• Burmese
Saturday, July 12, 2025
No Result
View All Result
NEWSLETTER
The Irrawaddy
26 °c
Yangon
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Business
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Junta Watch
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Books
  • Donation
No Result
View All Result
The Irrawaddy
No Result
View All Result
Home News

President’s Office Probing Source of Leaked MOU on Rohingya Repatriation

Moe Myint by Moe Myint
July 3, 2018
in News
Reading Time: 4 mins read
0 0
A A
Thousands of Rohingya shelter at a camp along the border in northern Rakhine State’s Maungdaw Township in March. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

Thousands of Rohingya shelter at a camp along the border in northern Rakhine State’s Maungdaw Township in March. / Moe Myint / The Irrawaddy

7k
VIEWS
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

YANGON – The Myanmar President’s Office is trying to determine who uploaded to Facebook a classified Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on the repatriation of Rohingya refugees recently signed between the government and two UN agencies, spokesman U Zaw Htay told The Irrawaddy.

On June 29, a Facebook page named “Yangon Informer” posted a number of documents described as the “Full text of the recent ‘secret’ MoU between the Myanmar government, UNDP and UNHCR,” referring to the UN agencies for development and refugees. The following day, Reuters published a story based on the documents headlined “Secret U.N.-Myanmar deal on Rohingya offers no guarantees on citizenship,” but it did not mention where it saw the documents. Some officials at the UN agencies speculated the posted documents were draft versions of the MoU, as the phrase “clean text as of 30 May” appeared on the first page.

The documents were disclosed ahead of the launch of a plan — the first involving the UN agencies — to bring back nearly 700,000 displaced Rohingya from neighboring Bangladesh. The Rohingya were driven out by Myanmar security forces’ clearance operations in 2017. The UN Security Council described the mass exodus as “ethnic cleansing” after a Council delegation paid a visit to northern Rakhine. Rights groups and credible non-government watchdog groups have demanded that military chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing appear before the International Criminal Court (ICC) to take responsibility for the operation.

RelatedPosts

Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

Myanmar Junta Starves Last Rakhine Strongholds as AA Closes In

July 7, 2025
9.8k
UN Rapporteur Urges Rejection of Myanmar Election ‘Fraud’

UN Rapporteur Urges Rejection of Myanmar Election ‘Fraud’

June 26, 2025
854
Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

Tree-Planting Hides Logging Frenzy; Moving Mountains for Steel Production; and More

June 14, 2025
1.3k

The leaked papers contain 35 points grouped into General Principles; Scope of Cooperation; the Responsibilities of the Ministry of Labor, Immigration and Population (MoLIP); Responsibilities of the UNDP and UNHCR; Implementation Arrangements; Confidentiality, Monitoring and Evaluation; Review, Suspension and Termination; and Entry into Force of the MOU.

The President’s Office spokesman declined to confirm the authenticity of the leaked papers but said officials had learned that the Facebook page is followed by many journalists. According to an analysis by The Irrawaddy, the facts in the Reuters report match those in the documents posted by the Yangon Informer page.

U Zaw Htay said, “We will examine whether it [the Facebook page] was created by people from UN circles, the diplomatic community or journalists. If it was someone linked to those groups, it’s a breach of ethics and they must take responsibility. This is a classified document.”

He said the government would gather concrete evidence relating to the disclosure and then officially lodge a complaint with the UN though official channels if anyone from the UN was found to be involved. He acknowledged that this is not the first such leak; a leaked copy of a bilateral agreement between Myanmar and Bangladesh also went viral on Facebook. The spokesman said the moves were systematic and aimed to destabilize the situation in northern Rakhine State.

“We won’t lodge a motion with the UN unless we get concrete evidence that is good enough to prove our case. We were initially informed that the documents were given to some reporters. I hope the UN [agencies] are not involved in this case, and we don’t believe they would act in that way.”

Some exiled Rohingya refugees have expressed their dissatisfaction with and objection to the tri-party MOU in several reports, and even claimed they would not participate in the repatriation process as the agreement does not mention the contentious term “Rohingya”. Most Myanmar residents refer to Rohingya as “Bengalis”, implying that they were brought to Burma by British colonial authorities to address a labor shortage in the agriculture sector. Additionally, the document does not guarantee citizenship status for Rohingya or freedom of movement and education.

U Zaw Htay said, “Citizenship status should be determined according to the Constitution and existing laws. We must clearly understand that the government should not reach beyond the laws. There is no automatic citizenship scheme in any country in the world.”

The Irrawaddy asked government spokesman U Zaw Htay whether the disclosure of the MOU could greatly impact the two nations’ agreed repatriation process for displaced Rohingya, who have already rejected the agreement. He said it would not negatively affect the deal, as it will be carried out in accordance with 1992-93 bilateral agreements. He assumed the Rohingya rejection of the document was a political tactic aimed at undermining the activities of the Myanmar government in order to raise pressure on Naypyitaw on the international stage.

The Irrawaddy on Tuesday contacted the UNHCR’s media officer for Myanmar, who briefly replied that he is on leave from June 29 to July 8 and not in contact with his colleagues. Some political commentators were also hesitant to speak on the issue, as the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government has not publicly announced whether the leaked documents are fake or real.

Arakan National Party (ANP) Lower House lawmaker U Oo Hla Saw said Arakanese lawmakers are very interested in the MOU, but most knew very little about it. He said the Union government needed to officially clear the issue up first.

“Criticizing the government without knowing whether the documents are authentic could draw criticism of being overly pessimistic,” U Oo Hla Saw said.

He said some points in the MOU are acceptable, though some were the subject of significant concern among the public. He reiterated that his party’s perspective on refugee repatriation was that it generally accepted the voluntary return of refugees as well as the granting of basic rights to those who have already successfully met the conditions included in the 1982 Citizenship Law. However, he claimed that ANP lawmakers and Arakanese locals would not accept resettling the returnees in southern Rakhine State and expected that the Army might have the same stance, because southern Maungdaw is geographically important for security reasons.

“The government should analyze whether its earlier policies on refugee repatriation and the agreements in the recent MOU are contradictory or consistent. If we speculate on this too early, we will be caught between the refugees and the government, and viewed as obstructionist,” he said.

Your Thoughts …
Tags: RakhinerepatriationRohingyaUN
Moe Myint

Moe Myint

The Irrawaddy

Similar Picks:

Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front
Analysis

Battle of Paletwa Loss Turns Tide Against Myanmar Junta on Western Front

by Moe Sett Nyein Chan
January 23, 2024
22k

The military’s demoralized Western Command is feeling the heat as the Arakan Army closes in on towns in northern Rakhine,...

Read moreDetails
Junta Watch: Sinking Feeling as Myanmar Navy Faces Onslaught in Rakhine; and More
Junta Watch

Junta Watch: Sinking Feeling as Myanmar Navy Faces Onslaught in Rakhine; and More

by The Irrawaddy
January 27, 2024
14.3k

Also this week, Daw Aung San Suu Kyi’s home to be sold, Karen mission fails, ultimate penalty for beaten generals,...

Read moreDetails
Yangon, Mandalay Deserted After Dark as Myanmar Junta Hunts for Conscripts
Burma

Yangon, Mandalay Deserted After Dark as Myanmar Junta Hunts for Conscripts

by Hein Htoo Zan
December 16, 2024
12.5k

Desperate regime ramps up forcible conscription as military defeat looms in Rakhine and Kachin states.

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Arrests Ex-Navy Chief for Disobeying Orders
Burma

Myanmar Junta Arrests Ex-Navy Chief for Disobeying Orders

by The Irrawaddy
July 29, 2024
10.8k

Admiral Zwe Win Myint resigned after being ordered not to shell crony-owned hotels in Ngapali, and has now been detained,...

Read moreDetails
Myanmar Junta Rejects Bangladeshi Call for Rohingya State
Burma

Myanmar Junta Rejects Bangladeshi Call for Rohingya State

by Maung Kavi
May 2, 2025
10.4k

A political party in Bangladesh says a Rohingya-majority area of Rakhine State should become an independent state for returning refugees.

Read moreDetails
Singapore Called On to Stop Feeding Myanmar Junta’s War Machine
Myanmar’s Crisis & the World

Singapore Called On to Stop Feeding Myanmar Junta’s War Machine

by The Irrawaddy
August 24, 2023
10.2k

Over 200 civil society organizations demand that city-state block regime’s access to arms, dual-use goods, technology and funds.

Read moreDetails
Load More
Next Post
Shwe Thiri Khit, whose Amara Khit “Luxury Cotton” local brand was inspired by traditional hand-weaving. / Aung Kyaw Htet / The Irrawaddy

Local Clothing Brand Gives Humble Cotton the Feel of Luxury

Former Malaysian prime minister Najib Razak (C) walks to a courtroom, after his arrival in court in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, July 4, 2018. / Reuters

Former Malaysian PM Pleads Not Guilty to Breach of Trust, Abuse of Power

No Result
View All Result

Recommended

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

‘Reforms Are Not Optional’: Prominent Activist Urges NUG to Act Before It’s Too Late

2 days ago
991
Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

Trump’s Tariffs to Hit Myanmar’s Garment Manufacturers Hard

2 days ago
989

Most Read

  • Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    Chinese Investment Reshapes Myanmar’s N. Shan as MNDAA Consolidates Power

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Deploying Conscripts in Major Push to Reclaim Lost Territory

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Two Prominent Myanmar Ex-Political Prisoners Die Hours Apart in Yangon

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Myanmar Junta Chief Thanks Trump for Shutting Down VOA and RFA

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0
  • Junta Bombing of Resistance-Held Areas in Mandalay, Karenni Kills Seven Civilians

    shares
    Share 0 Tweet 0

Newsletter

Get The Irrawaddy’s latest news, analyses and opinion pieces on Myanmar in your inbox.

Subscribe here for daily updates.

Contents

  • News
  • Politics
  • War Against the Junta
  • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
  • Conflicts In Numbers
  • Junta Crony
  • Ethnic Issues
  • Asia
  • World
  • Business
  • Economy
  • Election 2020
  • Elections in History
  • Cartoons
  • Features
  • Opinion
  • Editorial
  • Commentary
  • Guest Column
  • Analysis
  • Letters
  • In Person
  • Interview
  • Profile
  • Dateline
  • Specials
  • Myanmar Diary
  • Women & Gender
  • Places in History
  • On This Day
  • From the Archive
  • Myanmar & COVID-19
  • Intelligence
  • Myanmar-China Watch
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Food
  • Fashion & Design
  • Videos
  • Photos
  • Photo Essay
  • Donation

About The Irrawaddy

Founded in 1993 by a group of Myanmar journalists living in exile in Thailand, The Irrawaddy is a leading source of reliable news, information, and analysis on Burma/Myanmar and the Southeast Asian region. From its inception, The Irrawaddy has been an independent news media group, unaffiliated with any political party, organization or government. We believe that media must be free and independent and we strive to preserve press freedom.

  • Copyright
  • Code of Ethics
  • Privacy Policy
  • Team
  • About Us
  • Careers
  • Contact
  • Burmese

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In
No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • News
    • Burma
    • Politics
    • World
    • Asia
    • Myanmar’s Crisis & the World
    • Ethnic Issues
    • War Against the Junta
    • Junta Cronies
    • Conflicts In Numbers
    • Junta Watch
    • Fact Check
    • Investigation
    • Myanmar-China Watch
    • Obituaries
  • Politics
  • Opinion
    • Commentary
    • Guest Column
    • Analysis
    • Editorial
    • Stories That Shaped Us
    • Letters
  • Ethnic Issues
  • War Against the Junta
  • In Person
    • Interview
    • Profile
  • Business
    • Economy
    • Business Roundup
  • Books
  • Donation

© 2023 Irrawaddy Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.