A Rohingya refugee delegation, including three women, arrived in Myanmar on Friday to tour new facilities built for the revival of a long-stalled plan to return the persecuted minority to their homeland.
Bangladesh is home to about a million Rohingya, most of whom fled a 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar that is now subject to a UN genocide investigation.
Both countries signed an agreement to return them later that year, but little progress has been made since, and the UN has repeatedly warned conditions were not right for their repatriation.
Some 20 Rohingyas and seven Bangladeshi officials including a border guard officer were visiting two model villages erected for the pilot return project.
"They will see the various facilities created for the purpose of repatriation to Myanmar," said Deputy Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Khalid Hossain as their boat left Teknaf through the Naf River for neighbouring Maungdaw township.
Refugee Relief and Repatriation Commissioner Mohammed Mizanur Rahman said that the new facilities include a market, hospital and reception centre for returning refugees.
Officials hope the repatriations will begin later this month, before the annual monsoon season.
Rohingya refugees, who have spent nearly six years living in overcrowded and squalid camps in Cox's Bazar, have been consistently sceptical of the scheme since it became public knowledge in March.
They say that none of their queries about security or recognition of their right to citizenship in Myanmar has been answered.
"Why will we be sent to Myanmar without citizenship?" a refugee who said they were also part of Friday's delegation told AFP earlier this week, speaking on condition of anonymity.
Earlier, a list of more than 800,000 Rohingyas was sent to Myanmar. About 1,140 people were identified in the first phase as a pilot project for their return.
Later, Myanmar voiced objections regarding 429 individuals on the list.
On March 15, a 19-member technical team came to Teknaf, and met 480 members of 177 Rohingya families and returned to Myanmar.
The UN refugee agency said it was aware of Friday's trip, which was taking place "under a bilateral arrangement between Bangladesh and Myanmar".
"UNHCR is not involved in arranging this visit. However, we reiterate that every refugee has an inalienable right to return to their home country," it said.
"Refugee returns must be voluntary, in safety and dignity," it added. "No refugee should be forced to do so."
