Create conditions for safe return of Rohingya

We are outraged by Myanmar's latest claims about the Rohingya exodus and the number of people who fled to Bangladesh following the military crackdown in Rakhine in August 2017. After Bangladesh submitted a list of 8,28,824 names to Myanmar for verification, the latter said it had verified 4,26,545 as of July 31 and identified 3,08,797 as former residents of Rakhine. According to Myanmar's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, more than 5,40,000 people crossed into Bangladesh following the crackdown, while more than 2,00,000 remained in northern Rakhine. It has also said it will accept the return of those verified once security conditions in Rakhine improve. After nearly nine years of Rohingya displacement, these claims are deeply troubling. Bangladesh has rightly rejected them and questioned the reliability and completeness of Myanmar's verification process.