YANGON, June 2 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar, the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) have initiated a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on assisting Myanmar government's repatriation process of displaced persons from Rakhine state, Myanmar News Agency reported Saturday.
Under the MoU initiated on Friday and will be signed soon, the UN agencies will cooperate with the Myanmar government for the repatriation of the displaced persons, who have been duly verified so that they can return voluntarily in safety and dignity.
The UN agencies are to take part in various stages of return and resettlement and to support access to livelihood.
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 and they were being transferred to the Hla Pho Khaung transit camp in Maungtaw after proper verification.
Myanmar and Bangladesh had reached an agreement on the arrangement concerning the return of displaced people from Rakhine state signed on Nov. 23 last year.
Further resettlement arrangement of the returnees is underway following the return of the first 62 refugees who are being issued with national verification cards (NVC) and then received citizenship scrutiny in accordance with law.
The authorities are also planning to send all returnees to their places of origin as the next step.
The Arakan Rohingya Salvation Army extremist terrorists launched attacks on police outposts in Rakhine State on Aug. 25 last year, displacing a vast number of residents to border areas with Bangladesh.