Myanmar is 'ready' for the return of Rohingya

Myanmar is 'ready' for the return of Rohingya

Myanmar wants the Rohingya refugees to return, and preparations have been made to receive them, according to the minister in charge of the process. "We will accept them back anytime," said Dr Win Myat Aye, Myanmar's Minister for Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement.

"Whoever wants to come back voluntarily, we can accept," he said.

He also urged Bangladesh to immediately return the 400 or more Hindu refugees who have agreed to be repatriated, as this could help kick-start the stalled repatriation programme.

The minister made his comments in an exclusive interview with the Bangkok Post, amid growing international criticism of Myanmar's repatriation efforts and Bangladesh's accusations that Myanmar is to blame for the failure of the process.

But many experts and analysts following developments in Rakhine believe the Myanmar government is in a state of denial, and that conditions in the Rohingyas' home state are not yet ready for their safe return.

"Actually, while we cannot expect the repatriation to start anytime soon, we do want them back -- as early as possible," said Win Myat Aye. "Although it is our strong wish to have the refugees back as early as possible, the process must be voluntary and safe.

"We've been ready since January last year to take the refugees back, in accordance with the bilateral agreement signed with Bangladesh in November the previous year," he said. Myanmar needs the support of Bangladesh and the UN, for the process to begin, he stressed.

More than 750,000 Rohingya -- as they call themselves -- fled their villages in Rakhine following a massive military crackdown in August 2017, in response to terrorist attacks by the pro-Rohingya armed group, the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (Arsa). Successive UN reports describe what happened during the subsequent military mopping up campaign as "textbook ethnic cleansing", while independent international human rights groups claim it has all the hallmarks of genocide. The Myanmar government and the military though have strenuously denied these accusations.

Bangladesh blames Myanmar for the repeated failure of the repatriation process to start. "We've seen that Myanmar could not win the Rohingyas' trust in creating a conducive situation [in Rakhine] for their dignified return," the Bangladeshi prime minster, Sheikh Hasina, told parliament recently. "We had made full preparations, but still the repatriation did not start ... as uncertainty looms over the Rohingya getting back their homes, land and other properties."

Win Myat Aye of course disagrees: "We were actually well prepared to receive the refugees back, in accordance with our bilateral agreement with Bangladesh."

There are two reception centres and a transit centre ready to receive the refugees as part of a safe and voluntary repatriation.

All those who are 'verified' as Myanmar residents -- in accordance with the procedures agreed with Bangladesh -- will be welcomed back", he insisted.

According to aid workers and experts, one of the issues that needs to be tackled before Myanmar has a hope of attracting large numbers of Rohingya refugees to return is the continued existence of the IDP camps in Rakhine. Win Myat Aye -- who has previously said closing these camps was a high priority in accordance with the recommendations of the Kofi Annan Rakhine Advisory Commission -- dodged the question, simply saying it was on the agenda and now part of the newly developed national plan to close all IDP camps nationwide.

"We cannot focus only on Rakhine state, but must consider Myanmar as a whole: we are working on a plan [for Rakhine, Shan, Kachin and Kayin] and trying to develop a 'national strategic plan', that will be effective, workable and cover all Myanmar," said Win Myat Aye.

"It's step by step, a systematic approach [as far as the camps in Rakhine are concerned] that needs time … with access to education and health provided."

Although he conceded the timeframe was important, he declined to give an exact deadline for the camps' closure.

But many experts remain unconvinced that the conditions in fact are conducive for the safe return of the refugees. "If Myanmar were able to show that the more than 300,000 Rohingya who are still in Rakhine state now have far better living conditions and rights than two years ago, it might be able to persuade more refugees to return. But it is not able as the situation is as bad or worse than before" said Laetitia van den Assum, a member of the government-appointed Kofi Annan Rakhine Commission.

"And to make matters worse, large parts of the state remain off-limits for the UN," she added.

Nevertheless, some refugees definitely do want to return, the minister insisted. Some 200 families came back earlier this year under their own steam and are currently in the process of being resettled, he said. They returned secretly, he suggested, because they feared retaliation and violence at the hands of the camp leaders in Bangladesh.

"Some -- not all -- don't feel it is safe to return … because of the influence of some of the camp leaders … and of course Arsa's threats against them if they go back have also frightened them."

According to Myanmar government officials in Maungdaw, 168 male and 290 female Rohingya refugees have returned so far this year and been registered through the official reception centres. UN officials in the Bangladesh camps confidentially told the Bangkok Post that they have several enquiries a week from refugees about repatriation.

"What the refugees want before repatriation -- and what would be called conditions conducive to repatriation -- is not just citizenship but a change of attitude and policies towards them which addresses the root causes of discrimination," Chris Lewa, head of the Arakan project, told the Bangkok Post. In fact, it goes beyond citizenship, and includes the guarantee of human and ethnic rights, she said.

But the Myanmar government is adamant the National Verification Card (NVC) is a process that could lead to full citizenship, and in the meantime offers freedom of movement -- one of the refugees' main concerns.

"The NVC is the first step in the process of citizenship," said Win Myat Aye. "If they hold this, they will get citizenship according to the law [1982 Citizenship Act] -- full citizenship, naturalised citizenship or associated citizenship."

"The NVC ensures freedom of movement," he insisted. But in practice, according to diplomats based in Yangon who frequently visit Rakhine, this is not the case.

"[For] Rohingya who have NVCs, like the group in [Rakhine's] Myebon camp -- who cannot travel outside the camp -- nothing has changed: No freedom of movement, no end to apartheid-like conditions, no equality with other ethnic groups," said Ms van den Assum.

Said the minister: "Trust-building takes time … we are trying, we're not sitting on our hands, we are trying. Peace and stability in Rakhine is our goal … but it takes time."

He accepted there was a deep trust-deficit on the part of the refugees that had to be addressed.

But Myanmar won't even accept the well-intentioned concrete proposal made recently by Chinese diplomats which echo the suggestion made repeatedly by the UN over the past year: that a group of Rohingya leaders and refugees from the camps be allowed to visit Rakhine to investigate the situation there for themselves, ahead of possible repatriation.

This seems short-sighted on Myanmar's part, but the minister refused to discuss the issue when asked about it by the Bangkok Post. Privately, UN officials and diplomats who support the move say that the Myanmar government is fearful -- with good reason -- that if they showed the camp leaders the situation on the ground, it would only harden their resolve not to return.

"Many in the international community are prepared to assist refugee returns once the conditions for safe and voluntary returns are in place," Ms van den Assum told the Bangkok Post. "But instead of building trust, the government keeps undermining its own credibility, when time after time its promises and pronouncements are proven to be insincere."

Larry Jagan

A specialist on Myanmar

Larry Jagan is a specialist on Myanmar and a former BBC World Service News editor for the region.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT (2)