Bangladesh
Rohingyas not returning in near future: UN envoy.

Rohingyas not returning in near future: UN envoy

Bangladesh

UN special rapporteur Yanghee Lee said on Friday she did not see Rohingya refugees returning to Myanmar from Bangladesh as condition for their return was not conducive yet.

‘From the discussions I had with Rohingya this week in Bangladesh, it is evident that Myanmar is not working to create conditions for return for the Rohingya but is engaging in a sustained campaign of violence, intimidation and harassment,’ Lee said at a press conference in Dhaka after concluding her visit in Bangladesh.

‘The campaign of violence against the Rohingya continues, with the security forces slowly bleeding the remaining Rohingya population and continuing to force them to flee to Bangladesh... it is clear that Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh cannot return to Myanmar in the near future,’ she said.

Bangladesh in November suspended the first planned phase of repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Myanmar citing a lack of volunteers.

Lee also urged Bangladesh government to exercise ‘caution and patience’ before moving with its plan to relocate about 100,000 Rohingyas to the deserted island Bhasan Char in the Bay of Bengal.

Lee visited the island by helicopter accompanied by Bangladeshi foreign ministry and disaster management ministry officials and inspected the shelters and facilities built there.

‘If any plans are made about refugee relocation to Bhashan Char in the future, refugees must be fully engaged and participate in the process, including through meaningful consultation which should involve go and see visits for refugees so that they can determine for themselves whether they wish to move,’ she said.

‘Without individual fully informed consent, the plans cannot move forward. It is imperative that any measures to relocate the refugees enhance their enjoyment of rights and do not create a new crisis.

‘In this regard, I urge caution and patience by the Bangladesh government and full cooperation with the UN and the international community. There should be no rush to relocate refugees,’ she said.