Myanmar, Bangladesh to cooperate with UNHCR on Rohingya return

11/27/2017 - 2:08:44 PM

Myanmar and Bangladesh have agreed to take assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC) to repatriate hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Bangladesh to Myanmar.

Rohingya refugees wait at a relief centre after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border in the Teknaf area, Bangladesh, November 23, 2017 (Photo Reuters/VNA)

Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said on November 25 that the three sides will establish a joint working group within three weeks to fix the terms for the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims.

The priority is to ensure safety, he said, adding that Rohingya people will initially have to live in temporary shelters or camps after their return to Myanmar from Bangladesh.

On November 23, the two countries signed an agreement on the repatriation process of Rohingya Muslims, which is expected to start in two months.

Some 620,000 Rohingya people had to flee to neighbouring Bangladesh after violence broke out in Myanmar’s Rakhine state on August 25. Rohingya militants attacked 24 police posts and a military base, leading to the government to respond with a security campaign. Clashes have killed at least 110 so far.

Source: VNA

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