The Rohingyas are still unable to trust Myanmar officials that visited camps in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday.
A total of 40 leaders of the Rohingya community met with a high-level Myanmar delegation led by its Permanent Foreign Secretary Myint Thu after they visited the Ukhiya Extension Camp-4.
The Rohingyas, driven out of their homes in Rakhine in 2017, raised their demands for safe and dignified repatriation to the delegation.
Myint Thu said that the Myanmar government is contemplating their demands and urged the displaced Rohingyas to go back to Rakhine.
“All facilities including houses and schools have been arranged for you,” he told the Rohingya representatives.
However, he couldn’t gain their trust and the delegation said that the talks will continue.
“Myanmar will never take us back. It’s all a farce,” said Rohingya leader Dil Mohammad.
He added that the visits to Rohingya camps are part of a farce the Myanmar puts up under international pressure.
“This is the second time a Myanmar delegation came to speak to us at the Rohingya camp,” said another leader Muhib Ullah.
“We have been urged to go back but they didn’t reassure us about how to do it,” he added.
Muhib Ullah said that they have repeatedly moved for the fundamental rights that the Myanmar has consistently denied.
“All of have the same demand. First and foremost we must be recognised as Myanmar citizens,” Rohingya leader Jobayer Hossain said.
He added that their demands include being able to move freely and be allowed all the rights of a citizens.
Hossain and a few other Rohingya leaders who took part in the meeting said that the Myanmar team has conceded to hold regular dialogue regarding the repatriation process.
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Abul Kalam Azad who was part of the Bangladesh team tasked to facilitate the meeting, confirmed that a five-member delegation of ASEAN’s relief management agency, AHA, also accompanied the Myanmar team.
The Myanmar delegation arrived in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday morning to visit the Rohingyas Bangladesh is housing and open dialogues for them to return.
In November 2017, Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation deal, but no Rohingya person volunteered to return.
The host country Bangladesh has repeatedly said it would not force any Rohingya under the repatriation agreement.
International communities have also called on Bangladesh not to force Rohingya to return to Myanmar and that the whole process should be done on a voluntary basis.
In November 2018, a formal move to start the repatriation process was postponed as none of the Rohingya agreed to return to their country on the ground of lack of safety and dignity in Rakhine.
