Myanmar’s military can’t call shots on Rohingya repatriation
Arab NewsApr 10, 2023
[Non-governmental organization] Human Rights Watch is criticizing a proposed plan to repatriate Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh back to Myanmar, stating that it poses "grave risks" to life and freedom. A pilot project between the two nations is set to return 1.1K Rohingya to Myanmar in the coming weeks.
Bangladesh is home to nearly a million refugees who fled violence in Myanmar beginning in 2017, with previous repatriation plans in 2018 and 2019 stalling due to concerns from refugees over violence.
The world needs to step in and stop the repatriation plan before the Rohingya are returned back into the arms of those seeking to exterminate them. Bangladesh is violating international norms by trying to send the refugees back to Myanmar as soon as possible, while Myanmar is showing no indication of granting them citizenship or basic human rights. The situation after the military coup is looking more and more dire, as genocidal generals now hold the levers of power.
Despite the resistance of the international humanitarian community, China has assured that the reparation process will occur in a humane way. Bangladesh is a nation with limited resources, and the conditions in the Cox's Bazar camps are rapidly deteriorating. There is no solution for the crisis except inside Myanmar itself, and this is the first step in the process of healing and rebuilding what has been lost. Beijing has picked up the burden of the international community's shortcomings.