Bangladesh on Tuesday proposed Myanmar to start repatriation of Rohingya refugees by the first quarter of this year, but the latter expressed their inability to do so during that period for lack of logistics and necessary preparations.
At a trilateral virtual meeting on Tuesday, Myanmar, however, agreed in principle to start the repatriation, a Bangladesh official said. Bangladesh officials expressed their optimism about starting the repatriation in the second quarter of the current year.
Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen led the Bangladesh side while Deputy Minister of International Cooperation Hau Do Suan led the Myanmar side at the meeting. Vice Foreign Minister of China Luo Zhaohui was in the chair.
Director General on Rohingya Affairs at the Bangladesh foreign affairs ministry Delwar Hossain was also present at the meeting.
The meeting took a slew of decisions to pave the way for the repatriation, including holding the working group meeting in the first week of next month to be followed by another secretaries' level meeting, Mr. Momen told a media briefing after the meeting.
The parties attending the meeting could not reach a consensus on the mode of repatriation.
"We proposed them (Myanmar) to take back the Rohingyas on the basis of an area or village. We said that if the people of a same area can be sent together, it will be easy to motivate them to go back as the lack of motivation seems to be the main hindrance," the Bangladesh foreign secretary said.
"Myanmar is yet to agree to the proposal, but they said that they will think over it."
Mr. Momen said the issue of the terrorist activities by the Rohingyas was also raised by Myanmar, but Bangladesh has made it clear that it never allows anybody to use its soil for any kind of terrorist activities.
The violence that took place within the Rohingya groups recently was connected to criminal activities like drug trafficking and establishing supremacy, he added.
"We have told the meeting that the fencing of the camps will be finished by June (next) and things will come under control after that," said the foreign secretary.
"And before repatriation, they (Rohingyas) will have to sign a form committing that they will not violate the laws of Myanmar," he added.
In the meeting, he said, the Myanmar side said they will engage with the Rohingyas in Cox's Bazar camps to encourage them to go back to Rakhine.
"Previously they had talks with some Rohingyas but later felt that they talked to the wrong group of people," said the foreign secretary.
However, China that coordinated the trilateral mechanism assured the meeting that they will provide free vaccination to the Rohingyas to be selected for the repatriation.
China said the meeting was held in a friendly, candid and constructive manner.
"The three parties reviewed the progress of previous work, discussed the way forward and reiterated the commitment to creating favorable conditions for the early repatriation of displaced Myanmar residents from Rakhine," said a spokesperson of the Chinese foreign ministry.
Vice Foreign Minister Luo Zhaohui pointed out that China has been actively engaged in mediation between Bangladesh and Myanmar since 2017.
"As a friend of both countries, China has been trying to bring the two parties closer by establishing various channels for dialogue, including informal foreign ministers' meeting, vice-ministerial level meeting and tripartite working group mechanism."
China also facilitates direct communication between Bangladesh and Myanmar, he added.
He reiterated China's position that the issue of displaced people from Rakhine is ultimately a bilateral one. Hence, bilateral negotiation and consultation between Bangladesh and Myanmar should be prioritised for finding a durable solution.
"The international community, China included, should play a constructive role instead of further complicating the situation. Promoting development is the fundamental way to address the issue. China is happy to see the positive outcomes of the meeting, and is ready, whenever necessary, to provide political and material assistance to complement the bilateral efforts," said the Chinese foreign ministry.
Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen and Deputy Minister Hau Do Suan discussed a possible roadmap for starting repatriation, the modus operandi for carrying out field work and ways to strengthen the bilateral and trilateral coordination.
According to China, the two sides also agreed that the issue of repatriation should be resolved with goodwill and utmost sincerity, and that an early and durable settlement would contribute to better Bangladesh-Myanmar cooperation, stronger regional connectivity and shared prosperity for all.
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