Myanmar's assurance

The statement of the visiting minister of Myanmar, Win Myat Aye, that his country would like to take back its Rohingya nationals sheltered in Bangladesh as soon as possible should be backed up by substantiated actions. So far, Myanmar has been procrastinating and delaying the process by putting newer conditions.

Mr Aye did not clarify whether the repatriation would happen in a way the international community and Bangladesh have been asking for. His remarks that the government would "try" to grant citizenship to Rohingyas are unacceptable. Rohingyas are Myanmar's nationals and their citizenships have been revoked. Myanmar must commit that it would certainly grant citizenships to the returnee refugees. 

We are also dismayed by the extremely slow speed of Myanmar's verification process.

Given these realities, Myanmar must prove its sincerity to lend credence to its words. We note that Mr Aye expressed his government's intention to sign agreements with UNDP and UNHCR to conduct the repatriation, which we welcome. We expect that the repatriation will take place based on the Kofi Annan Commission's recommendations, which Myanmar promised to fulfil, and fully monitored by the UN agencies, with full rights of the returnees protected.