Burma in talks to take back thousands of Rohingya

A BURMESE minister yesterday proposed taking back hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh after a military crackdown, according to Dhaka’s top diplomat.

However, no details of the planned repatriation were given by AH Mahmood Ali, the Bangladesh foreign minister, and there was widespread scepticism over whether any of the Rohingya now in Bangladesh would return. Half a million have arrived over the last five weeks after militant attacks in Burma’s Rakhine state sparked violent reprisals.

The United Nations has said the attacks carried out by the Burmese military could amount to ethnic cleansing in the Buddhist-dominated country.

The talks between Mr Mahmood Ali and Kyaw Tint Swe, minister for the office of the state counsellor of Myanmar, came as UN representatives were allowed to access Rakhine for the first time since the crisis erupted on Aug 25.

UN officials, diplomats and aid groups were taken on a one-day visit organised by Burmese authorities. They were flown by helicopter to Maungdaw, epicentre of the violence.

Mr Mahmood Ali held what he called “friendly” talks in Dhaka with the representative of Aung San Suu Kyi, Burma’s civilian leader. “Myanmar has made a proposal to take back the Rohingya refugees,” the minister told reporters. “The two sides have agreed to set up a joint working group to coordinate the repatriation process.”

Ms Suu Kyi, severely criticised for her failure to curb the military crackdown, said last month that Burma would take back “verified” refugees.

This would be done according to criteria agreed in 1993, when tens of thousands of Rohingya were repatriated, she said. The Bangladesh minister gave no time frame for repatriation and did not say whether Burma would also take back 300,000 Rohingya refugees who fled during earlier violence.

He said refugees would be verified by the joint working group, without UN involvement. “Bangladesh has proposed a bilateral agreement to help implement the repatriation,” he said.

Burma denies the Rohingya citizenship even though many have lived there for generations. They are considered illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

‘The two sides have agreed to a proposal to set up a joint working group to coordinate the repatriation’