Rohingya repatriation must be halted

Bangladesh and Myanmar have agreed to begin repatriating Rohingya refugees to strife-torn Rakhine state, but guarantees they will be safe there are still sorely lacking. The international community and notably the Association of Southeast Asian Nations must now demand that those guarantees, and the preparations necessary to meet them, are in place. Without them, the repatriation plan should be halted, since the risk of more bloodshed would simply be too high. 
At their summit in Singapore this week, Asean leaders made clear their desire to play roles in the return of the refugees from Bangladesh border camps. But still unclear is how the regional grouping, of which Myanmar is a member, will act on the repatriation.
More than 700,000 Muslim Rohingya have fled from violence in Myanmar’s Rakhine since August last year, when attacks on security posts by militant groups prompted the military to launch “clearance operations” that the UN says amounted to ethnic cleansing. 
Bangladesh and Myanmar reached an agreement on October 30 to begin the process of repatriation by this month.
Asean ministers are seeking ways to help Myanmar handle the repatriation. But in Singapore they made little if any headway with the Myanmar delegation headed by Aung San Suu Kyi.
Fears are now growing that the repatriation is forced rather than voluntary.
The Rohingya themselves have repeatedly insisted that they will not return to Rakhine state without guarantees of their safety.
Under the agreement between Dhaka and Nay Pyi Taw, 485 Rohingya families – a total of 2,260 people – are to be returned to Rakhine starting from tomorrow. Myanmar has said that it will process 150 returnees per day. 
Reportedly, this first batch were not consulted about repatriation in advance, while the method by which they were selected is unclear. All indications are that they are terrified at the prospect of returning.
Although Bangladesh authorities have said they will not force people to go back, no return under present circumstances can be voluntary, according to the International Crisis Group. Some of the refugees on the return list have gone into hiding and at least one has attempted suicide, says the independent research organisation.
Asean, meanwhile, dithers over tackling the root cause of the crisis – violence in Rakhine – preferring to treat it as a regional humanitarian issue.  
That non-interventionist stance has created comfortable conditions for Myanmar’s leader Suu Kyi, even as the rest of the international community accuses her of abetting the deadly violence against Rohingya.
Asean refrains from even using the term “Rohingya”, by which the group self-identifies and claims legitimacy as a Myanmar ethnic minority. More crucially, the regional bloc has never responded to credible allegations of genocide against the Rohingya levelled by the United Nations and other international organisations.
Investigations conducted by the UN, NGOs and media have documented widespread atrocities committed against the Rohingya that warrant charges of genocide in an international court, according to the UN human rights body. Despite the growing evidence, Suu Kyi and her government deny the allegations.
The more urgent task for Asean, however, is to intervene in the repatriation deal to ensure that refugees only return voluntarily and that Myanmar has made proper provision for their safety.
Last week, the foreign minister of Singapore, which currently chairs Asean, reported on his visit to a refugee camp in Bangladesh. Worryingly, he made no mention of the repatriation process.
As refugees begin to trickle back into Rakhine, no one should be under the illusion that the turmoil is ending. Things are far from over in this decades-long and complicated crisis. Asean leaders should lean on Myanmar to halt the repatriation until it can demonstrate to the world that the refugees are returning voluntarily and not being forced back into danger.