BANGLADESH ACCUSED OF DELAYING ROHINGYA REPATRIATION

Bangladesh has not sent list of Rohingya who fled, says Myanmar official

MYANMAR yesterday 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 United Nations accusations of ethnic cleansing, Myanmar vowed to take back Rohingya who meet “verification” standards. But the criteria remained vague, raising fears it would be used to restrict the number of returnees.

Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay pointed the finger at Bangladesh — 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 had yet to send an official list of the Rohingya who had fled since Aug 25, he added.

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

“Currently, they have got nearly US$400 million. 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, saying the two countries were working to overcome differences in drafts of a repatriation agreement.

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

Myanmar had said Rohingya would have to prove prior residence in Rakhine State to return, but this could be difficult for many members of a stateless minority who lacked proper documentation. AFP

REUTERS PIC Rohingya refugees waiting to receive permission from the Bangladeshi army to continue their way after crossing the Bangladesh-Myanmar border, at a port in Teknaf, Bangladesh, on Tuesday.