COX’S BAZAR<\/strong>: A 11-member Myanmar delegation led by Permanent Secretary of Myanmar\u2019s Ministry of Foreign Affairs Myint Thu, visited Kutupalong Refugee Camp where they met with Rohingya refugees on October 31.<\/p>\n The delegation was accompanied by the Bangladesh official to discuss on the repatriation of Rohingya refugees which Myanmar and Bangladesh agreed to start in the middle of November.<\/p>\n During the 2-hour meeting at a community centre in the camp, Rohingya refugees exchanged their demands and the Myanmar delegation attempted to persuade with \u201cfalse assurance\u201d of repatriation to northern Rakhine State.<\/p>\n One of the members of over eighty Rohingya refugees who attended the meeting stated, \u201cIt was a desperate attempt of Myanmar to take us back to Arakan (Rakhine State) as there is so much pressure on the government for its involvement in the forceful expulsion of Rohingya population, for which International Criminal Court has jurisdiction to prosecute the country.<\/p>\n \u201cThe delegation tried to trick us with false assurance on how Myanmar has planned to take back Rohingya refugees and why NVCs (National Verification Cards) are essential for living following the repatriation.\u201d<\/p>\n Woman\u2019s question unanswered<\/strong><\/p>\n Shakufa who is among the 720,000 Rohingya refugees taking shelter in Bangladesh after fleeing Myanmar Genocide unfolded in August 2017, said \u201cAfter suffering tremendously under the hands of Myanmar Military, we take shelter in Bangladesh. Now if we are going to be repatriated to Myanmar, we must be given the right to self-identity as Rohingya.\u201d<\/p>\n When asked Myint Thu whether Myanmar is ready to call Rohingya as \u201cRohingya\u201d, the entire delegation failed to respond Ms. Shakufa’s question.<\/p>\n Several refugees expressed their views and the experience faced during the genocide.<\/p>\n \u2018The NVC is tool of genocide\u2019, cards discarded in the camp<\/strong><\/p>\n However most of the talks were based on the citizenship and NVCs.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen we asked about our citizenship, there was no answer. They told us to accept NVCs. We are not accepting NVCs. We are not Bengali,\u201d Abdur Rahim said after the meeting with the delegation.<\/p>\n NVCs are the first step before the scrutinisation of citizenship in accordance to the 1982 Citizenship Law, Myanmar says. The majority of Rohingya feel that it is another step to erase the self-identity and to brand the community as foreigners, and the verification process has neither specific time period towards the citizenship nor guarantee the full and equal citizenship rights.<\/p>\n The delegation handed over some pamphlets detailing facts about the NVCs to Rohingya refugees who rejected the information sheet, and discarded them in the muddy camp.<\/p>\n The trilingual pamphlet states, \u201cDon\u2019t trust upon others. Don\u2019t trust upon people from away\u2026 To have guarantee for life\u2026 If you want to go to long trip, keep NV card with you\u2026 Traveling with NV card is safe if you have NV card\u2026If you want to do fishing, apply NV card first\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
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