The repatriation process remains in limbo
The
repatriation of some 3,000 Muslim refugees back to Myanmar, who have been in
camps in Bangladesh for nearly two years, was supposed to start Thursday. But
widespread fear and confusion in the camps have left the repatriation plans in
limbo.
Nearly a
million Rohingya fled to neighbouring Bangladesh from Rakhine in Myanmar’s
Western region, after the military-led crackdown there in August 2017. The
United Nations has repeatedly called the army’s actions tantamount to
“genocide” -- an allegation the country’s civilian and military leaders
strenuously reject.
Recently,
the Myanmar and Bangladesh government finally agreed to try to seriously start
the repatriation process -- making synchronized announcements last Friday that
the first batch of returnees to be repatriated would begin Thursday.
‘People
were hiding’: Bangladesh bid to repatriate Rohingya stalls as refugees refuse: https://reut.rs/2L32Jq4
But this
is only after the two countries have been involved in a long, drawn-out
negotiation process on repatriation, which continued to yield little progress,
despite Bangladesh and Myanmar signing a bilateral agreement in late November
2017.
Nothing
has happened since then, with both governments blaming each other for the
stalemate -- trading accusations and insinuations as to who was responsible for
the continued delays. But the significant participation of China behind the
scenes, and persistent Japanese nudging has been instrumental in this latest
bilateral agreement to begin repatriation. The regional group Asean has also
lent its support to the process.
Even at
this late stage, it is unclear whether the repatriation will, in fact, begin as
planned. Most refugees in the camps are reluctant to commit themselves to
return at this stage. It seems the move is far too rushed and ill-planned, according
to sources in both Bangladesh and Myanmar.
It is
about two weeks since the Bangladesh government gave the UN refugee agency
(UNHCR) the list of 3,540 refugees that Myanmar had submitted -- with the names
of those refugees that had been approved -- and asked them for their assistance
in ascertaining who on the list were prepared to return.
According
to UNHCR staff in Bangladesh, the UN organization began what they call “an
intentions survey” a few days ago. This is reportedly consultations with
individual refugee families in private to determine whether they want to
return. The process is ongoing and continuing, according to the agency.
“However, given the numbers of refugees, this process will take time,” said
Louise Donovan, the UNHCR spokesperson in Cox’s Bazar.
“The
refugees must be able to make a free and individual decision,” she said.
“During our discussions with the refugees, UNHCR will provide the available
information that we have concerning conditions in Myanmar and in the areas of
return. However, UNHCR is severely constrained because of the current
limitations on UNHCR’s access to areas in Rakhine, which prevents us from fully
assessing the conditions of return.”
The
refugees in the camps have continuously refused to contemplate returning to
Myanmar for fear of further violence. An ill-considered attempt to kick-start
the process in November last year sowed further fear and confusion in the
camps, and finally failed after refugee protests.
The
Myanmar government has been at pains to convince the refugees that the
situation has changed in Rakhine. Late last month, a delegation led by the
Myanmar foreign ministry’s permanent secretary Min Thu also visited the camps
and explained the situation in Myanmar to them, assuring them that no one would
be forced to return and hailed the improved domestic situation in Rakhine:
Better access to education and health facilities, livelihood projects, and
activities to promote social cohesion reconciliation between the various
communities.
Of
course, the issue of citizenship remains a thorny problem that still needs to
be tackled head-on by the Myanmar authorities. Several refugees, earlier this
week, insisted to camp officials that, without guarantees of citizenship, there
is no point in returning.
Of course
both the Myanmar and Bangladesh governments have been at pains to assure the
refugees that they will guarantee “a safe, voluntary, dignified, and
sustainable repatriation.” But the security measures in place, and whether it
is safe to return, are not something the UN on the ground appears ready to
assess, seeing it as a bilateral matter. All the UNHCR is really concerned
about, is whether the process is truly voluntary.
Sources
in the camps say tension is rising as most refugees are unsure of the future,
the fear is that the process may become mandatory and there are already
accusations of local Bangladeshi officials becoming heavy handed in their
eagerness to start the repatriation process. There is a strong possibility of a
repeat of last year’s fiasco when buses pulled up at the camps to transport
them back to Rakhine -- decked with banners in Myanmar saying welcome -- and no
one got on.
There is
no doubt that Myanmar and Bangladesh have been under increased pressure -- from
China and to a lesser degree Japan -- in recent months to break the impasse.
China’s special envoy, Sun Guoxiang has been devoting his attention to helping
Myanmar solve its Rakhine problems and commence refugee repatriation. He has
made several visits this year with that specific mission in mind.
Chinese
diplomats have also been working with Bangladesh behind the scenes to move the
process forward. PM Sheikh Hasina elicited China’s support to solve the refugee
issue when she met President Xi Jingping in Beijing during her state visit
there in July.
Last
week, envoy Sun had separate meetings with the State Counsellor Aung San Suu
Kyi and the Army Chief Senior Min Aung Hlaing and discussed the way forward for
Rakhine with them.
Japan has
also been dipping its oar into the Rakhine issue, and gently pushing both the
civilian and military leaders to bite the bullet and start taking back
refugees. For Tokyo though, the UN has to be a central player in the process.
The
Japanese foreign minister, on his recent visits at the end of July to Naypyidaw
and Dhaka, also urged the two governments to be more cooperative and find a way
to start the repatriation process.
Bangladesh
and Myanmar are heavily dependent on both China and Japan for aid, investment,
and trade. It seems that economics might successfully break the deadlock
between the two countries. But regional pressure alone cannot guarantee the
refugees will return to Rakhine.
Major sources: DhakaTribune
Major sources: DhakaTribune