Myanmar to receive over 2,200 returnees from Bangladesh

Myanmar will receive the first batch of 2,260 displaced people from Bangladesh starting from December 15, authorities said on Monday.

Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed in August at a ministerial meeting for early repatriation of displaced persons from Myanmar's Rakhine state who fled to Bangladesh, reports Xinhua news agency.

The points agreed upon by the two nations cover establishing reception centres and transit camps, combating terrorism, drug-trafficking in border areas as well as repatriation of displaced persons residing along the international border between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

Myanmar has been inviting cooperation from domestic and the international community to help the country rebuild and resettle the conflict-torn Rakhine state.

Besides making efforts to repatriate displaced people, the government is also implementing the recommendations of the Special Advisory Commission on Rakhine state.

On Jun, Myanmar also signed a MoU with the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) on assisting the government's repatriation process of displaced persons from Rakhine state.

The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) extremists launched repeated attacks on police outposts in Rakhine state on August 25, 2017, displacing a large number of residents to areas bordering Bangladesh.

--IANS

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