The US has urged the Myanmar government to fulfill its commitment to work with UNHCR and UNDP to implement the recommendations of the Kofi Annan-led Advisory Commission on Rakhine State.
"We welcome the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by UNHCR, UNDP, and the Myanmar government to support the creation of conditions conducive to the voluntary, safe, dignified, and sustainable return of Rohingya refugees to Burma, whether to their places of origin or of their choosing," said Heather Nauert, US Department of State Spokesperson on Thursday.
Terming the signing of MoU as a positive step, she said they see this as a confidence-building measure that, if effectively implemented, could allow much-needed humanitarian assistance to reach all the affected communities and assist Myanmar in creating the necessary conditions for voluntary return and to support recovery and resilience-based development for the benefit of all communities living in Rakhine State, UNB reported.
Some 0.7 million mainly-Muslim Rohingyas have fled to Bangladesh from the majority-Buddhist Myanmar since August last year. They say they fled due to persercution and violence against them, and a campaign against them launched by Myanmar military which followed violent attacks by Rohingya insurgents on the security forces.
