Today, 20 June, is World Refugee Day. At present, there are about sixty million refugees in the World, which is the highest in human history. The number of refugees has risen due to war, conflict, racial hatred and terrorism. The large numbers of Rohingyas who have taken refuge in Bangladesh to flee persecution in Myanamr have said they want to go back to their homeland.

On occasion of World Refugee Day, several Rohingya leaders have said they want to go back to Rakhine.

“We hope Bangladesh will persuade the international community to create a conducive environment for us to return to Myanmar.”

The entry of Rohingyas, which began in 1987, has not stopped as yet; on Aug 25, 2017, 0.7 million Rohingyas fled Myanmar in the face of brutal military crackdown.

At present, the total number of Rohingyas living in Cox’s Bazaar stands at over 1.1 million persons and they are living in 32 camps where all facilities are provided by the Bangladesh government.

“We don’t want to be a burden on Bangladesh,” said several leaders.

The return of the Rohingyas is stalled and despite several meetings of Bangladesh-Myanmar Working Committee, the repatriation hasn’t seen any progress.

Tarek Mahmud, national communication officer of International Organisation for Migration, IOM, said: on occasion of the World Refuge Day, IOM will have several programmes at different camps and as long as the Rohingyas are here, the IOM will provide support.”

Cox's Bazar Deputy Commissioner Md Kamal Hossain, observed: “the government has maintained diplomatic activities over the Rohingya issue and the foreign ministry is working to find a solution by keeping cordial relations with Myanmar.”

Bangladesh's Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commission (RRRC) chief Md Abul Kalam, added: “this is a very important day for us since 1.1 million Rohingyas are staying within Bangladesh territory.”

The issue of repatriating the Rohingyas depends on Myanmar, he added.