Bangladesh bid to repatriate Rohingya stalls as refugees refuse to return to Myanmar

FILE PHOTO: Rohingya refugees gather at a market inside a refugee camp in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, March 7, 2019. REUTERS/Mohammad Ponir Hossain/File Photo

COX'S BAZAR, Bangladesh (Reuters) - An attempt to begin repatriating thousands of Rohingya Muslims living in camps in Bangladesh stalled on Thursday after nearly 300 refugee families refused to go back to Myanmar, almost a year after a similar effort failed amid protests.

Last week, the neighbours said they had agreed Aug. 22 as the start date for the return of 3,450 people cleared by Myanmar, of more than 730,000 who fled a military crackdown in Rakhine state in 2017, and now shelter in the sprawling camps.