UN finds Myanmar not set for Rohingya return

Yangon, April 8: Conditions in Myanmar’s crisis- hit northern Rakhine state are “not conducive” to bringing back Rohingya from Bangladesh, the United Nations has said, in remarks that jar with the country’s insistence that it is ready for returnees.

Some 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled over the border since August to escape a bloody military crackdown that has left a trail of torched villages in its wake as refugees allege murder and rape by Myanmar’s armed forces.

The Army denies the allegations and casts its campaign as a legitimate response to Rohingya militant attacks on August 25 that killed about a dozen border guard police.

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal in November, but not one refugee has returned.

“Right now, the conditions are not conducive to a voluntary, dignified and sustainable return,” said Ursula Mueller, assistant secretary general for the UNs Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.

Speaking at the end of a six- day trip to the country during which she visited northern Rakhine, Ms Mueller said Myanmar needs to address “critical issues of freedom of movement, social cohesion, livelihoods, and access to services”.

■ MYANMAR and Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal in November, but not one refugee has returned. ■ THE UN said conditions in Rakhine are “not conducive” for Rohingyas to return