Rohingya repatriation: First list will contain one lakh names

Dhaka, Dec 27: 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 U.N. 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 U.N. 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.