Rohingya repatriation: Myanmar pledges 8 facilities, will it work this time?
The visit of a delegation of Rohingya representatives and officials last weekend to Maungdaw city at Myanmar revived the hope of repatriation under a deal signed with Myanmar six years back, but some members of the visiting Rohingya team said the conditions set forth by the authorities for the returnees were too tough.
A 14-page booklet, printed in three languages, Bangla, English, and Burmese, given to the delegation offers humanitarian aid, rebuilding of homes, providing employment, access to education and healthcare, ensuring security for those who will be allowed to return to their homeland from shelters in Cox's Bazar camps. But the returnees will have to have a Myanmar National Verification Card as a proof of citizenship to avail of the facilities promised in the booklet.
Though officials and Rohingya members of the delegation, during their spot visit on Friday (5 May) found the initiatives and arrangements conducive to start repatriation, rights group leaders and diplomats are sceptic about the condition of citizenship verification process as most Rohingyas, while fleeing Myanmar to Bangladesh's territory to save life, did not have any valid document to prove their citizenship, or had those lost or damaged during their difficult journey through monsoon rains.
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Cox's Bazar Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner (RRRC) Mohammad Mizanur Rahman, who led the delegation, said, "During the visit to Maungdaw city in Myanmar, we saw that the situation has improved greatly. Around 80% of the people are Rohingyas and they are moving freely and doing business there. Favourable conditions for repatriation have been observed there."
"Myanmar said that Rohingya repatriation is beneficial and safe. The process of repatriation is ongoing," he added.
A Myanmar delegation is scheduled to arrive in Bangladesh next week. Then there will be a final discussion on repatriation, the RRRC said.
The 27-member delegation-- which included 20 Rohingya people including three women and seven officials--went to Myanmar's Rakhine State on 5 May to see for themselves the arrangements made there for the possible start of the repatriation process of Rohingyas on a pilot basis.
RRRC Commissioner Mohammad Mizanur Rahman told The Business Standard (TBS), "Recently, a Rohingya delegation visited Rakhine from Teknaf. So, it is a bilateral negotiation between Bangladesh and Myanmar."
The RRRC commissioner, however, refused to comment directly on the resolution of the crisis mediated by China alone without the participation of Western countries, including the US, which provided huge financial aid for Rohingyas.
Also Read: Rohingya repatriation: A Chinese dish of aged ingredients finally ready to serve?
Former foreign secretary Shahidul Haque told TBS, "Giving citizenship to the Rohingyas is a very good thing. But my question is how will Myanmar give it? how many Rohingyas will get it and how fast will they get it?"
Declining to comment on the participation of other big aid-providing countries, he said, "There is a lot of chicanery going on here. My experience is that Myanmar does not do what it says."
What do the Rohingyas say?
The Business Standard spoke to 15 of the 20 Rohingya representatives. They all acknowledged what they were shown and told during the on-site visit to Rakhine was satisfactory enough for a return to Myanmar.
The written pictorial booklet— written in Burmese, English and Bengali languages — was also given to the Rohingyas by Myanmar, a copy of which has been obtained by The Business Standard.
The Rohingyas told TBS that although they are satisfied with the inspection, they cannot announce it publicly.
The reason for this, the Rohingyas said, is that speaking publicly in favour of repatriation will make them a target of the armed terrorists involved in murder and sabotage in the Rohingya camp.
Many have even been killed earlier for speaking out for repatriation, the Rohingyas told TBS.
During the visit on Friday, Rohingya representatives did not find the villages in Maungdaw they fled some six years ago amid military crackdowns.
The Maungdaw villages have been transformed into camps, they said.
"We have visited some areas near Maungdaw city but have not found our villages. Everything has changed.
The areas are now full of camps," said Abu Sufian, who was among the 20 Rohingya leaders in Friday's delegation to Myanmar.
"The Myanmar government is planning to keep returnee Rohingyas in these camps," Sufian told The Business Standard.
"We have talked to the Myanmar authorities. They said they will allow us to stay in these camps on the basis of national verification cards. We will not be offered citizenship although they were supposed to do that," said Mohammad Selim, another Rohingya leader from the delegation.
He believes that his community will not agree to return on such conditions.
Around six community leaders of the Rohingya camp of Ukhia-Teknaf in Cox's Bazar, on condition of anonymity, told TBS that earlier two rounds of initiatives were taken with Myanmar on the issue of Rohingya repatriation - first in November 2018, and second in August 2019. At that time, no Rohingya agreed to go back.
But this time, a report was given to them by Myanmar during the recent visit. In the report, Myanmar said to accept eight conditions including two important ones.
Although this paper is not a written agreement, Myanmar has said that it will abide by the terms of the tripartite agreement between Bangladesh, Myanmar and the United Nations for repatriation. If so, then Myanmar has a suitable environment to return to, the Rohingya leaders said.
According to these Rohingya leaders, Rohingyas are comfortable to return only if the NVC card is issued upon reaching Myanmar, and citizenship is granted quickly based on that card.
They said Rohingyas would not agree to go to Myanmar unless security is strengthened because there is a group of armed terrorists in the camp who torture, murder, and kidnap, if Rohingyas agree to repatriate or speak for it.
What do rights activists say?
Md Nur Khan, executive director of Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), told The Business Standard that the Myanmar government's conditions should be taken with a grain of salt because the country has long been questioning the citizenship of Rohingyas, even before the 2017 persecution.
"One of the eight conditions is issuing a National Verification Card (NVC) to Rohingyas who will go back to Rakhine and Myanmar and agree to provide the card by vetting, which is not logical at all. These Rohingyas are citizens of Myanmar. There is no proof of their citizenship," he said.
"Showing citizenship proof is very complicated because when Rohingyas left Myanmar and came to Bangladesh to save their lives during the genocide, they could not bring any documents related to their ancestral property or citizenship of that country," Nur Khan continued.
In addition, the Myanmar junta government has an ethnic hatred towards the Rohingyas, which will create more uncertainty in obtaining citizenship, he said.
"Bangladesh is now the custodian of these forcibly displaced Rohingyas. Bangladesh should not only work with China and India on this issue but also engage the international community more. Because the genocide committed against the Rohingya is recognised internationally," said the human rights activist.
"Myanmar may have a plan to lock these people [Rohingyas] in the barracks in the name of repatriation. Therefore, in this case, the opinion of the Rohingyas staying in Bangladesh should be given priority," Md Nur Khan added.
Migration Expert Asif Munier said, "First, we have to scrutinise whether Myanmar accepting these conditions is lip service or not. Such conditions were discussed earlier as well. We need to confirm that Myanmar will ensure what it claims to ensure."
What the offers from Myanmar are
According to the handed out booklet, the Myanmar government will offer eight facilities to displaced Rohingyas on their return to the country.
These are:
Humanitarian assistance: Rohingyas re-entering Myanmar will be housed at dedicated repatriation centres. They will be provided with gender and age-based clothing and housing facilities.
Blankets, soap, and food will be provided according to requirements.
House for resettlement: Returned Rohingyas will be temporarily accommodated in camps for no more than 60 days. After their stay in the camps, they will be given houses for resettlement.
Employment opportunities: The returnees who will be given the right to work on agricultural land in the villages where they will be resettled. Rice will be given to them, as well as seedlings for the crop, supply of fertiliser, agricultural equipment and agricultural training will be provided.
Health Services: Screening centres for Covid-19 Antigen Test (RDT) have been set up. New health centres will be set up if the distance between the health centre and the village of the returnees is long.
Education Facility: Nearest village schools will be designated for the education of returnee Rohingya children.
Security arrangements: Township police stations and border police battalions have already been kept ready to maintain law and order for the return of displaced Rohingyas. Security measures will be implemented in the township step by step. The entire process will be monitored by relevant officials of UNDP and UNHCR. They will assist the process depending on the Myanmar government's needs.
National Verification Card (NVC): The NVC is a citizenship verification process. It is needed for freedom of movement, vocational activities and to receive education and health services.
According to the 2017 deal between Myanmar and Bangladesh on Rohingyas, displaced Rohingyas will be given an identity card after screening and registration at re-entry centres.
This NVC card is a verification card issued during the citizenship verification process, where religion and ethnicity are not specified.
Basically, the NVC card proves that the cardholder is a resident of Myanmar. This card will allow Rohingyas to apply for citizenship verification and the card must be carried till the time of verification.
Citizenship: Regarding citizenship, there are 3 categories under the Myanmar Citizenship Act 1982. These are — citizens, associate citizens and naturalised citizens. Those who meet the provisions of the Citizenship Act 1982 will have the right to apply for citizenship (or extra-citizenship) with relevant information.
According to the Citizenship Act, a central committee will decide whether someone has the right to become a citizen or not after vetting the information of the applicants.
Attempts for repatriation
According to RRRC office sources, after the Rohingya influx started on August 25, 2017, Bangladesh gave a list of 8,82,000 Rohingyas to Myanmar for repatriation in 2018. After sorting through the list, Myanmar finally sent a list of only 68,000 Rohingya back to Bangladesh.
Earlier, the first group of Rohingyas was supposed to be taken to Myanmar by November 15, 2018, but it has not happened.
Then in August 2019, another initiative was taken by China to send the Rohingyas back. But the Rohingyas did not want to go voluntarily as the citizenship issue was not resolved. Now again, this third round of initiatives has been taken by China to repatriate the Rohingyas.
