Rohingya list sets a trap

The doors with Myanmar must be kept open while resolving the Rohingya refugee crisis. But the problem is that trust and goodwill cannot be one-sided. The whole world was skeptical about the repatriation agreement and by just affirming the identity of only 375 persons in one month, Myanmar has justified that skepticism.

Myanmar wants to show the world that there is moral basis to relax the sanctions upon them. After all, they have begun the repatriation process. After having photographs of preparations in Myanmar for the repatriation process, Aung San Suu Kyi finalised her decision to join the ASEAN-Australia summit to be held in Sydney. At a point when allies like the US, UK and the European Union have severed military ties with Myanmar due to the genocide and ethnic cleansing there, Sydney is extending military assistance to Myanmar afresh.

Bangladesh must not step into Myanmar’s trap. After the words of Myanmar’s foreign secretary at Naypyidaw on Wednesday, they simply cannot be trusted. He gave false information against Bangladesh, even naming three so-called terrorists.

Bangladesh should now publish the document given to Myanmar regarding the remaining 8032 persons not just 7658. Things should not be kept in the dark anymore. It will be a significant diplomatic achievement if Myanmar can be proven wrong on this issue. Bangladesh must now immediately send a special emissary with the document to common strategically important allies.

The world must understand that the UN standard norms of identifying refugees may not apply in this instance. They have not fled to Bangladesh as common refugees. They are genocide survivors and have been unable to bring along any of their identification papers.

Victims of ethnic cleansing over the decades, they do not have anything like what they civilised world calls citizenship papers. And Myanmar is taking full advantage of this weakness. Despite the global community’s condemnations and protests, the slow genocide continues.

Not only are the Myanmar authorities shirking responsibility, but they are now accusing Bangladesh and stalling the repatriation process. They are highlighting the issue of photographs and fingerprints. After having wiped out village after village, they are now saying the repatriation process wasn’t being done according to the agreement. They ask how can they say these people were actually residents of Arakan?

One bit of progress is that they have responded positively to involving the UN in the process. Both countries should be involved in drawing up and scrutinising the list.