After the Indian government <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/supreme-court-refuses-intervene-deportation-7-rohingya-refugees-myanmar-169333">deported seven of them to Myanmar this week</a>, Rohingya refugees in India say they do not wish to return "until peace is restored in their homeland".&nbsp;

And they added that the seven Rohingya refugees who have been deported will very soon be killed.&nbsp;

"I have been living here since 2012. I only request the government to let us live here. We have faced a lot of hardships in our country. We did not leave our country out of greed, no one really wants to leave their own nation," Mohammad Farooq told ANI.&nbsp;

"Our records are there with the authorities and the UN. Police brought us a form to fill but it was in Burmese language and we refused to fill it. The seven people who have been deported won`t be alive for long. They will be killed," Mohammad added.&nbsp;

Mohammad currently lives in Delhi's Kalindi Kunj.&nbsp;

Haroon said the same thing to ANI.&nbsp;

"We are living here since 2005. The government has provided us with no help apart from long-term visa. The government has stopped renewing it since 2017. It was previously renewed five times. We want to request the government that <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/indias-rohingya-refugees-struggle-with-hatred-fear-as-first-group-is-expelled-169923">there is still no peace in our country</a>. Houses are still being burnt there. No matter how long we live here, we will not get a citizenship until the government makes such provision," Haroon said. &nbsp;

"Some people have filled a form that has come from Burma embassy. Whatever Indian government`s order comes we follow but we did not fill that form because it was all in the Burmese language. Filling it would mean that we are going to Burma with our free will. We do not want to go to Myanmar as of now," he added.&nbsp;

The seven Rohingya refugees deported to Myanmar had been in custody in Assam since 2012. They were bussed to the Moreh border post in Myanmar and handed over to Myanmarese authorities on Thursday after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the deportation.&nbsp;

The court said it did not wish to interfere in the Central government's decision.&nbsp;

The special rapporteur on racism at the India office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees however had said the move might amount to refoulment — or the deliberate return of refugees to a place where they face persecution and the threat of violence.&nbsp;

Refoulment falls foul of international law.&nbsp;

The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees had added that the seven Rohingya should be allowed to make an "informed decision" about whether they wish to return, or claim asylum in India.&nbsp;

Some 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since August 2017 after a military campaign against them. The military campaign — which the UN has called ethnic cleansing — followed an attack on police and army posts by the militant Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army group.&nbsp;

About 40,000 Rohingya currently live in India.&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

After the Indian government deported seven of them to Myanmar this week, Rohingya refugees in India say they do not wish to return "until peace is restored in their homeland".

After the Indian government deported seven of them to Myanmar this week, Rohingya refugees in India say they do not wish to return "until peace is restored in their homeland". And they added that the seven Rohingya refugees who have been deported will very soon be killed. "I have been living here since 2012. I only request the government to let us live here. We have faced a lot of hardships in our country. We did not leave our country out of greed, no one really wants to leave their own nation," Mohammad Farooq told ANI. "Our records are there with the authorities and the UN. Police brought us a form to fill but it was in Burmese language and we refused to fill it. The seven people who have been deported won`t be alive for long. They will be killed," Mohammad added. Mohammad currently lives in Delhi's Kalindi Kunj. Haroon said the same thing to ANI. "We are living here since 2005. The government has provided us with no help apart from long-term visa. The government has stopped renewing it since 2017. It was previously renewed five times. We want to request the government that there is still no peace in our country. Houses are still being burnt there. No matter how long we live here, we will not get a citizenship until the government makes such provision," Haroon said. "Some people have filled a form that has come from Burma embassy. Whatever Indian government`s order comes we follow but we did not fill that form because it was all in the Burmese language. Filling it would mean that we are going to Burma with our free will. We do not want to go to Myanmar as of now," he added. The seven Rohingya refugees deported to Myanmar had been in custody in Assam since 2012. They were bussed to the Moreh border post in Myanmar and handed over to Myanmarese authorities on Thursday after the Supreme Court refused to intervene in the deportation. The court said it did not wish to interfere in the Central government's decision. The special rapporteur on racism at the India office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees however had said the move might amount to refoulment — or the deliberate return of refugees to a place where they face persecution and the threat of violence. Refoulment falls foul of international law. The office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees had added that the seven Rohingya should be allowed to make an "informed decision" about whether they wish to return, or claim asylum in India. Some 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar since August 2017 after a military campaign against them. The military campaign — which the UN has called ethnic cleansing — followed an attack on police and army posts by the militant Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army group. About 40,000 Rohingya currently live in India. (With inputs from ANI)

7 Rohingya deported to Myanmar will be killed very soon: Rohingya refugees in Delhi

Hours after Indian TV channels flashed that the country was deporting seven Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, Sahidullah said he received a call from his nephew: "Uncle, please get us out of here. They will send us back too."

Sahidullah, a Rohingya living in the far north of India after fleeing what he called persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2010, said his relative, Sadiur Rahman, 40, was lodged in one of several detention centres for illegal immigrants in the distant northeastern state of Assam.

Rahman, he said, had been incarcerated with his brother and eight other relatives since being caught in 2012 at a railway station as they fled to India via Bangladesh. Sahidullah had taken the same route two years earlier, but like many others had escaped detection.

He said Rahman made the phone call when he was taken out for a routine medical checkup on Oct. 3, the day when India moved the seven Rohingya men out of a similar detention centre and took them to the border.

They were handed to the Myanmar authorities the next day, the first ever such deportations of Rohingya here, spreading panic among an estimated 40,000 refugees who have fled to India from its neighbour.

About 16,500 of the refugees, including Sahidullah, have been issued identity cards by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that it says helps them "prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation".

India says it does not recognise the cards and has rejected the UN's stand that deporting the Rohingya violates the principle of refoulement – sending back refugees to a place where they face danger.

"Anyone who has entered the country without a valid legal permit is considered illegal," said A. Bharat Bhushan Babu, a spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs. "As per the law, anyone illegal will have to be sent back. As per law they will be repatriated."

In recent days, Reuters interviewed dozens of Rohingya in two settlements, one in the northern city of Jammu and a smaller one in the capital, Delhi, and found communities who feel they are being increasingly vilified.

Many now fear Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government is about to act on its stated position – that it wants to deport all Rohingya Muslims from the country. With a general election due by next May, they worry that targeting them will be a populist tactic used by Modi and his allies.

Hatred growing

Sahidullah – who like many Rohingya goes by only one name - is not just worried about his detained relatives but also his family living in a mainly Hindu region of India's only Muslim-dominated state, Jammu &amp; Kashmir, in the country's northern tip.

The restive Himalayan state that borders Pakistan and is home to Muslim separatists battling Indian rule, has the biggest population of Rohingya in the country with around 7,000 people scattered in various makeshift settlements, largely in the Jammu region.

"We came to India because people told us things were better here, there's more work and one could move freely unlike back home," said Sahidullah, who works as a cleaner at a car showroom in Jammu city to support his aging amnesiac mother, wife and four children.

"All that's true and we are thankful to India for letting us live here. But hatred against us is growing," he told Reuters as he sat on a colourful linen sheet laid on the floor of his self-made wood and plastic-sheet house built on a rented plot of land.

Mohammed Arfaat, a 24-year-old Rohingya youth leader in Jammu, said that locals often accuse them of having links with militants without any proof.

"They want us out of here and that has got our families worried," said Arfaat, switching between English and Hindi as nearly a dozen community elders seated around him on the rough concrete floor of a Rohingya house started leaving for Friday prayers. "Everybody here is aware of the deportation and is afraid."

Indian authorities said that the repatriation of the seven was a routine procedure and that it sends all illegal foreigners back home.

But the UNHCR voiced deep concern on Friday about the safety and security of those expelled, saying they had been denied access to legal counsel and a chance to have their asylum claims assessed.

"Current conditions in Myanmar's Rakhine state are not conducive for safe, dignified and sustainable return of stateless Rohingya refugees," said UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic.

Most Rohingya used to live in Rakhine.

In August last year, attacks by Rohingya fighters on security posts in Rakhine led to a bloody military crackdown that caused around 700,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh.

The United Nations has accused Myanmar of acting against the Rohingya with "genocidal intent," a charge Myanmar refutes, saying its military did not use excessive force and was reacting to militant attacks.

Increasingly ugly

The atmosphere facing the Rohingya in India has been getting increasingly ugly.

Jammu's Chamber of Commerce &amp; Industry last year threatened to launch an "identify and kill movement" against the settlers, which it said pushed the government into taking the issue of Rohingya more seriously.

The chamber's president, Rakesh Gupta, told Reuters on Friday that there was nothing new in taking the law into one's hands if "someone becomes a threat to our security, to the nation's security, and the security forces don't tackle them".

In some of the more virulent parts of India’s media, the Rohingya are not only accused of being terrorists but also of trafficking in drugs and humans, and of having the money to elbow out local businesses.

The Pioneer newspaper, which supports Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said in an editorial on Saturday that "the Rohingya are a problem", declaring that those that are radicalized Islamist extremists need to be dealt with ruthlessly and the rest are economic migrants that India cannot afford to help.

India, which considers itself a victim of Islamist militancy and is trying to boost economic ties with Myanmar to counter China, said late last year that it shared Myanmar's concern about "extremist violence" by Rohingya militants.

India's home ministry has told the Supreme Court that it had reports from security agencies and other authentic sources "indicating linkages of some of the unauthorised Rohingya immigrants with Pakistan-based terror organisations and similar organisations operating in other countries".

"It's definitely an election issue,” said Kavinder Gupta, a BJP legislator in Jammu &amp; Kashmir and former deputy chief minister of the state.

"It's our decision to throw them out keeping in mind the security situation of the state," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a campaign meeting for municipal elections. "We have made the home ministry aware of the need to send them back to their country."

Senior Jammu police officials said on condition of anonymity that they had identified all Rohingya in the area in preparation for their eventual deportation. They added they had not found any link of Rohingya with militants.

Around 600 km (370 miles) south of Jammu, residents of a makeshift refugee camp in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh also said they fear deportation.

"We don't want to leave India. Where will we go?" said Mohammed Harun, a 47-year-old Rohingya elder in Delhi. "There are refugees from other countries in India too. Why are we being targeted? Why do they send us to jail? It is only because we are Muslims. They don't do this to the other refugees."

Hours after Indian TV channels flashed that the country was deporting seven Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, Sahidullah said he received a call from his nephew: "Uncle, please get us out of here.

Hours after Indian TV channels flashed that the country was deporting seven Rohingya Muslims to Myanmar, Sahidullah said he received a call from his nephew: "Uncle, please get us out of here. They will send us back too." Sahidullah, a Rohingya living in the far north of India after fleeing what he called persecution in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2010, said his relative, Sadiur Rahman, 40, was lodged in one of several detention centres for illegal immigrants in the distant northeastern state of Assam. Rahman, he said, had been incarcerated with his brother and eight other relatives since being caught in 2012 at a railway station as they fled to India via Bangladesh. Sahidullah had taken the same route two years earlier, but like many others had escaped detection. He said Rahman made the phone call when he was taken out for a routine medical checkup on Oct. 3, the day when India moved the seven Rohingya men out of a similar detention centre and took them to the border. They were handed to the Myanmar authorities the next day, the first ever such deportations of Rohingya here, spreading panic among an estimated 40,000 refugees who have fled to India from its neighbour. About 16,500 of the refugees, including Sahidullah, have been issued identity cards by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) that it says helps them "prevent harassment, arbitrary arrests, detention and deportation". India says it does not recognise the cards and has rejected the UN's stand that deporting the Rohingya violates the principle of refoulement – sending back refugees to a place where they face danger. "Anyone who has entered the country without a valid legal permit is considered illegal," said A. Bharat Bhushan Babu, a spokesman for the Ministry of Home Affairs. "As per the law, anyone illegal will have to be sent back. As per law they will be repatriated." In recent days, Reuters interviewed dozens of Rohingya in two settlements, one in the northern city of Jammu and a smaller one in the capital, Delhi, and found communities who feel they are being increasingly vilified. Many now fear Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu nationalist government is about to act on its stated position – that it wants to deport all Rohingya Muslims from the country. With a general election due by next May, they worry that targeting them will be a populist tactic used by Modi and his allies. Hatred growing Sahidullah – who like many Rohingya goes by only one name - is not just worried about his detained relatives but also his family living in a mainly Hindu region of India's only Muslim-dominated state, Jammu & Kashmir, in the country's northern tip. The restive Himalayan state that borders Pakistan and is home to Muslim separatists battling Indian rule, has the biggest population of Rohingya in the country with around 7,000 people scattered in various makeshift settlements, largely in the Jammu region. "We came to India because people told us things were better here, there's more work and one could move freely unlike back home," said Sahidullah, who works as a cleaner at a car showroom in Jammu city to support his aging amnesiac mother, wife and four children. "All that's true and we are thankful to India for letting us live here. But hatred against us is growing," he told Reuters as he sat on a colourful linen sheet laid on the floor of his self-made wood and plastic-sheet house built on a rented plot of land. Mohammed Arfaat, a 24-year-old Rohingya youth leader in Jammu, said that locals often accuse them of having links with militants without any proof. "They want us out of here and that has got our families worried," said Arfaat, switching between English and Hindi as nearly a dozen community elders seated around him on the rough concrete floor of a Rohingya house started leaving for Friday prayers. "Everybody here is aware of the deportation and is afraid." Indian authorities said that the repatriation of the seven was a routine procedure and that it sends all illegal foreigners back home. But the UNHCR voiced deep concern on Friday about the safety and security of those expelled, saying they had been denied access to legal counsel and a chance to have their asylum claims assessed. "Current conditions in Myanmar's Rakhine state are not conducive for safe, dignified and sustainable return of stateless Rohingya refugees," said UNHCR spokesman Andrej Mahecic. Most Rohingya used to live in Rakhine. In August last year, attacks by Rohingya fighters on security posts in Rakhine led to a bloody military crackdown that caused around 700,000 Rohingya to flee across the border to Bangladesh. The United Nations has accused Myanmar of acting against the Rohingya with "genocidal intent," a charge Myanmar refutes, saying its military did not use excessive force and was reacting to militant attacks. Increasingly ugly The atmosphere facing the Rohingya in India has been getting increasingly ugly. Jammu's Chamber of Commerce & Industry last year threatened to launch an "identify and kill movement" against the settlers, which it said pushed the government into taking the issue of Rohingya more seriously. The chamber's president, Rakesh Gupta, told Reuters on Friday that there was nothing new in taking the law into one's hands if "someone becomes a threat to our security, to the nation's security, and the security forces don't tackle them". In some of the more virulent parts of India’s media, the Rohingya are not only accused of being terrorists but also of trafficking in drugs and humans, and of having the money to elbow out local businesses. The Pioneer newspaper, which supports Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), said in an editorial on Saturday that "the Rohingya are a problem", declaring that those that are radicalized Islamist extremists need to be dealt with ruthlessly and the rest are economic migrants that India cannot afford to help. India, which considers itself a victim of Islamist militancy and is trying to boost economic ties with Myanmar to counter China, said late last year that it shared Myanmar's concern about "extremist violence" by Rohingya militants. India's home ministry has told the Supreme Court that it had reports from security agencies and other authentic sources "indicating linkages of some of the unauthorised Rohingya immigrants with Pakistan-based terror organisations and similar organisations operating in other countries". "It's definitely an election issue,” said Kavinder Gupta, a BJP legislator in Jammu & Kashmir and former deputy chief minister of the state. "It's our decision to throw them out keeping in mind the security situation of the state," he told Reuters on the sidelines of a campaign meeting for municipal elections. "We have made the home ministry aware of the need to send them back to their country." Senior Jammu police officials said on condition of anonymity that they had identified all Rohingya in the area in preparation for their eventual deportation. They added they had not found any link of Rohingya with militants. Around 600 km (370 miles) south of Jammu, residents of a makeshift refugee camp in Delhi's Shaheen Bagh also said they fear deportation. "We don't want to leave India. Where will we go?" said Mohammed Harun, a 47-year-old Rohingya elder in Delhi. "There are refugees from other countries in India too. Why are we being targeted? Why do they send us to jail? It is only because we are Muslims. They don't do this to the other refugees."

India’s Rohingya refugees struggle with hatred, fear as first group is expelled

By Costas Laoutides and Anthony Ware

Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s civilian leader and de facto president, is under fire from all sides. Domestically, she is facing growing criticism for stalled economic and political reforms, glacial progress on policy and service improvements, and the suppression of freedom of expression and press freedom.

But it is her international reputation that is most in tatters.

The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, imprisoned for 15 years over a 21-year period in her struggle for human rights and democracy, has suffered a swift and dramatic fall from grace as a global icon. She is now widely seen as an enabler of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

In just the last few days, Canada stripped Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship and the Malaysian prime minister stated publicly that she has lost his support.

Failures of Suu Kyi’s government

Suu Kyi has been the subject of much criticism since taking power 2.5 years ago, but the most recent and vociferous condemnation has centred on two events: the jailing of two Reuters journalists who exposed a massacre of Rohingya civilians by the military, and her government’s failure to respond to international investigations into allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide.

In September, the two Reuters journalists were convicted of possessing official secrets, despite testimony by a policeman that they had been entrapped.

The journalists had reported on a 2017 massacre of Rohingya Muslims by security forces, which resulted in the eventual conviction of seven soldiers for murder

It is notable that it was Suu Kyi’s civilian government that prosecuted the journalists, not the military. Suu Kyi could have ordered the charges dropped, as she did for student protesters during her early days in office. Instead, before the trial was over, she commented that the reporters were guilty of violating the Official Secrets Act, and once even allegedly referred to them as “traitors”.

The second great disappointment has been the government’s response to the UN Human Rights Council’s report into the violence that drove almost 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh last year.

The report, released in full in September, found conclusive evidence that security forces had indeed engaged in mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya, with genocidal intent. It went on to accuse Suu Kyi and her government of contributing to the atrocities through “acts and omissions”.

The HRC recommended the UN Security Council refer the Myanmar commander-in-chief and five generals to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The UN Human Rights Council also set up a body to prepare evidence for trials.

Rather than pledge to cooperate with the investigation, however, Suu Kyi has consistently defended the military action against the Rohingya and repeatedly pointed to a lack of understanding of the complexities of the situation.

Her only concession to the increasing international condemnation of her government has been this muted statement - "There are, of course, ways in which, with hindsight, we might think that the situation could have been handled better."

Limitations on Suu Kyi’s power

The military remains a very powerful force in Myanmar. It has the power to appoint its own personnel to a quarter of the seats in parliament and oversees the three powerful ministries of Home Affairs, Defence and Border Affairs.

The government has no power to hold the military accountable for actions against the Rohingya. Suu Kyi is therefore in a very weak position.

She has nonetheless gone out of her way to not just defend the military, but praise it. In Singapore last month, she made headlines when she declared that the three generals in her cabinet were “rather sweet”.

Suu Kyi has stressed that her government’s aim of removing the military from politics would eventually be achieved through negotiation, keeping in mind the need for national reconciliation. However, her dream of constitutional reform depends entirely on military approval.

This would appear to inhibit any ability for her to censure the military. She also has no means to compel the military to cooperate with international investigators.

A path to redemption

Suu Kyi still has considerable moral authority within Myanmar, and the military is still widely unpopular. Thus, despite the severe limitations on her power, she does have other options to lead effectively on issues like human rights, the Rohingya and press freedom.

Suu Kyi and her government should start by recommitting themselves to a belief in universal human rights. She should also express empathy with the victims of the atrocities in Rakhine state, which may begin to shift popular opinion against the actions of the military and engender more public sympathy for the Rohingya.

Further, Suu Kyi needs to pledge full cooperation with the ICC investigation into the serious allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide, and call for a genuinely independent domestic inquiry to pave the way towards true reconciliation.

Suu Kyi may not be able to compel military cooperation with the ICC investigation, or even unfettered access to the country for investigators. But drawing on her moral authority could go a long way to help. She could pave the way for visas and travel approval, for instance, both of which were denied to investigators by her government.

Finally, the government must develop robust, urgent repatriation plans for the Rohingya – in cooperation with Bangladesh and the UN – that guarantee their security, human rights, a pathway to full citizenship and an end to segregation in Rakhine. They need a plan for inclusive development policies in the state, and to restore both media freedoms and humanitarian access to the region.

The opportunity for such moral leadership is quickly evaporating.

Suu Kyi and her government were elected by a landslide in 2015, winning about 80 per cent of seats up for election. Polling released last week showed that only about half those surveyed believe the rights of people have improved in the 2.5 years that she has been in power and less than half the population feel there has been any political or economic improvement.

There have also been increasing complaints about the performance of the government.

With her support eroding both home and abroad, Suu Kyi appears to have a limited window to adequately address the Rohingya crisis and regain her moral authority. Otherwise, Myanmar risks slipping back into isolation and again becoming a pariah state. 
 
(Anthony Ware is Senior Lecturer in International &amp; Community Development, Deakin University; &nbsp;Costas Laoutides is Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Deakin University)

(This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/aung-san-suu-kyis-extraordinary-fall-from-grace-104250">original article</a>)

(Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

By Costas Laoutides and Anthony Ware Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s civilian leader and de facto president, is under fire from all sides. Domestically, she is facing growing criticism for stalled economic and political reforms, glacial progress on policy and service improvements, and the suppression of freedom of expression and press freedom.

By Costas Laoutides and Anthony Ware Aung San Suu Kyi, Myanmar’s civilian leader and de facto president, is under fire from all sides. Domestically, she is facing growing criticism for stalled economic and political reforms, glacial progress on policy and service improvements, and the suppression of freedom of expression and press freedom. But it is her international reputation that is most in tatters. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate, imprisoned for 15 years over a 21-year period in her struggle for human rights and democracy, has suffered a swift and dramatic fall from grace as a global icon. She is now widely seen as an enabler of ethnic cleansing and genocide. In just the last few days, Canada stripped Suu Kyi of her honorary citizenship and the Malaysian prime minister stated publicly that she has lost his support. Failures of Suu Kyi’s government Suu Kyi has been the subject of much criticism since taking power 2.5 years ago, but the most recent and vociferous condemnation has centred on two events: the jailing of two Reuters journalists who exposed a massacre of Rohingya civilians by the military, and her government’s failure to respond to international investigations into allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide. In September, the two Reuters journalists were convicted of possessing official secrets, despite testimony by a policeman that they had been entrapped. The journalists had reported on a 2017 massacre of Rohingya Muslims by security forces, which resulted in the eventual conviction of seven soldiers for murder It is notable that it was Suu Kyi’s civilian government that prosecuted the journalists, not the military. Suu Kyi could have ordered the charges dropped, as she did for student protesters during her early days in office. Instead, before the trial was over, she commented that the reporters were guilty of violating the Official Secrets Act, and once even allegedly referred to them as “traitors”. The second great disappointment has been the government’s response to the UN Human Rights Council’s report into the violence that drove almost 700,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh last year. The report, released in full in September, found conclusive evidence that security forces had indeed engaged in mass killings and gang rapes of Rohingya, with genocidal intent. It went on to accuse Suu Kyi and her government of contributing to the atrocities through “acts and omissions”. The HRC recommended the UN Security Council refer the Myanmar commander-in-chief and five generals to the International Criminal Court (ICC). The UN Human Rights Council also set up a body to prepare evidence for trials. Rather than pledge to cooperate with the investigation, however, Suu Kyi has consistently defended the military action against the Rohingya and repeatedly pointed to a lack of understanding of the complexities of the situation. Her only concession to the increasing international condemnation of her government has been this muted statement - "There are, of course, ways in which, with hindsight, we might think that the situation could have been handled better." Limitations on Suu Kyi’s power The military remains a very powerful force in Myanmar. It has the power to appoint its own personnel to a quarter of the seats in parliament and oversees the three powerful ministries of Home Affairs, Defence and Border Affairs. The government has no power to hold the military accountable for actions against the Rohingya. Suu Kyi is therefore in a very weak position. She has nonetheless gone out of her way to not just defend the military, but praise it. In Singapore last month, she made headlines when she declared that the three generals in her cabinet were “rather sweet”. Suu Kyi has stressed that her government’s aim of removing the military from politics would eventually be achieved through negotiation, keeping in mind the need for national reconciliation. However, her dream of constitutional reform depends entirely on military approval. This would appear to inhibit any ability for her to censure the military. She also has no means to compel the military to cooperate with international investigators. A path to redemption Suu Kyi still has considerable moral authority within Myanmar, and the military is still widely unpopular. Thus, despite the severe limitations on her power, she does have other options to lead effectively on issues like human rights, the Rohingya and press freedom. Suu Kyi and her government should start by recommitting themselves to a belief in universal human rights. She should also express empathy with the victims of the atrocities in Rakhine state, which may begin to shift popular opinion against the actions of the military and engender more public sympathy for the Rohingya. Further, Suu Kyi needs to pledge full cooperation with the ICC investigation into the serious allegations of ethnic cleansing and genocide, and call for a genuinely independent domestic inquiry to pave the way towards true reconciliation. Suu Kyi may not be able to compel military cooperation with the ICC investigation, or even unfettered access to the country for investigators. But drawing on her moral authority could go a long way to help. She could pave the way for visas and travel approval, for instance, both of which were denied to investigators by her government. Finally, the government must develop robust, urgent repatriation plans for the Rohingya – in cooperation with Bangladesh and the UN – that guarantee their security, human rights, a pathway to full citizenship and an end to segregation in Rakhine. They need a plan for inclusive development policies in the state, and to restore both media freedoms and humanitarian access to the region. The opportunity for such moral leadership is quickly evaporating. Suu Kyi and her government were elected by a landslide in 2015, winning about 80 per cent of seats up for election. Polling released last week showed that only about half those surveyed believe the rights of people have improved in the 2.5 years that she has been in power and less than half the population feel there has been any political or economic improvement. There have also been increasing complaints about the performance of the government. With her support eroding both home and abroad, Suu Kyi appears to have a limited window to adequately address the Rohingya crisis and regain her moral authority. Otherwise, Myanmar risks slipping back into isolation and again becoming a pariah state. (Anthony Ware is Senior Lecturer in International & Community Development, Deakin University; Costas Laoutides is Senior Lecturer in International Relations, Deakin University) (This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article) (Disclaimer: The opinions expressed above are the personal views of the author and do not reflect the views of ZMCL)

Aung San Suu Kyi’s extraordinary fall from grace

UN Chief: Terrorist may exploit Rohingya Crisis

UN Chief Antonio Guterres met several leaders from the South Asian region, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, on the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and discussed issues ranging from regional issues, peacekeeping and climate change.&nbsp;

The Secretary-General met Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Friday and the two discussed "regional issues", according to a statement from the UN Chief's spokesperson.

Guterres also met Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and thanked him for Nepal's contributions to the United Nation's peace operations.&nbsp;

They also discussed UN-Nepal cooperation and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

In his meeting with State Councilor and China's Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, the Secretary-General expressed appreciation for China's support and commitment to UN activities, in particular, the implementation of 2030 Agenda and its important contribution to UN peacekeeping.&nbsp;

They also discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues on the Security Council agenda.

Guterres commended Bangladesh government's generous response in welcoming the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;

The two also discussed developments in the region, climate change, and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.&nbsp;

The Secretary-General met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and appreciated the close cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Nations.&nbsp;

He thanked Sri Lanka for its contribution to the UN peacekeeping. &nbsp;They discussed Sri Lanka's efforts in the peace and reconciliation process. The Secretary-General offered continued support in this regard.&nbsp;

They also discussed the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to a statement.&nbsp;

UN Chief Antonio Guterres met several leaders from the South Asian region, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, on the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and discussed issues ranging from regional issues, peacekeeping and climate change.

UN Chief Antonio Guterres met several leaders from the South Asian region, including Pakistan and Bangladesh, on the margins of the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and discussed issues ranging from regional issues, peacekeeping and climate change. The Secretary-General met Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi Friday and the two discussed "regional issues", according to a statement from the UN Chief's spokesperson. Guterres also met Nepal's Prime Minister K P Sharma Oli and thanked him for Nepal's contributions to the United Nation's peace operations. They also discussed UN-Nepal cooperation and the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In his meeting with State Councilor and China's Minister for Foreign Affairs Wang Yi, the Secretary-General expressed appreciation for China's support and commitment to UN activities, in particular, the implementation of 2030 Agenda and its important contribution to UN peacekeeping. They also discussed the situation on the Korean Peninsula and other issues on the Security Council agenda. Guterres commended Bangladesh government's generous response in welcoming the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar in his meeting with Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The two also discussed developments in the region, climate change, and implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals. The Secretary-General met Sri Lankan President Maithripala Sirisena and appreciated the close cooperation between Sri Lanka and the United Nations. He thanked Sri Lanka for its contribution to the UN peacekeeping. They discussed Sri Lanka's efforts in the peace and reconciliation process. The Secretary-General offered continued support in this regard. They also discussed the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to a statement.

UN Chief meets South Asian leaders, discusses peacekeeping, climate change 

Rohingya Muslims who are currently living in shelters in Bangladesh has said that they are upset that United Nations agreement does not include citizenship demand which was one of&nbspthe key demands media reports said on Saturday.

According to the media reports, the refugees are willing to go back to their home in Rakhine, Myanmar, but have concerns regarding their protection.

They had reportedly demanded proper citizenship and the return of the property they lost during the violence.&nbsp

Since August 2017, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a military crackdown in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, many reporting killings, rape and arson on a large scale, UN and other aid organisations have said.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/un-and-myanmar-agree-outline-of-rohingya-return-deal-no-details-141556">Myanmar and United Nations on Wednesday signed an agreement</a> aimed at allowing those refugees to return back to their homeland. The refugees are currently living in camps in Bangladesh' coz bazaar.

Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Thursday, Myanmar's government said it would set up an independent commission to investigate "the violation of human rights and related issues" in Rakhine State following the army operation there in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security posts.

The atrocities on Rohingya was widely criticised by the international media.

The United Nations and aid agencies had also described the crackdown on the Rohingya as "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing", an accusation Myanmar rejects.

(With inputs from Reuters)

According to the media reports, the refugees are willing to go back to their home in Rakhine, Myanmar, but have concerns regarding their protection

Rohingya Muslims who are currently living in shelters in Bangladesh has said that they are upset that United Nations agreement does not include citizenship demand which was one of&nbspthe key demands media reports said on Saturday. According to the media reports, the refugees are willing to go back to their home in Rakhine, Myanmar, but have concerns regarding their protection. They had reportedly demanded proper citizenship and the return of the property they lost during the violence. Since August 2017, about 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled a military crackdown in mainly Buddhist Myanmar, many reporting killings, rape and arson on a large scale, UN and other aid organisations have said. Myanmar and United Nations on Wednesday signed an agreement aimed at allowing those refugees to return back to their homeland. The refugees are currently living in camps in Bangladesh' coz bazaar. Meanwhile, in a separate statement on Thursday, Myanmar's government said it would set up an independent commission to investigate "the violation of human rights and related issues" in Rakhine State following the army operation there in response to attacks by Rohingya insurgents on security posts. The atrocities on Rohingya was widely criticised by the international media. The United Nations and aid agencies had also described the crackdown on the Rohingya as "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing", an accusation Myanmar rejects. (With inputs from Reuters)

Rohingyas are upset over UN agreement not addressing citizenship demand

The Union Home Ministry has asked the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that all necessary measures were taken to restrict the entry of illegal migrants including Rohingyas in the state.

A letter was sent to the State Chief Secretary Bharat Bhushan Vyas, the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs Anuj Sharma has asked the state government to " kindly review this matter &nbsp;(of the entry of illegal migrants) and issue instructions to take necessary steps and share updated information in the prescribed form .. as soon as possible..".

The Home Ministry highlighted its serious concern over the Rohingyas and other foreign nationals who have already entered India illegally.

The letter further said, "Such illegal migrations poses serious challenges and has security implications since some of the migrants have been found to have indulged in illegal activities and are vulnerable to radicalisation."

It further states, "It has been brought to the notice of the Government that some of the Rohingyas/foreigners are involved in crimes, anti-national activities, money laundering, procuring fake/fabricated Indian documents and some of them have illegally and fraudulently obtained Indian identity documents e.g. Pan Card, Voter Card, etc."

"Most of these persons have entered India illegally, and many of them have taken (the) help of organised groups of touts and agents," the letter added.

The letter also said that all states have been issued with five instructions from time to time that they need to follow against the illegal immigrants including Rohingyas.

The instructions were as follows: &nbsp;

Restrict them to specified identified locations and their activities/movements be strictly watched by State Police/Intelligence Agencies.

Each one of them must be identified, personal particulars (name, date of birth, sex, place of birth, father/mother names, address in Myanmar/some other country, nationality, etc. may be captured and got signed by such illegal migrant/their guardian.

Biometrics of illegal migrants, including Rohingyas, be captured to ensure unique identification/de-duplication and to prevent impersonation in future. FRO must coordinate with UIDAI to ensure that no Aadhar Card other documents are issued to Rohingya immigrants, which may later help them in claiming to be Indian citizens.

The personal particular forms/identity documents of such Rohingyas/foreigners to be shared with the Government of Myanmar through MEA for their nationality verification, issue of travel documents and repatriation to Myanmar.

Keep a watch on their movement and activities and ensure action for their repatriation/deportation as per Law/Policy/Instructions.

The Union Ministry has issued the letter six months after the Home Minister Rajanath Singh asked all the states to keep hawk eye on the issues.

According to estimates, about 40,000 Rohingyas residing in India.

The government had told the Supreme Court in January that the country could not become the "Refugee Capital of the World".&nbsp;

(With inputs from ANI)

The Home Ministry highlighted its serious concern over the Rohingyas and other foreign nationals who have already entered India illegally

The Union Home Ministry has asked the Government of Jammu and Kashmir to ensure that all necessary measures were taken to restrict the entry of illegal migrants including Rohingyas in the state. A letter was sent to the State Chief Secretary Bharat Bhushan Vyas, the Joint Secretary of Ministry of Home Affairs Anuj Sharma has asked the state government to " kindly review this matter (of the entry of illegal migrants) and issue instructions to take necessary steps and share updated information in the prescribed form .. as soon as possible..". The Home Ministry highlighted its serious concern over the Rohingyas and other foreign nationals who have already entered India illegally. The letter further said, "Such illegal migrations poses serious challenges and has security implications since some of the migrants have been found to have indulged in illegal activities and are vulnerable to radicalisation." It further states, "It has been brought to the notice of the Government that some of the Rohingyas/foreigners are involved in crimes, anti-national activities, money laundering, procuring fake/fabricated Indian documents and some of them have illegally and fraudulently obtained Indian identity documents e.g. Pan Card, Voter Card, etc." "Most of these persons have entered India illegally, and many of them have taken (the) help of organised groups of touts and agents," the letter added. The letter also said that all states have been issued with five instructions from time to time that they need to follow against the illegal immigrants including Rohingyas. The instructions were as follows: Restrict them to specified identified locations and their activities/movements be strictly watched by State Police/Intelligence Agencies. Each one of them must be identified, personal particulars (name, date of birth, sex, place of birth, father/mother names, address in Myanmar/some other country, nationality, etc. may be captured and got signed by such illegal migrant/their guardian. Biometrics of illegal migrants, including Rohingyas, be captured to ensure unique identification/de-duplication and to prevent impersonation in future. FRO must coordinate with UIDAI to ensure that no Aadhar Card other documents are issued to Rohingya immigrants, which may later help them in claiming to be Indian citizens. The personal particular forms/identity documents of such Rohingyas/foreigners to be shared with the Government of Myanmar through MEA for their nationality verification, issue of travel documents and repatriation to Myanmar. Keep a watch on their movement and activities and ensure action for their repatriation/deportation as per Law/Policy/Instructions. The Union Ministry has issued the letter six months after the Home Minister Rajanath Singh asked all the states to keep hawk eye on the issues. According to estimates, about 40,000 Rohingyas residing in India. The government had told the Supreme Court in January that the country could not become the "Refugee Capital of the World". (With inputs from ANI)

Ensure measures to restrict entry of Rohingyas, Centre tells Jammu & Kashmir govt

Myanmar has claimed that several Rohingya Muslims have voluntarily returned to the&nbspcountry and will be sent to a transit centre pending resettlement.

Quoting a statement published from the office of Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a report said that about 58 Rohingyas have already crossed back to Myanmar after the situation in Bangladesh became unbearable.

It further added that the Rohingyas were detained for failing to follow proper repatriation procedures and on their return to Myanmar they would be&nbsp"temporarily" housed in a transit camp.

It said that in the last four months, the Rohingyas have returned to Myanmar in different stages.

While a Bangladeshi refugee commissioner has refused of having any knowledge of Rohingya refugees returning to Rakhine on their own.&nbsp

Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said, "We haven't heard of any such incidents of refugees returning to Rakhine through their own volition or under their own arrangement from the camps".

The UN has meanwhile stated that the condition in Myanmar was not yet favourable for the Rohingyas to return.

It said, "Safe, dignified and sustainable returns are of course impossible under current conditions."&nbsp

Myanmar has witnessed a mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims due to alleged large-scale violence by the country's army. Consequently, over 700,000 people from the community fled from the country.

As the refugees began to arrive, Bangladesh requested Myanmar to take them resulting in an agreement between the two sides.

Myanmar said it was ready to take back the Rohingyas who had fled from the country last August.

The two countries are accusing each other of&nbspthe responsibility for the delay in implementing a repatriation deal.

The Rohingya Muslims who had fled Myanmar to avoid persecution have been unwilling to return to their land without assurance of basic rights and protections.

They also wanted the right to return to their old villages rather than to transit camps. 
 
&nbsp

(With inputs from AFP)

 
 
&nbsp

&nbsp

Quoting a statement published from the office of Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a report said that about 58 Rohingyas have already crossed back to Myanmar after the situation in Bangladesh became unbearable

Myanmar has claimed that several Rohingya Muslims have voluntarily returned to the&nbspcountry and will be sent to a transit centre pending resettlement. Quoting a statement published from the office of Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, a report said that about 58 Rohingyas have already crossed back to Myanmar after the situation in Bangladesh became unbearable. It further added that the Rohingyas were detained for failing to follow proper repatriation procedures and on their return to Myanmar they would be "temporarily" housed in a transit camp. It said that in the last four months, the Rohingyas have returned to Myanmar in different stages. While a Bangladeshi refugee commissioner has refused of having any knowledge of Rohingya refugees returning to Rakhine on their own. Bangladesh refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said, "We haven't heard of any such incidents of refugees returning to Rakhine through their own volition or under their own arrangement from the camps". The UN has meanwhile stated that the condition in Myanmar was not yet favourable for the Rohingyas to return. It said, "Safe, dignified and sustainable returns are of course impossible under current conditions." Myanmar has witnessed a mass exodus of Rohingya Muslims due to alleged large-scale violence by the country's army. Consequently, over 700,000 people from the community fled from the country. As the refugees began to arrive, Bangladesh requested Myanmar to take them resulting in an agreement between the two sides. Myanmar said it was ready to take back the Rohingyas who had fled from the country last August. The two countries are accusing each other of&nbspthe responsibility for the delay in implementing a repatriation deal. The Rohingya Muslims who had fled Myanmar to avoid persecution have been unwilling to return to their land without assurance of basic rights and protections. They also wanted the right to return to their old villages rather than to transit camps. (With inputs from AFP)

Myanmar says some Rohingya refugees returned voluntarily

From <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-priyanka-chopra-shimmers-in-a-dior-gown-at-prince-harry-and-meghan-markles-wedding-reception-138541">slaying at the royal wedding</a> in Windsor of ‘good friend’ <a href="http://www.wionews.com/photos/inside-the-royal-wedding-of-prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-138250#photo-138258">Meghan Markle with Prince Harry</a> to now meeting with Rohingya refugees in Dhaka, Bangladesh -- Priyanka Chopra is one of the busiest Bollywood celebrity.

As a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights, Priyanka went on a field trip to visit refugee children.&nbsp;

In pictures shared on her Instagram page, Priyanka is seen clad in UNICEF t-shirt and a modest scarf that covers her head as she is surrounded by teary-eyed children. In a long post, she wrote about the trauma that kids face when they don’t have a permanent house or an identity.&nbsp;

This is the post:&nbsp;

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<blockquote class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjCogFUjjff/" data-instgrm-version="8" style=" background:#FFF border:0 border-radius:3px box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15) margin: 1px max-width:658px padding:0 width:99.375% width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px) width:calc(100% - 2px)">
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<div style=" background:url(data:image/pngbase64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAACwAAAAsCAMAAAApWqozAAAABGdBTUEAALGPC/xhBQAAAAFzUkdCAK7OHOkAAAAMUExURczMzPf399fX1+bm5mzY9AMAAADiSURBVDjLvZXbEsMgCES5/P8/t9FuRVCRmU73JWlzosgSIIZURCjo/ad+EQJJB4Hv8BFt+IDpQoCx1wjOSBFhh2XssxEIYn3ulI/6MNReE07UIWJEv8UEOWDS88LY97kqyTliJKKtuYBbruAyVh5wOHiXmpi5we58Ek028czwyuQdLKPG1Bkb4NnM+VeAnfHqn1k4+GPT6uGQcvu2h2OVuIf/gWUFyy8OWEpdyZSa3aVCqpVoVvzZZ2VTnn2wU8qzVjDDetO90GSy9mVLqtgYSy231MxrY6I2gGqjrTY0L8fxCxfCBbhWrsYYAAAAAElFTkSuQmCC) display:block height:44px margin:0 auto -44px position:relative top:-22px width:44px">&nbsp;</div>
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<a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BjCogFUjjff/" style=" color:#000 font-family:Arial,sans-serif font-size:14px font-style:normal font-weight:normal line-height:17px text-decoration:none word-wrap:break-word" target="_blank">I’m in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh today for a field visit with UNICEF, to one of the largest refugee camps in the world. In the second half of 2017, the world saw horrific images of ethnic cleansing from the Rakhine State of Myanmar(Burma). This violence drove nearly 700,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh - 60% are children! Many months later they are still highly vulnerable, living in overcrowded camps with no idea when or where they will ever belong...even worse, when they will get their next meal. AND...as they finally start to settle and feel a sense of safety, monsoon season looms...threatening to destroy all that they’ve built so far. This is an entire generation of children that have no future in sight. Through their smiles I could see the vacancy in their eyes. These children are at the forefront of this humanitarian crisis, and they desperately need our help. The world needs to care. We need to care. These kids are our future. Pls Lend your support at www.supportunicef.org #ChildrenUprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh Credit: @briansokol @hhhtravels</a>

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Priyanka on her way to Dhaka shared a photo from her cabin on an aeroplane as she wrote: “Follow my Instagram to share my experiences as I visit the Rohingya refugee camps on this Unicef field visit. Children uprooted, the world needs to care. We need to care.”

This is the post:&nbsp;

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Follow my Instagram to share my experiences as I visit the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Rohingya?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Rohingya</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Refugee?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Refugee</a> camps on this <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/UnicefFieldVisit?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#UnicefFieldVisit</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/ChildrenUprooted?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#ChildrenUprooted</a> 
 
The world needs to care. We need to care. <a href="https://twitter.com/UNICEF?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNICEF</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/UNICEFBD?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@UNICEFBD</a> <a href="https://t.co/cBFy66V8dB">pic.twitter.com/cBFy66V8dB</a>
— PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) <a href="https://twitter.com/priyankachopra/status/998441704238862337?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 21, 2018</a></blockquote>
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Priyanka has been working with UNICEF for a decade now and was appointed as the national and global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights in 2010 and 2016. She promotes causes such as environment, health and education and women’s rights among many others.

Last year, Priyanka had met Syrian refugee children in Jordan.

On the work front, Priyanka will be seen in <a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/entertainment-disha-patani-to-join-salman-khans-bharat-alongwith-priyanka-chopra--137630">Salman Khan’s “Bharat”.&nbsp;</a>

Priyanka is on a UNICEF field trip to Bangladesh to meet Rohingya refugees.

From slaying at the royal wedding in Windsor of ‘good friend’ Meghan Markle with Prince Harry to now meeting with Rohingya refugees in Dhaka, Bangladesh -- Priyanka Chopra is one of the busiest Bollywood celebrity. As a global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights, Priyanka went on a field trip to visit refugee children. In pictures shared on her Instagram page, Priyanka is seen clad in UNICEF t-shirt and a modest scarf that covers her head as she is surrounded by teary-eyed children. In a long post, she wrote about the trauma that kids face when they don’t have a permanent house or an identity. This is the post: I’m in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh today for a field visit with UNICEF, to one of the largest refugee camps in the world. In the second half of 2017, the world saw horrific images of ethnic cleansing from the Rakhine State of Myanmar(Burma). This violence drove nearly 700,000 Rohingya across the border into Bangladesh - 60% are children! Many months later they are still highly vulnerable, living in overcrowded camps with no idea when or where they will ever belong...even worse, when they will get their next meal. AND...as they finally start to settle and feel a sense of safety, monsoon season looms...threatening to destroy all that they’ve built so far. This is an entire generation of children that have no future in sight. Through their smiles I could see the vacancy in their eyes. These children are at the forefront of this humanitarian crisis, and they desperately need our help. The world needs to care. We need to care. These kids are our future. Pls Lend your support at www.supportunicef.org #ChildrenUprooted @unicef @unicefbangladesh Credit: @briansokol @hhhtravels A post shared by Priyanka Chopra (@priyankachopra) on May 21, 2018 at 6:27am PDT × Priyanka on her way to Dhaka shared a photo from her cabin on an aeroplane as she wrote: “Follow my Instagram to share my experiences as I visit the Rohingya refugee camps on this Unicef field visit. Children uprooted, the world needs to care. We need to care.” This is the post: Follow my Instagram to share my experiences as I visit the #Rohingya #Refugee camps on this #UnicefFieldVisit. #ChildrenUprooted The world needs to care. We need to care. @UNICEF @UNICEFBD pic.twitter.com/cBFy66V8dB — PRIYANKA (@priyankachopra) May 21, 2018 × Priyanka has been working with UNICEF for a decade now and was appointed as the national and global UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Child Rights in 2010 and 2016. She promotes causes such as environment, health and education and women’s rights among many others. Last year, Priyanka had met Syrian refugee children in Jordan. On the work front, Priyanka will be seen in Salman Khan’s “Bharat”.

'World needs to care,' says Priyanka Chopra as she meets Rohingya refugee children

For Rohingya Muslim refugee Imtiaz Fatema, sitting in her makeshift camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, the holy month of Ramadan has become a period of uncertainty and melancholy.

Living in tough conditions -- most of the refugees reside in flimsy, bamboo-and-plastic structures -- Fatema reflects on her previous life in Myanmar, where they were able to work and buy a delectable spread for their families, "during Ramadan we used to have good food there -- crispy food while we sit for Iftar (breaking fast) in the early morning."

Now, her young toddler and her life on handouts from aid agencies in the refugee camps, cooking meals consisting of mostly rice, dal, and salt on a flimsy pot in front of her shelter.

Ramadan, the ninth and the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is marked by fasting and visiting friends and family. At sunset, Muslims around the world gather for 'Iftar', the fast-breaking meal of the day.

"We are just thinking about how we will buy food for Iftar (breaking fast) and for dinner during the coming Ramadan. We have nothing. We need help," said Fatema.

Ramadan is expected to start this week, subject to the sighting of the moon. Rohingya Muslims residing in refugee camps have also been getting ready for the start of the holy month by repairing their shelters.

According to the United Nations and rights groups, attacks from insurgents in Myanmar had sent nearly 700,000 Rohingyas fleeing to camps in Bangladesh.

Ramzan is expected to start this week, subject to the sighting of the moon. Rohingya Muslims residing in refugee camps have also been getting ready for the start of the holy month by repairing their shelters

For Rohingya Muslim refugee Imtiaz Fatema, sitting in her makeshift camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, the holy month of Ramadan has become a period of uncertainty and melancholy. Living in tough conditions -- most of the refugees reside in flimsy, bamboo-and-plastic structures -- Fatema reflects on her previous life in Myanmar, where they were able to work and buy a delectable spread for their families, "during Ramadan we used to have good food there -- crispy food while we sit for Iftar (breaking fast) in the early morning." Now, her young toddler and her life on handouts from aid agencies in the refugee camps, cooking meals consisting of mostly rice, dal, and salt on a flimsy pot in front of her shelter. Ramadan, the ninth and the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, is marked by fasting and visiting friends and family. At sunset, Muslims around the world gather for 'Iftar', the fast-breaking meal of the day. "We are just thinking about how we will buy food for Iftar (breaking fast) and for dinner during the coming Ramadan. We have nothing. We need help," said Fatema. Ramadan is expected to start this week, subject to the sighting of the moon. Rohingya Muslims residing in refugee camps have also been getting ready for the start of the holy month by repairing their shelters. According to the United Nations and rights groups, attacks from insurgents in Myanmar had sent nearly 700,000 Rohingyas fleeing to camps in Bangladesh.

Rohingya Muslim refugee worries about food for breaking fast during Ramzan

US President Donald Trump has assured Bangladesh of US&nbspsupport in dealing with the Myanmar Rohingya refugee crisis, a Bangladeshi official said on Friday.

A letter from Trump was handed to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting with US&nbspAmbassador Marcia Bernicat in Dhaka on Thursday, said Ihsanul Karim, the Prime Minister's press secretary, and a US&nbspembassy official.&nbsp

"The United States will continue to pressure Myanmar to create necessary conditions for the safe and voluntary return of the Rohingya people to their homeland," Trump said in the letter, according to Karim.&nbsp 
 
Last month, Hasina said more international pressure was needed on Myanmar to take back Rohingya refugees.&nbsp

UN&nbspofficials say some 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya have fled into Bangladesh from Myanmar`s Rakhine state to escape a military crackdown since August, amid reports of murder, rape and arson by Myanmar troops and Buddhist vigilantes in actions which the United Nations has likened to "ethnic cleansing".

Myanmar has denied nearly all allegations, saying it has been waging a legitimate counter-insurgency operation.

In the letter, Trump also said those in Myanmar responsible for instigating the crisis must be held accountable, said Karim.

He said Hasina reiterated her call for the international community to continue to pressure the Myanmar government to repatriate its people from Bangladesh.

A letter from Trump was handed to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting with US Ambassador Marcia Bernicat in Dhaka on Thursday

US President Donald Trump has assured Bangladesh of US&nbspsupport in dealing with the Myanmar Rohingya refugee crisis, a Bangladeshi official said on Friday. A letter from Trump was handed to Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at a meeting with US&nbspAmbassador Marcia Bernicat in Dhaka on Thursday, said Ihsanul Karim, the Prime Minister's press secretary, and a US&nbspembassy official. "The United States will continue to pressure Myanmar to create necessary conditions for the safe and voluntary return of the Rohingya people to their homeland," Trump said in the letter, according to Karim. Last month, Hasina said more international pressure was needed on Myanmar to take back Rohingya refugees. UN&nbspofficials say some 700,000 mostly Muslim Rohingya have fled into Bangladesh from Myanmar`s Rakhine state to escape a military crackdown since August, amid reports of murder, rape and arson by Myanmar troops and Buddhist vigilantes in actions which the United Nations has likened to "ethnic cleansing". Myanmar has denied nearly all allegations, saying it has been waging a legitimate counter-insurgency operation. In the letter, Trump also said those in Myanmar responsible for instigating the crisis must be held accountable, said Karim. He said Hasina reiterated her call for the international community to continue to pressure the Myanmar government to repatriate its people from Bangladesh.

Trump assures Bangladesh of US support amid Rohingya crisis

Referring to the potential threat that is surrounding the Rohingyas ahead of the monsoon and cyclone seasons, the United Nations said on Saturday that lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees hang in the balance as the approaching seasons threaten their makeshift camps in Bangladesh.&nbsp;

The UN records states that about 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in order to escape violence in their country's Rakhine State.

The Rohingya deportation from Myanmar started since August 25, 2017 after the army launched a military crackdown on the minority community.

Myanmar does not consider Rohingya as an ethnic group and maintains that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country.

To keep a check on the potential threat that looms over the Rohingya refugees, the United Nations migration agency -- the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) -- has appealed for urgent financial support to prepare the area in southern Bangladesh against floods and landslides.

"We cannot wait for funding to come in after the emergency is over and possibly preventable tragedies have occurred. We need to be able to act now if lives are to be saved,"&nbsp;said John McCue, IOM's Senior Operations Coordinator in Cox's Bazar.

The IOM, the World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency are working together with the Bangladesh government and others to manage the scale of the response in Cox's Bazar – the world's biggest refugee settlement.

Only nine per cent of a $ 951 million joint agency response plan has been secured. Of that, $ 182 million allocated to provide Cox's Bazar with assistance through December 2018 is facing a shortfall of almost $ 151 million.

The UN has described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide.

The majority community in Myanmar, Buddhist, however, rejects the charge of ethnic cleansing, saying its security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation on August 25 in response to Rohingya militant attacks.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;

(With inputs from PTI)

Referring to the potential threat that is surrounding the Rohingyas ahead of the monsoon and cyclone seasons, the United Nations said on Saturday that lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees hang in the balance as the approaching seasons threaten their makeshift camps in Bangladesh

Referring to the potential threat that is surrounding the Rohingyas ahead of the monsoon and cyclone seasons, the United Nations said on Saturday that lives of tens of thousands of Rohingya refugees hang in the balance as the approaching seasons threaten their makeshift camps in Bangladesh. The UN records states that about 700,000 minority Rohingya Muslims have fled from Myanmar to Bangladesh in order to escape violence in their country's Rakhine State. The Rohingya deportation from Myanmar started since August 25, 2017 after the army launched a military crackdown on the minority community. Myanmar does not consider Rohingya as an ethnic group and maintains that they are Bangladeshi migrants living illegally in the country. To keep a check on the potential threat that looms over the Rohingya refugees, the United Nations migration agency -- the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) -- has appealed for urgent financial support to prepare the area in southern Bangladesh against floods and landslides. "We cannot wait for funding to come in after the emergency is over and possibly preventable tragedies have occurred. We need to be able to act now if lives are to be saved," said John McCue, IOM's Senior Operations Coordinator in Cox's Bazar. The IOM, the World Food Programme and the UN refugee agency are working together with the Bangladesh government and others to manage the scale of the response in Cox's Bazar – the world's biggest refugee settlement. Only nine per cent of a $ 951 million joint agency response plan has been secured. Of that, $ 182 million allocated to provide Cox's Bazar with assistance through December 2018 is facing a shortfall of almost $ 151 million. The UN has described the atrocities by the Myanmar military on Rohingya refugees as a textbook example of ethnic cleansing while the rights groups called it a genocide. The majority community in Myanmar, Buddhist, however, rejects the charge of ethnic cleansing, saying its security forces launched a counter-insurgency operation on August 25 in response to Rohingya militant attacks. (With inputs from PTI)

UN urges urgent financial support for Rohingya refugees to tackle cyclone, monsoon

A Myanmar minister expressed concerns on Thursday about "very poor conditions" in Rohingya refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, and said repatriation of the Muslim minority should start as soon as possible due to the coming monsoon season.

The United Nations and rights groups say a Myanmar military operation in the country's northwest in August has sent nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh. Most live in flimsy, bamboo-and-plastic structures perched on hills around Cox's Bazar, in southern Bangladesh.&nbsp

Fleeing Rohingya refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale. The United States and the UN&nbsphave described the military crackdown as ethnic cleansing, an accusation that Myanmar denies.&nbsp

"Seeing is believing and we saw all the people in the camps are in very poor condition," Myanmar`s Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye told reporters in the country's main city, Yangon, after his two-day visit to camps near Cox's Bazar.

"Our main thing is to start the repatriation process as soon as possible because the monsoon is very near and we are very worried for those who fled to Bangladesh," he said.&nbsp

Myanmar said on Saturday it had repatriated the first Rohingya family. The Bangladeshi government and the United Nations refugee agency, however, said they had no knowledge of any such repatriation.&nbsp

After months of fraught talks, Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years. Myanmar set up two reception centres and what it says is a temporary camp near the border to house the first arrivals.&nbsp

But a senior UN&nbspofficial who recently visited Myanmar said the country was not ready for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

Win Myat Aye said Rohingya returnees would be entitled to apply for National Verification Cards (NVCs), which are part of the government`s ongoing effort to register mostly stateless Rohingya that falls short of offering them citizenship.&nbsp

He said those NVC holders would be in turn be able to apply for citizenship in Buddhist-majority Myanmar within five months after they were "scrutinized according to the law".&nbsp

"Those who are entitled to become citizens will become citizens," he told Reuters, without elaborating.&nbsp

Myanmar's panel of international advisers on Rohingya issues has warned the coming monsoon season could bring "enormous deaths" as refugee camps in Bangladesh are not built to withstand the storms.

 
&nbsp

The United Nations and rights groups say a Myanmar military operation in the country's northwest in August has sent nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh. Most live in flimsy, bamboo-and-plastic structures perched on hills around Cox's Bazar, in southern Bangladesh

A Myanmar minister expressed concerns on Thursday about "very poor conditions" in Rohingya refugee camps in neighbouring Bangladesh, and said repatriation of the Muslim minority should start as soon as possible due to the coming monsoon season. The United Nations and rights groups say a Myanmar military operation in the country's northwest in August has sent nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fleeing to Bangladesh. Most live in flimsy, bamboo-and-plastic structures perched on hills around Cox's Bazar, in southern Bangladesh. Fleeing Rohingya refugees have reported killings, rapes and arson on a large scale. The United States and the UN&nbsphave described the military crackdown as ethnic cleansing, an accusation that Myanmar denies. "Seeing is believing and we saw all the people in the camps are in very poor condition," Myanmar`s Social Welfare Minister Win Myat Aye told reporters in the country's main city, Yangon, after his two-day visit to camps near Cox's Bazar. "Our main thing is to start the repatriation process as soon as possible because the monsoon is very near and we are very worried for those who fled to Bangladesh," he said. Myanmar said on Saturday it had repatriated the first Rohingya family. The Bangladeshi government and the United Nations refugee agency, however, said they had no knowledge of any such repatriation. After months of fraught talks, Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees within two years. Myanmar set up two reception centres and what it says is a temporary camp near the border to house the first arrivals. But a senior UN&nbspofficial who recently visited Myanmar said the country was not ready for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. Win Myat Aye said Rohingya returnees would be entitled to apply for National Verification Cards (NVCs), which are part of the government`s ongoing effort to register mostly stateless Rohingya that falls short of offering them citizenship. He said those NVC holders would be in turn be able to apply for citizenship in Buddhist-majority Myanmar within five months after they were "scrutinized according to the law". "Those who are entitled to become citizens will become citizens," he told Reuters, without elaborating. Myanmar's panel of international advisers on Rohingya issues has warned the coming monsoon season could bring "enormous deaths" as refugee camps in Bangladesh are not built to withstand the storms.

Myanmar minister says conditions in Rohingya refugee camps 'very poor'

As many as 46 shacks were gutted in a major fire at the only Rohingya camp in the national capital in the wee hours of Sunday.

No casualty was reported. One of the residents sustained burn injuries, a report in DNA said. The lives of over 200 residents were affected by the fire in the camp located in South-East Delhi's Kalindi Kunj area.

The fire broke out around 3 am and gutted 46 shacks within half an hour. The residents tried to douse the fire but it spread fast, the DNA report said.

"The fire department received a call at 3:38 am regarding the fire at JJ colony in Madanpur Khadar area. The fire was doused by around 6:50 am. Eleven fire tenders were rushed to the spot," a fire official told DNA.

Most of the houses were built of plywoods, card-boards and plastic, which are highly combustible and hence the fire spread wild. School uniforms of children were also burnt to ashes.

"We were told to vacate our houses by the police patrolling team, and within seconds of leaving the house the only shelter on our head was engulfed in the flames," said Mohammad Atif, a resident at the camp.

The Rohingya refugees have been shifted to a nearby ground.

"Everything we had was gutted in the fire. We're being provided food and clothes by locals, a lot of help was provided by police,"&nbsp; the Rohingya refugees told ANI.

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Delhi: Rohingya refugees, living in a slum near Kalindi Kunj Metro Station, shifted to the nearby ground after the slum caught fire last morning, say 'Everything we had was gutted in the fire. We're being provided food & clothes by locals, a lot of help was provided by police'. <a href="https://t.co/U7dSlf24lm">pic.twitter.com/U7dSlf24lm</a>
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&nbsp;

The fire was prima facie caused by a short circuit. Locals, who lost all their documents and identity cards, said that the fire was not an accident but an attempt to damage the lives of the Rohingya refugees.

A police officer said that the main cause of the short circuit was residents illegally pulling out electricity from electric cables, the only source of electricity in the area. The police team also alleged that the residents had begun to use coolers which put a strain on the light-duty wires and resulted in a short circuit.

"The only source of electricity for the residents were the electric cables in the area. The residents were illegally pulling out electricity from the wires. The wires being used were not of fine quality and weak. They were unable to pull the load of the amount of electricity they were consuming and hence one of these snapped," a police officer told DNA.

"It was the first time on Saturday that the residents had started using coolers in their houses, but the wires used to carry the current could not withstand the heavy stand and could have possibly led to the fire," said the officer.

Locals said they had expressed their concerns of the possibility of a fire to the Delhi-based NGO Zakat Foundation which had allocated the camp to the Rohingya refugees. They said their concerns remained unaddressed.

 
&nbsp;

No casualty was reported. One of the residents sustained burn injuries.

As many as 46 shacks were gutted in a major fire at the only Rohingya camp in the national capital in the wee hours of Sunday. No casualty was reported. One of the residents sustained burn injuries, a report in DNA said. The lives of over 200 residents were affected by the fire in the camp located in South-East Delhi's Kalindi Kunj area. The fire broke out around 3 am and gutted 46 shacks within half an hour. The residents tried to douse the fire but it spread fast, the DNA report said. "The fire department received a call at 3:38 am regarding the fire at JJ colony in Madanpur Khadar area. The fire was doused by around 6:50 am. Eleven fire tenders were rushed to the spot," a fire official told DNA. Most of the houses were built of plywoods, card-boards and plastic, which are highly combustible and hence the fire spread wild. School uniforms of children were also burnt to ashes. "We were told to vacate our houses by the police patrolling team, and within seconds of leaving the house the only shelter on our head was engulfed in the flames," said Mohammad Atif, a resident at the camp. The Rohingya refugees have been shifted to a nearby ground. "Everything we had was gutted in the fire. We're being provided food and clothes by locals, a lot of help was provided by police," the Rohingya refugees told ANI. Delhi: Rohingya refugees, living in a slum near Kalindi Kunj Metro Station, shifted to the nearby ground after the slum caught fire last morning, say 'Everything we had was gutted in the fire. We're being provided food & clothes by locals, a lot of help was provided by police'. pic.twitter.com/U7dSlf24lm — ANI (@ANI) April 15, 2018 × The fire was prima facie caused by a short circuit. Locals, who lost all their documents and identity cards, said that the fire was not an accident but an attempt to damage the lives of the Rohingya refugees. A police officer said that the main cause of the short circuit was residents illegally pulling out electricity from electric cables, the only source of electricity in the area. The police team also alleged that the residents had begun to use coolers which put a strain on the light-duty wires and resulted in a short circuit. "The only source of electricity for the residents were the electric cables in the area. The residents were illegally pulling out electricity from the wires. The wires being used were not of fine quality and weak. They were unable to pull the load of the amount of electricity they were consuming and hence one of these snapped," a police officer told DNA. "It was the first time on Saturday that the residents had started using coolers in their houses, but the wires used to carry the current could not withstand the heavy stand and could have possibly led to the fire," said the officer. Locals said they had expressed their concerns of the possibility of a fire to the Delhi-based NGO Zakat Foundation which had allocated the camp to the Rohingya refugees. They said their concerns remained unaddressed.

Delhi's only Rohingya camp gutted in major fire

Myanmar on Saturday repatriated the first Rohingya family from nearly 700,000 refugees who have fled to Bangladesh, after months of fraught talks with Dhaka and amid the United Nations' warnings that the country is not ready for their return.

Fleeing Rohingya refugees have reported killings, rape and arson on a large scale. The United States and the United Nations have described the Myanmar military operation as ethnic cleansing.

Myanmar has denied nearly all allegations, saying it waged a legitimate counter-insurgency operation. The army has said its crackdown was provoked by the attacks of Rohingya militants on more than two dozen police posts and an army base last August.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees in two years. Myanmar set up two reception centers and what it says is a temporary camp near the border in Rakhine to receive the first arrivals.

"Five members of a Muslim family...came to the Taungpyoletwea reception center in Rakhine state this morning," the Myanmar government said in a statement late on Saturday.

The family members were scrutinized by immigration and health ministry officials and the social welfare, relief and resettlement ministry provided them with "materials such as rice, mosquito netting, blankets, t-shirt, longyis (Burmese sarong) and kitchen utensils," said the government in the statement.

It added that the family members who "are in line with the rules" were issued the National Verification Cards (NVCs) upon entering Myanmar.

NVCs are part of the government's ongoing effort to register Rohingya that falls short of offering them citizenship. The card has been widely rejected by Rohingya community leaders, who say they treat life-long residents like new immigrants.

Most Burmese consider the Rohingya as unwanted immigrants from Bangladesh, and the army refers to them as "Bengalis".

Last week, the most senior UN&nbspofficial to visit Myanmar this year, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller, said the conditions in Myanmar were not conducive to the return of the refugees.

She cited a continued lack of access to health services, concerns among the Rohingya about protection and continued displacements. She also described conditions in camps for internally-displaced people from previous bouts of violence as "deplorable".

Several boats with Rohingya from parts of the violence-torn Rakhine state have left Myanmar in recent months. The latest confirmed departure took place on Thursday.

Myanmar on Saturday repatriated the first Rohingya family from nearly 700,000 refugees who have fled to Bangladesh, after months of fraught talks with Dhaka and amid the United Nations' warnings that the country is not ready for their return

Myanmar on Saturday repatriated the first Rohingya family from nearly 700,000 refugees who have fled to Bangladesh, after months of fraught talks with Dhaka and amid the United Nations' warnings that the country is not ready for their return. Fleeing Rohingya refugees have reported killings, rape and arson on a large scale. The United States and the United Nations have described the Myanmar military operation as ethnic cleansing. Myanmar has denied nearly all allegations, saying it waged a legitimate counter-insurgency operation. The army has said its crackdown was provoked by the attacks of Rohingya militants on more than two dozen police posts and an army base last August. Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees in two years. Myanmar set up two reception centers and what it says is a temporary camp near the border in Rakhine to receive the first arrivals. "Five members of a Muslim family...came to the Taungpyoletwea reception center in Rakhine state this morning," the Myanmar government said in a statement late on Saturday. The family members were scrutinized by immigration and health ministry officials and the social welfare, relief and resettlement ministry provided them with "materials such as rice, mosquito netting, blankets, t-shirt, longyis (Burmese sarong) and kitchen utensils," said the government in the statement. It added that the family members who "are in line with the rules" were issued the National Verification Cards (NVCs) upon entering Myanmar. NVCs are part of the government's ongoing effort to register Rohingya that falls short of offering them citizenship. The card has been widely rejected by Rohingya community leaders, who say they treat life-long residents like new immigrants. Most Burmese consider the Rohingya as unwanted immigrants from Bangladesh, and the army refers to them as "Bengalis". Last week, the most senior UN&nbspofficial to visit Myanmar this year, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs Ursula Mueller, said the conditions in Myanmar were not conducive to the return of the refugees. She cited a continued lack of access to health services, concerns among the Rohingya about protection and continued displacements. She also described conditions in camps for internally-displaced people from previous bouts of violence as "deplorable". Several boats with Rohingya from parts of the violence-torn Rakhine state have left Myanmar in recent months. The latest confirmed departure took place on Thursday.

Myanmar repatriates first Rohingya refugee family: Government

Rohingya refugees living in India are waiting in hope of positive verdict as Supreme Court will take up the Deportation of Rohingya case for final disposal.

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra will hear the case.

Last year in August, Central government announced to deport Rohingya refugees who migrated to India after escaping from Myanmar following the&nbsp;violence and discrimination against the community.

According to reports over 40,000 refugees have moved to India and got settled in areas of Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan.

The center stated that refugees moving to India would create a threat to the country's security as seeing the rise of terrorism in last&nbsp;decade, illegal migrants living in the country are more prone to recruitment by terrorist organisation.&nbsp;

After the center's case, a batch of petitions was filed by several Rohingya migrants challenging&nbsp;center.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-not-ready-for-return-of-rohingya-refugees-un-official-129093">Also read: Myanmar not ready for </a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-not-ready-for-return-of-rohingya-refugees-un-official-129093">return</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/myanmar-not-ready-for-return-of-rohingya-refugees-un-official-129093"> of Rohingya refugees says UN official</a>

Advocate Prashant Bhushan is fighting Rohingya case in the court who has argued that Rohingya migrants should also be allowed to stay in India on the same terms as Sri Lankan refugees live in the country.

There were also reports alleging that Rohingya migrants are being denied services like healthcare and education. 
&nbsp; 
Advocate Tushar Mehta is representing center against the petitioners.

Meanwhile, the Centre has also questioned the credentials of the petitioners seeking to block the deportation saying that the genesis of the PILs threatens to change the country's demography and destabilise it.

More than 600,000 refugees are languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army campaign launched in August last year.

The United Nations had said the scorched-earth operation, which has left hundreds of villages burned to ash in Rakhine state, amounts to 'ethnic cleansing'.&nbsp;

Also read: &nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-crisis-un-security-council-to-visit-myanmar-bangladesh-this-month--127974">UN Security Council to visit Myanmar, Bangladesh this month</a>

(With inputs from ANI)

A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra will hear the case

Rohingya refugees living in India are waiting in hope of positive verdict as Supreme Court will take up the Deportation of Rohingya case for final disposal. A bench headed by Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra will hear the case. Last year in August, Central government announced to deport Rohingya refugees who migrated to India after escaping from Myanmar following the violence and discrimination against the community. According to reports over 40,000 refugees have moved to India and got settled in areas of Jammu, Hyderabad, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan. The center stated that refugees moving to India would create a threat to the country's security as seeing the rise of terrorism in last decade, illegal migrants living in the country are more prone to recruitment by terrorist organisation. After the center's case, a batch of petitions was filed by several Rohingya migrants challenging center. Also read: Myanmar not ready for return of Rohingya refugees says UN official Advocate Prashant Bhushan is fighting Rohingya case in the court who has argued that Rohingya migrants should also be allowed to stay in India on the same terms as Sri Lankan refugees live in the country. There were also reports alleging that Rohingya migrants are being denied services like healthcare and education. Advocate Tushar Mehta is representing center against the petitioners. Meanwhile, the Centre has also questioned the credentials of the petitioners seeking to block the deportation saying that the genesis of the PILs threatens to change the country's demography and destabilise it. More than 600,000 refugees are languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army campaign launched in August last year. The United Nations had said the scorched-earth operation, which has left hundreds of villages burned to ash in Rakhine state, amounts to 'ethnic cleansing'. Also read: UN Security Council to visit Myanmar, Bangladesh this month (With inputs from ANI)

Supreme Court verdict on Rohingya case likely today

Myanmar&nbspis not ready for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, said the seniormost United Nations official to visit the country this year, after&nbspMyanmar&nbspwas accused of instigating ethnic cleansing and driving nearly 700,000 Muslims to Bangladesh.

Ursula Mueller, UN's Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, made a six-day visit to&nbspMyanmar&nbspand was allowed a visit to Rakhine State, indicating a tentative shift in&nbspMyanmar's thus-far tough stance towards the UN. She also met army-controlled ministers of defence and border affairs, as well as de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, where Mueller urged 'them to end the violence'.

Mueller also expressed concerns whether returnees would be allowed to return to 'their places of origin.'&nbspMyanmar&nbsphas bulldozed at least 55 villages that were emptied during the violence, Human Rights Watch has said. A total of 362 villages had been partially or completely destroyed since August, according to the New York-based human rights watchdog.

The exodus of Rohingya Muslims followed the Aug. 25 crackdown by the military in the northwestern Rakhine state.&nbspMyanmar&nbspand Bangladesh agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees in two years.&nbspMyanmar&nbspset up two reception centres and what it says is a temporary camp near the border in Rakhine to receive the first arrivals.

Ursula Mueller, UN's Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, made a six-day visit to Myanmar and was allowed a visit to Rakhine State, indicating a tentative shift in Myanmar's thus-far tough stance towards the UN

Myanmar&nbspis not ready for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees, said the seniormost United Nations official to visit the country this year, after&nbspMyanmar&nbspwas accused of instigating ethnic cleansing and driving nearly 700,000 Muslims to Bangladesh. Ursula Mueller, UN's Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, made a six-day visit to&nbspMyanmar&nbspand was allowed a visit to Rakhine State, indicating a tentative shift in&nbspMyanmar's thus-far tough stance towards the UN. She also met army-controlled ministers of defence and border affairs, as well as de-facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, where Mueller urged 'them to end the violence'. Mueller also expressed concerns whether returnees would be allowed to return to 'their places of origin.'&nbspMyanmar&nbsphas bulldozed at least 55 villages that were emptied during the violence, Human Rights Watch has said. A total of 362 villages had been partially or completely destroyed since August, according to the New York-based human rights watchdog. The exodus of Rohingya Muslims followed the Aug. 25 crackdown by the military in the northwestern Rakhine state.&nbspMyanmar&nbspand Bangladesh agreed in January to complete a voluntary repatriation of the refugees in two years.&nbspMyanmar&nbspset up two reception centres and what it says is a temporary camp near the border in Rakhine to receive the first arrivals.

Myanmar not ready for return of Rohingya refugees: UN official

Malaysia intercepted a boat carrying 56 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar off its northern island of Langkawi on Tuesday and will allow them to enter on humanitarian grounds, with rights groups expecting further such perilous journeys by sea.

The boat had also halted for short period of time in Thailand on Sunday where it underwent some repair work and loaded it with food and other supplies.

As per reports, the passengers were safe but tired and hungry and would be handed over to the immigration authorities for humanitarian reasons, meaning, that they will be allowed to stay and not be sent back to sea. &nbsp;

The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said in a statement that the boat was carrying 19 men, 17 women and 20 children. It had since been escorted to the peninsula and its occupants handed over to immigration authorities for processing.

The refugees are said to be fleeing from overcrowded camps for the stateless minority in southern Bangladesh.

Malaysia's standard policy has been to turn away refugee boats attempting to make landfall, unless weather conditions are bad, though thousands have managed to enter the country over the years.

As per reports, the boat was intercepted near Langkawi waters after it entered Malaysia

Malaysia intercepted a boat carrying 56 Rohingya refugees from Myanmar off its northern island of Langkawi on Tuesday and will allow them to enter on humanitarian grounds, with rights groups expecting further such perilous journeys by sea. The boat had also halted for short period of time in Thailand on Sunday where it underwent some repair work and loaded it with food and other supplies. As per reports, the passengers were safe but tired and hungry and would be handed over to the immigration authorities for humanitarian reasons, meaning, that they will be allowed to stay and not be sent back to sea. The Malaysian Maritime Enforcement Agency said in a statement that the boat was carrying 19 men, 17 women and 20 children. It had since been escorted to the peninsula and its occupants handed over to immigration authorities for processing. The refugees are said to be fleeing from overcrowded camps for the stateless minority in southern Bangladesh. Malaysia's standard policy has been to turn away refugee boats attempting to make landfall, unless weather conditions are bad, though thousands have managed to enter the country over the years.

Boat carrying Rohingya refugees intercepted off Malaysia

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the international community to continue pressurising Myanmar to take Rohingya refugees back as soon as possible.

In her meeting with World Health Organisation-South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO-SEARO) Director Poonam Khetrapal Singh at the Gono Bhaban here this week, Hasina said Rohingyas were given shelter in Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds.

She added that it was time that Myanmar should speed up the repatriation process and that the Bangladesh government had completed the biometric registration of the refugees.

"The (Bangladesh) government gave identity cards to Rohingyas so that they could be identified easily and the Myanmar government could take them back," Hasina was quoted by Daily Star Bangladesh as saying.

Hasina further said that Bangladesh was in touch with other countries on the Rohingya issue such as India, China, Thailand and Myanmar.

Praising Bangladesh's efforts on the Rohingya issue, Poonam said that the WHO could collaborate with the country to provide immunisation and medical facilities to the refugees.

Stressing on health and sanitation issues in the Rohingya camps, Poonam added that such issues will be a challenge to tackle them and it had to be done soon before the monsoon season comes in.

Expressing concern over the health condition, sanitation and waterborne diseases of the Rohingyas in the upcoming monsoon, Poonam said it would be a challenging job to tackle the issue.

She urged the government to continue its immunisation activities.Rohingyas are a Muslim minority ethnic group in Myanmar.

They have been regarded by many majority Buddhists as illegal migrants from Bangladesh.

More than 600,000 refugees are languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army campaign launched in August last year.

There are more than 3,00,000 Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, who fled in earlier waves of violence from Myanmar since the last three decades.The United Nations had said the scorched-earth operation, which had left hundreds of villages burned to ash in Myanmar's Rakhine state, amounted to 'ethnic cleansing'.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the international community to continue pressurising Myanmar to take Rohingya refugees back as soon as possible

Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has urged the international community to continue pressurising Myanmar to take Rohingya refugees back as soon as possible. In her meeting with World Health Organisation-South-East Asia Regional Office (WHO-SEARO) Director Poonam Khetrapal Singh at the Gono Bhaban here this week, Hasina said Rohingyas were given shelter in Bangladesh on humanitarian grounds. She added that it was time that Myanmar should speed up the repatriation process and that the Bangladesh government had completed the biometric registration of the refugees. "The (Bangladesh) government gave identity cards to Rohingyas so that they could be identified easily and the Myanmar government could take them back," Hasina was quoted by Daily Star Bangladesh as saying. Hasina further said that Bangladesh was in touch with other countries on the Rohingya issue such as India, China, Thailand and Myanmar. Praising Bangladesh's efforts on the Rohingya issue, Poonam said that the WHO could collaborate with the country to provide immunisation and medical facilities to the refugees. Stressing on health and sanitation issues in the Rohingya camps, Poonam added that such issues will be a challenge to tackle them and it had to be done soon before the monsoon season comes in. Expressing concern over the health condition, sanitation and waterborne diseases of the Rohingyas in the upcoming monsoon, Poonam said it would be a challenging job to tackle the issue. She urged the government to continue its immunisation activities.Rohingyas are a Muslim minority ethnic group in Myanmar. They have been regarded by many majority Buddhists as illegal migrants from Bangladesh. More than 600,000 refugees are languishing in Bangladeshi refugee camps after fleeing a brutal Myanmar army campaign launched in August last year. There are more than 3,00,000 Rohingyas living in Bangladesh, who fled in earlier waves of violence from Myanmar since the last three decades.The United Nations had said the scorched-earth operation, which had left hundreds of villages burned to ash in Myanmar's Rakhine state, amounted to 'ethnic cleansing'.

Bangladesh calls for global pressure on Myanmar to repatriate Rohingyas

UN officials said Sunday that nearly $1 billion will be needed this year to feed and care for the roughly one million Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded camps in southeastern Bangladesh.

The $950 million for this year&#39;s aid effort was &quot;a very legitimate and valid&quot; request given the magnitude of the crisis, the UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh said.

&quot;It&#39;s a new and evolving crisis. The needs are huge. These people came with nothing. We hope the support will continue,&quot; the UN country head Mia Seppo told AFP.

The funding request could be raised this week at a UN conference in Geneva.

In October, nations pledged $345 million in response to the Rohingya crisis. The UN said at the time it needed $434 million to care for the displaced Muslims until February.

Food, shelter and healthcare remain pressing needs for the Rohingya, who fled a Myanmar army crackdown in Rakhine state en masse over the past six months.

But there are other urgent considerations. As the monsoon season nears, aid groups need to relocate an estimated 100,000 refugees living in areas prone to landslides and floods, Seppo said.

The UN-backed Inter Sector Coordination Group has also factored into the relief budget the cost of mass vaccination drives against diseases like cholera, diphtheria and measles, the group&#39;s head Sumbul Rizvi said.

Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in November to begin repatriating Rohingya who volunteered to return to Rakhine state where the persecuted Muslim minority have lived for generations.

But the process has stalled and it is not clear when it will begin, said Bangladesh&#39;s refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam.

A quarter of the proposed $950 million funding for the remainder of the year would go to Bangladeshis living in Cox&#39;s Bazar whose lives have been upended by the massive refugee influx.

Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have crossed the border since August, clearing forests and camping on hillsides already crowded with more than 300,000 refugees from previous waves of migration.

Prices for local goods have skyrocketed and competition for jobs and resources intensified in the largely-rural border district, said Kalam.

&quot;We will try to compensate these farmers,&quot; he said.

Separately, police in Cox&#39;s Bazar briefly detained 39 foreign aid workers Sunday for questioning over alleged visa violations.

Afrujul Haq Tutul, the deputy police chief of Cox&#39;s Bazar, said the aid staff had been working on tourist visas, but were later released.

UN officials said that nearly $1 billion will be needed this year to feed and care for the roughly one million Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded camps in southeastern Bangladesh

UN officials said Sunday that nearly $1 billion will be needed this year to feed and care for the roughly one million Rohingya refugees living in overcrowded camps in southeastern Bangladesh. The $950 million for this year's aid effort was "a very legitimate and valid" request given the magnitude of the crisis, the UN resident coordinator in Bangladesh said. "It's a new and evolving crisis. The needs are huge. These people came with nothing. We hope the support will continue," the UN country head Mia Seppo told AFP. The funding request could be raised this week at a UN conference in Geneva. In October, nations pledged $345 million in response to the Rohingya crisis. The UN said at the time it needed $434 million to care for the displaced Muslims until February. Food, shelter and healthcare remain pressing needs for the Rohingya, who fled a Myanmar army crackdown in Rakhine state en masse over the past six months. But there are other urgent considerations. As the monsoon season nears, aid groups need to relocate an estimated 100,000 refugees living in areas prone to landslides and floods, Seppo said. The UN-backed Inter Sector Coordination Group has also factored into the relief budget the cost of mass vaccination drives against diseases like cholera, diphtheria and measles, the group's head Sumbul Rizvi said. Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed in November to begin repatriating Rohingya who volunteered to return to Rakhine state where the persecuted Muslim minority have lived for generations. But the process has stalled and it is not clear when it will begin, said Bangladesh's refugee commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam. A quarter of the proposed $950 million funding for the remainder of the year would go to Bangladeshis living in Cox's Bazar whose lives have been upended by the massive refugee influx. Nearly 700,000 Rohingya Muslims have crossed the border since August, clearing forests and camping on hillsides already crowded with more than 300,000 refugees from previous waves of migration. Prices for local goods have skyrocketed and competition for jobs and resources intensified in the largely-rural border district, said Kalam. "We will try to compensate these farmers," he said. Separately, police in Cox's Bazar briefly detained 39 foreign aid workers Sunday for questioning over alleged visa violations. Afrujul Haq Tutul, the deputy police chief of Cox's Bazar, said the aid staff had been working on tourist visas, but were later released.

UN to seek $1billion for Rohingya refugee effort in Bangladesh

Myanmar blamed Bangladesh on Tuesday for delays to a huge repatriation programme for Rohingya refugees, as the deadline passed for starting the return of the Muslim minority to strife-torn Rakhine state.

More than 680,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a brutal Myanmar army crackdown began last August, while a further 100,000 fled a previous bout of violence in October 2016.

Myanmar agreed that from January 23 it would start taking them back from the squalid camps in the Cox`s Bazar district of Bangladesh where they have sought shelter.

But a Bangladeshi official said Monday the programme would not begin as planned.

Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said there was much more work to be done.

The complex process of registering huge numbers of the dispossessed has been further cast into doubt by the refugees, who are too afraid to return to the scene of what the UN has called &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot;.

Myanmar authorities are also accused of drawing out the process by agreeing to take back just 1,500 people a week.

It has prepared two reception camps on its side of the border.

Myanmar officials said that by Tuesday afternoon no Rohingya had crossed back into Rakhine, the scene of alleged widespread atrocities by Myanmar`s army and ethnic Rakhine mobs.

&quot;We are right now ready to receive... we are completely ready to welcome them according to the agreement,&quot; Kyaw Tin, Minister of International Cooperation told reporters in Naypyidaw, Myanmar`s capital.

&quot;We have seen the news that the Bangladesh side is not ready, but we have not received any official&quot; explanation, he added.

National Security Adviser Thaung Tun said &quot;it is our hope that this will commence today as agreed.&quot;

With hundreds of Rohingya villages torched and communal tensions still at boiling point in Rakhine, rights groups say Rohingya returnees will be at best corralled into long-term camps.

Those who return must sign a form verifying they did so voluntarily and pledging to abide by Myanmar laws.

Myanmar has sent a list of more than 1,000 &quot;wanted&quot; alleged Rohingya militants to Bangladesh, while headshot photos of the suspects have been widely circulated inside the country.

In a sign of the tensions attached to the repatriation issue, a second Rohingya leader was killed in Bangladesh camps on Monday -- allegedly after endorsing the returns programme.

Bangladesh, one of Asia`s poorest countries, has been besieged by an influx of Rohingya since communal violence flared in 2016.

Dhaka has tried to use the global outcry over the crisis to press Myanmar into taking back the refugees before they settle -- joining an estimated 200,000 Rohingya stuck in Cox`s Bazar camps since a previous bout of violence in the 1990s.

&nbsp;

Myanmar agreed that from January 23 it would start taking them back from the squalid camps in the Cox`s Bazar district of Bangladesh where they have sought shelter. But a Bangladeshi official said Monday the programme would not begin as planned

Myanmar blamed Bangladesh on Tuesday for delays to a huge repatriation programme for Rohingya refugees, as the deadline passed for starting the return of the Muslim minority to strife-torn Rakhine state. More than 680,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after a brutal Myanmar army crackdown began last August, while a further 100,000 fled a previous bout of violence in October 2016. Myanmar agreed that from January 23 it would start taking them back from the squalid camps in the Cox`s Bazar district of Bangladesh where they have sought shelter. But a Bangladeshi official said Monday the programme would not begin as planned. Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammad Abul Kalam said there was much more work to be done. The complex process of registering huge numbers of the dispossessed has been further cast into doubt by the refugees, who are too afraid to return to the scene of what the UN has called "ethnic cleansing". Myanmar authorities are also accused of drawing out the process by agreeing to take back just 1,500 people a week. It has prepared two reception camps on its side of the border. Myanmar officials said that by Tuesday afternoon no Rohingya had crossed back into Rakhine, the scene of alleged widespread atrocities by Myanmar`s army and ethnic Rakhine mobs. "We are right now ready to receive... we are completely ready to welcome them according to the agreement," Kyaw Tin, Minister of International Cooperation told reporters in Naypyidaw, Myanmar`s capital. "We have seen the news that the Bangladesh side is not ready, but we have not received any official" explanation, he added. National Security Adviser Thaung Tun said "it is our hope that this will commence today as agreed." With hundreds of Rohingya villages torched and communal tensions still at boiling point in Rakhine, rights groups say Rohingya returnees will be at best corralled into long-term camps. Those who return must sign a form verifying they did so voluntarily and pledging to abide by Myanmar laws. Myanmar has sent a list of more than 1,000 "wanted" alleged Rohingya militants to Bangladesh, while headshot photos of the suspects have been widely circulated inside the country. In a sign of the tensions attached to the repatriation issue, a second Rohingya leader was killed in Bangladesh camps on Monday -- allegedly after endorsing the returns programme. Bangladesh, one of Asia`s poorest countries, has been besieged by an influx of Rohingya since communal violence flared in 2016. Dhaka has tried to use the global outcry over the crisis to press Myanmar into taking back the refugees before they settle -- joining an estimated 200,000 Rohingya stuck in Cox`s Bazar camps since a previous bout of violence in the 1990s.

Myanmar blames Bangladesh for delayed Rohingya return

A senior Bangladesh official has told Reuters that the process of repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar has been delayed due to delay in compiling the list of people.

Abul Kalam, Bangladesh&rsquo;s refugee relief and rehabilitation commissioner did not set the date for repatriation even several refugees in camps opposed the repatriation.

Bangladesh had earlier agreed to repatriate the Rohingya refugees living in relief camps in Cox&#39;s Bazaar and other areas bordering Myanmar.&nbsp;

The exodus of refugees which had started on August 25th last year has been marred by controversies. The UN in its report said over 6,50,000 refugees have crossed over to Bangladesh in the wake of alleged persecution by the Bangladesh army in the Rakhine state.

As a result, several refugees have expressed fears over their repatriation and have requested extra security from the Myanmar government.&nbsp;

Some refugee leaders said Bangladesh military officials had threatened to seize their food ration cards if they did not return, Reuters reported.&nbsp;

The UN and the US had denounced the Myanmar government earlier terming the treatment meted out to the Rohingya refugees as a case of &quot;ethnic cleansing&quot;.&nbsp;

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said the repatriation should be &quot;voluntary&quot; as several refugees have walked all the way from Rakhine State, through forests surviving adverse conditions.

Some refugee leaders said Bangladesh military officials had threatened to seize their food ration cards if they did not return, Reuters reported.

A senior Bangladesh official has told Reuters that the process of repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar has been delayed due to delay in compiling the list of people. Abul Kalam, Bangladesh’s refugee relief and rehabilitation commissioner did not set the date for repatriation even several refugees in camps opposed the repatriation. Bangladesh had earlier agreed to repatriate the Rohingya refugees living in relief camps in Cox's Bazaar and other areas bordering Myanmar. The exodus of refugees which had started on August 25th last year has been marred by controversies. The UN in its report said over 6,50,000 refugees have crossed over to Bangladesh in the wake of alleged persecution by the Bangladesh army in the Rakhine state. As a result, several refugees have expressed fears over their repatriation and have requested extra security from the Myanmar government. Some refugee leaders said Bangladesh military officials had threatened to seize their food ration cards if they did not return, Reuters reported. The UN and the US had denounced the Myanmar government earlier terming the treatment meted out to the Rohingya refugees as a case of "ethnic cleansing". The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has said the repatriation should be "voluntary" as several refugees have walked all the way from Rakhine State, through forests surviving adverse conditions.

Repatriation of Rohingya refugees to Myanmar delayed

Tensions mounted on Sunday at refugee camps in Bangladesh holding hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims over an operation to send them back to Myanmar, from where they have fled following a military crackdown.

Dozens of refugees stood holding cloth banners opposing their transfer as United Nations Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee visited camps along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border over the weekend. Some refugee leaders said Bangladesh military officials had threatened to seize their food ration cards if they did not return.

Under an agreement signed last week, Myanmar is set to receive Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh at two reception centres and a temporary camp near their common border starting on Tuesday and continuing over the next two years.

The refugees refuse to go back unless their safety can be guaranteed and Myanmars grant their demands to be given citizenship and inclusion in a list of recognised ethnic minorities. They are also asking that their homes, mosques and schools that were burned down or damaged in the military operation be rebuilt.

Over 655,500 Muslim Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after the Myanmar military cracked down in the northern part of Rakhine state in response to militant attacks on security forces on August 25. The United Nations described the operation as ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, which Myanmar denies.

Rohingya elders told Reuters that Bangladeshi army officials have called or met them over the last two days, asking them to prepare lists of families from their camps for repatriation. Four of them said they were among more than 70 camp leaders &ndash; representing thousands of refugees &ndash; who met army officers at the Gungdum camp on Saturday.

&ldquo;When we said we cannot provide the lists because people are not ready to return, they asked us to bring their WP cards,&rdquo; said Musa, a leader at the Gungdum camp, referring to relief cards provided by the UN&rsquo;s World Food Programme.

Rashedul Hasan, a spokesman for the Bangladesh army, said he was not aware of army men threatening to take away food cards.

Hundreds of refugees queue up at relief centres across the camps each morning to collect food using the cards. These centres are managed by the Bangladesh army.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has repeatedly said Rohingya returns need to be voluntary.

&ldquo;UNHCR has not been part of discussions (on repatriation) to date, but has offered support to engage in the process to ensure that the voices of refugees are heard,&rdquo; Caroline Gluck, a senior protection officer for the agency, said by email on Saturday.

&ldquo;The pace of returns should be determined by the refugees themselves.&rdquo;

The refugees refused to go back unless their safety can be guaranteed and Myanmar's grant their demands to be given citizenship and inclusion in a list of recognised ethnic minorities

Tensions mounted on Sunday at refugee camps in Bangladesh holding hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims over an operation to send them back to Myanmar, from where they have fled following a military crackdown. Dozens of refugees stood holding cloth banners opposing their transfer as United Nations Special Rapporteur Yanghee Lee visited camps along the Bangladesh-Myanmar border over the weekend. Some refugee leaders said Bangladesh military officials had threatened to seize their food ration cards if they did not return. Under an agreement signed last week, Myanmar is set to receive Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh at two reception centres and a temporary camp near their common border starting on Tuesday and continuing over the next two years. The refugees refuse to go back unless their safety can be guaranteed and Myanmars grant their demands to be given citizenship and inclusion in a list of recognised ethnic minorities. They are also asking that their homes, mosques and schools that were burned down or damaged in the military operation be rebuilt. Over 655,500 Muslim Rohingya fled to Bangladesh after the Myanmar military cracked down in the northern part of Rakhine state in response to militant attacks on security forces on August 25. The United Nations described the operation as ethnic cleansing of the Rohingya, which Myanmar denies. Rohingya elders told Reuters that Bangladeshi army officials have called or met them over the last two days, asking them to prepare lists of families from their camps for repatriation. Four of them said they were among more than 70 camp leaders – representing thousands of refugees – who met army officers at the Gungdum camp on Saturday. “When we said we cannot provide the lists because people are not ready to return, they asked us to bring their WP cards,” said Musa, a leader at the Gungdum camp, referring to relief cards provided by the UN’s World Food Programme. Rashedul Hasan, a spokesman for the Bangladesh army, said he was not aware of army men threatening to take away food cards. Hundreds of refugees queue up at relief centres across the camps each morning to collect food using the cards. These centres are managed by the Bangladesh army. The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has repeatedly said Rohingya returns need to be voluntary. “UNHCR has not been part of discussions (on repatriation) to date, but has offered support to engage in the process to ensure that the voices of refugees are heard,” Caroline Gluck, a senior protection officer for the agency, said by email on Saturday. “The pace of returns should be determined by the refugees themselves.”

Tensions mount in Rohingya camps ahead of planned relocation to Myanmar

Myanmar and Bangladesh have reached a deal to repatriate Rohingya displaced by an army crackdown &quot;within two years&quot;, Dhaka said Tuesday.

According to a statement from the Bangladeshi government following talks in Myanmar&#39;s capital Naypyidaw, the agreement between the two countries states that the process will be &quot;completed preferably within 02 (two) years from the commencement of repatriation&quot;.

This is the first clear timeline for a return of hundreds of thousands of refugees.

&quot;During this two-day meeting, we agreed on the form that refugees will have to fill to be able to come back to Myanmar,&quot; Mohammad Sufiur Rahman, Bangladesh ambassador in Myanmar told AFP.&nbsp; 
 
Also Read: <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingya-insurgents-say-they-have-no-option-but-to-fight-myanmar-28754">Rohingya insurgents say they have no option but to fight Myanmar</a>

&quot;We should be able to start the process in the coming days,&quot; he said, but added Myanmar&#39;s stated deadline of next week for starting Rohingya repatriation was &quot;not possible&quot;.

The deal applies to Rohingya who fled Myanmar in two major outbreaks of violence since October 2016, when militants from the stateless Muslim minority first attacked border-guard posts in northern Rakhine state.

It does not cover Rohingya refugees who were living in Bangladesh prior to that date who the UN estimates number at 200,000.

In November, the two countries reached a pact paving the way for repatriations from January 23. The deadline is likely to slip given the logistical challenges of the cross-border operation.

Myanmar has faced intense diplomatic pressure to allow the safe return of Rohingya refugees driven out by its army.

But many Rohingya in crowded camps in Bangladesh say they are reluctant to return to Rakhine state having fled atrocities including murder, rape and arson attacks on their homes.

The agreement between the two countries states that the process will be 'completed preferably within 02 (two) years from the commencement of repatriation'

Myanmar and Bangladesh have reached a deal to repatriate Rohingya displaced by an army crackdown "within two years", Dhaka said Tuesday. According to a statement from the Bangladeshi government following talks in Myanmar's capital Naypyidaw, the agreement between the two countries states that the process will be "completed preferably within 02 (two) years from the commencement of repatriation". This is the first clear timeline for a return of hundreds of thousands of refugees. "During this two-day meeting, we agreed on the form that refugees will have to fill to be able to come back to Myanmar," Mohammad Sufiur Rahman, Bangladesh ambassador in Myanmar told AFP. Also Read: Rohingya insurgents say they have no option but to fight Myanmar "We should be able to start the process in the coming days," he said, but added Myanmar's stated deadline of next week for starting Rohingya repatriation was "not possible". The deal applies to Rohingya who fled Myanmar in two major outbreaks of violence since October 2016, when militants from the stateless Muslim minority first attacked border-guard posts in northern Rakhine state. It does not cover Rohingya refugees who were living in Bangladesh prior to that date who the UN estimates number at 200,000. In November, the two countries reached a pact paving the way for repatriations from January 23. The deadline is likely to slip given the logistical challenges of the cross-border operation. Myanmar has faced intense diplomatic pressure to allow the safe return of Rohingya refugees driven out by its army. But many Rohingya in crowded camps in Bangladesh say they are reluctant to return to Rakhine state having fled atrocities including murder, rape and arson attacks on their homes.

Myanmar, Bangladesh reach two-year deal to repatriate Rohingya refugees

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/justice-loyas-death-post-mortem-report-indicates-no-foul-play-in-judges-death-say-sources-29722">Justice Loya&#39;s death: Post-mortem report indicates no foul play in judge&#39;s death, say sources</a>

The report into Justice BH Loya&#39;s death says there was no foul play in the judge&#39;s death, sources in the Maharashtra home ministry have told the Zee Group.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/centre-ends-haj-subsidy-naqvi-says-decision-part-of-plan-to-empower-minorities-29708">Centre ends Haj subsidy, Naqvi says decision part of plan to &#39;empower&#39; minorities</a>

There will be no subsidy for Haj from this year, minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today.

Naqvi told reporters that despite the subsidy withdrawal, a record number of 1.75 lakh Muslims will undertake the pilgrimage this year from India.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/haryana-becomes-fourth-state-to-ban-padmavat-29698">Haryana becomes&nbsp;</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/haryana-becomes-fourth-state-to-ban-padmavat-29698">fourth</a><a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/haryana-becomes-fourth-state-to-ban-padmavat-29698"> state to ban &#39;Padmavat&#39;</a>

Haryana on Tuesday became the fourth state to announce a ban on the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed &quot;Padmavat&quot;. &nbsp;

Haryana minister Anil Vij confirmed the decision after a meeting with the cabinet.

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/after-nine-years-baby-moshe-returns-to-mumbais-chabad-house-29709">After nine years, &#39;Baby&#39; Moshe returns to Mumbai&#39;s Chabad House</a>

Baby Moshe returned to Mumbai&#39;s Chabad House Tuesday nine years after the 26/11 attacks.&nbsp;

Moshe Holtzberg&#39;s -- he is now 11 -- were killed at Chabad House in the attacks.&nbsp;

<a href="http://www.wionews.com/india-news/myanmar-bangladesh-reach-two-year-deal-to-repatriate-rohingya-refugees-29682">Myanmar, Bangladesh reach two-year deal to repatriate Rohingya refugees</a>

Myanmar and Bangladesh have reached a deal to repatriate Rohingya displaced by an army crackdown &quot;within two years&quot;, Dhaka said Tuesday.

Justice Loya's death: Post-mortem report indicates no foul play in judge's death, say sources The report into Justice BH Loya's death says there was no foul play in the judge's death, sources in the Maharashtra home ministry have told the Zee Group. Centre ends Haj subsidy, Naqvi says decision part of plan to 'empower' minorities There will be no subsidy for Haj from this year, minority affairs minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said today. Naqvi told reporters that despite the subsidy withdrawal, a record number of 1.75 lakh Muslims will undertake the pilgrimage this year from India. Haryana becomes fourth state to ban 'Padmavat' Haryana on Tuesday became the fourth state to announce a ban on the release of Sanjay Leela Bhansali directed "Padmavat". Haryana minister Anil Vij confirmed the decision after a meeting with the cabinet. After nine years, 'Baby' Moshe returns to Mumbai's Chabad House Baby Moshe returned to Mumbai's Chabad House Tuesday nine years after the 26/11 attacks. Moshe Holtzberg's -- he is now 11 -- were killed at Chabad House in the attacks. Myanmar, Bangladesh reach two-year deal to repatriate Rohingya refugees Myanmar and Bangladesh have reached a deal to repatriate Rohingya displaced by an army crackdown "within two years", Dhaka said Tuesday.

WION Evening News Brief, 16 January 2018

The first list for repatriation of Rohingya refugees, who entered into Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar&#39;s Rakhine State, will contain 1,00,000 names.

The Dhaka Tribune quoted a Bangladesh government official as saying, &quot;A database containing the names of 850,000 Rohingya refugees has already been created. In the first phase, we will provide them [Myanmar] with a list of 100,000 displaced Rohingyas.&quot;

The 17th meeting of National Task Force (NTF) on Rohingya is also scheduled to be held next Thursday to discuss these issues in detail.

&quot;Once they [Myanmar] scrutinize and send back the list, we will send the next list,&quot; the official added.

On Sunday, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) urged Myanmar to end the military campaign against Muslim Rohingyas.

The resolution forwarded by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was adopted by a vote of 122 to 10 with 24 abstentions on Sunday.

China and Russia along with some regional countries opposed the resolution, but despite their rejection, the resolution also called on UN&nbsp;Secretary General Antonio Guterres to assign a special envoy to the country.

Earlier on Monday, Bangladesh Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said Rohingya refugees would return to their homeland as soon as the international community and the UN&nbsp;pressured Myanmar into repatriating them.

Myanmar and Bangladesh had earlier this month formed Joint Working Group (JWG) to handle the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

The crucial JWG with 15 each from Bangladesh and Myanmar will oversee the repatriation of over 6,00,000 Rohingya refugees who have taken shelter in Bangladesh to escape ethnic violence in the latter.

More than 655,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh since August 25, escaping a military crackdown in Rakhine state, which many countries and human rights bodies have described as ethnic cleansing.

The military action, which was triggered after their posts became targets of terrorist attacks, invited ire of the international community.

On October 12, a United Nations&#39; report based on interviews conducted in Bangladesh found that brutal attacks against Rohingyas in the northern Rakhine state have been well-organised, coordinated and systematic, with the intent of not only driving the population out of Myanmar but preventing them from returning to their homes.

The Rakhine state is home to a majority of Muslims in Myanmar, who have been denied citizenship and long faced persecution in the Buddhist-majority country, especially from the extremists.

The 17th meeting of National Task Force (NTF) on Rohingya is also scheduled to be held next Thursday to discuss these issues in detail

The first list for repatriation of Rohingya refugees, who entered into Bangladesh after fleeing violence in Myanmar's Rakhine State, will contain 1,00,000 names. The Dhaka Tribune quoted a Bangladesh government official as saying, "A database containing the names of 850,000 Rohingya refugees has already been created. In the first phase, we will provide them [Myanmar] with a list of 100,000 displaced Rohingyas." The 17th meeting of National Task Force (NTF) on Rohingya is also scheduled to be held next Thursday to discuss these issues in detail. "Once they [Myanmar] scrutinize and send back the list, we will send the next list," the official added. On Sunday, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) urged Myanmar to end the military campaign against Muslim Rohingyas. The resolution forwarded by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was adopted by a vote of 122 to 10 with 24 abstentions on Sunday. China and Russia along with some regional countries opposed the resolution, but despite their rejection, the resolution also called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to assign a special envoy to the country. Earlier on Monday, Bangladesh Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said Rohingya refugees would return to their homeland as soon as the international community and the UN pressured Myanmar into repatriating them. Myanmar and Bangladesh had earlier this month formed Joint Working Group (JWG) to handle the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. The crucial JWG with 15 each from Bangladesh and Myanmar will oversee the repatriation of over 6,00,000 Rohingya refugees who have taken shelter in Bangladesh to escape ethnic violence in the latter. More than 655,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh since August 25, escaping a military crackdown in Rakhine state, which many countries and human rights bodies have described as ethnic cleansing. The military action, which was triggered after their posts became targets of terrorist attacks, invited ire of the international community. On October 12, a United Nations' report based on interviews conducted in Bangladesh found that brutal attacks against Rohingyas in the northern Rakhine state have been well-organised, coordinated and systematic, with the intent of not only driving the population out of Myanmar but preventing them from returning to their homes. The Rakhine state is home to a majority of Muslims in Myanmar, who have been denied citizenship and long faced persecution in the Buddhist-majority country, especially from the extremists.

Rohingya repatriation: First list will contain 1 lakh names

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has urged Myanmar to end the military campaign against Muslim Rohingyas.

According to the The Daily Star, the resolution forwarded by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was adopted by a vote of 122 to 10 with 24 abstentions on Sunday.

China and Russia along with some regional countries opposed the resolution, but despite their rejection, the resolution also called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to assign a special envoy to the country.

On Monday, Bangladesh Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said <a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/rohingyas-to-return-to-myanmar-soon-bangladesh-minister-27691">Rohingya refugees would return</a> to their homeland as soon as the international community and the UN pressured Myanmar into repatriating them.

Myanmar and Bangladesh had earlier this month formed Joint Working Group (JWG) to handle the repatriation of Rohingya refugees.

The crucial JWG with 15 each from Bangladesh and Myanmar will oversee the repatriation of over 600,000 Rohingya refugees who have taken shelter in Bangladesh to escape ethnic violence in the latter.

More than 655,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh since August 25, escaping a military crackdown in Rakhine state, which many countries and human rights bodies have described as ethnic cleansing.

The military action, which was triggered after their posts became targets of terrorist attacks, invited ire of the international community.

On October 12, a United Nations&#39; report based on interviews conducted in Bangladesh found that brutal attacks against Rohingyas in the northern Rakhine state have been well-organised, coordinated and systematic, with the intent of not only driving the population out of Myanmar but preventing them from returning to their homes.

The Rakhine state is home to a majority of Muslims in Myanmar, who have been denied citizenship and long faced persecution in the Buddhist-majority country, especially from the extremists.

Bangladesh Health Minister Mohammed Nasim had said on Monday that Rohingya refugees would return to their homeland as soon as the international community and the UN pressured Myanmar into repatriating them.

The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) has urged Myanmar to end the military campaign against Muslim Rohingyas. According to the The Daily Star, the resolution forwarded by the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) was adopted by a vote of 122 to 10 with 24 abstentions on Sunday. China and Russia along with some regional countries opposed the resolution, but despite their rejection, the resolution also called on UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to assign a special envoy to the country. On Monday, Bangladesh Health Minister Mohammed Nasim said Rohingya refugees would return to their homeland as soon as the international community and the UN pressured Myanmar into repatriating them. Myanmar and Bangladesh had earlier this month formed Joint Working Group (JWG) to handle the repatriation of Rohingya refugees. The crucial JWG with 15 each from Bangladesh and Myanmar will oversee the repatriation of over 600,000 Rohingya refugees who have taken shelter in Bangladesh to escape ethnic violence in the latter. More than 655,000 Rohingyas have crossed into Bangladesh since August 25, escaping a military crackdown in Rakhine state, which many countries and human rights bodies have described as ethnic cleansing. The military action, which was triggered after their posts became targets of terrorist attacks, invited ire of the international community. On October 12, a United Nations' report based on interviews conducted in Bangladesh found that brutal attacks against Rohingyas in the northern Rakhine state have been well-organised, coordinated and systematic, with the intent of not only driving the population out of Myanmar but preventing them from returning to their homes. The Rakhine state is home to a majority of Muslims in Myanmar, who have been denied citizenship and long faced persecution in the Buddhist-majority country, especially from the extremists.

UNGA urges Myanmar to end military action against Rohingyas

The UN independent investigator into human rights in Myanmar has been barred from visiting the country for the rest of her tenure, she said on Wednesday.&nbsp;Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur, said she had been due to visit in January to assess human rights across Myanmar, including alleged abuses against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, but Myanmar had now told her it would not cooperate with her anymore.

&quot;This declaration of non-cooperation with my mandate can only be viewed as a strong indication that there must be something terribly awful happening in Rakhine, as well as in the rest of the country&quot;, she said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;It is a shame that Myanmar has decided to take this route&quot;, she said.

&quot;The government has repeatedly denied violations of human rights are occurring throughout Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine State. They have said that they have nothing to hide, but their lack of cooperation with my mandate and the fact-finding mission suggests otherwise&quot;.&nbsp;

She hoped Myanmar&#39;s government would change its mind, adding that she was &quot;puzzled and disappointed&quot; since its Ambassador in Geneva Htin Lynn had told the UN Human Rights Council only two weeks ago that it would continue to cooperate.

&quot;Now I am being told that this decision to no longer cooperate with me is based on the statement I made after I visited the country in July&quot;, she said.&nbsp;Neither Lynn, nor Zaw Htay, spokesman for Myanmar&#39;s de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, nor Kyaw Moe Tun, a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs that Suu Kyi heads, were immediately available for comment.

Lee&#39;s mandate requires two visits to Myanmar each year and she has visited six times since taking up the mandate in June 2014, although the government has consistently refused access to some areas, citing security concerns, the statement said.

More than 650,000 Rohingya fled into Bangladesh after attacks by Muslim insurgents on the Myanmar security forces triggered a response by the army and Buddhist vigilantes.&nbsp;Surveys of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh by aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres have shown at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state in the month after violence flared up on August 25, MSF said last week.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra&#39;ad al-Hussein has called the violence &quot;a textbook example of ethnic cleansing&quot; and said he would not be surprised if a court eventually ruled that genocide had taken place.

Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur, said she had been due to visit the country in January but Myanmar has now told her it would not cooperate with her anymore

The UN independent investigator into human rights in Myanmar has been barred from visiting the country for the rest of her tenure, she said on Wednesday. Yanghee Lee, the UN special rapporteur, said she had been due to visit in January to assess human rights across Myanmar, including alleged abuses against Rohingya Muslims in Rakhine State, but Myanmar had now told her it would not cooperate with her anymore. "This declaration of non-cooperation with my mandate can only be viewed as a strong indication that there must be something terribly awful happening in Rakhine, as well as in the rest of the country", she said in a statement. "It is a shame that Myanmar has decided to take this route", she said. "The government has repeatedly denied violations of human rights are occurring throughout Myanmar, particularly in Rakhine State. They have said that they have nothing to hide, but their lack of cooperation with my mandate and the fact-finding mission suggests otherwise". She hoped Myanmar's government would change its mind, adding that she was "puzzled and disappointed" since its Ambassador in Geneva Htin Lynn had told the UN Human Rights Council only two weeks ago that it would continue to cooperate. "Now I am being told that this decision to no longer cooperate with me is based on the statement I made after I visited the country in July", she said. Neither Lynn, nor Zaw Htay, spokesman for Myanmar's de facto leader Aung San Suu Kyi, nor Kyaw Moe Tun, a spokesman for the ministry of foreign affairs that Suu Kyi heads, were immediately available for comment. Lee's mandate requires two visits to Myanmar each year and she has visited six times since taking up the mandate in June 2014, although the government has consistently refused access to some areas, citing security concerns, the statement said. More than 650,000 Rohingya fled into Bangladesh after attacks by Muslim insurgents on the Myanmar security forces triggered a response by the army and Buddhist vigilantes. Surveys of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh by aid agency Medecins Sans Frontieres have shown at least 6,700 Rohingya were killed in Rakhine state in the month after violence flared up on August 25, MSF said last week. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Zeid Ra'ad al-Hussein has called the violence "a textbook example of ethnic cleansing" and said he would not be surprised if a court eventually ruled that genocide had taken place.

Myanmar bars UN rights investigator just before visit

Bangladesh and Myanmar on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees from January, despite rights groups warning that their safety is still not assured should they return.

The foreign secretaries of Bangladesh and Myanmar met in Dhaka to finalise the agreement signed on November 23 for the voluntary return of nearly three-quarters of a million stateless Rohingya living in refugee camps along the border.

A new working group would &quot;ensure commencement of repatriation within two months&quot; by developing a timetable for the verification of refugee identities and logistics of their return, Bangladesh&#39;s foreign ministry said in a statement.

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&quot;Now, we will start the next step of our work,&quot; Bangladesh foreign minister AH&nbsp;Mahmood Ali told reporters after the meeting.

The reaffirmation comes a day after Human Rights Watch, citing analysis of satellite imagery, said Myanmar&#39;s army burned down dozens of Rohingya homes within days of signing the repatriation deal with Bangladesh.

The watchdog said the deal was &quot;a public relations stunt&quot; and warned it contained no guarantee the Rohingya would be safe should they return to Myanmar&#39;s conflict-wracked Rakhine state.

An estimated 655,000 refugees from the stateless minority group have poured across the border into Bangladesh since August, fleeing what the US and United Nations have described as ethnic cleansing.

Last week the group Doctors Without Borders released a survey which found that nearly 7,000 Rohingya had been killed in the first month of the Rakhine violence.

The military has put the number in the hundreds and denied targeting civilians or committing atrocities, while Myanmar&#39;s leader Aung San Suu Kyi said major security operations stopped in early September.

Myanmar has in the past blamed fires in villages on Rohingya insurgents who on August 25 attacked security posts, killing a dozen police and triggering fierce army retribution.

Responding to international pressure, Suu Kyi&#39;s civilian government signed an agreement with Bangladesh to start the repatriation of the stateless Muslim refugees within two months.

The agreement promises the &quot;safe and voluntary return&quot; of displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh -- not just the latest 655,000 new arrivals but more than 70,000 from a separate influx in October 2016.

Testimonies gathered by AFP from displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh suggest few refugees wish to return to Myanmar, where many saw their villages burned to ashes and loved ones killed.

The persecuted minority has been the target of past pogroms in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which does not recognise the group as a genuine ethnicity and has stripped them of citizenship.

Aid groups have warned Myanmar they would boycott any new camps for Rohingya returnees, saying refugees must be allowed to settle in their own homes and not forced into ghetto-like conditions.

The foreign secretaries of Bangladesh and Myanmar met in Dhaka to finalise the agreement signed on November 23 for the voluntary return of nearly 750,000 Rohingya refugees

Bangladesh and Myanmar on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees from January, despite rights groups warning that their safety is still not assured should they return. The foreign secretaries of Bangladesh and Myanmar met in Dhaka to finalise the agreement signed on November 23 for the voluntary return of nearly three-quarters of a million stateless Rohingya living in refugee camps along the border. A new working group would "ensure commencement of repatriation within two months" by developing a timetable for the verification of refugee identities and logistics of their return, Bangladesh's foreign ministry said in a statement. The reaffirmation comes a day after Human Rights Watch, citing analysis of satellite imagery, said Myanmar's army burned down dozens of Rohingya homes within days of signing the repatriation deal with Bangladesh × "Now, we will start the next step of our work," Bangladesh foreign minister AH Mahmood Ali told reporters after the meeting. The reaffirmation comes a day after Human Rights Watch, citing analysis of satellite imagery, said Myanmar's army burned down dozens of Rohingya homes within days of signing the repatriation deal with Bangladesh. The watchdog said the deal was "a public relations stunt" and warned it contained no guarantee the Rohingya would be safe should they return to Myanmar's conflict-wracked Rakhine state. An estimated 655,000 refugees from the stateless minority group have poured across the border into Bangladesh since August, fleeing what the US and United Nations have described as ethnic cleansing. Last week the group Doctors Without Borders released a survey which found that nearly 7,000 Rohingya had been killed in the first month of the Rakhine violence. The military has put the number in the hundreds and denied targeting civilians or committing atrocities, while Myanmar's leader Aung San Suu Kyi said major security operations stopped in early September. Myanmar has in the past blamed fires in villages on Rohingya insurgents who on August 25 attacked security posts, killing a dozen police and triggering fierce army retribution. Responding to international pressure, Suu Kyi's civilian government signed an agreement with Bangladesh to start the repatriation of the stateless Muslim refugees within two months. The agreement promises the "safe and voluntary return" of displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh -- not just the latest 655,000 new arrivals but more than 70,000 from a separate influx in October 2016. Testimonies gathered by AFP from displaced Rohingya in Bangladesh suggest few refugees wish to return to Myanmar, where many saw their villages burned to ashes and loved ones killed. The persecuted minority has been the target of past pogroms in Buddhist-majority Myanmar, which does not recognise the group as a genuine ethnicity and has stripped them of citizenship. Aid groups have warned Myanmar they would boycott any new camps for Rohingya returnees, saying refugees must be allowed to settle in their own homes and not forced into ghetto-like conditions.

Rohingya refugees to start returning to Myanmar from January: Officials

Pope Francis has said he wept hearing the plight first-hand of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, adding that this meeting was a condition set for his trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh.

The Rohingya meeting was a highly symbolic gesture of solidarity with the Muslim minority fleeing violence in Myanmar, and the pontiff told journalists on his plane flying back to Rome that the refugees cried as well.

&quot;I knew that I was going to meet the Rohingyas but I did not know where and how, for me it was one of the conditions of the trip,&quot; he said. 
 
The usually forthright pontiff walked a diplomatic tightrope during his four days in Myanmar -- the first papal visit to the country -- avoiding any direct reference to the Rohingya in public while appealing to Buddhist leaders to overcome &quot;prejudice and hatred&quot;.

In Bangladesh he addressed the issue head-on, meeting a group of Rohingya refugees from the squalid camps in southern Bangladesh in an emotional encounter in Dhaka.

&quot;What Bangladesh has done for them is enormous, it&#39;s an example of welcome,&quot; he said.

&quot;I wept, I tried to do it in a way that it couldn&#39;t be seen,&quot; he said. &quot;They wept too.&quot;

&quot;I told myself &#39;I cannot leave without saying a word to them&#39;&quot;.

The pope told the Rohingya: &quot;In the name of all those who have persecuted you, who have harmed you, in the face of the world&#39;s indifference, I ask for your forgiveness.&quot;

The pope referred to the refugees as Rohingya, using the term for the first time on the tour in Bangladesh after the archbishop of Yangon advised him that doing so in Myanmar could inflame tensions and endanger Christians.

The word is politically sensitive in mainly Buddhist Myanmar because many there do not consider the Rohingya a distinct ethnic group, regarding them instead as interlopers from Bangladesh.

&quot;If I had used the word during an official speech I would have slammed the door,&quot; he said, adding: &quot;They already knew what I thought.&quot; 
 
&quot;For me the most important thing is that the message gets through,&quot; he added.

The pope said he was &quot;very satisfied&quot; with his meetings in Myanmar and hinted that he expressed his opinion far more freely in private conversations with the country&#39;s leaders than in his public appearances.

More than 620,000 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh since a militant attack on police posts in late August sparked a deadly crackdown by the Myanmar military.

They have given consistent accounts of mass rape, killings and villages deliberately burned to the ground by soldiers and Buddhist militia. 
 
The two countries last month signed an agreement to begin repatriating refugees to Myanmar, but rights groups say they are concerned about plans to house them in camps away from their former homes -- many of which have been destroyed.

During his tour, the pope led well-attended open-air masses in Bangladesh and Myanmar, which both have small Christian populations.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

Pope Francis said this meeting was a condition set for his trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh

Pope Francis has said he wept hearing the plight first-hand of Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh, adding that this meeting was a condition set for his trip to Myanmar and Bangladesh. The Rohingya meeting was a highly symbolic gesture of solidarity with the Muslim minority fleeing violence in Myanmar, and the pontiff told journalists on his plane flying back to Rome that the refugees cried as well. "I knew that I was going to meet the Rohingyas but I did not know where and how, for me it was one of the conditions of the trip," he said. The usually forthright pontiff walked a diplomatic tightrope during his four days in Myanmar -- the first papal visit to the country -- avoiding any direct reference to the Rohingya in public while appealing to Buddhist leaders to overcome "prejudice and hatred". In Bangladesh he addressed the issue head-on, meeting a group of Rohingya refugees from the squalid camps in southern Bangladesh in an emotional encounter in Dhaka. "What Bangladesh has done for them is enormous, it's an example of welcome," he said. "I wept, I tried to do it in a way that it couldn't be seen," he said. "They wept too." "I told myself 'I cannot leave without saying a word to them'". The pope told the Rohingya: "In the name of all those who have persecuted you, who have harmed you, in the face of the world's indifference, I ask for your forgiveness." The pope referred to the refugees as Rohingya, using the term for the first time on the tour in Bangladesh after the archbishop of Yangon advised him that doing so in Myanmar could inflame tensions and endanger Christians. The word is politically sensitive in mainly Buddhist Myanmar because many there do not consider the Rohingya a distinct ethnic group, regarding them instead as interlopers from Bangladesh. "If I had used the word during an official speech I would have slammed the door," he said, adding: "They already knew what I thought." "For me the most important thing is that the message gets through," he added. The pope said he was "very satisfied" with his meetings in Myanmar and hinted that he expressed his opinion far more freely in private conversations with the country's leaders than in his public appearances. More than 620,000 Rohingya have crossed into Bangladesh since a militant attack on police posts in late August sparked a deadly crackdown by the Myanmar military. They have given consistent accounts of mass rape, killings and villages deliberately burned to the ground by soldiers and Buddhist militia. The two countries last month signed an agreement to begin repatriating refugees to Myanmar, but rights groups say they are concerned about plans to house them in camps away from their former homes -- many of which have been destroyed. During his tour, the pope led well-attended open-air masses in Bangladesh and Myanmar, which both have small Christian populations.

Pope says he 'wept' while meeting Rohingya refugees

Pope Francis will lead an open-air mass Friday for around 100,000 Catholics in Bangladesh, which is grappling with a rise in Islamist extremism and a massive influx of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar.

The head of the Catholic Church will also meet refugees in Dhaka, a day after urging the world to take &quot;decisive measures&quot; to resolve a crisis that has forced more than 620,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar.

Francis arrived Thursday from Myanmar, where he walked a diplomatic tightrope, &nbsp;staying away in public from allegations that the country&#39;s army is waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya despite pressure to confront the incendiary issue.

Shortly afterwards, he praised overcrowded and poor Bangladesh for giving refuge to the Rohingya refugees who have flooded in since a military crackdown in their native Rakhine state in August, and urged the world to help.

&quot;This has been done at no little sacrifice. It has also been done before the eyes of the whole world,&quot; he said, calling on other countries to offer &quot;immediate material assistance to Bangladesh in its effort to respond effectively to urgent human needs&quot;.

Francis is the first pope to visit mainly Muslim Bangladesh in more than three decades.

He is spending three days in the country of 160 million, where a rise in Islamist extremism has seen Catholics attacked for their faith.

Christians make up less than 0.5 per cent of Bangladesh&#39;s population and community leaders say some have left in recent years as it becomes more difficult to practise faith openly.

Since 2015 at least three Christians, including two converts from Islam, have been hacked to death in attacks blamed on Islamist militants.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://www.wionews.com/south-asia/pope-arrives-in-bangladesh-appeals-for-decisive-action-for-refugees-from-rakhine-state-25546">Pope arrives in Bangladesh, appeals for decisive action for &#39;refugees from Rakhine state&#39;</a>

Spread peace

Tens of thousands of Catholics have travelled to the capital hoping to catch a glimpse of the 80-year-old Argentine pontiff, who is to travel to the park for Friday&#39;s mass on a traditional cycle rickshaw.

He has established a reputation for his down-to-earth manner, vowing to stamp out extravagance among the clergy and bring the Catholic Church closer to the poor.

&quot;I have seen popes on television, but I have never seen them in person,&quot; said Abraham Dorez, 75, who lives in a village outside Dhaka.

&quot;I am an old man now. I hope he&#39;ll bless me and pray so that I can die in peace and go to heaven. I hope his prayers will spread peace all around the world.&quot;

Later the pope will hold a meeting with leaders of other faiths. Farid Uddin Masoud, a top Muslim cleric who will attend, said he hoped the pope would speak out for the Rohingya.

&quot;He is respected across the globe, not by Christians alone, for being a champion of the poor and oppressed people... So we will strongly expect him to speak for the oppressed Rohingya,&quot; he told AFP.

Pope Francis will also meet 16 Rohingya refugees who have travelled to the capital from their camp, among them two children.

Although the influx has slowed, hundreds of Rohingya refugees are still crossing the border into Bangladesh from Myanmar every day, the United Nations said this week.

Many have brought stories of horrific abuses at the hands of the Myanmar military and local Buddhist mobs, including rape, arson and murder. Myanmar regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and refuses them citizenship.

&quot;When I meet him, I would like to tell him about our plight, about how Myanmar&#39;s military tortured us, killed us, raped our women, about the kind of persecution we have been facing,&quot; 35-year-old refugee Abul Fayaz told AFP in Cox&#39;s Bazar where the camps are located.

&quot;We want him to help us get Rohingya citizenship, ensure our safety, help us move freely to wherever we want, whenever we want and most importantly, make a way so we can say our prayers with freedom like they (Buddhists) do.&quot;

Pope Francis will lead an open-air mass Friday for around 100,000 Catholics in Bangladesh, which is grappling with a rise in Islamist extremism and a massive influx of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar

Pope Francis will lead an open-air mass Friday for around 100,000 Catholics in Bangladesh, which is grappling with a rise in Islamist extremism and a massive influx of Rohingya refugees from neighbouring Myanmar. The head of the Catholic Church will also meet refugees in Dhaka, a day after urging the world to take "decisive measures" to resolve a crisis that has forced more than 620,000 Rohingya Muslims to flee to Bangladesh from neighbouring Myanmar. Francis arrived Thursday from Myanmar, where he walked a diplomatic tightrope, staying away in public from allegations that the country's army is waging an ethnic cleansing campaign against the Rohingya despite pressure to confront the incendiary issue. Shortly afterwards, he praised overcrowded and poor Bangladesh for giving refuge to the Rohingya refugees who have flooded in since a military crackdown in their native Rakhine state in August, and urged the world to help. "This has been done at no little sacrifice. It has also been done before the eyes of the whole world," he said, calling on other countries to offer "immediate material assistance to Bangladesh in its effort to respond effectively to urgent human needs". Francis is the first pope to visit mainly Muslim Bangladesh in more than three decades. He is spending three days in the country of 160 million, where a rise in Islamist extremism has seen Catholics attacked for their faith. Christians make up less than 0.5 per cent of Bangladesh's population and community leaders say some have left in recent years as it becomes more difficult to practise faith openly. Since 2015 at least three Christians, including two converts from Islam, have been hacked to death in attacks blamed on Islamist militants. Also read: Pope arrives in Bangladesh, appeals for decisive action for 'refugees from Rakhine state' Spread peace Tens of thousands of Catholics have travelled to the capital hoping to catch a glimpse of the 80-year-old Argentine pontiff, who is to travel to the park for Friday's mass on a traditional cycle rickshaw. He has established a reputation for his down-to-earth manner, vowing to stamp out extravagance among the clergy and bring the Catholic Church closer to the poor. "I have seen popes on television, but I have never seen them in person," said Abraham Dorez, 75, who lives in a village outside Dhaka. "I am an old man now. I hope he'll bless me and pray so that I can die in peace and go to heaven. I hope his prayers will spread peace all around the world." Later the pope will hold a meeting with leaders of other faiths. Farid Uddin Masoud, a top Muslim cleric who will attend, said he hoped the pope would speak out for the Rohingya. "He is respected across the globe, not by Christians alone, for being a champion of the poor and oppressed people... So we will strongly expect him to speak for the oppressed Rohingya," he told AFP. Pope Francis will also meet 16 Rohingya refugees who have travelled to the capital from their camp, among them two children. Although the influx has slowed, hundreds of Rohingya refugees are still crossing the border into Bangladesh from Myanmar every day, the United Nations said this week. Many have brought stories of horrific abuses at the hands of the Myanmar military and local Buddhist mobs, including rape, arson and murder. Myanmar regards them as illegal immigrants from Bangladesh and refuses them citizenship. "When I meet him, I would like to tell him about our plight, about how Myanmar's military tortured us, killed us, raped our women, about the kind of persecution we have been facing," 35-year-old refugee Abul Fayaz told AFP in Cox's Bazar where the camps are located. "We want him to help us get Rohingya citizenship, ensure our safety, help us move freely to wherever we want, whenever we want and most importantly, make a way so we can say our prayers with freedom like they (Buddhists) do."

Pope to lead huge mass for Bangladesh Catholics

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