ICRC president says Myanmar not ready for returns

ICRC president says Myanmar not ready for returns

Mr Peter Maurer, President of the International Committee for the Red Cross (ICRC), has completed his visit to the country, where he said that what he saw convinced him that Myanmar is not yet ready to receive refugees from Bangladesh. “I think there is still a lot of work to do until large scale repatriation is a realistic possibility,” Maurer said during a visit that also included a trip to the refugee camps in southern Bangladesh. “Much more has to happen in terms of reception structure, preparations, also preparation of the communities to receive again those who came [to Bangladesh] from Myanmar,” he was quoted as saying by an international new agency. Although Myanmar has pushed ahead with plans to begin the repatriation process, many in the international community, as well as the refugees living in Bangladesh, say they will not return unless they are guaranteed citizenship, and only if their safety is ensured.

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