Faizel Patel, Radio Islam News – 26-08-2019
The Bangladesh Association of Rohingya Muslims says two years after Muslim Rohingya Muslims fled Myanmar, nothing is being done to repatriate them back to the country.
Almost 200,000 Rohingya participated in a peaceful march at the Kutupalong camp in the heart of Cox’s Bazaar, the world’s largest refugee camp to commemorate what they described as “Genocide Day”.
Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation deal in November 2017, with a plan to return the refugees within two years.
Bangladesh, with the help of the UN refugee agency, attempted to start the repatriation of 3,450 Rohingya on Thursday for a second time after the last attempt in November, but none agreed to go back voluntarily.
Speaking to Radio Islam, Abdur-Rahim spokesperson for the Bangladesh Association of Rohingya Muslims says the situation is putting pressure on the Bangladesh government.
“It’s very difficult for Bangladesh to spend more money for Rohingya refugees. So there is more internationally to create pressure on Myanmar government to take them back. But we did not see any positive policy from the Myanmar.”
However, he says the Rohingya refugees are refusing to go back to Myanmar.
“The Rohingya refugees, they are not agreeing to go back to Myanmar without their human rights, without their citizenship.”
The Rohingya are mainly Muslim minority who are not recognized as an ethnic group in Myanmar and despite having lived there for generations, they have been denied citizenship and are rendered stateless.
Listen to the interview with Abdur-Rahim
0 Comments