Some 900,000 mainly Rohingya refugees from Myanmar have sought shelter in the Cox’s Bazar region in south-eastern Bangladesh following military operations two years ago. Kyaw Tint Swe, Myanmar’s Union Minister for the Office of the State Counsellor, said repatriations would be carried out in line with a November 2017 agreement with Bangladesh. “Our priority now is to expedite repatriation and to create a more conducive environment for verified returnees,” he said, highlighting cooperation with Bangladesh, the UN and the Association of South East Asian Nations (ASEAN), among others. Mr. Swe said displaced people who had been living in Rakhine state “have a different legal status.” Those who qualify for citizenship will be issued with citizenship cards. The rest will receive National Verification Cards which he likened to the “green card” issued to immigrants in the United States. Mr. Swe said Government efforts to bring peace and stability to Rakhine state “predate the violent attacks by the ARSA (Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army) terrorist group in 2016 and 2017 that triggered off the current humanitarian crisis.” Some 300 people have already returned to Myanmar of their own volition “despite obstacles, including killings and threats by ARSA,” he said. Source: https://news.un.org/en/story/2019/09/1048092