A Bangladesh official said on March 29 that Myanmar had approved several hundred Rohingya from a list of thousands to return to their homeland, but provided no indication of when the long-delayed process would begin.
Myanmar clears some Rohingya for return but no date on horizon
30 Mar 2018 - 15:16
A Bangladesh official said on March 29 that Myanmar had approved several hundred Rohingya from a list of thousands to return to their homeland, but provided no indication of when the long-delayed process would begin.
Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in November to repatriate three-quarters of a million Rohingya but the deal has stalled indefinitely, with each side blaming the other for a lack of preparation.
Myanmar has so far approved fewer than 600 names from a list of more than 8,000 refugees provided by Bangladesh. The impoverished South Asian nation is housing nearly a million Rohingya in squalid camps along its southeastern border with Myanmar.
Mohammad Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s top official overseeing the repatriation deal, said Myanmar had given no details about when or if the controversial process was expected to begin.
“No date has been fixed yet,” he told reporters. Asked when the process would begin, Kalam said he had “no idea.”
Story Code: 321513