The Myanmar government is prepared to grant citizenship for the Rohingyas in line with the 1982 law, said its Permanent Foreign Secretary Myint Thu.

He made the remarks on Sunday (Jul 28) while speaking to the media after visiting the camps at Ukhiya’s Kutpalong followed by several meetings with the Rohingya leaders.

On Saturday (Jul 27), a Myanmar delegation arrived in Cox’s Bazar to visit the Rohingyas Bangladesh is housing and open dialogues for them to return.

The team also included a five-member delegation of Association of Southeast Asian Nations’ (ASEAN) relief management agency, AHA.

“We are prepared to grant citizenship to the Rohingyas but it will be given in line with the 1982 law in Myanmar,” Thu said.

He added those who can prove they have grandfather, mother or children living there will also be granted citizenship.

“In the same way those who can show documents in accordance with National Verification Card (NVC) will be granted citizenship.”

Thu said that the Rohingyas have been informed of the preparations Myanmar has taken for their repatriation and their demands have also been heard in these two days.

He said that the dialogue that took place with the Rohingyas will be held again and in addition to that the matter will also be discussed with ASEAN.

“The proposal by ASEAN in March regarding the Rohingyas will be considered,” he said.

Responding to queries on the matter, he said that any decision on repatriation will be made after dialogues between both parties.

“In addition to meeting with representatives of international agencies, a meeting regarding the issue will also be held at the foreign ministry upon return to Dhaka.”

During Saturday’s visit, the Myanmar team visited Ukhiya Extension Camp-4 and met with a delegation of 40 Rohingya leaders who pressed their demands for safe and dignified repatriation and all the all the rights of a Myanmar citizens.

They also visited the Hindu and Christian Rohingya camps during the visit.

Although the delegation promised facilities for them and urged them to return, the Rohingyas have been unable to trust them while some leaders called it a “farce.”

The Myanmar government started carrying out ethnic cleansing against the Rohingyas, more than a million of whom have crossed over to Bangladesh since 2017.

They are currently being housed at 32 camps at Cox’s Bazar’s Ukhiya-Teknaf.

In November 2017, Bangladesh and Myanmar signed a repatriation deal, but no Rohingya person volunteered to return.

The host country Bangladesh has repeatedly said it would not force any Rohingya under the repatriation agreement.

International communities have also called on Bangladesh not to force Rohingya to return to Myanmar and that the whole process should be done on a voluntary basis.

In November 2018, a formal move to start the repatriation process was postponed as none of the Rohingya agreed to return to their country on the ground of lack of safety and dignity in Rakhine.