This is additional news on the visit to Bangladesh by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees that I reported on earlier this a.m. Antonio Guterres says that he would like the Rohingya Muslims to return to Myanmar (Burma), but it looks like many are saying ‘no thanks’.
The repatriation program for 27,000 refugees has been unsuccessful to date because the refugees are unwilling to return to Burma out of fear of persecution by the authorities, a refugee source said.
A refugee source added that many refugees in Bangladesh are willing to resettle in third countries rather than go back to Burma, but only a few refugees were given the chance to resettle in third countries such as Canada last year.
The UNHCR has also arranged for the resettlement of these remaining refugees to third countries, and currently Canada is receiving the highest number of Rohingya refugees. UNHCR is also in discussion with other countries, including some South American and Southern European countries, about resettling refugees.
I suppose if Rohingya are going to Canada and South America they will soon be in America too whether we like it or not since our borders are wide open. As for a southern European country, I bet it won’t be Italy with the mood they are in!