Road to Rohingya repatriation is more complex than it seems

THE BUSINESS STANDARD
Ariful Hasan Shuvo
05 April, 2025

Myanmar declaring a portion of Rohingya refugees eligible for repatriation might sound like overwhelmingly good news. But in reality, they cannot return as long as the Arakan Army controls Rakhine 

Bangladesh is now home to over a million Rohingya refugees who have fled violence in Myanmar since 2017. Photo: TBS

 A Facebook post from the verified page of the Chief Adviser to Bangladesh's interim government broke the internet on Friday. After all, it offered a ray of hope in the longstanding Rohingya crisis the country has been grappling with for over eight years now.

"Myanmar authorities have confirmed to Bangladesh that out of a list of 800,000 Rohingyas sheltered in Bangladesh, they have identified 180,000 Rohingyas eligible for return," the post reads. 

Hope at a time of uncertainty

The Daily Star

Mokammel Shuvo

Sun Apr 6, 2025

 

Mixed reactions in Cox’s Bazar camps as Myanmar identifies 180,000 Rohingyas for return.

Following reports of Myanmar verifying 1,80,000 Rohingyas for potential repatriation, a wave of mixed feelings has washed over the camps in Cox's Bazar and Bhasan Char.

Although many Rohingyas express a strong desire to return to their homeland safely, they remain apprehensive of Myanmar's ability to guarantee security.

Experts: Follow up steps should start on Rohingya repatriation after Myanmar’s assurance

Dhaka Tribune
Publish : 05 Apr 2025

Myanmar has informed Bangladesh that out of 800,000 Rohingyas in the country, 180,000 have been identified as eligible to return.

File image of Rohingya camp. Photo: Dhaka Tribune- BSS

Foreign relations experts on Saturday said follow up talks should start quickly on Rohingya repatriation as Myanmar has confirmed out of over 1.30 million of the ethnic minority Muslim people, who took makeshift refuge in Bangladesh were 180,000 are eligible to return.

ARSA leader arrest: Tensions spark in Rohingya camps, explosions heard along border

daily observer
Observer Online Report
Published : Wednesday, 19 March, 2025 Count : 562

The arrest of Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) leader has reportedly sparked tensions in Rohingya camps and along the Myanmar-Bangladesh border.

Following the news of Ataullah Abu Ammar Jununi's arrest, loud explosions were heard across the border in Maungdaw, Myanmar, causing panic among residents.

 

Secretary-General's press encounter on the Rohingya Refugees

United Nations
14 March 2025

This is my yearly Ramadan visit, this time in solidarity with the Rohingya refugees and with the Bangladeshi people [who] so generously host them.

And in this visit, I’ve already heard two clear messages. First, Rohingyas want to go back to Myanmar. It is essential that the international community does everything to make sure that peace is reestablished in Myanmar and that the rights of the Rohingyas are respected, that discrimination and persecution like the one we have witnessed in the past, will end.

How Myanmar’s Rohingya refugees feel about Aung San Suu Kyi: ‘She was a rag doll who never had absolute power’

INDEPENDENT
Monday 10 March 2025 

Rohingya Muslims tell of their changing view of Aung San Suu Kyi, seeing her as one of their own – a victim of the military – as she languishes in solitary confinement. Shweta Sharma reports from Cox’s Bazar camps in Bangladesh.

 

 

 
Sitting in a dimly-lit bamboo shelter in the world’s largest refugee camp, Rohingya Muslims like Azizur Rehman could be forgiven for hating Aung San Suu Kyi.

Five years ago, the then-leader of Myanmar appeared at the International Court of Justice to deny the Rohingya were victims of genocide by her country’s military, much to the shock of the rest of the world.

Are the Rohingya stateless?

Daily Mirror Online
By Safrah Fazal
Thu, 13 Feb 2025

The testimonies of the Rohingya paint a picture of innocent people trying to flee grave danger in Myanmar

The recent discourse surrounding the arrival of over 100 Rohingya refugees in Sri Lanka in December 2024 has been fraught with statements that they are victims of human trafficking, or they are illegal immigrants and hence are at risk of deportation. However, the testimonies of the Rohingya themselves paint a different picture—one of innocent people whose lives were in grave danger in Myanmar’s Arakan Province. With no other choice, they entrusted their fate to rickety boats and treacherous waters, clinging to a fragile hope for survival.

‘Become American, Work Hard, Love Democracy’: Dreams Dashed by Trump Orders

The New York Times
By Hannah Beech
Reporting from Bangkok
Feb. 12, 2025

President Trump’s moves to pause refugee resettlement, freeze foreign aid and suspend funds to promote democracy have added more chaos to one of the world’s most urgent humanitarian crises.

The world’s largest refugee camp is in Bangladesh, where hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims have sought shelter after fleeing Myanmar. It was built with the help of U.S.A.I.D., an agency paralyzed by the Trump administration.Credit...Reuters

The family of four refugees filled seven suitcases for their new life in America. They packed blankets, tin plates, one blade for clearing the land in their future home and one for chopping meat. They left behind what they were not supposed to bring: slingshots, fish paste, traditional medicines from their native Myanmar.

Myanmar crisis: Civilians killed in airstrikes as Rohingya risk dangerous journeys

UNITED NATION
By Vibhu Mishra
22 January 2025 

UNICEF/Patrick BrownA child at an internally displaced persons (IDP) centre in Myanmar. (file)

The security situation in Myanmar continues to remain highly volatile, with intensified airstrikes across multiple regions leading to dozens of civilian casualties, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reported on Wednesday.

Joint Press Statement on the Human Rights and Humanitarian Situation in Myanmar

U.S Department of State

Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
January 6, 2025

The text of the following joint statement was released by the High Representative on behalf of the European Union and the Governments of the United States, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Norway, the Republic of Korea, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, and the United Kingdom to address the human rights and humanitarian crisis in Myanmar.

Begin text:

Rohingyas’ return to Myanmar uncertain, despite rebel control of Bangladesh border

mizzima
January 6, 2025 

RFA

The dream of returning home to Myanmar remains uncertain for hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh despite rebel control of the border, members of the ethnic group said Friday.

Malaysia ramps up patrols after Myanmar migrant boat landings on Langkawi

malay mail 

Friday, 03 Jan 2025 8:00 PM MYT

Rohingya refugees waiting to be rescued as their vessel approaches Aceh last year. — AFP pic

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 3 — Malaysia’s coastguard said on Friday it was doubling patrols in its waters to locate boats carrying undocumented Myanmar migrants, after almost 200 were detained on an island in the northwestern Malaysian state of Kedah.

Tormentors Change, but Not the Torment

The NewYork Times
By Hannah Beech
Photographs by Adam Ferguson
Reporting from Teknaf, Bangladesh
Dec. 28, 2024 

 Rohingya refugees Shamshida, 25, left, and Manwara, 19, in their tent in Teknaf, Bangladesh. 

Brutally persecuted for years by the military in Myanmar, the Rohingya ethnic minority has now become the target of one of the junta’s most formidable rivals in the country’s civil war.

Genocide Emergency: Rohingya in Maungdaw, Myanmar

Genocide Watch
26 December 2024  

Imagery verified by CNN shows the aftermath of an attack on the western edge of Maungdaw township’s Myo Ma ward.

GENOCIDE EMERGENCY:
MAUNGDAW, RAKHINE STATE, MYANMAR
DECEMBER 2024

Arakan Army is also killing and torturing Rohingya, says leaders at rally

bdnew24.com
Cox's Bazar Correspondent
Published : 26 Dec 2024,

Rohingya leaders call for international intervention to ensure safe return, as over 60,000 flee to Bangladesh camps

Rohingya refugees, who fled Myanmar to escape persecution and genocide, have called for their return to their homeland, describing their life in Bangladesh as that of "birds in a cage”.

Dhaka’s repeated calls for Rohingyas’ return fall on deaf ears

daily observer
Sunday, 22 December, 2024

Dhaka has once again called for the safe and immediate repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh, pointing to the fact that there can't be lasting peace and stability in Myanmar without resolving the Rohingya crisis.

This was pointed out by Bangladesh Foreign Affairs Adviser Md Touhid Hossain on Friday at a bilateral meeting with Thai Foreign Minister Maris Sangiampongsa on the sideline of the Informal Consultation on Myanmar in Bangkok. The meeting was also attended by high-level representatives from China, India, Lao PDR and Myanmar.

US reaffirms support for Rohingyas amid concern over Myanmar

Dhaka Tribune
UNB
18 Dec 2024, 

File image: Screengrab of US State Department Spokesperson Matthew Miller speaking at a media briefing on December 11, 2024

Expressing concern over the situation in Myanmar, the United States has said helping resolve the Rohingya refugee crisis remains a priority for it.

"So we are following this development closely. We’re remained concerned by the conflict and its potential to undermine regional stability and security," US Department of State spokesperson Matthew Miller said during a regular media briefing in Washington on Tuesday.

Assad's fate haunts Myanmar junta

Bangkok Post
Kavi Chongkittavorn
PUBLISHED : 17 Dec 2024

This photo dated Nov 30 shows naval patrol vessels docking in Ranong after rescuing crew from Thai trawlers on which three Myanmar warships opened fire. (Photo: Royal Thai Navy)

The recent overthrow of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad provides insights into the potential undoing of Myanmar's military regime in Nay Pyi Taw. Senior General Min Aung Hlaing must take note and study why even a strong 55-year-old family empire with heavyweight outside backing still crumbled like a house of cards.

Resolving the Rohingya crisis needs a three-pronged diplomatic strategy

THE BUSINESS STANDARD
Dr Mohammad Tarikul Islam
11 October, 2024,

Bangladesh now needs to take proactive and well-coordinated action to stop the Rohingya migration and move towards the restoration of their rights

Rohingya refugees' fear of violence upon their return caused previous attempts at repatriation in 2018 and 2019 to fail. Photo: Bloomberg

Because of the presence of around one million Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, concerns have been raised about the safety of the native people. In spite of diplomatic efforts, Myanmar, which has been ruled by a military junta since 2021, has refused to allow its Rohingya citizens to return home, infuriating Bangladesh and jeopardising regional stability. 

Arakan Army could be key to justice for the Rohingya

ARAB NEWS
Dr. Azeem Ibrahim
December 09, 2024

By engaging with all stakeholders, the international community can help turn this opportunity into a foundation for peace (AFP)

For more than a decade, the Rohingya people of Myanmar have faced unimaginable suffering: denied citizenship, subjected to systemic violence and forced to flee their ancestral homes. Today, nearly 1 million of them live in overcrowded camps in Bangladesh, where dwindling international aid and political instability have pushed them to the brink.