<p class="title">Rohingya Muslims living in Bangladeshi refugee camps gave prayers of thanks on Friday after threatened repatriations back to Myanmar were halted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">None of the 720,000 Rohingya who fled Myanmar after a military crackdown in August last year volunteered for the returns which were scheduled to start on Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bangladesh has not said when or if a new attempt will be made to persuade the Rohingya to leave the refugee camps on the Myanmar border now filled with about one million people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The failure of the repatriations dominated Friday prayers in camp mosques.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We prayed to Allah for our salvation. And our prayers were granted. We thank Bangladeshi authorities as they understood our position about repatriation," Imam Hossain said after the weekly ceremony.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We are so happy it did not happen," said 55-year-old refugee Abdul Hamid.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Another, Abdul Malek, said he had not seen his parents since fleeing Myanmar's Rakhine state in August 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I have not seen my parents for over a year now. I want to see them but I don't feel safe enough to go back."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 32-year-old school teacher said he would return "at a moment's notice" if Myanmar authorities gave the Rohingya nationality.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For decades the Rohingya have been denied citizenship and other rights by Myanmar, which regards them as "Bengali" interlopers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Many say they are too scared to return because of the deadly crackdown in the Buddhist-dominated state which the United Nations has said needs a genocide investigation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to start repatriations last year and a preliminary list of 2,260 refugees who could go back was prepared.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The UN and aid groups said only volunteers should go back and none came forward.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Myanmar blamed Bangladesh for the delay saying it made "weak" preparations for the returns.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bangladeshi authorities have said no Rohingya would be forced to return. The government, struggling with the refugee influx, has not said what its next step in the crisis will be.</p>
<p class="title">Rohingya Muslims living in Bangladeshi refugee camps gave prayers of thanks on Friday after threatened repatriations back to Myanmar were halted.</p>.<p class="bodytext">None of the 720,000 Rohingya who fled Myanmar after a military crackdown in August last year volunteered for the returns which were scheduled to start on Thursday.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bangladesh has not said when or if a new attempt will be made to persuade the Rohingya to leave the refugee camps on the Myanmar border now filled with about one million people.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The failure of the repatriations dominated Friday prayers in camp mosques.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We prayed to Allah for our salvation. And our prayers were granted. We thank Bangladeshi authorities as they understood our position about repatriation," Imam Hossain said after the weekly ceremony.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"We are so happy it did not happen," said 55-year-old refugee Abdul Hamid.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Another, Abdul Malek, said he had not seen his parents since fleeing Myanmar's Rakhine state in August 2017.</p>.<p class="bodytext">"I have not seen my parents for over a year now. I want to see them but I don't feel safe enough to go back."</p>.<p class="bodytext">The 32-year-old school teacher said he would return "at a moment's notice" if Myanmar authorities gave the Rohingya nationality.</p>.<p class="bodytext">For decades the Rohingya have been denied citizenship and other rights by Myanmar, which regards them as "Bengali" interlopers.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Many say they are too scared to return because of the deadly crackdown in the Buddhist-dominated state which the United Nations has said needs a genocide investigation.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bangladesh and Myanmar agreed to start repatriations last year and a preliminary list of 2,260 refugees who could go back was prepared.</p>.<p class="bodytext">The UN and aid groups said only volunteers should go back and none came forward.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Myanmar blamed Bangladesh for the delay saying it made "weak" preparations for the returns.</p>.<p class="bodytext">Bangladeshi authorities have said no Rohingya would be forced to return. The government, struggling with the refugee influx, has not said what its next step in the crisis will be.</p>