Bangladesh hosting more than 1 million Rohingya as Myanmar repatriation efforts get started
Biometric registering of the refugees began last year after thousands started fleeing violence in their home of Rakhine state
Bangladesh has counted more than a million Rohingya refugees living in camps near the border with Myanmar, higher than previous estimates, the head of its registration project said on Wednesday as preparations for their return got under way.
The Bangladesh army began biometric registering of the refugees last year after the latest mass influx of Rohingya from Myanmar, where the Muslim minority have faced decades of persecution.
The registration is aimed partly at aiding repatriation of the refugees – a controversial issue as most say they do not want to return.
Bangladesh says it wants to start sending them home next week and has reached an initial agreement with Myanmar to complete the process within two years.
“So far we’ve registered 1,004,742 Rohingya. They are given biometric registration cards,” said army Brigadier General Saidur Rahman, who heads the Rohingya registration project.
Several thousand more have yet to be registered, he said.
