The repatriation process of displaced persons from Rakhine State is being conducted under a bilateral agreement as the pilot project, and the Immigration and Citizenship Verification Work Committee discussed further repatriation plans at its 3/2023 meeting yesterday.
Speaking at the meeting, Committee Chairman Union Minister U Myint Kyaing said that the committee verified the lists sent by Bangladesh until 31 October 2023 and made replies for over 138,000 persons — over 91,000 who used to live in Myanmar, about 1,200 who are on the lists of terrorists by the Ministry of Home Affairs and over 47,000 who have no documents to prove that they lived in Myanmar via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Moreover, the two countries agreed to launch a pilot project for repatriation and it is estimated to accept over 700 people. But the Bangladesh side sent an additional list containing over 400 family members of these 700 people. The inspection team inspected these over 400 family members in Bangladesh via Maungtaw township in March, and the 2/2023 meeting approved to accept over 1,100 people including over 700 estimated population and over 400 families.
Despite that decision, the Rakhine State Stability, Peace and Development Work Coordination Committee decided to accept over 2,800 people under the pilot project, and it found out further 300 families of these 2,800 people. The Bangladesh side requested the verification group to inspect in Go and Talk trip and the group verified these people on 31 October and 1 November.
Among 300 people, 142 were examined and the result showed there were 126 who can be accepted under a bilateral agreement, 11 in inspection progress whether they can be accepted, four deaths and one on the wrong list. Therefore, the meeting will discuss repatriating 142 people who completed the verification process of the verification group and over 2,800 persons under the pilot project. The approved lists will be submitted to the central committee via the coordination committee.
Then, the secretary of the work committee the permanent secretary presented the decisions made at the 2/2023 meeting and the director-general of the Immigration Department reported on the findings of the inspection team and facts to be reviewed.
Vice-Chair of the Work Committee Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs U Lwin Oo, committee members and attendees coordinated the discussion. — ASH/KTZH
