Repatriation in limbo
That the repatriation of Rohingya refugees has been immobilised is as depressing as unsurprising. The sincerity of Myanmar's authorities in implementing the task has been extremely inadequate from the start. Rather than speeding up the efforts to repatriate hundreds of thousands of refugees, they have stonewalled the process by pursuing deceptive delaying tactics.
According to an agreement between the two countries in November last year, Myanmar was supposed to take back its nationals within two months. Yet, after six months, not a single family has been repatriated, except for a staged one. Myanmar initially said it would take back some 1500 refugees a week. Even if it did so, it would take 10 years to send back all Rohingyas.
The major impediment to carrying out the repatriation has been the verification process. In the previous repatriation in 1992, the UNHCR accepted refugee cards issued by Bangladesh government as a valid proof of identity. Now, however, only Myanmar government takes the shot, and it requires only certain documents such as copies of expired citizenship cards or national registration cards, which most Rohingyas do not currently possess. In the process, only 878 Rohingyas out of 8,032, who were put on a list by Bangladesh, have been verified by Myanmar.
The existing repatriation deal has its faults. It sanctioned too much power to Myanmar government. Therefore, the deal should be renegotiated to empower the UN agencies in determining the residency of Rohingya refugees. Meanwhile, the international community should step up its efforts to pressurise Myanmar to create a conducive environment for repatriation.
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