According to a bilateral instrument signed by
Bangladesh, and Myanmar on November 23, 2017, the repatriation was supposed to
begin within January 22, 2018, and to be complete by January 22, 2020. But, not
a single Rohingya is yet to be repatriated
Following two failed attempts, Bangladesh will
not make a third one to begin the repatriation of hundreds of thousands of
Rohingyas sheltered in Cox’s Bazar, without the confirmation of success,
concerned officials said.
To a question, he said: “Myanmar never lives
up to its pledges. They say one thing today, and another tomorrow. When you
deal with a country like this, it is extremely difficult to say when the
repatriation will begin. We will only believe it when the first Rohingya heads
back to his or her home in Rakhine.”
However, none of them could say as to when
the condition may be created to make the third repatriation attempt.
The officials also told Dhaka Tribune that
the second attempt on August 22 was made in a hurried manner due to the
eagerness of China.
The transfer of former Refugee Relief and
Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Abul Kalam and several camp-in-charges (CICs)
in the wake of the failed repatriation, and August 25 rally could have been
handled better, as this has exposed Bangladesh’s 'weakness' to Myanmar, they
added.
“We are not going to make any attempt before
being sure that the repatriation will actually happen. Even if the repatriation
starts in a small scale, that will be a good thing,” said a senior foreign
ministry official with a thorough knowledge of the issue.
When asked about a possible date for the
beginning of the repatriation, he said: “You know Myanmar is a difficult
neighbour that changes goalpost very often. Therefore, no specific date can
even be thought about.”
“There is no point in making another attempt
to begin the repatriation before knowing of its success. We, with the help of
other countries, including China, are trying to convince Myanmar to create a
favourable condition for the return of the displaced Rohingyas,” said another
senior official deeply engaged with the crisis.
Both officials reminded that the two
repatriation attempts – of November 15, 2018, and August 22 – did not
materialize due to the failure of Myanmar to create the necessary conditions
for the return of their own people.
>> No idea when the repatriation may
begin
>> Second attempt was made hurriedly
without adequate preparations due to China’s eagerness
>> RRRC informed on August 9 about
repatriation attempt on August 22
>> Removal of RRRC, and several CICs
could have been handled better
According to a bilateral instrument signed by
Bangladesh, and Myanmar on November 23, 2017, the repatriation was supposed to
begin within January 22, 2018, and to be complete by January 22, 2020. But, not
a single Rohingya is yet to be repatriated.
About the second attempt of repatriation, the
officials of the government, and international organisations said that the
arrangement was done in a very hurried manner without adequate preparations due
to the eagerness of China.
“The RRRC was informed on August 9 that
repatriation will begin on August 22. Within that period, there was a lengthy
holiday for Eid-ul-Azha. So, it was difficult for the office of RRRC to make
all the necessary preparations. On top of that we have an unwilling neighbour,”
said a senior government official, adding: “Despite the fact that preparations
were made as best as possible.”
There has been a mixed feeling among the
officials this correspondent spoke to about the implication of the second
attempt.
Some, especially the government officials
said that the attempt made China, the main backer of Myanmar, realise that
Bangladesh is ready to begin the repatriation while its neighbour is not. While
some said that the attempt allowed Myanmar to run a propaganda campaign
claiming that it is ready to accept the Rohingyas while Bangladesh is not.
Despite repeated attempts, the Chinese
embassy could not be reached for comments.
The officials also shed light on the removal
of former RRRC Kalam, and several CICs on the heel of the failed attempt, and
August 25 rally, saying that this matter could have been handled in a much
better way.
According to them, the removal of the officials,
including the main government official on the ground with regards to the
crisis, at that time has served ‘nothing but the purposes of Myanmar’.
The move was perceived by Myanmar as
‘Bangladesh is in disarray’, they added.
“The transfer of a government official is a
routine affair. If these officials were to be transferred, it could have been
done gradually, giving pauses so that it looked normal,” said a senior
government official.
“Myanmar must have been clapping to see the
removal of the main person on the ground in such an abrupt manner. The
government could have acted more calmly,” said an official of an international
organisation.
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