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Agence France-Presse

Rohingya refugees who return to Myanmar following a Bangladesh-Myanmar repatriation agreement will initially have to live in temporary shelters or camps, Dhaka said on Saturday.
“Primarily they will be kept at temporary shelters or arrangements for a limited time,” Bangladesh Foreign Minister A.H. Mahmood Ali told reporters in the capital Dhaka.
The United Nations says 620,000 Rohingya have fled to Bangladesh since August and now live in squalor in the world’s largest refugee camp after a military crackdown in Myanmar that the UN and Washington have called “ethnic cleansing”.

Bangladesh and Myanmar signed the repatriation agreement on Thursday, which would pave the way for an “earliest return” of the Rohingya refugees, according to the deal, which Dhaka released on Saturday.
Under the agreement, Myanmar “would restore normalcy in Northern Rakhine [state] and to encourage those who had left Myanmar to return voluntarily and safely to their own households” or “to a safe and secure place nearest to it of their choice”.

“Myanmar will take all possible measures to see that the returnees will not be settled in temporary places for a long period of time and their freedom of movement in the Rakhine State will be allowed in conformity with the existing laws and regulations,” it added.
Since most of the Rohingya villages were burnt during the violence, many would have no choice but to live in temporary shelters, minister Ali said.
“Most villages are burnt. So where they will return? There are no houses. Where they will live? It is not possible to physically [return to their houses],” he said.
The UN’s refugee agency on Friday raised concerns about the agreement, saying “at present, conditions in Myanmar’s Rakhine State are not in place to enable safe and sustainable returns”.


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Rohingya Muslims

Rohingya to stay in temporary houses on return to Myanmar, Bangladesh official says

The Kutupalong refugee camp for Rohingya Muslims in Bangladesh. Photo: AP

In this Nov. 2, 2017 photo, Rohingya Muslim children eat ice cream at the Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh. Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement on Thursday covering the return of Rohingya Muslims who fled across their mutual border to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state. Myanmar announced the agreement but provided no details on how many Rohingya refugees would be allowed to return home or how soon that might happen. More than 620,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when the army began what it called "clearance operations" following an attack on police posts by a group of Rohingya insurgents. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

In this Nov. 3, 2017 photo, Rohingya Muslim children play soccer at Kutupalong refugee camp, Bangladesh. Myanmar and Bangladesh signed an agreement on Thursday covering the return of Rohingya Muslims who fled across their mutual border to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state.Myanmar announced the agreement but provided no details on how many Rohingya refugees would be allowed to return home or how soon that might happen. More than 620,000 Rohingya have fled from Myanmar into Bangladesh since Aug. 25, when the army began what it called "clearance operations" following an attack on police posts by a group of Rohingya insurgents. (AP Photo/Bernat Armangue)

Big turnout at Myanmar pro-army rally defies Rohingya outcry

Thousands of people marched in Yangon on Sunday to show support for Myanmar’s military, which has been accused of violently driving out hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims from Rakhine state to neighbouring Bangladesh. Photo: AP

Shwe Eain Si, dethroned Miss Grand Myanmar 2017, speaks during a ceremony supporting the country's military and government servants Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Yangon, Myanmar. Thousands of people marched in Yangon on Sunday to show support for Myanmar's military, which has come under heavy criticism over violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee from Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

Hla Swe, a former parliament member from the military-backed Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), speaks during a ceremony supporting the country's military and government servants Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Yangon, Myanmar. Thousands of people marched in Yangon on Sunday to show support for Myanmar's military, which has come under heavy criticism over violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee from Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

Participants holdingnational and military flags attend a marching ceremony supporting the country's military and government servants Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Yangon, Myanmar. Thousands of people marched in Yangon on Sunday to show support for Myanmar's military, which has come under heavy criticism over violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee from Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

A participant decorating her face with stickers of the Myanmar national flag attends a ceremony supporting the country's military and government servants Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Yangon, Myanmar. Thousands of people marched in Yangon on Sunday to show support for Myanmar's military, which has come under heavy criticism over violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee from Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

Participants holding national and military flags attend a ceremony supporting the country's military and government servants Sunday, Oct. 29, 2017, in Yangon, Myanmar. Thousands of people marched in Yangon on Sunday to show support for Myanmar's military, which has come under heavy criticism over violence that has driven hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims to flee from Rakhine state to neighboring Bangladesh. (AP Photo/Thein Zaw)

Don’t send Rohingya refugees back to Myanmar until their safety can be guaranteed

Rohingya refugees cross the Naf River with an improvised raft to reach Bangladesh on November 12. Photo: Reuters

epa06095850 Myanmar military commander-in-chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing arrives to a ceremony marking the 70th Martyrs' Day at the Martyrs' Mausoleum in Yangon, Myanmar, 19 July 2017. Myanmar's Martyr's Day is observed on 19 July to commemorate country's nine independence heroes including General Aung San, the father of Myanmar State counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, who were assassinated on 19 July in 1947. EPA/LYNN BO BO

TOPSHOT - Rohingya refugees wait for food distribution organised by the Bangladesh army at the refugee camp of Balukhali near Gumdhum on September 25, 2017. More than 436,000 refugees have crossed the border from Rakhine since August 25 when a military crackdown was launched following attacks by Rohingya militants, according to UN figures on September 25. / AFP PHOTO / DOMINIQUE FAGET

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