At the United Nations General Assembly, Bangladesh’s leader laid out a plan Thursday to begin repatriating 800,000 Rohingya—more than half of whom have fled to Bangladesh since August 25. Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina said the U.N. should set up safe zones in Burma for returning refugees.
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina: “We are horrified to see that the Myanmar authorities are laying landmines along their stretch of the border to prevent the Rohingya from returning to Myanmar. These people must be able to return to their homeland in safety, security and dignity.”
In recent days, Bangladeshi authorities have sharply restricted the movements of Rohingya refugees, telling them they can’t leave their makeshift camps, ordering drivers not to transport Rohingya, and landlords not to rent to them.