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Rohingya exodus: Myanmar signs repatriation pact with Bangladesh

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9 years ago

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Rohingya exodus: Myanmar signs repatriation pact with Bangladesh

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled to Bangladesh from Myanmar since the army began an ethnic cleansing drive in August; repatriation to begin in two months

Even as global leaders and human rights organisations continue to voice concerns over the safety of Rohingya Muslims in the strife-torn Rakhine State, the Myanmar government signed a repatriation deal with Bangladesh, on Thursday, under which it would allow members of the persecuted ethnic minority to return to their home country.

The deal, termed by the Bangladeshi establishment as a “primary step” towards the rehabilitation of Rohingya Muslims, will however take about two months to come into effect since both countries will first have to prepare the ground work for identifying and then verifying Rohingya refugees who have fled Myanmar’s Rakhine State since August this year.

The Rohingyas, often seen as the world’s most persecuted ethnic minority, had begun to flee the Rakhine State – a majority of them taking refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh – since August this year when Myanmar’s military began a violent and barbaric crackdown against the community. The crackdown, described by the international community and more recently by US Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson as ‘ethnic cleansing’, had begun after militant members of the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) allegedly attacked an outpost of the Myanmar army.

Thursday’s repatriation deal was signed by Bangladesh Foreign Minister AH. Mahmud Ali and Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi in Myanmar’s capital Naypyidaw. Suu Kyi, a Nobel Peace Prize winner, has been under a strident attack by the global community and her brethren from the Nobel laureate fraternity for allegedly turning a blind eye towards the atrocities on the Rohingyas.

According to some estimate, over 600,000 Rohingya Muslims have fled Myanmar to take refuge in neighbouring Bangladesh since August this year. The mass exodus of the people from Rakhine State has caused huge stress on the resources of a financially constrained Bangladesh which also stare at the possibility of clashes erupting on its soil if the humanitarian crisis is not addressed at a war footing.

Details on the repatriation deal were, however, not immediately available and the Bangladesh foreign minister was quoted in media reports as saying that his government would elaborate on the nuances of the memorandum of understanding “once we return to Dhaka.”

“We have to start the process. The houses there (in Rakhine State) have been torched… levelled. They need to be rebuilt… We are ready to take them (Rohingyas) back as soon as possible after Bangladesh sends the (registration) forms back to us,” Myint Kyaing, a permanent secretary at Myanmar’s Ministry of Labour, told mediapersons in Naypyidaw.

All Rohingya refugees who wish to avail benefits of the repatriation deal are required to fill the registration forms and submit them to the Bangladesh government. These forms will then be verified by the Myanmar government following which the repatriation process is expected to commence.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina had, prior to signing of the deal with Suu Kyi, renewed her call to Myanmar to immediately start the repatriation of Rohingya.

While Bangladesh has been insistent on repatriation of the Rohingya Muslims within a time-bound framework, it is learnt that the Myanmar government has not agreed to such conditionality yet and has also rejected the possibility of involvement of agencies affiliated with the United Nations to help in the verification process.

Myanmar and Bangladesh have, however, decided to form a joint working group at the foreign-secretary level to start the repatriation process which Aung San Suu Kyi has described as a “win-win situation for both countries” while calling for “amicable bilateral negotiations” to end the crisis.

On September 18, Under attack from the global community and her fellow Nobel laureates, Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi had invited diplomats of various missions in her country to speak to them on the issue of violence in the troubled Rakhine state and the measures being taken by her government to restore peace.

Suu Kyi had then asserted: “We are concerned to hear that numbers of Muslims are fleeing across the border to Bangladesh. We want to find out why the exodus is happening.” She had, however, also sought to apparently downplay the extent of the humanitarian crisis in her country by asserting that while her administration wanted to “talk to those who have fled”, it also felt important that the world must take into account “those who have stayed”.

“More than 50 per cent of villages of Muslims are intact and are as they were before the attacks took place”, Suu Kyi had said, despite reports from the ground and by various independent human rights groups who visited Rakhine during the period suggesting otherwise.

It was during her 30-minute speech to diplomats in September that Suu Kyi had first announced that her government was “prepared to start the verification process of refugees (who moved to Bangladesh from the Rakhine) who wish to return” to Myanmar and insisted that “those who have been verified as refugees will be accepted without any problems and with full assurance of security and access to humanitarian aid.”[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]

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Trump promises $5,000 to every adult if Republicans retain Congress

Donald Trump has promised a $5,000 “Trump dividend” to every adult American if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress.

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11 hours ago

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September 10, 2026

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Donald Trump

US President Donald Trump has promised to give every adult American $5,000 if Republicans retain control of both chambers of Congress following the November midterm elections.

Trump made the announcement while addressing the Republican midterm convention in Dallas, where he urged supporters to back his party in the November 3 election.

“If the Republicans win, you win with us and you get $5,000,” Trump said, referring to the proposed payment as the “Trump dividend.”

Trump does not specify funding source

Trump did not provide details about how the proposed payments would be financed. He said only that the US was making “so much money.”

The proposal could cost at least $1 trillion, according to the report, and its financial and political feasibility remains uncertain.

Trump also urged voters to treat the midterm election as if he himself were on the ballot, saying, “I’m asking you to pretend that I’m on the ballot.”

Trump seeks Republican victory in midterms

Trump is seeking to help Republicans retain both the House of Representatives and the Senate in the November 3 midterm elections.

The pledge comes as Trump’s approval ratings remain in the low 30s, while voters have expressed concerns over high prices and the US war with Iran.

Decision Desk HQ projects Democrats to win the House 230-205 and the Senate 51-49 in November, according to the report.

Trump also defends Iran war and tariffs

During his speech, Trump defended the US military action against Iran, saying he believed Tehran was close to developing a nuclear weapon.

He also said oil prices would fall after the US wins the war with Iran and defended his administration’s sweeping tariffs on US trade partners.

Trump further warned that the United States could become a “communist country” if Democrats win, while urging voters to support Republicans.

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Rajnath Singh meets Sri Lankan president, discusses regional security

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo to discuss regional security and bilateral defence cooperation.

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1 day ago

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September 9, 2026

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Rajnath Singh

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Wednesday met Sri Lankan President Anura Kumara Dissanayake in Colombo, with the two leaders discussing the broad India-Sri Lanka partnership and cooperation to promote regional safety, security, peace and prosperity.

Singh arrived in Sri Lanka on Tuesday for a three-day visit. During his meeting with Dissanayake, he conveyed Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s greetings and congratulated the Sri Lankan president on the completion of two years of his government.

India, Sri Lanka reaffirm regional cooperation

According to the Ministry of Defence, the two sides reaffirmed their commitment to working together as close neighbours and maritime partners for the development and welfare of their people.

They also emphasised cooperation to ensure the safety, security, peace and prosperity of the region. The meeting comes during Singh’s first visit to Sri Lanka as India’s defence minister in 38 years.

Dissanayake recalled his interactions with Prime Minister Modi and reiterated that Sri Lanka would not allow its territory to be used for activities that could harm India’s security interests.

The Sri Lankan president also thanked India for the relief assistance provided under Operation Sagar Bandhu during Cyclone Ditwah and for the rehabilitation package extended by New Delhi for reconstruction and rehabilitation efforts. Singh said India viewed its support to Sri Lanka not as a favour but as a responsibility as a close friend and neighbour.

India, Sri Lanka exchange defence cooperation MoUs

The two countries also exchanged memoranda of understanding covering the upgrading of L70 guns for the Sri Lankan Air Force and cooperation between the National Cadet Corps and the National Defence Colleges of India and Sri Lanka.

Under one MoU, six L70 guns earlier provided by India to the Sri Lanka Air Force will be upgraded under an Indian government grant. The Ministry of Defence said the upgrade would strengthen the air defence architecture protecting critical assets in Sri Lanka.

Another agreement between the National Defence Colleges of the two countries will facilitate academic cooperation and knowledge sharing.

The NCC cooperation agreement will formalise a youth exchange programme, allowing NCC cadets from different countries to participate in events in New Delhi.

Bailey bridges inaugurated

During the meeting, Singh and Dissanayake virtually inaugurated three Bailey bridges constructed by Indian defence forces.

Singh also said during his interaction with the Indian diaspora on Tuesday that India would continue to stand with Sri Lanka during times of crisis. He highlighted the relationship between the two countries as being rooted in shared history, culture and faith.

Singh is leading a high-level delegation comprising senior officials from the ministries of defence and external affairs during his Sri Lanka visit.

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Iran claims capture of US unmanned submarine in Strait of Hormuz

Iran claims it captured a US Dive-LD unmanned submarine near the Strait of Hormuz, while the Pentagon says an underwater drone malfunctioned.

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1 day ago

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September 9, 2026

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Strait of Hormuz

Iran has claimed that its forces captured a US unmanned underwater vehicle near the entrance of the Strait of Hormuz, releasing a video that it said showed the seized submarine drone.

The Iranian navy, in a statement carried by Iranian state media, identified the vehicle as a Dive-LD and described it as one of the US military’s advanced unmanned underwater systems. The Revolutionary Guards said the vehicle was captured during what it described as a complex intelligence operation.

However, the US military has not explicitly confirmed that the vehicle displayed by Iran was the same underwater drone that malfunctioned earlier.

US says underwater drone malfunctioned

Following Iran’s claim, the US military said one of its underwater drones had malfunctioned more than a day earlier while conducting a survey of regional waters.

A Pentagon spokesperson said the defective drone was an older model and did not collect sensitive data or carry classified sonar or radar equipment.

The US statement did not directly say whether the malfunctioning drone was the one Iran claimed to have captured.

What is the Dive-LD?

The Dive-LD is an autonomous underwater vehicle developed by California-based defence company Anduril.

According to information cited in the report, the unmanned vehicle can operate for up to 10 days without returning to its base and is designed to reach depths of up to 6,000 metres, or around 19,700 feet.

The system can be used for underwater missions including seabed mapping, mine countermeasures, intelligence gathering and inspection of underwater infrastructure. Individual Dive-LD units have been reported to cost about $2.5 million.

Iran also claims US drone was shot down

Separately, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards claimed that its air-defence systems had shot down an MQ-9 Reaper drone over the Strait of Hormuz.

The claim came amid heightened military tensions between Washington and Tehran, with the strategic waterway remaining a major focus of the confrontation.

US says five Iranian oil tankers destroyed

The submarine-drone claim came after the US Central Command said its forces had destroyed five Iranian crude oil tankers.

According to the US military, the strikes followed two Iranian attempts to target a US warship with ballistic missiles over a two-day period.

The US Treasury Department has also announced sanctions targeting 27 Iranian airlines, accusing them of supporting activities of the Iranian regime and facilitating the movement of weapons and personnel.

Iran vows to continue resistance

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said Tehran would continue its resistance until what he called the aggressors were brought to “complete regret”.

He also reiterated Iran’s stated opposition to war while saying the country would continue defending itself against what it considers aggression.

The latest developments add to tensions between the US and Iran, with both sides issuing competing claims about military operations in and around the strategically important Strait of Hormuz.

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