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With fresh aid, South Korea wants Rohingya to get better access to information
South Korea became the first ASEAN dialogue partner to contribute funds to support Rohingya repatriation, granting US$500,000 to distribute FM radios to members of the minority group to improve their access to information, particularly about repatriation plans and conditions in Rakhine.
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A Rohingya clothing seller waits for customers at the Jamtola refugee camp in Ukhia on Dec. 9, 2019. (AFP/Munir Uz Zaman)
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outh Korea is the first ASEAN dialogue partner to contribute funds to support Rohingya repatriation, granting US$500,000 to distribute FM radios to members of the minority group to improve their access to information, particularly about repatriation plans and conditions in Rakhine.
The East Asian country handed over the grant on Tuesday to the ASEAN Secretariat in Jakarta -- which is currently assisting Myanmar to prepare for a safe and voluntary return of hundreds of thousands of Rohingya Muslims who fled to Bangladesh to avoid persecution in Rakhine in 2017.
ASEAN Secretary-General Lim Jock Hoi said that with the new initiative South Korea is completing its role as a leading partner of the region in many areas like trade, investment, education, environment and people-to-people exchanges.
"With the support of South Korea, the government of Myanmar will be able to scale up efforts for information dissemination in Rakhine state and beyond [...] Using live radio [broadcasts] as a source of information, this will be a medium to propagate inclusive messages and encourage cohesiveness," Lim said.
ASEAN has been stepping up its efforts to facilitate repatriation after past efforts by Myanmar and Bangladesh ended in failure when no refugees were willing to return to Rakhine out of fear for their safety.
Lim said he was hopeful that the ASEAN humanitarian efforts in Rakhine would support Myanmar in providing a suitable environment for the return of the displaced persons by opening doors to establishing sustainable lives upon their return.
"ASEAN welcomes further collaboration with other dialogue partners in terms of regional efforts to facilitate the repatriation," Lim added.
