UN rights chief says Rohingya refugees unable to return

18 August 2022
UN rights chief says Rohingya refugees unable to return

UN rights chief Michelle Bachelet says that it remains unsafe for Rohingya refugees to return to their homes in Myanmar, nearly five years after a crackdown there sparked an exodus to neighbouring Bangladesh. "Repatriation must always be conducted in a voluntary and dignified manner, only when safe and sustainable conditions exist in Myanmar," Bachelet tells reporters in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka. Bangladesh has become increasingly impatient with the presence of its huge refugee population, and Bachelet says she's concerned about "increasing anti-Rohingya rhetoric" and scapegoating of the community.