Arakan News Agency
‘A hurried repatriation might lead to problems’
Myanmar has finally agreed to the initiative by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on the repatriation of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, said State Minister for Foreign Affairs Md Shahriar Alam.
The minister made the statement at the end of a seminar at Bangabandhu International Conference Centre on Thursday afternoon, regarding the upcoming Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) 45th Foreign Ministers’ Meeting in May this year.
When asked about when Myanmar would begin the repatriation process, the foreign minister said: “That is up to Myanmar. I cannot answer that.”
Over 1.8 million Rohingya refugees have been registered so far, Shahriar Alam said. “Our countries signed deal on the physical arrangement for repatriation two months ago, but the process has not begun yet. We are not upset about this, as a hurried repatriation might lead to problems.
“Even though progress has been slow, we are on the right path. We gave shelter to the Rohingyas for the sake of humanity. We submitted a list of 8,032 Rohingyas at the last OIC Foreign Ministers’ Meeting on February 16 for their repatriation. This time we will submit a second list,” the minister added, hailing the meeting as a good platform for discussions.
