Rohingya refugees’ repatriation delayed

The repatriation of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh back to Burma, which was due to begin today, will be delayed.

“A lot of preparation is still needed,” said Abul Kalam Azad, Bangladesh’s Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner, adding that a “rigorous process” was required to return some 750,000 refugees who have fled a military crackdown in Burma’s Rakhine state since August.

Mr Azad did not give a revised starting date for the process, which is scheduled to take two years.