‘BD must suspend pilot project to return Rohingyas to Myanmar’

Bangladesh must immediately suspend a pilot repatriation project for Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar, where they "face serious risks" to their lives and liberty, a UN expert said on Thursday.
UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Myanmar, Tom Andrews, said there were reports that Bangladeshi authorities were using "deceptive and coercive measures" to compel Rohingya refugees to return to Myanmar, reports UNB.
"Conditions in Myanmar are anything but conducive for the safe, dignified, sustainable, and voluntary return of Rohingya refugees," Andrews said.
"Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who commanded the forces that launched the genocidal attacks against the Rohingya, now leads a brutal military junta that is attacking civilian populations while denying the Rohingya citizenship and other basic rights," he said.
Bangladesh officials have stated that an initial group of 1,140 Rohingya refugees will be repatriated to Myanmar at an unspecified date and 6,000 will be returned by the end of the year. Actions by Bangladesh authorities suggest that the first return could be imminent.