Muslims from Bangladeshi IDP camps to demonstrate

By Cha Lu Aung 21 Aug 2019

Cha Lu Aung | DMG
21 August, Maungdaw
 
Muslims who fled from Myanmar and are living in the IDP camps in Bangladesh are going to wage a demonstration on 25 August for the two year anniversary of being displaced from their homes.

The UN estimated that about 700,000 Muslim people including Hindus fled to Bangladesh following the violent attacks in August 2017, at Maungdaw district in Arakan State.

They waging a demonstration because they want the Myanmar government to take accountability for the incident in 2017, said Mahmed Tar Hare, a leader of the Kutupalong IDP camp in Bangladesh.

“We have arranged to demonstrate to show that we never forget the incident in 2017 and want the government to bear responsibility for it,” Mahmed Tar Hare said.

Abul Tar Lawre , who was from Myo Thu Gyi village in Maungdaw Township and is now staying at an IDP camp, said that he wanted to let known the world what they had suffered.

“I will participate in the demonstration to let the world know what we suffered. We’d like the Myanmar government to take steps to ensure that it takes responsibility to remedy our losses,” Abul Tar Lare said.

U Zaw Htay, spokesperson of the President Office, said on 16 August that Myanmar and Bangladesh have agreed to repatriate over 3000 Muslims, who fled from Myanmar to the neighboring country, as of 22 August.

He added that Myanmar could accept them at once if the Bangladeshi government sends them to Myanmar for resettlement.

The Bangladeshi government sent a list including over 20,000 names to Myanmar, the ministry of Labour, Immigration and Population verified the list and informed authorities in Dhaka 3450 of them are cleared for return, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

Both countries have attempted to repatriate refugees since 2018, but no refugees have been returned home so far.

More than a hundred Hindus and some locals were killed during the violence occurred in August 2017, in Maungdaw region.  

Following the brutal violence of the ARSA in Maungdaw and Buthidaung regions, the Tatmadaw conducted military operations in these regions, hundreds of Muslims were killed during the operations and about 700,000 Muslims fled to Bangladesh, the UN said.

But the Myanmar government has denied those figures.