REPATRIATION OF FORCIBLY DISPLACED MYANMAR NATIONALS

Abstract

Persecution and displacement of the Rohingyas from their homeland in Myanmar signify some of the most gruesome incidents of genocide in recent history. Bangladesh has been hosting more than one million Forcibly Displaced Myanmar Nationals (FDMN) out of humanitarian concerns. The Government of Bangladesh has made enormous contributions for decades to uphold the humanitarian rights of the sheltered community. At present, there is a need to draw up solutions that not only ensure their safe, sustainable and dignified repatriation to Myanmar but also address complex issues like political security, humanitarian plights, geopolitical stakes, interests, actions, and inactions. Capturing this broad spectrum, this paper aims to unfold the prospects and challenges regarding the repatriation of the FDMNs. For this purpose, it explores the past and the present episodes of the crisis from national, regional, and international lenses. The paper used a combination of field-based and secondary qualitative studies to understand the debates and challenges, the roles of the international community in facilitating the process, and the means of achieving sustainable repatriation. The findings also illustrate actor-specific policy recommendations for state actors, non-state actors, regional and international institutions, media, and civil society entities.