In a potential breakthrough for the long-stalled Rohingya repatriation process, Myanmar has confirmed that 180,000 refugees living in Bangladesh are eligible to return to their homeland, the Bangladesh government announced on Friday, repoerted by Reuters.
The decision came after a meeting between Bangladesh’s High Representative Khalilur Rahman and Myanmar’s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Than Swe on the sidelines of the 6th BIMSTEC Summit in Bangkok.
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The 180,000 verified refugees are part of a list of 800,000 Rohingya that Bangladesh submitted to Myanmar between 2018 and 2020. Myanmar has also indicated that an additional 70,000 refugees are under review pending further verification of photographs and identity details.
According to the Bangladesh government’s statement, Myanmar has pledged to expedite the verification of the remaining 550,000 names. However, no immediate comment was available from Myanmar’s government regarding the meeting’s outcome.
