AFD International considers the deal between the Bangladeshi and Myanmar governments to repatriate the Rohingya refugees, cheap PR exercise and adding insult to injury. The whole world just witnessed and still an ethnic cleansing process of an entire population of the Rakhine state where neighbourhoods were set in flames, homes been destroyed, refugees still fleeing and extremist Buddhist vigilante and army members still roaming the streets of what used to be Rohingya areas causing more destruction and chaos and now the government realised that it wants them back on the basis of its flawed seggragational citizenship laws.
The lives of the hundreds of thousands exhausted refugees is not a “football” toy to be kicked around by politicians and state officials whenever they can.
Whilst we in AFD International are seeking with other partners to document the serious breaches of human rights in the refugee camps, we will be advocating to bring the perpetrators of serious international crimes to the same fate of the ethnic cleanser of Serbia Ratko Mladic.
Finally, in order to address the calamity of these systematic and grave human rights violation AFD International is calling for a well thought, safe and dignified return to the Rohingya accompanied by a truth and reconciliation approach to the crisis.
AFD International
Asia and the Pacific Department
United Kingdom
Date: 24/11/2017
