Hsu / Myo Gyi (NP News) – Feb 27

According to an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Myanmar is planning to welcome back more than 1,000 persons who were displaced from #Rakhine_State. 

Fifth Myanmar-Bangladesh Joint Working Group Meeting for #Repatriation of Displaced People is reconvened and the Working Group was adjourned in June 2022. 

Both countries reportedly agreed to process repatriation and scrutiny at the meeting. To conduct the pilot project for the repatriation as soon as possible; and to issue the legal documents from Bangladesh Courts were also agreed. Therefore, Myanmar is conducting to re-accept the displaced persons who moved from Rakhine State accordingly as per the bilateral agreement.

 “We are conducting necessary preparations for the pilot project on readmission of more than 1,000 displaced people. During these times, the displaced people gave birth to newborns and so we have to conduct necessary scrutiny procedures. Therefore, they need to show legal documents from Bangladesh courts confirming that both of the parents are displaced people from Myanmar. After that scrutiny process, they can convene other repatriation process.” the responsible personnel from MOFA said.    

The repatriation processes for displaced people were conducted twice in 2018 and 2019. 

 “Both in 2018 and 2019 plans for repatriation, Myanmar conducted necessary preparations to be able to accept them in line with the prior bilateral agreement. In the first time, the potential displaced head counts for repatriation were 2260 and it was 3450 in the second time,” he continued. It was failed in both times due to the threats and pressures imposed by the terrorists from the Bangladesh camps.