YANGON, Aug. 10 (Xinhua) -- The United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) will conduct an assessment survey on refugee repatriation status in Myanmar's conflict-hit Rakhine State and travel authorization has been granted to the field staff of the organizations, Myanmar News Agency reported Friday.
In order to operationalize the memorandums of understanding (MoU) signed with the Myanmar government, the two UN organizations will carry out the assessment survey in 23 villages including 12 in Buthidaung and 11 in Maungtaw in Rakhine state with the permission of the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population.
Myanmar signed the MoU with the two UN organizations on June 6 on repatriation of displaced people from Rakhine state.
Under the agreement, the UNHCR will join hands with the Myanmar government in the implementation of voluntary repatriation and conducting assessments at their potential pilot project sites, and will also work with the UNDP in preparation for recovery and resilience-based development in potential areas.
The UNDP will also cooperate with the government in undertaking the planning process for resilience-based recovery and development that will benefit all communities and promote social cohesion as well as support access to livelihoods.
In the latest development, Myanmar has recently received the first batch of 62 returnees through Nga Khu Ya reception camp in Rakhine state, who had fled to Bangladesh due to the Rakhine conflict. Those returnees were being transferred to the Hla Pho Khaung transit camp in Maungtaw after proper verification and then further sent back to their places of origin as the next step.
Meanwhile, the Myanmar government has also formed an independent commission of enquiry on the Rakhine issue on July 30 as part of its national initiative to address reconciliation, peace, stability and development in the state.
The four-member independent commission, chaired by Ambassador Rosario Manalo, who was former Deputy Foreign Minister of the Philippines, is tasked to investigate the allegations of human rights violation and related issues following the terrorist attacks by the Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army (ARSA) last year.
The ARSA extremist terrorists launched attacks on police outposts in Myanmar's Rakhine state on Aug. 25 last year, displacing a vast number of residents to neighboring Bangladesh.
