Plans to begin repatriating more than 700,000 Rohingya Muslim refugees to Burma have been scrapped after officials in Bangladesh failed to find any who wanted to go.
Refugee Commissioner Abul Kalam said on Thursday that the refugees “are not willing to go back now”.
He added that officials “can’t force them to go” but will continue to try to “motivate them so it happens”.
A UN-brokered deal between Burma and Bangladesh says refugees can only be repatriated voluntarily.
UN officials and human-rights groups cautioned against beginning the process before the refugees’ safety had been assured.
