Myanmar military ‘reaches out’ to Rohingya in Rakhine

After its takeover, the military administration in Myanmar has 'reached out to Rohingya in Rakhine State which is seen as military junta's "desire to gradually bring back normalcy" in the Rakhine state giving confidence to Rohingya for return.

"Whatever may be the military's new approach and policy on Rohingya and Rakhine issues, it'll take time to get a shape," a diplomatic source told UNB.

He said they need to have patience and carefully assess the gradually unfolding developments in Myanmar.

For voluntary repatriation to commence, officials say, the question of the confidence of the potential returnees Rohingya about going back plays a very important role.

Rohingya at the camps in Cox's Bazar were joyous at the news of the fall of Suu Kyi.

"This shouldn't cloud our judgment and mislead us to think that the incumbent military regime will be liked by the Rohingya," said a diplomat in Dhaka, adding that there is bad blood between Tatmadaw and the Rohingya.

However, he said, if the military decides to gradually normalise the situation in northern and central Rakhine, this will send a positive signal to the Rohingya sheltered at the Cox's Bazar camps.

"Such confidence-building measures will at least eliminate the possibility of further exodus of the existing Rohingya from northern Rakhine," the diplomat observed.

Bangladesh and Myanmar were supposed to have a meeting on Rohingya repatriation on Thursday but it did not happen due to domestic situation in Myanmar.

This first goodwill gesture from the military administration after the takeover towards the Rohingya was reported on Thursday in Sittwe.

The Regional Military Commander of the Rakhine State went to Aung Minglar Quarter, Sittwe and met some Rohingya community leaders and talked to them for about 45 minutes, a source in Myanmar told UNB.

Aung Minglar Quarter is the Ghetto in the regional capital, where a few thousand Rohingya have been languishing since 2012 like 19 other isolated IDP camps in central Rakhine since the anti-Rohingya communal violence of 2012.

The Regional Commander explained the justification of the coup to the Rohingya elders.

He enquired about the condition of the Rohingya community in the Ghetto. Rohingya elders reportedly mentioned "severe restriction on movement" as their main problem.

The Regional Commander gave the hope of easing the existing restriction on movement to the Rohingya.

He also reportedly informed the Rohingya community that the military would solve all the problems step by step. The Regional Commander then donated 500000 MMKs (equivalent to US$ 350) and some food for the mosque in Aung Minglar Quarter. He blamed the NLD and Aung Sun Suu Kyi for what happened in 2017.

The Commander then urged the Rohingya community to abide by the laws of the land to which Rohingya responded positively.

"We also got a report of similar visits by the sub-Regional Commanders of Maungdaw to a mosque and brief meeting with the Rohingya there," another source told UNB.[

While it is too early to comment whether such gesture is indicative of the military's possible 'softening' towards the Rohingya, it will precisely help boost the confidence of the Rohingya and could also promote reconciliation in Rakhine, the source said.

The Military may also wish to recover part of its lost image in Rakhine, and possibly wants to show that they can deliver what the NLD could not, said a diplomat in Dhaka.