YANGON: Repatriations of Rohingya refugees will begin on schedule by January 22, Myanmar said, as the United Nations and rights groups cast concern over the process.
Some 655,000 minority Rohingya have fled Myanmar’s northern Rakhine State to Bangladesh following a military crackdown, labelled ethnic cleansing by the UN, launched in August last year.
Refugees would begin returning in line with an agreement signed by the two countries in November, Myanmar’s minister for social welfare, relief and resettlement, Win Myat Aye, said on Thursday.
The people would return to their original villages after being housed at a “temporary area,” he said.
At least 354 Rohingya villages have been burned in Rakhine State since August, according to analysis of satellite imagery by Human Rights Watch.
The UN would be involved “at some stage” in the repatriations, in accordance with the agreement, the minister said.
A spokesperson for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees said on Wednesday that returns should not be premature and that “further measures” were required to ensure their safety in Myanmar. — dpa
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