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Chinese Public Security Minister Wang Xiaohong visited Myanmar on the 31st October, 2023. The minister held talks with Myanmar Junta Chief Senior General Min Aung Hlang and other senior officials in Naypyidaw, the capital of Myanmar. The visits were organised to discuss the coordinated attacks by the Three Brotherhood Alliance in the Northern Shan state.
The discussions encompassed the pressing necessity of fostering peace and stability in their common border region. They delved into matters related to collaborating on resolving issues such as immigration, border administration, combating drug trafficking, human trafficking, addressing online gambling concerns, and the repatriation of individuals displaced from the Rakhine state.
The Chinese security minister has also held talks with Myanmar’s Immigration and Population Minister Myint Kyaing and Home Minister Yar Pyae. They exchanged views on enhancing law enforcement and security cooperation between the two countries and supporting Myanmar’s efforts to restore social order and promote national reconciliation.
Myanmar’s officials have arrived in Bangladesh to meet Rohingya refugees as part of a long-stalled repatriation scheme which has been backed by China after its ministers visited Myanmar on 31st October.
Rohingya refugees are the ethnic natives of the Rakhine state in Myanmar. The Rohingya people who have fled Myanmar and sought refuge in Bangladesh were driven to do so primarily due to a series of grave human rights violations and criminal acts that occurred in 2017. These acts included extrajudicial killings, gang rapes targeting Rohingya women, as well as general atrocities and violence perpetrated against the Rohingya population.
The Rohingyas were often branded as terrorists and immigrants, and they were systematically denied citizenship rights within their own country, Myanmar. This dire situation led to a significant refugee influx into Bangladesh, where they sought safety and protection from the ongoing persecution in Myanmar.
The military council in Myanmar reportedly intends to repatriate approximately 3,000 Rohingya refugees from Bangladesh in December as part of their repatriation scheme. However, this plan has raised significant concerns about the safety and security of the Rohingya people, as well as their citizenship and basic rights in Myanmar.