Returnees to be received at Taung Pyo Let Wae reception centre

By Cha Lu Aung 21 Aug 2019

Cha Lu Aung | DMG
21 August, Maungdaw

Displaced people from Myanmar who fled to Bangladesh are going to be accepted at the reception center in Taung Pyo Let Wae town in Maungdaw Township on 22 August, said U Soe Aung, administrator of Maungdaw district.

The Myanmar government is going to verify and repatriate 150 returnees a day, but he doesn’t know yet if the returnees are Muslims or Hindus, U Soe Aung said.

“We are ready to accept the returnees. The Bangladeshi government has not categorized the returnees, so they may be sending back Muslims or Hindus or both. They said they will send those who have been verified by Myanmar side,” the administrator said.

Myanmar and Bangladesh has agreed to repatriate over 3000 displaced people as of 22 August, the Myanmar government said.

Myanmar will receive seven groups for resettlement, spokesperson of the President Office U Zaw Htay said on 16 August.

According to the bilateral agreement, Myanmar will accept those who voluntarily return home.

“It is correct that they reportedly are not happy to return to Myanmar. We can accept them if the Bangladeshi government sends them back. If they do not come by their own will, we cannot receive them,” U Soe Aung said.

He added that repatriation process is ready to begin and staff are already prepared to start.

The arrangement of repatriation of displaced people on 22 August this year under the bilateral agreement is the third attempt by Myanmar to accept returnees.

No one returned to Myanmar in the previous two attempts to accept displaced people from Maungdaw region; both countries agreed to start repatriate process on 23 January in 2018 and 15 November in 2018.

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