Controversial move raises concerns over the safety and security of those being returned All eyes on Rohingya repatriations as Asean summit draws to a close

Myanmar and Bangladesh are set to begin repatriation of Rohingya refugees today, as leaders gather for the final day of the 33rd Association of SouthEast Asian Nations summit in Singapore.

The repatriations are a controversial move that raises concerns over the safety and security of those being returned.

More than 700,000 Rohingya Muslims poured into Bangladesh in 2016 and last year, fleeing brutal campaigns by the Myanmar military after attacks by insurgents. Hundreds of villages were razed.

Repatriations are expected to begin today but the move has been widely decried by rights groups and the UN as premature, dangerous and contrary to the principle of a “safe, voluntary and dignified” return.

A senior US administration official told The National yesterday that Washington did not want to speculate as to whether such repatriations would constitute forcible returns. But the US was anxious to see a safe return, he said.

Myanmar is preparing to receive 2,260 Rohingya refugees, who are among 8,032 people eligible for return, according to a list drafted by Bangladesh.

Myanmar said not all the names on the Bangladesh list were eligible for repatriation. The government said it has only been able to verify about 6,000. The Ministry of Information said it planned to process about 150 people a day, putting them in temporary housing near the border with Bangladesh.

Sources say that for many Rohingya, the prospect of returning with no guarantees of security and scant details on how the process will be conducted, has sent them into hiding among the tent cities along the border.

A visible increase in Bangladeshi security was reported at the teeming camps inside Bangladesh yesterday, prompting fears that Rohingya may face pressure to leave.

The plight of the stateless minority grabbed the spotlight at this year’s Asean summit, after a UN fact-finding mission said Myanmar security forces should be tried in International Criminal Court on charges of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes.

A regional call for justice and accountability may prove elusive, with the Asean chair’s leaked draft speech indicating the bloc would endorse Myanmar’s own investigation commission.

In a brief meeting between US Vice President Mike Pence and State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi yesterday, Mr Pence said the “violence and persecution by military and vigilantes” that resulted in the exodus of 700,000 Rohingya to Bangladesh was “without excuse”.

He asked about progress on accountability for atrocities and preparations for repatriation.

Ms Suu Kyi responded that people must “learn to understand each other better”.

“We can say we understand our country better than any other country does. And I’m sure you will say the same of yours, that you understand your own country better than anybody else does.

Former MP for the military-backed Union Solidarity Development Party, U Shwe Maung, a Rohingya who now lives in exile, said he felt as though history was repeating itself, referring to two previous waves of mass displacement.

“This so-called repatriation is not genuine,” Mr Maung said.

Elsewhere in Rakhine state, more than 100,000 Rohingya remain interned in camps, six years after violence led to their mass displacement. Tens of thousands more are confined to their villages.

“As it stands, returning Rohingya to Rakhine state means returning them to a situation where their rights will be routinely violated,” says Laura Haigh, Myanmar researcher for Amnesty International.

Returning Rohingya to Rakhine state means returning them to a situation where their rights will be violated LAURA HAIGH Researcher for Amnesty International