Arakan News Agency
Bangladesh says it is unlikely that the voluntary repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar will start in two weeks as scheduled, because the logistics are not in place.
A bilateral repatriation agreement inked Nov. 23 had called for the process to begin in 60 days – around Jan. 22 – but a joint working group tasked with working out the details has not held its first meeting.
“Repatriation is a complicated and huge task. This is not possible to do everything within a stipulated timeframe. So, I think it is unlikely that we can start the repatriation by Jan. 22,” Mohammad Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s commissioner for refugee relief and repatriation, told BenarNews, on Monday.
“We need more time.”
The delay was announced as Rohingya refugees continued to straggle across the border into Bangladesh and a Rohingya insurgent group said it had carried out an attack on Friday to retaliate for ongoing atrocities carried out by Myanmar’s military.
Several Rohingya refugees who spoke to BenarNews said they were unaware of the repatriation plans being hatched by governments of Myanmar and Bangladesh, and expressed reluctance to return to Myanmar where their safety was not guaranteed.
