Bangladesh and Myanmar failings prolong Rohingya woes

Significance

Dhaka has in recent months relocated some Rohingya refugees to newly built facilities on a remote island, Bhasan Char. The Bangladeshi authorities want refugees to return to Myanmar, as do most refugees themselves, but a formal repatriation process is nowhere in sight.

Impacts

• Certain ASEAN members may face a fresh influx of Rohingya refugees that they are unwilling to accept.
• Myanmar’s anti-junta National Unity Government will talk up its relatively progressive Rohingya policy in a bid to gain external support.
• In the light of the coup, external players will be more concerned about stability in Myanmar than Rohingya repatriation.