Rohingya say they won't return to Myanmar to be stuck in camps

DHAKA, May 6 (Reuters) - Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh said on Saturday they would not return to Myanmar to "be confined in camps" after making a visit to the country as part of efforts to encourage their voluntary repatriation.

Nearly one million Rohingya Muslims are living in camps in the Bangladeshi border district of Cox's Bazar, most after fleeing a military-led crackdown in Buddhist-majority Myanmar in 2017.

Twenty Rohingya Muslim refugees and seven Bangladeshi officials visited Maungdaw Township and nearby villages in Rakhine State on Friday to see the arrangements for resettlement.

Rohingya have expressed discontent with the preparations for repatriation and said they will not go back unless their security can be guaranteed and they can be sure of being granted citizenship.

“We don't want to be confined in camps. We want to get back our land and we will build our own houses there,” Oli Hossain, who was among the refugees who visited Rakhine State, told Reuters by phone.

"We'll only return with citizenship and all our rights," said the 36-year-old Hossain, father of six children.

Myanmar is offering Rohingya national verification ca...
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