Daily Times

A settlement of around 3,000 Rohingya refugees on the zero-line of the Myanmar-Bangladesh border was burnt last month amid the firing between the Rohingya Solidarity Organization (RSO) and the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA). Members of about 558 families lost their temporary shelters and fled inside Bangladesh. Bangladesh government has taken initiative to relocate these stranded people, of whom two-thirds are already registered under different camps in Ukhiya and Teknaf, while the rest are unregistered. As a part of the relocation process, at least 180 Rohingyas from 35 families were taken to a transit camp in Ukhiya’s Kutupalong.

Tension continued to escalate in the Rohingya camps. Various armed organizations are involved in building reigns of terror around the Rohingya camps. Clashes between different groups, killings, rapes and abductions are regular incidents, which have created fear among the people throughout the camp. Amid rising tensions across the border, Myanmar has stepped up the repatriation of their nationals to their homeland in Arakan.

In the meantime, local media reported that on February 5, Junta leaders, including International Cooperation Minister U Ko Ko Hlaing, Border Affairs Minister Lieutenant General Tun Tun Naung, Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement Minister Dr Thet Thet Khaing and Immigration and Population Minister U Myint Kyaing, visited Maungdaw on the Bangladesh border and instructed the authorities to prepare transit camps for repatriation. Since the military’s taking over power in 2020, this is the biggest step forward for Rohingya repatriation.

Ratification of the Burma Act is a big step forward in the US response against Junta.

There has been a diverse reaction among the refugees to this event. Though the camp people want immediate relief from the inhumane condition, safety, security, and full citizenship rights after repatriation are their utmost priority. Every time the discussion of Rohingya repatriation has come to light, the Rohingyas have raised their demand for “safe and dignified” repatriation. The past two moves of repatriation also failed as the Rohingyas declined to return until a safe and dignified environment was created for them in Myanmar.

Currently, around 1.1 million persecuted Rohingya refugees are living with inadequate facilities in the camps of Ukhiya, Teknaf and Bhasanchar. The mass exodus of more than 7, 50,000 people fled Bangladesh in 2017 as they were subjected to ethnic cleansing and atrocities, including rape, murder, and arson attacks. Since then, five years have passed, but not a single Rohingya has been returned to their homeland.

Since the influx in 2017, at least two attempts at repatriation have failed as Myanmar stubbornly refuses to create an environment conducive to repatriation. Earlier, in November 2017, Aung San Suu Kyi’s government signed an agreement on the commencement of Rohingya repatriation. Though preparations were made to repatriate the Rohingyas, the agreement was not implemented due to Myanmar’s lack of willingness.

A delegation to Myanmar in 2018, during the inspection of the preparations for Rohingyas repatriation, witnessed that Myanmar had built reception centres and transit camps, as a part of their preparations to take back the displaced people. Despite Myanmar’s assurances, any visible initiative is yet to be witnessed.

Moreover, the situation worsened since the seizure of power by the military in Myanmar in February 2021. The growing resistance against the Junta government caused an intense war across the country. The Rakhine state also turned into a ground of hostile war between the Tatmadaw and the Arakan Army (AA). Besides, the military’s tendency of ignorance and lingering process made repatriation impossible. Last year, Myanmar authority has only verified 58,000 individuals from the list of 830,000 as per the biometric data.

As domestic and international efforts disappointed them, the Rohingyas started demonstrations under the banner “Go Home.” On International Refugee Day 2022, they gathered in various camps to draw the global communities’ attention and put forward their 19-point demand to facilitate safe repatriation. In August, during the 5th anniversary of their exodus, they reiterated the urgency of repatriation to their homeland. On the eve of the New Year 2023, they continued the campaign under the banner ‘Go Home Campaign 2023’.

Though the international community has failed to hold Myanmar accountable for safe and sustainable repatriation, the last year made it quite different. Several bilateral and multilateral initiatives propelled the progress of the repatriation process a step further. The United States, which is the most important individual actor in favour of facilitating repatriation, announced the violence against the Rohingya in Myanmar as “genocide and crimes against humanity.” Ratification of the BURMA ACT is also a big step forward in the US response against Junta.

Although the UN has failed to play a strong role in facilitating repatriation, the Rohingya issue was discussed as a serious concern in various UN forums throughout the last year. The UNGA unanimously adopted the resolution on Rohingya. A Tripartite Memorandum of Understanding was signed between Myanmar and two United Nations agencies – UNHCR, and UNDP to create an enabling environment for the repatriation of Rohingya in Rakhine State according to the resolution.

Consequently, the Myanmar junta’s immediate initiative to take back Rohingyas implies that the international community’s collective and intensified pressure on the Junta government forced them to be lenient towards repatriation. Several media reported that Myanmar officials visited the scene to prepare a counter -a memorandum to the genocide charges filed by Gambia against Myanmar at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). Besides, the previous records of the Myanmar government indicate that their arrangement for repatriation is nothing more than deceiving the international community. Despite their initiatives to repatriate the Rohingya twice in five years, the reluctance to fulfil the Rohingya’s main prerequisite – safe and dignified repatriation made the measures fail. The junta government has repeatedly given lip service regarding the repatriation but no framework has been provided yet. However, if the international community thrives on their continued pressure, Myanmar will be forced to accelerate the repatriation as per the Rohingya’s demands.

The writer is a freelance columnist.