Myanmar interested in repatriating displaced Rohingya

Myanmar has shown interest in taking back Rohingya refugees living in Bangladesh after "proper verification," a Bangladeshi minister said on Thursday.

"Myanmar has responded positively to Bangladesh's demand for repatriation of Rohingya refugees," Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali said on Thursday, one day after meeting with Myanmar's Deputy Foreign Minister U Kyaw Tin.

Thousands of Rohingya, the Muslim minority group in Myanmar's Buddhist-majority state of Rakhine, crossed into Bangladesh to escape violence after the Myanmar army launched counterinsurgency sweeps in October. Ali said the Myanmar envoy accepted the proposal for repatriation of the refugees, but stressed the individuals must be verified to be Myanmar nationals.

"We will proceed to the next step as Myanmar has expressed sincerity in the process," said Ali adding that an initial selection process for refugee repatriation might begin in two months.

On Wednesday, Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina urged Myanmar to help persecuted Rohingya Muslims go back to their homes in the state of Rakhine.

Bangladesh's foreign minister said nearly 65,000 Rohingya Muslims took shelter in Bangladesh.

Rights groups have accused the army of Myanmar of committing arson, murder and rape against the Rohingya Muslims. More than 29,000 documented Rohingya refugees have been living in two camps in the Bangladeshi district of Cox's Bazar since they were driven out of Myanmar in 1990s.

The number of undocumented Rohingya living in Bangladesh is estimated to stand at somewhere between 200,000 and 500,000.    (dpa)

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