“We, the undersigned Rohingya organisations worldwide express our serious concern over an agreement, signed on 23rd November 2017, between Myanmar and Bangladesh on the return of some 670,000 Rohingya refugees who have recently taken refuge in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar genocide,” they said. “There is no change of attitude of the Myanmar government and its Military towards Rohingya; still they identify Rohingya as recent “Bengali interlopers” from Bangladesh; and Rohingyas continue entering into Bangladesh due to continuing violence and brutality against them in Arakan.”The signatories are Arakan Rohingya National Organisation (ARNO), Burmese Rohingya Organisation UK (BROUK), British Rohingya Community in UK, Burmese Rohingya Community in Denmark, Burmese Rohingya Association Japan (BRAJ), Rohingya Advocacy Network in Japan, Burmese Rohingya Community Australia (BRCA), Burmese Rohingya Association in Queensland-Australia (BRAQA), Canadian Burmese Rohingya Organisation, European Rohingya Council (ERC), Myanmar Ethnic Rohingya Human Rights Organisation in Malaysia(MERHROM), Rohingya American Society, Rohingya Arakanese Refugee Committee, Rohingya Community in Germany, Rohingya Community in Switzerland, Rohingya Community in Finland, Rohingya Community in Italy, Rohingya Community in Sweden, Rohingya Organisation Norway, Rohingya Society Malaysia (RSM), and Rohingya Society Netherlands. Before they return to Myanmar, the refugees need the guarantee about the security of their life and property and “peaceful-coexistence” as equals with all other people in Arakan and Myanmar. The Refugees should be allowed to put down their identity as “Rohingya”, the UN-recognized name to self-identify. The Myanmar government must allow unimpeded humanitarian aids to all needy and unfettered access to the media and rights groups to Northern Arakan/Rakhine state.

Source: bd News24 January 18, 2018 15:33 UTC