Decision of repatriating Rohingyas premature: UN envoy

UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights situation in Myanmar, Yanghee Lee today said the decision of repatriating hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees anytime soon was premature.

In a statement following her last month's visit to Thailand and Bangladesh, she also lamented the decades-long cycle of violence perpetuated by the authorities against ethnic minorities in Myanmar, including Rohingya Muslims.

Lee said that what the Myanmar government claims to be the conduct of military or security operations was actually an established pattern of domination, aggression and violations against the ethnic groups.

She said the atrocities committed against the Rohingya in the aftermath of the October 9, 2016 and the August 25, 2017 attacks have been repeatedly witnessed before, albeit not on the same scale of the recent attacks against the Rohingya, according to a UN press release.

Lee, who was informed by the Myanmar authorities last year that she would no longer be allowed to visit the country on the grounds that her reporting was unfair and biased, called on the democratic government to break with the repressive practices of the past, and to allow people who have fled their country to return home - to where they belong.

But she added: "For returns to be ever realized in a way that is voluntary, safe, dignified and sustainable, they must be treated as equals – citizens of Myanmar with all the rights that that status affords."

She said that while the government of Bangladesh had made it clear that no refugees would be forced back to Myanmar, the international community must pressure Myanmar to create conditions for their return before it is too late. "This must be done in a principled way that prioritises the need for these people to be recognized as Rohingya and as citizens of Myanmar," she said.