Myanmar and Bangladesh are making a second attempt to start repatriating Rohingya Muslims after more than 700,000 of them fled Myanmar almost two years ago. (Source: AFP/VNA) Hanoi (VNA) - Myanmar and Bangladesh are making a second attempt to start repatriating Rohingya Muslims after more than 700,000 of them fled Myanmar almost two years ago, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said on August 16.
Caroline Gluck, a UNHCR spokesperson, said the Bangladesh Government has asked for its help in verifying 3,450 people who signed up for a voluntary repatriation.
She said the list was whittled from 22,000 names that Bangladesh had sent to Myanmar for verification.
Gluck said it is unclear when any repatriation might begin, given the need to find and check all the individuals and the fact that there is a major holiday at the moment in Bangladesh.
According to the World Food Programme, up to 80 percent of the Rohingya refugees are entirely dependent on WFP food assistance.
UN programmes feed close to 900,000 Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh at a cost of around 24 million USD per month.-VNA
VNA
