Bangladesh, Myanmar to form joint panel to repatriate Rohingya refugees

Bangladesh and Myanmar on 2 October agreed to form a joint working group, which will draw up plans for the repatriation process of Rohingya refugees.

Officials of the two countries held a meeting in Dhaka to discuss the Rohingya crisis.

The Myanmar delegation was led by Minister for the Office of the State Counsellor of Myanmar Kyaw Tint Swe. The Bangladeshi delegation included Foreign Minister AH Mahmood Ali and Home Minister Asaduzzaman Kamal, bdnews24.com reported.

"Myanmar has proposed taking back the Rohingya refugees. We have agreed on forming a joint working group to oversee the repatriation process," Minister Ali was quoted as saying to the media after the talks.

Nearly half a million Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh due to violence in the Rakhine state that has claimed lives of at least more than 100 people and displaced several others.

Bangladesh is currently sheltering 507,000 Rohingya refugees in the country.

Myanmar troops launched a crackdown in the Rakhine state in response to attacks on three border posts last year that killed nine police officers, since then many Rohingya Muslims have tried to move into Bangladesh illegally.

Rohingyas are not recognised by Myanmar as its citizens and are called Bengali by them. 

-ANI