Bangladesh unaware as Myanmar claims Rohingya returning from Cox’s Bazar

Myanmar has made a new claim about its persecuted Rohingya Muslims are voluntarily returning from Cox’s Bazar camps, but the Bangladesh foreign minister says they are not aware of the development.

“We have no idea. It’s their information. They haven’t taken back a single Rohingya or even the people within their border,” AK Abdul Momen told reporters on Thursday hours after Myanmar embassy in Dhaka made the claim on Facebook.

“We issued a statement against their false propaganda yesterday,” he said, referring to Wednesday’s statement in which the government asked Myanmar to stop the concocted campaign and concentrate on their obligations.

Bangladesh has accused Myanmar of remaining engaged in a “persistent campaign” to mislead the international community to avoid its obligations for “sustained repatriation” and reintegration of the Rohingya.

The Myanmar embassy in a Facebook post on Thursday said: “total number of 46 displaced persons has returned to Myanmar from Bangladesh on their own volition through Taung Pyo Letwe and Nga Khu Ya Reception Centers on 31 October 2019 again, and all of them were warmly received by the officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement, and Ministry of Labour, Population and Immigration, and other officials concerned”.

“It has been confirmed that the total number of 397 displaced persons have voluntarily returned from Bangladesh to Myanmar side till to-date and they were duly provided with rice, cooking oil and foodstuff monthly by the Ministry of Social Welfare, Relief and Resettlement of Myanmar.

“The Government of Myanmar is making its best efforts to ensure the safe, smooth and sustainable repatriation in accord with the bilateral instruments signed with Bangladesh Government and closely cooperating with UN Organizations in this regard,” read the statement.

Bangladesh is currently hosting more than 1.1 million Rohingya refugees. Of them, more than 700,000 have crossed into the country for refugee after Myanmar's military crackdown in Rakhine State in August 2017, which the UN branded as “ethnic cleansing”.

Despite attempts to repatriate the refugees by announcing dates twice, no-one returned to their homeland citing Myanmar's failure to create conditions conducive to their 'voluntary, safe and dignified' return.