Bangladesh says it will return Rohingya Muslim refugees within two years

“Bangladesh authorities also need to proceed with the paperwork and documents for refugees and send it to us fast”.

“There will be two working groups – one will work on verification process for Rohingya, and the other will facilitate the return of verified refugees to Myanmar“, an official in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who preferred to remain unnamed, said.

“The repatriation would be completed preferably within two years from the commencement of repatriation”, said Bangladesh foreign ministry in a statement yesterday, following the first joint working group meeting (JWG) in Naypyitaw on January 15-16. “So, I think, the two countries will extend the time frame of repatriation”, Chakma told BenarNews. The following year, the global community and Bangladesh government convinced Myanmar (then known as Burma) to repatriate nearly all of those pushed out. But military targeting of the Rohingya, followed by repatriating the Rohingya, became recurring cycle.

Meanwhile, the Myanmar government has been implementing short-term projects in Rakhine state after the region, especially in northern part, regained security and stability destroyed by extremists.

In a report published on December 12, the global humanitarian organization said that the deaths of 71.7 percent or 6,700 Rohingya were caused by violence. It has occurred in 1978, 1992, 2012, 2016, and most recently in August 2017. After the last wave of violence in the Asian country, almost 900,000 members of that minority fled to Bangladesh in search of refuge and remain in improvised settlements.

He added: “If they had to take the Rohingyas back, then why did they drive them away?” It’s progress on a deal the countries struck in November, but there’s still no details on how many Rohingya would be let back in, or if their safety would be guaranteed.

Most immediately, the voluntary nature of any return must be verified, with a process put in place for the United Nations to check that every Rohingya refugee who crosses back over the border does so willingly.

The former foreign secretary added saying bilateral and worldwide pressure will have to be continued on the Myanmar. The government says people will be allowed to return to their villages, but the many whose homes were burned down will be housed temporarily in camps.

Regarding the repatriation, Shahidul said: “UN refugee agency and other global agencies have to be involved in the process to solve the problem effectively”.

The fear of reprisal from the worldwide community in response to these reported war crimes has forced Myanmar to repatriate 50-100 people per day.

After 650,000 Rohingya refugees fled Myanmar to neighboring Bangladesh in a span of five months, the two Asian governments have established a plan to slowly repatriate members of the Muslim minority community.