Myanmar must solve Rohingya problems - Bangladesh

Fri May 29, 2009 3:57am EDT
By Nizam Ahmed

DHAKA, May 29 (Reuters) - Bangladesh Foreign Minister Dipu Moni said the flow of Rohingya Muslims into Myanmar's neighbours would not stop unless the former Burma removed problems that compelled them to leave their homeland.

"The Rohingya problem has been lingering for more than 30 years, and Myanmar must take steps to solve that," Moni told a news conference on Friday.

Her remarks came a week after a fresh influx of Rohingyas was reported in Bangladesh, prompting the authorities to step up vigilance at its border with Myanmar.

"The issue has been raised prominently among the countries affected by Rohingya refugees and we hope Myanmar will do the needful to retain their people within its territory," Moni said.

Rohingyas, not recognised as an ethnic minority by Myanmar, allege human rights abuse by its authorities, saying they deprive Rohingya of free movement, education and rightful employment.

Moni said Bangladesh was in touch with Myanmar and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) to stop further inflows and get Myanmar to take back those who have already left.

Rohingyas have been leaving Myanmar and heading mainly into impoverished Bangladesh since the late 1970s. The biggest influx occurred in 1992.

Rohingya refugees have created problems for several other countries in the region in recent months, with reports of Thailand putting those who come by boat back to sea, and others reaching Malaysia and Indonesia and trying to work illegally.

More than 21,000 living in two camps the U.N. runs near the southeastern resort of Cox's Bazar are not willing to go back, alleging persecution by the military junta ruling Myanmar.

They are the remnants of some 250,000 Rohingyas who fled to Bangladesh in 1992. The rest were repatriated through UNHCR.

"It is (against) U.N. principle to force any refugee to go back home from exile if he does not want" to do so, a UNHCR official said, requesting not to be identified.

Cox's Bazar officials say more then 200,000 Rohingyas live outside the camps, mixing with local Muslims who have an almost common language.

Muslims are a minority in Myanmar, where most of the population is Buddhists. Bangladesh is overwhelmingly Muslim.

The countries share a 320 km (200 mile) border.

On a separate refugee issue, Foreign Minister Moni said Bangladesh would take back so-called "boat people" from Indonesia if their particulars and identities were authenticated.

Indonesia said early this week it would return 114 Bangladeshis who arrived in Banda Aceh on the northern tip of Sumatra island earlier this year in rickety wooden boats. The status of nearly 280 others was still being considered. (Editing by Anis Ahmed and Jerry Norton)

Source: http://www.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUSDHA137724

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