Myanmar submits return plan

Offering special Citizenship to Rohingyas

After a two-day meeting Myanmar officials said that the Rohingyas staying in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazar would be repatriated as per the 1982 citizenship law of Myanmar. Under the law, the Myanmar delegate offered a special category citizenship status for the persecuted Rohingyas now living under refugee status in Bangladesh. The delegates also offered to have further discussion on the issue.

Bangladeshi counterpart also in Cox’s Bazar and involved in the possible Rohingya repatriation termed the offers as ‘progress to solving the decade long Rohingya crises’. Myanmar and the Association of South-East Asian Nations ASEAN delegations visited the Rohingya camps and set a joint meeting with Repatriation Task Force, RTF of Bangladesh in Cox’s Bazar on Saturday.

Also read “Myanmar delegation’s meeting with Rohingya refugees/reactions”: https://lnkd.in/gUqa-jz

The delegates began their two days visit of the Rohingya camps in Cox's Bazar on Saturday morning. Till Sunday noon the delegates have separately met with Muslim and Hindu communities of Rohingya. Beside this, Myanmar and ASEAN delegates held meetings with officials of Bangladesh, the United Nations and international humanitarian agencies on refugee verification disputes and physical arrangement of the possible repatriation.

Rohingya refused to return without recognition https://reut.rs/2YaFweT

The visiting delegation of ASEAN Humanitarian Assistance AHA was presented during all the meetings held in Cox’s Bazar. Meanwhile, the leaders of the Rohingya community in Cox’s Bazar held a second meeting with the representatives of Myanmar and AHA at the camp site in Cox's Bazar. In the Meeting Myanmar delegation and ASEAN human rights team presented a six page Rohingya repatriation outline plan. The plan guarantees to settle the Rohingya families in their homes within 2-3 days and assures peaceful normal life. It also elaborated on the plans to give citizenships to the Rohingyas.

The Myanmar officials demanded that every Rohingya should hold National Verification Card, NVC and it will be issued during the process of repatriation. NVC card is a temporary until they are verified for full citizenship. Each NVC holder would be required to apply for citizenship later. At the meeting, the Rohingya leaders raised their demands as usual. There were mixed reactions to the new repatriation plans.

“We demanded the assurance of citizenship and security in Rakhine state as a precondition for beginning of repatriation,” said Mohammad Mohib Ullah, a Rohingya representative who attended the meetings with Myanmar and ASEAN delegates. He said, “They told us many things about repatriation, however we would take final decision after we discuss among ourselves.”

While leaving the Rohingya camp Myanmar Foreign Affairs Permanent Secretary U Myint Thu told reporters, "In the meeting, I tried to explain the 1982 citizenship law. According to the law there are three categories of citizenship in the law.” One is full citizen, and another is those who are here can apply for naturalization citizenship who live in Myanmar for three generation. And their sons and daughters can apply also for this.”

He said, “Actually we try to explain to them what are to be possibilities of citizenship. Off course, according to the law they may not be entitled to full citizenship, but they are entitled to seek naturalization citizenship eventually their son and daughter and grandsons and granddaughters are entitled for full citizenship." He added.

There are currently around one million Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, of which seven lakh have arrived following a brutal military operation in Rakhine province of Myanmar in late August in 2017. Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a repatriation deal in November 2017 and agreed that the first batch of 2251 refugees from northern Rakhine State would return to Myanmar on November 15, but the refugees refused to return over fears for their safety after returning.

After the series of meetings, Mohammad Abul Kalam, Refugee, Relief and Repatriation Commissioner also head of the RTF told The Bangladesh Post, “They (Myanmar delegates and Rohingyas) have discussed the issues and also agreed to meet again for talks; I think it’s a positive gesture.”

“This is a decade long issue and its need time to solve. They have shown interest to discuss the repatriation issue which is considered very positive,” he added.

Source: Bangladesh Post