Rohingya refugees wont go unless Myanmar punishes accused

The gradual repatriation of more than 650,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees back to Myanmar from Bangladesh, scheduled to begin Tuesday, has been postponed amid widespread fears that refugees would be forced to return, a Bangladesh official said Monday.

"The main thing is that the process has to be voluntary," said Abul Kalam, the refugee and repatriation commissioner, adding that paperwork for returning refugees had not yet been finalized and transit camps had yet to be built in Bangladesh. It was not immediately clear when the process would start.

His announcement came amid growing concerns among international aid workers and the Rohingya that they could be coerced to go back to Myanmar, which most fled just months ago, escaping attacks by security forces and Buddhist mobs.

"If they send us back forcefully we will not go," Sayed Noor, who fled his village in Myanmar last August, said over the weekend, adding that Myanmar authorities "have to give us our rights and give us justice."