Myanmar and Bangladesh have signed an agreement for the return home of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya who fled to Bangladesh to escape violence in Myanmar's Rakhine state, according to officials from both countries.
Myint Kyaing, a permanent secretary with Myanmar's ministry of labor, immigration and population, is quoted by the Reuters news agency as saying, "We are ready to take them back as soon as possible after Bangladesh sends the forms back to us," referring to registration forms the Rohingya must complete ahead of repatriation. More than 600,000 people have fled across the border to camps in Bangladesh.
The development comes one day after U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said violence in Rakhine state targeting the Muslim Rohingya qualifies as ethnic cleansing.
Wednesday's announcement marked the first time the State Department had designated the violence as ethnic cleansing. Officials briefing reporters called the designation a descriptive term.
In a written statement, Tillerson said, "After a careful and thorough analysis of available facts, it is clear that the situation in northern Rakhine state constitutes ethnic cleansing against the Rohingya."
Tillerson also noted in his statement he had visited Myanmar November 15 and met separately with Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi and the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, Senior General Min Aung Hlaing. In referring to Myanmar as Burma, Tillerson said he "reaffirmed the United States’ strong commitment to Burma’s successful democratic transition as the elected government strives to implement reforms, bring peace and reconciliation to the nation, and resolve a devastating crisis in Rakhine State."
Tillerson went on to say those responsible for the atrocities must be held accountable.
Myanmar's military repeatedly has rejected accusations that atrocities, including rape and extrajudicial killings, are occurring in northern Rakhine, the epicenter of violence the U.N. has qualified as "textbook ethnic cleansing."
The Myanmar government does not recognize the Rohingya, referring to them as "Bengali" to imply origins in Bangladesh. Officials in Bangladesh say the Rohingya are "Myanmar nationals" and that it is a mistake to refer to them as Bangladeshis.
Aung San Suu Kyi has faced criticism for her response to the crisis. She initially maintained there had been "a huge iceberg of misinformation" about the plight of the Rohingya.
Human rights group Amnesty International said earlier this week that discrimination against the Rohingya has worsened considerably in the last five years, and it amounts to "dehumanizing apartheid."
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