these new initiatives, and the Bangladesh government is approaching the situation with cautious optimism. Further, given ongoing conditions in Myanmar, such as the discriminatory citizenship law and restricted mobility for Rohingya refugees, repatriation efforts are unlikely to be successful without a significant changein the state’s policies.