Myanmar conditions do not allow for safe, voluntary return of Rohingya: US

The regional refugee coordinator of the US Embassy in Dhaka, Mackenzie Rowe, has said five years after nearly a million Rohingya were driven from their homes in Myanmar, things have gotten worse.

Conditions in Myanmar do not allow for a safe, voluntary, dignified, or sustainable return, Rowe added.

For the sake of the Rohingya, who have borne the brunt of the persecution, she said they must maintain their pressure on the regime to bring such actions to an end. "Until that happens, the door remains shut for a voluntary return of Rohingya to their homeland."

However, the US would help the relevant parties in any way possible for safe and successful repatriation, Rowe said.

She was speaking at the seminar "Rohingya Crisis: The Pathways to Repatriation" organised by the Centre for Genocide Studies (CGS), University of Dhaka, Thursday at the Foreign Service Academy.

At the event, Foreign Minister AK Abdul Momen emphasised creating a conducive environment for repatriation by taking tangible and sustainable measures with the help of the international communities.

Foreign Secretary Masud Bin Momen chaired the seminar.

Professor Dr Imtiaz Ahmed, director of the Centre for Genocide Studies, talked about eight different pathways one could take into account for the successful and sustainable repatriation of the Rohingya refugees.

UM Special Envoy for Myanmar Noeleen Heyzer also attended the event.

She emphasised finding constructive, comprehensive, sustainable, and solution-oriented ways to repatriate the Rohingyas.

Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh Anne van Leeuwen and Japanese envoy to Ito Naoki hoped for the safe and sustainable repatriation of Rohingya and showed appreciation, gratitude, and support for the Bangladesh government.