Myanmar’s Aung San Suu Kyi says the country is ready to receive ‘verified’ Rohingya refugees
A UN Security Council delegation arrived in Myanmar for a two-day visit to investigate the crisis and met with the country’s leader for more than an hour
Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi said Monday that her country was ready for the return of “verified” Rohingya refugees and sought more cooperation from Bangladesh for the repatriation to begin after delays since early this year.
During talks that lasted over an hour with a UN Security Council delegation, she also said violence in the area could recur “any time”, an official release from her office said without further elaboration.
The Security Council team comprising representatives from the five permanent members and 10 non-permanent member states arrived in Naypyidaw on Monday afternoon for a two-day visit to investigate the Rohingya refugee crisis.
The team also met on Monday with Myanmar military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing, who blamed Rohingya extremists for creating violence in Rakhine, according to his office.
On Tuesday, the delegation is expected to travel to the northern part of Rakhine State in the country’s west, the area affected by the violence last year.
Almost 700,000 Rohingya Muslims fled Rakhine between August and early this year, with the vast majority seeking shelter at camps in neighbouring Bangladesh.