Myanmar delegation's Cox’s Bazar visit postponed

The visit of a Myanmar delegation to Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, as part of an initiative for Rohingya repatriation, has been delayed. Diplomatic sources said the visit has been postponed as Cyclone Mocha could hit Bangladesh's Cox's Bazar and Myanmar's Rakhine coast. As a result, uncertainty looms large for the third time after two failed attempts.

According to diplomatic sources, a joint working group meeting on Rohingya repatriation was held between Bangladesh, China and Myanmar at the Padma State Guest House in the capital on Monday. It was decided to postpone the visit of the Myanmar delegation at the meeting. Director general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Myanmar wing) Md Mainul Kabir, Chinese ambassador to Dhaka Yao Wen and Myanmar Ambassador Aung Kyaw Moe were present.

According to the decision of the tripartite meeting of China, Bangladesh and Myanmar on 18 April in Kunming, China, it was decided to send back 1,176 Rohingyas to Rakhine under the pilot project this month. It was decided in that meeting that they will be sent back to Rakhine before the monsoon starts. Later, 6000 Rohingya will be repatriated to Rakhine in five more phases in this year.

A delegation of Rohingya visited Rakhine for the first time in nearly six years on 5 May as part of the repatriation initiative. They told reporters in Cox's Bazar about their experience that the situation was not favourable to go back to Rakhine.

According to diplomatic sources, the meeting of the joint working group of the three countries discussed the negative reaction of the Rohingyas who visited Rakhine, arranging the proposed visit of the Myanmar delegation to Cox's Bazar and the concern of the international community on the sudden repatriation process. The meeting discussed over implementing repatriation of Rohingyas by earning their trust.

Although Myanmar cited cyclone Mocha as the reason behind the postponement of its delegation's visit, but according to diplomatic observers, the negative feedback of the Rohingyas visiting Rakhine has played a vital role in the postponement of the Myanmar delegation's visit.

When asked whether the Myanmar delegation's visit to Cox's Bazar has been postponed, foreign minister AK Abdul Momen did not say anything clearly on Wednesday. In response to a question at a press conference held in his office on the occasion of the Indian Ocean Conference, he said, "They (Myanmar delegation) were supposed to visit. It is a special situation as there might be cyclone...we want them (Rohingyas) to go back as soon as possible. Who knows when they will leave.”

Minister of state for foreign affairs, Shahriar Alam, said in the same meeting, “It (repatriation) is progressing slowly. This is not an easy task. You must wait with patience. I want your cooperation in this.”

Chinese mediation and the global community

A diplomatic source that does not want to be named told this correspondent on Wednesday that the Myanmar delegation wanted to visit Cox's Bazar within a week of the Rohingya representatives' visit to Rakhine on 5 May. The delegation was scheduled to come to Cox's Bazar and talk to the Rohingyas. In particular, the key purpose was to persuade the Rohingyas to return to Rakhine. But there were some preparatory shortfalls in arranging the visit of the Myanmar delegation.

Although Bangladesh and Myanmar have taken the initiative to repatriate the Rohingya through the mediation of China, Western countries and the international community speculate that Myanmar's attempt to begin repatriation hastily without ensuring basic civil rights and a favourable environment in Rakhine is a strategy to evade international pressure. The international community wants to ensure accountability for the 2017 Myanmar military atrocities of the Rohingya.

According to diplomatic sources, the local representative of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Johannes van der Klaauw met with several diplomats and the resident coordinator of the United Nations the day before the meeting of the joint working group of Bangladesh, China and Myanmar.

Acting foreign secretary rear admiral (Retd) Md Khurshed Alam met the representative of UNHCR. He wished to play an active role in the process of Rohingya repatriation in Bangladesh and Myanmar. He also said that UNHCR has not been able to operate in Rakhine recently. He wants Bangladesh's help in this regard.

At that time, Bangladesh said that UNHCR has made a separate agreement with Bangladesh as well as Myanmar regarding their engagement in Rohingya repatriation process. Therefore, it is Myanmar's responsibility to decide on the organisation's engagement in Rakhine. Bangladesh has nothing to do about it. In that meeting at the ministry of foreign affairs, the UNHCR representative was briefed about the progress of repatriation preparations under the pilot project. The senior UN official raised the issue of ensuring the Rohingyas' rights before sending them to Rakhine at the time.

The UNHCR representative in Dhaka held a meeting with several senior diplomats including US ambassador Peter Haas, German ambassador Achim Tröster, UN Resident Coordinator Gwyn Lewis after the meeting in the ministry of foreign affairs. According to diplomatic sources, they discussed about Rohingya repatriation.

Myanmar army waged unprecedented brutality against the Rohingya on 25 Augustnight in 2017. In the next few months, 750,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh to save their lives from Rakhine. Earlier, after violence in October 2016, another 87,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh. In addition, previously 37,366 Rohingyas were registered. According to UNHCR data, there are now 960,539 Rohingyas registered in Bangladesh.

Dates for Rohingya repatriation were finalised in November 2018 and August 2019. But the Rohingyas were unable to return due to the lack of supportive environment in Rakhine which is why the two attempts at repatriation failed.

Former ambassador and president of research institute Bangladesh Enterprise Institute (BEI) M Humayun Kabir told Prothom Alo yesterday that if the Rohingyas are to be sent back to Rakhine, they must be assured of their livelihood. Otherwise they will not agree to return. Although it is Myanmar’s responsibility to build the confidence of the Rohingya, the international community should also play a role in this regard.