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Chaos and confusion as Rohingya refugee repatriations set to begin Bangladesh says Rohingya refugees will not be forced back to Myanmar
(about 1 hour later)
Confusion and uncertainty remained on Thursday over whether Bangladesh would begin the scheduled repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar despite overwhelming evidence that none are willing to return voluntarily. Bangladesh has said it is fully prepared to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees to Myanmar but emphasised it would not force anyone to go back against their will.
Thousands of the Rohingya refugees who had been put on a list “approved” for return to Myanmar- due to start today- have gone into hiding out of fear that, despite assurance by the Bangladesh authorities that repatriation will be “totally voluntary”, the security forces would forcibly send them across the border. Four trucks and three buses have been stationed at Unchiprang camp in Cox’s Bazar since Thursday morning, ready to carry refugees who have been “approved” to a transit camp by the border – but not one refugee has been willing to board them back to Myanmar so far.
By mid-morning on Thursday, the presence of the military and the police remained heavy in the camps but no attempts to repatriate refugees had begun. Most on a list of those approved to return have gone into hiding.
The few who are reportedly willing to return are 450 Hindu families who are on the list of 2,260 refugees who have been vetted and approved by Myanmar to come back. Mohammad Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and rehabilitation commissioner, told the Guardian his team had completed the “physical and logistical preparations” to facilitate the repatriation.
The UNHCR, who have actively opposed the repatriation plans out of concern that the current conditions in Myanmar do not guarantee the rights and safety of the Rohingya, began a process of interviewing every refugee on the list to determine whether they wanted to return but struggled to find most of them. “We decided to repatriate refugees from the Unchiprang camp today,” he said. “Our entire team has reached the camp in the morning. There is also a medical team which is ready to accompany the returning refugees up to the border. If we get anyone voluntarily willing to return, we will help them cross the border.”
But by Wednesday night, hours before repatriation was due to begin, the UNHCR had spoken to just 48 families who all said they did not want to return to Myanmar in the current conditions. Abul Kalam emphasised that Bangladesh was “totally committed to the principle of the non-refoulement and voluntary repatriation”. “We will not force anyone to go back to Myanmar against his or her will,” he said.
The Bangladesh refugee commissioner was unavailable for comment on Wednesday night on whether the repatriations would proceed despite the mass resistance. More than 2,000 Rohingya refugees had been put on the list approved by Myanmar for return, without their consent. While the plan was to send them back in batches of 150 per day, by Wednesday night almost all had gone into hiding in other camps and in the nearby forest amid fears they would be sent to Myanmar against their will.
Qadar, who like many Rohingya uses one name, told the Guardian that, from Jamtoli camp alone, several thousand refugees had gone into hiding in the forests and nearby hills since Wednesday evening to make sure they were not sent back to Myanmar against their will. Hours before repatriation was due to begin, the UN high commissioner for refugees had located just 50 families listed for repatriation, all of whom said they did not want to return to Myanmar in the current conditions.
“Almost all the refugees who are in the list have disappeared,” said Qadar, who was among those sheltering in the forest. “Many are saying that in this situation security forces would pick up other Rohingya who are not on the list and push them across the border to meet their repatriation-related targets. However, while Abul Kalam acknowledged most Rohingya were still too afraid to return, he insisted: “at least some Rohingya, we believe, are willing to go back to Myanmar now. We are trying to reach them in different camps. We are ready to help them return to Myanmar.”
“In Myanmar often we the Rohingya men fled our villages and spent nights hiding in forests and hills to avoid arrest by Burmese forces who usually raided at night,” he added. “We never thought that even in Bangladesh we would someday need to stay away in hiding in the forest this way under the open sky.” The few who are reportedly willing to return are 420 Hindus – but Kalam said they were focusing on repatriating Rohingya for the time being and would repatriate those Hindus at a later stage.
Fears in the Cox’s Bazar camps, particularly Jamtoli, Unchiprang and Chakmarkul, intensified on Wednesday as the army, police and paramilitary moved in to try and prevent any further Rohingya families going into hiding to avoid repatriation back to Myanmar. Confusion reigned as it was unclear if the repatriations would begin on Thursday, as per the schedule laid out by both the Myanmar and Bangladesh governments. Mohammad Idris, a Rohingya community leader who was at a meeting at Unchiprang camp on Thursday morning, said all 50 of the families in the camp listed for return had “disappeared from their shacks three or four days ago and the officials have failed to trace them”.
Rohingya refugees told the Guardian of the multiple ways that the Bangladesh authorities were trying to “persuade” refugees to go back, including telling them that it was the only way they would get the Myanmar government to give them rights and citizenship. He added: “Since this morning, army and police have surrounded the camp. Refugee and other administrative officials have been holding meetings with the majhis and other Rohingya community leaders seeking their help to persuade the listed refugees to return to Myanmar.”
They also made direct threats. Saifullah, who lives in Balukhali camp, said that the CIC had warned the majhis of “stern actions” if the Rohingya who are in the repatriation list do not return to Myanmar. Rohingya refugees told the Guardian of the multiple ways the Bangladesh authorities were trying to “persuade” refugees to go back, including telling them that it was the only way they would get the Myanmar government to give them rights and citizenship.
They also made direct threats. Saifullah, who lives in Balukhali camp, said the (Camp in Charge) CIC had warned the majhis of “stern actions” if the Rohingya who are in the repatriation list do not return to Myanmar.
“The CIC have been telling Rohingya refugees will face hardship if they do not return to Myanmar,” he said. “They are threatening to stop supplying rations to refugees, saying they will be barred from working with the different NGOs and will not have the freedom to move around freely.”“The CIC have been telling Rohingya refugees will face hardship if they do not return to Myanmar,” he said. “They are threatening to stop supplying rations to refugees, saying they will be barred from working with the different NGOs and will not have the freedom to move around freely.”
The UN has called on both governments to halt the “rushed” repatriation plans but the pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Bangladesh, however, tried to quell the panic by instructing NGOs it maintained its commitment to voluntary returns and that all NGOs should continue their work as usual on Thursday. The UN has called on both governments to halt the “rushed” repatriation plans but the pleas appear to have fallen on deaf ears. Bangladesh, however, tried to quell the panic by instructing NGOs it maintained its commitment to voluntary returns and that all NGOs should continue their work as usual.
There are over 700,00o Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar who fled a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military in August 2017, which was described by the UN fact-finding mission as genocide. The violence saw women raped, children massacred and thousands killed, while most Rohingya villages in Rakhine state were burned to the ground. According to the head of the UN fact-finding mission, the genocide in Rakhine against the muslim minority is “still ongoing” and there were demonstrations this week among Buddhist Rakhine communities who protested against the return of the Rohingya. There are more than 700,000 Rohingya refugees living in Cox’s Bazar who fled a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military in August 2017, which was described by the UN fact-finding mission as genocide. Women were raped, children massacred and thousands killed, while most Rohingya villages in Rakhine state were burned to the ground.
Myanmar has insisted they are ready for returns and laid the blame for any delays at Bangladesh’s door. Officials have stated that refugees from Cox’s Bazar will be processed in one of the two centres built by Bangladesh and then transported back to Myanmar either by boat or on land to Hla Po Khaung transition camp, in Rakhine state. According to the head of the UN fact-finding mission, the genocide in Rakhine against the muslim minority was ongoing, and there were demonstrations this week among Buddhist Rakhine communities who protested against the return of the Rohingya.
The Myanmar government have assured the international community the Rohingya will then be housed in new homes built in Maungdaw, one of the three areas the Rohingya had lived before the crackdown, though they will not be allowed to travel outside of the township. Most will also be unable to return to their original homes and villages because they were burned down by the military in the crackdown. Myanmar has insisted it is ready for returns and laid the blame for any delays at Bangladesh’s door. Officials have stated that refugees from Cox’s Bazar will be processed in one of the two centres built by Bangladesh and then transported to Myanmar either by boat or on land to Hla Po Khaung transition camp, in Rakhine state.
The Myanmar government have assured the international community the Rohingya will then be housed in new homes built in Maungdaw, one of the three areas in which the Rohingya had lived before the crackdown, though they will not be allowed to travel outside of the township. Most will also be unable to return to their original homes and villages because they were destroyed by the military.
BangladeshBangladesh
RohingyaRohingya
MyanmarMyanmar
Refugees Refugees (World news)
South and Central AsiaSouth and Central Asia
Human rightsHuman rights
Refugees (Global development)
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