The importance of land rights to Rohingya repatriation

Farhaan Uddin Ahmed
25 September 2020

The Pinheiro Principles and justice for the displaced

Given widespread confiscation of Rohingya land, it is essential that Myanmar instate changes in property rights to encourage the voluntary return of its displaced Rohingya Muslim community, Farhaan Uddin Ahmed writes.

In August 2017, Myanmar’s military – the Tatmadaw – and other actors backed by it initiated a brutal violent campaign of ethnically cleansing the Rakhine state of Myanmar’s Rohingya community. The atrocities forced more than 800,000 Rohingya people to flee Myanmar, leaving behind their homes and livelihoods and seek refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh.

Dhaka suggests engaging foreign civilian observers for Rohingya repatriation

Dhaka Tribune
September 12th, 2020

Photo: SYED ZAKIR HOSSAIN

Bangladesh foreign minister is seeking support from ARF partners

Dhaka on Saturday suggested Myanmar to engage non-military civilian observers from its friendly countries in Rohingya repatriation process to reduce trust deficit among the forcibly displaced people for returning to their land of origin in Rakhine with safety and security.

“In order to decline trust deficit and build confidence, we suggested Myanmar to engage non-military civilian observers from their friendly country like ASEAN, China, Russia, India or other friends of their choice,” said Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen.

ROHINGYA REPATRIATION ATTEMPTS: RESULT ZERO

The Daily Star

Porimol Palma
August 25, 2020

Myanmar doing little while Bangladesh facing financial, ecological and security challenges

When Bangladesh continues to bear the brunt of sheltering more than a million Rohingyas, Myanmar is doing little for their repatriation amid silence of global powers though the Southeast Asian country faces a genocide case, experts and officials said. 

About 750,000 Rohingyas -- injured and starved -- fled a brutal military crackdown since August 25, 2017, leaving their homes burnt and relatives killed. Bangladesh generously opened the border and sheltered them, but is now facing tremendous financial, ecological and security challenges.

Rohingya Repatriation: UNDP, UNHCR, Myanmar extend MoU

THE ASIAN AGE

11 May 2020

The UN Development Programme (UNDP), and the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) on Monday agreed with the government of Myanmar to extend the tripartite Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for activities in Rakhine State amid no repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh.

The MoU aims at helping create a conducive environment for the voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh as well as supporting recovery and resilience-based development for the benefit of all communities living in the three northern townships of Rakhine State.

Int’l community’s stronger role sought for Rohingya repatriation

UNB 

February 18, 2020

UNB News
Dhaka

Speakers the panel discussion titled ‘Rohingya: The Need for Justice and Rights in Rakhine 2020’ at the Brac Centre Inn on Tuesday, Feb 18. 2020. Photo: UNB

Speakers at a programme here on Thursday urged the global community to play a stronger role for the sustainable repatriation of Rohingyas to their place of origin in Rakhine state of Myanmar.

While addressing the panel discussion titled ‘Rohingya: The Need for Justice and Rights in Rakhine 2020’ at the Brac Centre Inn, they also called for imposing strict economic sanctions on Myanmar and putting pressure on its military to resolve the Rohingya crisis.

Rohingya Repatriation: Bangladesh seeks Indonesia’s role through Asean

UNB 

February 16, 2020

UNB News
Dhaka

Indonesian investment sought to remove trade imbalance with Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has urged Indonesia to remain pro-active in the Asean platform to convince Myanmar for creating a conducive environment for a safe, dignified and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingyas.

Foreign Minister DR AK Abdul Momen discussed the issue when Indonesian Ambassador to Bangladesh Rina Prihtyasmiarsi Soemarno met him at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Sunday.

Dr Momen suggested that an Asean-led observer team may be deployed in Rakhine State to oversee the repatriation process.

Myanmar lacks 'will' to repatriate Rohingya and hasn't dismantled refugee camps, Bangladesh says

 
NEWS 
AFP-JIJI 

Rohingya refugees attend a ceremony organized to remember the second anniversary of a military crackdown that prompted a massive exodus of people from Myanmar to Bangladesh, at the Kutupalong refugee camp in Ukhia, Bangladeshm Aug. 25. Some 200,000 Rohingya rallied to mark two years since they fled a violent crackdown by Myanmar forces, just days after a second failed attempt to repatriate them. | AFP-JIJI 

DHAKA – Bangladesh on Thursday accused Myanmar of lacking the “will” to repatriate the Rohingya, as the spat between the countries grew over the recent failed attempt to return the stateless minority to their homes.

China Proposes Meeting with Bangladesh, Myanmar over Rohingya Repatriation

BenarNews

Kamran Reza Chowdhury
Dhaka
2019-08-29

 

Bangladeshi Foreign Minister A.K. Abdul Momen briefs Dhaka-based diplomats and representatives of international agencies on efforts to repatriate Rohingya refugees, Aug. 29, 2019.

HO/Bangladesh Foreign Ministry 

 

Beijing has proposed a fresh tripartite meeting with Bangladesh and Myanmar to jumpstart the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims, Bangladesh’s foreign minister said Thursday, as pressure mounted for the two neighboring countries to find a solution to the refugee crisis.

Officials: Myanmar, Bangladesh Working to Repatriate 3,450 Rohingya Refugees

Radio Free Asia
2019-08-16

A Rohingya man and children appear outside a makeshift home at a refugee camp in Bangladesh’s Cox Bazar district, July 7, 2019. BenarNews

Bangladesh and Myanmar said Friday they were working on the first repatriation of Rohingya refugees since members of the ethnic minority fled a massive military crackdown in Rakhine state two years ago, amid confusion over how the process would unfold.

“Myanmar has given clearance to about 3,450 people [to return from refugee camps in Bangladesh],” Mohammad Abul Kalam, chief of Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission, told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

India wants Bangladesh to start Rohingya repatriation again

bdnews24.com
Senior Correspondent bdnews24.com
04 Aug 2019

India wants Bangladesh to start the Rohingya repatriation again in August, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen has said.

 

Talking to reporters on Sunday, Momen said he met his Indian counterpart S Jaishankar at the Asean meeting in Bangkok last week and discussed the issue.

“He told me to start sending them whatever the number is. Start the process this month, preferably in mid-August,” Momen said, adding that "India is also ready to support in this regard".

Asia-Pacific ministers vow to end regional rows

Bangkok Post
3 Aug 2019

newspaper section: News
writer: Thana Boonlert

 US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo smiles as he stands between Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai during a family photo at the East Asia Summit meeting in Bangkok on Friday. (Reuters photo)

Foreign ministers of Asia-Pacific countries have affirmed they were committed to resolving conflicts in the South China Sea, Myanmar's Rakhine state, and the Korean Peninsula, according to the Foreign Ministry.

Asean supports Myanmar's commitment to Rohingya repatriation

malaysia kini

Bernama
1st August 2019 

Asean foreign ministers reiterated their continued support for Myanmar’s commitment to ensure safety and security for all communities in Rakhine State as effectively as possible, as well as facilitating the voluntary return of Rohingya refugees in a safe, secure and dignified manner.

In a joint Communique of the 52nd Asean Foreign Ministers’ Meeting here, the ministers looked forward to the continued and effective dialogue between Myanmar and Bangladesh to facilitate the repatriation process of displaced persons from the Rakhine State.

Bangladesh Calls for Financial Sanctions on Myanmar, as Country Pushes for Rohingya Repatriation

VOA

By Anis Ahmed, Leslie Bonilla

July 19, 2019 

Rohingya refugees shout slogan during a protest against the repatriation process at Unchiprang refugee camp near Cox's Bazar, in Bangladesh, Nov. 15, 2018.   

WASHINGTON - Bangladesh wants Myanmar to repatriate the nearly 1 million Rohingya refugees who have fled genocide, and a top Bangladeshi official wants international financial sanctions to back it up.

Much of the Muslim-majority ethnic group has fled to Bangladesh after Myanmar’s latest brutal crackdown in 2017, which included mass killings, sexual assaults and arson. The military has justified its crackdown, which involved mass killings, gang rapes and widespread arson, as a way of eradicating Rohingya insurgents.

Bangladesh: Chinese Envoy Rapped for Linking Rohingya Crisis to Economic Trade.

RADIO FREE ASIA  
2019-05-10

Chinese envoy to Bangladesh Zhang Zuo (center) answers questions during a news conference in Dhaka, May 8, 2019.

BenarNews

A Bangladeshi official and political observers on Friday criticized a statement by the Chinese ambassador, who suggested this week that the Rohingya refugee crisis could be solved through economic development in neighboring Myanmar’s Rakhine state.