We hope the third attempt of starting Rohingya repatriation will not fail

A delegation from Myanmar is in Teknaf now to verify a little over 400 Rohingyas in a move to revive the process for the much-awaited repatriation of the displaced Myanmar nationals. These 400 Rohingyas are among 1.1 million living in Bangladesh camps. But could this time it would be possible to send Rohingyas back to their homeland at Rakhine without restoration of their citizenship once their verification is complete?
In the recent past two attempts of starting repatriation have failed as Rohingyas refused to return to their homeland without a guarantee of their citizenship which is still not assured by the Myanmar junta authorities that revoked it in 1982. So, there is a very good reason to speculate whether this third time also may turn out to be a failed attempt.
Another question must also be asked: even if Rohingyas agree to go to Rakhine without citizenship, would they feel secure there. Still, if Myanmar authorities do not give them back their citizenship, what is the rationale behind their taking back Rohingyas? Just because of the mounting international pressure over them? That Myanmar now wants to take them back proves that it has done grave injustice to Rohingyas.  
The enactment of the Citizenship Law in 1982 that denied Rohingyas all forms of citizenship — full, associate, and naturalized — speaks of the truth that Rohingyas were citizens who enjoyed their voting rights and could be elected as members of the parliament.
Moreover, there is strong historical proof that Rohingyas lived in Burma before 1823. It is from 1978, they faced several expulsions and in 2017 what happened to Rohingyas who were now stateless has been described by the UN Human Rights as a copybook example of ethnic cleansing.
Now solving Rohingya problems, the international community must keep in mind two things. First, Bangladesh, a country already overburdened with their own population, cannot keep Rohingyas for a longer time. It is not economically as well as environmentally sustainable. Second, once Rohingyas return to Myanmar they must feel secure. This cannot be ensured without restoration of their citizenship and equal democratic rights.
As the matter stands now, citizenship questions must not hinder the Rohingya’s repatriation process. All parties must keep this in mind. For Rohingyas repatriation China holds the key. China, as has been claimed by its foreign minister Wang Yi some time ago, had already constructed 300 houses and offered to provide food for them for three to four months when they returned. Bangladesh must work closely with China on the matter.