Myanmar will not take back Rohingyas without papers

People who fled to Bangladesh from the fighting in Rakhine State will not be allowed back in without proof of citizenship, according to National Security Adviser (NSA) U Thaung Tun, reports Myanmar Times.

“Citizens must have proof of how many years they have lived in Myanmar. If found to be true, they can come back. But it will not be possible if they are not a Myanmar citizen,” he told a news conference on Rakhine at the State Counsellor’s Office on Wednesday.

The Rohingya have been denied Myanmar citizenship since a new citizenship law was enacted in 1982, and there have been numerous attacks against the Muslims over the past years. The government introduced the discriminatory law as part of a plan to expel them from the country and cancel their citizenship.

However, a security warning was issued in major cities like Nay Pyi Taw, Yangon, Mandalay and Mawlamyaing, people need not worry, he said, even though recent reports suggest that ISIS, which has become weak in the Middle East, might try to infiltrate South East Asia.

The President is holding daily discussions on security matters in Rakhine State with the ministries of Defence, Home Affairs and Border Affairs, as well as the NSA, he said. However, he did not mention the possibility of the government calling a meeting of the National Defence and Security Council.

The government is taking necessary measures to protect the State and the people and strengthen the police in Rakhine State, he added.

The government is also implementing the recommendations of Kofi Annan’s advisory commission on Rakhine, which delivered its final report on August 24. Initial measures include allowing the media to enter the terrorist attack areas and giving humanitarian aid. However, one of the recommendations – the amendment of the 1982 Citizenship Law – will have to be dealt by the Hluttaw.

Many Muslim residents of Buthidaung, Maungdaw and Rathedaung townships have been asking the government for help and handing over terrorists they had arrested, said Social Welfare, Rescue and Resettlement Minister U Win Myat Aye.

“Some [Muslim residents] have contacted us to say that there were no attacks in their areas, they never carried out any attacks, and they had to stay together for fear that they might be attacked,” he said, adding that local authorities were trying to contact them to provide aid.

The Myanmar government is negotiating with donor countries and the Myanmar Red Cross Society to accept humanitarian aid offered by the US, Britain, the EU and Denmark. Any country that wants to donate aid has to first ask the government, U Thaung Tun said.

“They can contact the government. We are accepting it,” he added.

Daw Aung San Suu Kyi attended the UN General Assembly and delivered a speech last September, but it has not yet been confirmed whether either President U Htin Kyaw or Daw Aung San Suu Kyi will attend this year, he said.