Dhaka accused of dragging its feet

Myanmar: Bangladesh delaying repatriation

YANGON: Myanmar has accused Bangladesh of delaying the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims who have fled Rakhine state since August, as conditions worsen for the stateless minority penned into squalid refugee camps.

More than 600,000 members of the Muslim minority have fled a brutal army crackdown in mainly Buddhist Myanmar over the past two months.

After weeks of intense global pressure and UN accusations of ethnic cleansing, Myanmar vowed to take back Rohingya who meet “verification” standards.

But the criteria remains vague, raising fears it will be used to restrict the number of returnees.

Yesterday, Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay pointed the finger at Dhaka – an impoverished country overwhelmed by the influx of refugees – for allegedly delaying the repatriation.

“The Myanmar government already declared we are ready to receive (the refugees) at any time... but the Bangladeshi government is still considering the agreement between the two countries,” he said.

Dhaka has yet to send an official list of the Rohingya, he added.

The Myanmar spokesman declined to elaborate on comments he made to the local press linking the delay to US$400mil (RM1.7bil) in aid which Dhaka had received to expand housing for Rohingya.

“Currently they have got nearly US$400mil. Over their receipt of this amount, we are now afraid of (them) delaying the programme of deporting the refugees,” he was quoted as saying.

A senior Bangladesh foreign ministry official denied Dhaka was dragging its feet. He said the two countries were working to overcome differences in drafts of a repatriation agreement.

Myanmar “were themselves not prepared”, the official said, requesting anonymity. — AFP