ARU report: Tripartite meeting bringing optimism among Rohingyas

The Arakan Rohingya Union has said the tripartite meeting among Myanmar, Bangladesh, and China, is bringing some optimism to the forcefully displaced Rohingya people that they could return to their homeland.

However, they also mentioned that the meeting could only be fruitful if Myanmar is genuinely willing to honour the repatriation agreement that states “voluntary and dignified return to their original homes”, according to a statement on Sunday.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen will meet his counterparts from Myanmar and China virtually in a meeting initiated by China at 2pm on Tuesday.

The ARU said the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the international community to make sure the government of Myanmar takes part in the tripartite meeting with Bangladesh and China with utmost sincerity.

The organization also said in its report that the government of Myanmar took an initiative to resettle some internally displaced Rohingya families that are taking shelter in nearby Rohingya villages in Maungdaw Township.

There are over 15,000 displaced Rohingyas in the region. However, after three years of delay, a few hundred Rohingya people will be relocated as part of the initiative.

ARU said despite the government’s frequent claims of plans to repatriate the displaced Rohingya from IDP camps, there is no visible movement. 

It called for immediate implementation of the repatriation plan for Rohingya in IDP camps to their original homes.

Meanwhile, new incidents of trafficking of Rohingyas, in small and large groups, through land routes in Myanmar have increased, ARU said citing sources in Yangon.

As many as 26 Rohingya men and 73 women were detained by the police following an investigation that led to the identification of a suspected trafficker.

The Arakan State assemblymen pushed a motion to rescind the designation of the United League of Arakan or Arakan Army as a terrorist group.

On January 11, they submitted a motion to the State Assembly which was approved on January 14.