China offers help to rebuild homes for Rohingyas

A delegation from the Chinese government has offered a hand to rebuild homes of the Rohingyas in Myanmar's Rakhine State if the refugees return there from the camps in Cox's Bazar.

Quoting Rohingya community leaders and a Bangladeshi official, BenarNews reported that China's special envoy for Asian Affairs Sun Gouxiang and some other officials met 15 Rohingya men and 14 women at the Kutupalong camp on March 3.

Seeking anonymity, a Bangladeshi official said the Chinese delegation had also offered up to $6,000 to each refugee if they return to their homes.

Echoing the statement, Secretary General of Arakan Rohingya Society for Peace and Human Rights (ARSPH) Syed Ullah said, “They asked us whether we would go back if they gave us five thousand to six thousand [US] dollars.”

“We rejected their proposal and asserted that we will in no way return if we are not given citizenship with Rohingya identity and our other demands are not met,” he added.

The Chinese embassy in Dhaka, however, did not respond to a BenarNews email that sought comment on the issue.

Muhib Ullah, another ARSPH official, said, “We told them that we would go if they accept our demands. Otherwise, we will not.”

“If Myanmar grants citizenship, we will return jumping,” Muhib said.

The Chinese envoy left Dhaka on Tuesday. Before arriving to Bangladesh, Sun Gouxiang visited several villages in the Rakhine State and met with Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Naypyidaw on Feb 27, according to the state-run Global New Light of Myanmar.

According to the United Nations, some 740,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh following a brutal crackdown by the Myanmar military in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security posts in August 2017.

Myanmar faced huge global criticism for the atrocities and the call for referring Myanmar to the International Criminal Court got louder, but the UN Security Council could not act due to opposition from China and Russia.