YANGON: Myanmar on Wednesday accused Bangladesh of delaying the repatriation of Rohingya Muslims who have fled Rakhine state since August, as conditions worsen for the stateless minority penned into squalid refugee camps. AdvertisementsMore than 600,000 members of the Muslim minority have fled a brutal army crackdown in mainly Buddhist Myanmar over the past two months. After weeks of intense global pressure and UN accusations of ethnic cleansing, Myanmar vowed to take back Rohingya who meet “verification” standards. On Wednesday Myanmar government spokesman Zaw Htay pointed the finger at Dhaka—an impoverished country overwhelmed by the influx of refugees—for allegedly delaying the repatriation. The Myanmar spokesman declined to elaborate on comments he made to the local press linking the delay to $400 million in aid which Dhaka had received to expand housing for Rohingya.

Source: Manila Times November 01, 2017 14:26 UTC