News Desk :
The United Nations (UN) has emphasized safe repatriation of Rohingyas from Bangladesh to their homeland without any force.
“People or refugees should go back to their homes when they feel it is safe and nobody should be forced to move,” said Spokesperson for the UN Secretary General Stephane Dujarric during a press briefing in New York on Tuesday, reports news agencies.
Earlier on Tuesday, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein warned against premature repatriation of Rohingyas in a Special Session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
“I think that the Secretary General has been upfront and extremely vocal about the sufferings of the Rohingyas, the sufferings they underwent while living in Myanmar and their plight, their current plight now.
“I think that everyone in the UN system agrees on the fact that none should be repatriated against their will, that refugees should go home to their place where they came from and in an atmosphere that is free and that respects their rights,” further added Stephane Dujarric.
The UN also urged the Myanmar government to ensure a safe environment and the protection of all communities in Rakhine State.
By December 2, an estimated 6,26,000 Rohingyas had taken shelter in Bangladesh following counter-terrorism measures since the reported coordinated attacks on 30 police stations and military base by the Arakan Rohingya Solidarity Army (ARSA) on 25 August in Myanmar’s Rakhine State.
On 23 November, Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a Memorandum of Understanding for repatriation of the refugees who have taken shelter in Bangladesh since August 25. As per the arrangement signed by Bangladesh and Myanmar, repatriation is to begin within two months.
However, a fresh influx of Rohingya Muslims from the Northern Rakhine State of Myanmar is reportedly taking place into Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar even after signing of the MoU. Reports indicate that people are continuing to flee, with some 1,622 people escaping northern Rakhine State since 26 November.
Amnesty International in a statement earlier said that the international community must help ensure that no Rohingya refugee is forced back to Myanmar as long as they remain at risk of serious human rights violations following the army’s vicious campaign of ethnic cleansing.
“Rohingya refugees must be allowed to go back to their homes voluntarily and in safety and dignity. The Myanmar government must take every effort to rebuild communities and villages destroyed by Army, and to end the entrenched discrimination and segregation of the Rohingya which lies at the heart of this crisis,” said Audrey Gaughran. Audrey Gaughran, Amnesty International’s Director of Global Issues.
