By @TODAYonline
GENEVA - Myanmar told the United Nations refugee agency
on Monday its top priority was to bring back Rohingyas who have fled to
Bangladesh, but much work was needed to "consolidate stability" in
its troubled northern region of Rakhine.
Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed on Monday to set up a
working group to plan the repatriation of more than half a million Rohingya
Muslim refugees who have fled to Bangladesh to escape an army crackdown, the
Bangladeshi foreign minister said.
Win Myat Aye, Myanmar's Union Minister, Minister of
Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, addressed the U.N. refugee agency's
(UNHCR) Executive Committee after U.N. refugee chief Filippo Grandi called for
resolving issues related to Rohingya citizenship and rights.
"Our next immediate priority is to bring back the
refugees who have fled to Bangladesh," Win Myat Aye told the Geneva forum.
"The repatriation process can start any time for
those who wish to return to Myanmar. The verification of refugees will be based
on the agreement between the Myanmar and Bangladesh governments in 1993"
he said.
"Those who have been verified as refugees from this
country will be accepted without any problem and with full assurance of their
security and their access to human dignity."
The status of Rohingya remains unsettled in Myanmar where
they are denied citizenship and classified as illegal immigrants, despite
claiming roots in Myanmar that go back centuries, with communities marginalized
and subjected to bouts of communal violence over the years.
Many refugees are gloomy about the prospects of going
back to Buddhist-majority Myanmar, fearing they will not be able to furnish the
documents they anticipate the government will demand to prove they have a right
to return.
Win Myat Aye accused "terrorist organizations"
of launching coordinated attacks on police posts on Aug. 25 that sparked the
exodus. He said in addition to a humanitarian perspective, handling the
situation also required "considerations from security and political
angles".
"Although the security situation has improved in the
affected areas and (there has been) no more armed clashes since Sept. 5, much
needs to be done to consolidate the stability in the region," he said.
"Giving preferential treatment to one group in terms
of providing humanitarian assistance or media advocacy could worsen the
sentiment of the other group," he said. REUTERS
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