January 1, 2018
Hundreds of Rohingya refugees demonstrated in the Kutupalong camp demanding the presence of UN peacekeeping forces in the Arakan state.
After the noon prayers, refugees holding banners gathered and protested the atrocities committed by the security forces since the last week of August. The demonstrators said that as long as the security forces are present in the area, it is impossible for Rohingya refugees to go back.
Bangladesh and Myanmar has signed a repatriation deal in which the government of Myanmar has promised to take back Rohingya refugees who fled the recent military operation that have resulted in the deaths of tens of thousands of people, including hundreds of children.
One of the demonstrators opined that if the Myanmar government actually wanted Rohingyas in Arakan, they would not have conducted a brutal military operation with the clear intention of driving out more than 600,000 Rohingyas in to Bangladesh. As long as the same forces which have committed genocide against the people are present in the area, a repatriation deal would result in the Rohingyas residing under the tender mercies of the very forces that are carrying out genocidical crimes against the minority Muslim community.
The demonstrators thanked the government of Bangladesh, the UN and the wider international community for supporting them, but urged them to take immediate actions for the creation of a safe zone inside Arakan. They said it was only possible with the presence of UN peacekeeping forces, and the Burmese security forces were not present in the area.
Bangladeshi analysts familiar with the Rohingya violence have stated that the repatriation agreement is a ploy by the Myanmar government to gain time and prepare for the complete expulsion and extermination of the Rohingya people.They have said that Myanmar has a history of making treaties with Bangladesh regarding the Rohingya refugees, but such agreements have not borne fruit either for Bangladesh or the Rohingyas. International organisations including UN affilated bodies and the Amnesty International have stated the conditions for the repatriation of Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh to Myanmar does not exist.
