Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday for the return home of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled to the neighbouring country to escape a Myanmar army crackdown.

&quot;We are ready to take them back as soon as possible after Bangladesh sends the forms back to us,&quot; said Myint Kyaing, a permanent secretary at Myanmar&#39;s ministry of labour, immigration and population, referring to registration forms the Rohingya must complete with personal details before repatriation.

Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Bangladesh foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on Thursday ahead of the signing.

Suu Kyi, whose reputation as a Nobel peace prize winner has suffered during the crisis, has said repatriation of the largely stateless Muslim minority would be based on residency and that it will be &ldquo;safe and voluntary&rdquo;.

Rights groups have accused the military of mostly Buddhist Myanmar of carrying out mass rape and other atrocities during a counter-insurgency operation launched in late August in retaliation for attacks by Rohingya militants in Rakhine State.

On Wednesday, the United States said the military operation that drove 620,000 Rohingya to seek sanctuary in neighbouring, largely Muslim Bangladesh, amounted to &ldquo;ethnic cleansing&rdquo;, echoing an accusation first levelled by top U.N. officials in the early days of the humanitarian crisis. 
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'We are ready to take them back as soon as possible after Bangladesh sends the forms back to us,' said Myint Kyaing, a permanent secretary at Myanmar's ministry of labour, immigration and population

Myanmar and Bangladesh signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on Thursday for the return home of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya refugees who fled to the neighbouring country to escape a Myanmar army crackdown. "We are ready to take them back as soon as possible after Bangladesh sends the forms back to us," said Myint Kyaing, a permanent secretary at Myanmar's ministry of labour, immigration and population, referring to registration forms the Rohingya must complete with personal details before repatriation. Myanmar civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi met Bangladesh foreign minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali on Thursday ahead of the signing. Suu Kyi, whose reputation as a Nobel peace prize winner has suffered during the crisis, has said repatriation of the largely stateless Muslim minority would be based on residency and that it will be “safe and voluntary”. Rights groups have accused the military of mostly Buddhist Myanmar of carrying out mass rape and other atrocities during a counter-insurgency operation launched in late August in retaliation for attacks by Rohingya militants in Rakhine State. On Wednesday, the United States said the military operation that drove 620,000 Rohingya to seek sanctuary in neighbouring, largely Muslim Bangladesh, amounted to “ethnic cleansing”, echoing an accusation first levelled by top U.N. officials in the early days of the humanitarian crisis.

Myanmar, Bangladesh sign Rohingya return deal

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Myanmar, Bangladesh sign Rohingya return deal