Myanmar seeks to amend 1993 repatriation agreement with Bangladesh

Myanmar is working towards bringing amendment of the 1993 agreement with Bangladesh that allows repatriation of the Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh, who fled to the neighbouring countries, in wake of clashes with the military.

"The agreement was inked in 1993, and it is now 2017. A very long time has passed, and the situation has changed," the Dhaka Tribune quoted the permanent secretary of the Department of Immigration and Population, Myint Kyaing, as saying to a local media outlet on Tuesday.

Kyaing informed that more points would be added to the agreement, in consultation with Bangladesh, while four major points would remain the same. He, however, did not clarify the points to be kept or to be added.

"Identification forms will be delivered only after both countries sign the agreement, and people will have to fill them out, stating where they were born in the Rakhine state, in what year they were born, and what documentation they were holding when they lived in Rakhine," Kyaing said, adding that refugees would be accepted if a government-approved verification team approves their ID forms.

Camps will be set up in Taung Pyo Let Wae and Nga Khu Ya villages in northern Rakhine's Maungdaw township for the repatriation process.

"There is a bridge with checkpoints at each end in the Taung Pyo Let Wae village," Myint Kyaing said, adding, "If we see people coming in without approved forms, we can immediately send them back to the Bangladeshi border security team."

Nearly half a million Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh due to violence in the Rakhine state.

The Myanmar troops launched a crackdown in the 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.

-ANI