Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed a memorandum of understanding on the return of possibly hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees to their homes in Myanmar’s Rakhine State, a spokesman for State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi confirmed Thursday.
An estimated 615,000 Rohingya have fled across the border into Bangladesh since August 25, when a new outbreak of violence began between the Myanmar military and armed militants in Rakhine State.
So far, no official details have been released on the agreement, what it would entail and under what circumstances the Rohingya would return.
A statement released by the State Counselor’s spokesman confirmed the agreement had been signed but only added that the agreement was “a win-win situation for both countries.”
Nay San Lwin, a Europe-based Rohingya activist, told CNN that Bangladesh should not send any citizens back to Myanmar “unless citizenship and basic rights are guaranteed.”
“I didn’t find any clear statement how these refugees will be repatriated,” he said. “I’m not sure whether they will be allowed to return to their original village. I’m not sure whether they will get back their own lands.”
The Rohingya who have fled Rakhine State have brought with them stories of mass murder, rape and widespread destruction.
On Wednesday, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the actions taken by Myanmar against the Rohingya were clearly “ethnic cleansing.” The military has repeatedly denied it has mistreated Rohingya civilians.
Given the refugees’ claims, there is no indication how many of the displaced Rohingya might actually want to return to Myanmar.
It is also unclear how many refugees Myanmar might be willing to accept, given public statements by senior figures in the country.
In a statement on November 15, Myanmar’s commander in chief, Senior Gen. Min Aung Hliang said while preparations were being made to return the refugees “it is impossible to accept the number of persons proposed by Bangladesh.”
“The situation must be acceptable for both local Rakhine ethnic people and Bengalis, and emphasis must be placed on (the) wish of local Rakhine ethnic people who are real Myanmar citizens,” Hliang wrote on his Facebook page.
“Only when local Rakhine ethnic people accept it, will all the people satisfy it.”
Senior Myanmar authorities refuse to recognize the Rohingya as citizens, claiming that they are Bangladeshi or Bengali.