Bangladesh Suspends Repatriation of Rohingya Refugees

Dhaka/Naypyidaw: Bangladesh on Thursday suspended the first planned phase of repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar, officials said, citing a lack of volunteers. The first phase of their return to Myanmar, from where hundreds of thousands of them fled from a military crackdown in 2017, was due to begin on Thursday, as per an agreement signed between Bangladesh and Myanmar on November 23 that year. Dhaka and Naypyidaw had agreed to repatriate 2,251 refugees in the first batch. The process was expected to take two weeks with 150 people due to be transferred every day. The repatriation was to be done on voluntary basis. “This repatriation is not going to be sustainable,” said Abdur Rahim, a leader of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights. “They (Myanmar authorities) are going to keep people in camps,” he said. (IANS)