URGENT NEWS - Myanmar Will Take Bac

[Rangoonp@xxxxxxx]

Subject: URGENT NEWS - Myanmar Will Take Back Refugees Quickly: Bangladeshi FM

NOTE: Email, Call and Write the U.N. and Bangladesh NOT to forcibly
repatriate the Rohingyas.  Many will be be imprisoned, forced into
labor, raped and/ or killed upon repatriation.  The U.N. must help those
as they did for Kosovo !!


Myanmar Will Take Back Refugees Quickly: Bangladeshi FM

               Xinhua
               19-JUL-99

               DHAKA (July 19) XINHUA - Bangladeshi Foreign Minister
               Abdus Samad Azad said here on Monday he was optimistic
               that Myanmar would very soon take back its citizens,
known
               here as Rohingya refugees, to remove the irritant between
               the two neighbors. 

               "The Myanmar foreign minister has assured me to take back
               all their nationals very quickly," Azad told reporters
after
               seeing his Myanmar counterpart, U Win Aung, off at the
Zia
               international airport. 

               Before his departure for home, Aung said the Rohingya
               repatriation would be over soon, but he gave no
time-frame. 

               Azad said he told Aung clearly that they had to take back
               their nationals within this year, and Aung assured him of
               doing the needful. 

               Since there was goodwill between the two sides, problems
               between the two countries could be solved easily, said
the
               minister, adding that the Myanmar minister, through his
visit,
               had learnt the views of the Bangladeshi side on different
               issues that affect bilateral relations. 

               Replying to a question, Azad said it was not only the
7,000
               refugees who had already been cleared by Myanmar and the
               UNHCR, but the entire lot numbering over 20,000 that
               should be repatriated. "We have also communicated to them
               that improvement of relations depends to a large extent
on
               how swiftly the refugee problems is solved," the foreign
               minister said. 

               Azad said he was assured that the pace of repatriation
would
               be quickened and they agreed in principle to take back
all

               their nationals. 

               Besides the refugee issue, he also discussed with Aung
               such issues as landmining and border trade, he said.
               Bangladesh had not decided on Myanmar's proposal of
               forming a joint commission between the two countries, he
               added. 

               About 250,000 Rohingyas crossed the Bangladesh border in
               1991, and about 230,000 of them have been repatriated
               under a memorandum of understanding between
               Bangladesh and Myanmar. 

               The repatriation of the refugees to Myanmar stopped in
July
               1997 reportedly as a result of the refugees' refusal to
return. 

               The official BSS news agency said that since the
repatriation
               was resumed in November last year and up to June this
               year, only 378 Rohingyas had been repatriated, and during
               this period, 621 babies were born in the camps and 78
died,
               leaving an additional 543 to be included in the total
number
               of refugees awaiting repatriation.