YANGON: Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a deal on Thursday paving the way for the possible repatriation of Rohingya Muslims who have fled violence in Rakhine state, officials said, as global pressure mounts over the refugee crisis.
More than 620,000 Rohingya have poured into Bangladesh since August, running from a Myanmar military crackdown that Washington said this week clearly constitutes “ethnic cleansing”.
After weeks of tussling over the terms of repatriation, the two sides inked a deal in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw on Thursday following talks between Myanmar’s civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and Dhaka’s Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali.
“Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding today,” Myint Kyaing, the permanent secretary of Myanmar’s Ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population, confirmed to AFP.
He said he was unauthorised to provide more details.
Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay also tweeted that an “agreement on repatriation” had been signed, though he could not be reached by phone for further comment.
In brief remarks to the press, Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Ali said: “This is a primary step. (They) will take back (Rohingya). Now we have to start working.”
But the scope of the repatriation — such as how many Rohingya will be allowed back — and the timeline remain unclear.
