Signing of an 'instrument' between Bangladesh and Myanmar for repatriation of Rohingyas notwithstanding, not a single person out of over a million refugees returned home within the last six months. Buddhist-majority Myanmar, as in the past, seems to have taken an indifferent approach this time too towards taking back home its persecuted Muslim-majority Rakhine nationals.
Myanmar hurriedly entered a repatriation deal with Bangladesh on November 23 last year amid growing international pressure. It, however, attached a condition to the deal that Bangladesh would have to prepare a family-wise list of Rohingyas and they would have to go through a verification of residency. Why Bangladesh accepted this condition remains a riddle. This proviso has complicated the repatriation process.
Myanmar was supposed to start taking back its nationals within two months following the deal. It was also agreed that it would accept 1,500 Rohingya refugees each week. This would take almost 10 years in that case to take back all 740,000 who left the country since October 2016.
Since signing the deal, Myanmar has verified the residency of about 1,000 Rohingyas out of a list containing 8,032 names for repatriation. A Joint Working Group (JWG), formed to oversee the repatriation after signing the deal, failed to fix any date for repatriation during its second meeting in Dhaka last week. JWG's first meeting took place in Naypyidaw on January 15 upon which Bangladesh on February 16 handed over the family-wise list for repatriation.
Thousands of Rohingya people fled their homes after those were set afire, and it is next to impossible for them now to produce the kind of documents that Myanmar demands to prove their residency. Not surprisingly, the Myanmar officials have alleged that the verification forms sent to them were not properly filled-in by the Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh. But Bangladesh officials rejected any such allegation outright.
After concluding the JWG's Dhaka meet, the Bangladesh foreign ministry in a statement on May 17 said Dhaka stressed the need for creating a conducive environment in Rakhine, which includes safety and security of the returnees, rebuilding villages, access to livelihood and freedom of movement.
Bangladesh asked Myanmar to allow a delegation from Dhaka to visit Rakhine state for inspecting the progress in the Rohingya rehabilitation process that Myanmar claims to have initiated. Though Myanmar agreed to the proposal, no date was agreed upon.
Myanmar of late has also agreed to sign an agreement with UN bodies like United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to allow them to work in Rakhine as part of getting involved in the repatriation process. How this will progress is anybody's guess.
Myanmar's blatant trickery towards repatriation took a fresh turn and twist of late when its Border Guard Police (BGP) broadcast a message to the estimated 5,800 Rohingyas stranded in the no man's land in Bandarban area to move somewhere else. That the BGP has been claiming that these people who took shelter in no man's land are "Bangalees" speaks volumes about how Myanmar continues to view its disenfranchised people.
Myanmar has repeatedly declared that the physical infrastructure required for Rohingya repatriation is in place, but the latest Crisis Group report says the situation in Rakhine is not favourable and no meaningful steps have been taken to ensure a safe and sustainable return of the refugees.
The UN Security Council members, who recently visited Myanmar, said that the conditions were not yet conducive for a safe, dignified and sustainable return of the Rohingya refugees to Rakhine, where they have been denied citizenship, government jobs, higher education, right to free movement and healthcare facilities since 1982.
This betrays the real attitude of Myanmar. It has stubbornly been in denial of the systemic killings, lootings, torching of houses and raping of women in the Rohingya habitats in Rakhine it perpetrated, which forced the refugees to take shelter in Bangladesh. These amounted to crimes against humanity, genocide and ethnic cleansing.
Hence, any sustainable repatriation now hinges on at least three factors - firstly, Rohingyas must be given back their citizenship, secondly, their security in Rakhine has to be ensured under UN mediation and thirdly, their land, including homes, must be returned to them. Above all, Myanmar government and army have to curb ethnic and religious persecution of the Rohingyas and ensure their integration in society.
Otherwise, the Rohingya refugees, who may be repatriated, will be in danger of meeting the fate of the refugees of the past. The camps in the Rakhine capital of Sittwe are still home to around 130,000 Rohingyas who have been languishing there since June 2012.
To facilitate any sustainable repatriation anytime soon, creating a conducive environment in Rakhine is the first thing Myanmar needs to ensure beforehand. It also needs to address the root causes of the Rohingya crisis by implementing the Kofi Annan Commission recommendations, including those related to human rights, citizenship etc.
