Union Minister Kyaw Tin of the Ministry of International Cooperation met Special Envoy of United Nations Secretary-General to Myanmar Ms Christine Schraner Burgener at the former’s office of Ministry of Foreign Affairs on September 4.

The meeting spotlighted the ways to seek obstacles to the repatriation of displaced persons from Rakahine State, according to the report of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

During the meeting, Union Minister Kyaw Tin requested the special envoy of the UNSG to urge the latter to encourage the Bangladeshi government to repatriate 444 Hindus t who had proposed returning Myanmar as soon as a possible.

Those 444 Hindus are the ones who had proposed returning Myanmar before 2017 December and they are nothing to do with the first batch of 3,450 displaced persons accepted on August 22, said Chan Aye, Director-General of International Organizations and Economic  Department.

The Bangladesh reported that 444 Hindus who proposed returning Myanmar would be repatriated to Myanmar only after the first batch of 3,450 displaced persons had been sent back their home, said Chan Aye.

“Those 444 Hindus wanted to return Myanmar as far as we know. For that reason, we reaffirmed that they are desirous of being sent home. The Bangladesh side has not planned to send those 444 Hindus back to Myanmar, for example, to distribute forms to them or fill in, said Chan Aye.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed to begin repatriation process of the first batch of 3,450 displaced persons on August 22, but no one was sent back. 

The threat of ARSA poses a major obstacle to the repatriation process of displaced persons. According to the bilateral agreement, non-compliance with repatriation regulations is another obstacle to the repatriation process agreed on August 22, Union Minister Kyaw Tin told Ms Christine Schraner Burgener during the meeting.

The repatriation process agreed on August 22 entered the third time, but no one entered Myanmar during the previous two times.

Translated and Edited by Win Htut