People, who have been rescued after a boat sank in Bay of Bengal sit in the office of Bangladesh Coast Guard in Teknaf November 7, 2012. A boat carrying about 110 Bangladeshis and Rohingya Muslims from neighbouring Myanmar sank in the Bay of Bengal on Wednesday as they were heading to Malaysia and about half of them were missing, a Bangladeshi border force officer said. REUTERS/Stringer
Ukhiya,
Bangladesh: The Bangladesh authorities – police, Border Guard
Bangladesh (BGB) and Coast Guard – accompanied by a group of locals
arrested more than 300 Rohingya refugees from Nayapara, Lada and
Kutupalong refugee camps on December 2, 2012, said a refugee from
Kutupalong official camp, who did not mention his name for security
reason.
“The
police arrested Rohingya refugees while they were going to their
working stations – Teknaf land port, salt field, daily labors in
markets and cultivation fields, rickshaw pullers and fishing
industries.”
“They were arrested by the police and locals from Teknaf-Cox’s Bazar highway while returning to refugee (official and unofficial) camps by different vehicles after finishing their works in the evening.”
Among the arrestees, there are more unregistered refugees of Kutupalong makeshift camp, Lada refugee camp, Nayapara official camp and Kutupalong official refugee camp, said an unregistered refugee who got release after paying money.
The released refugee more said that the unregistered refugees went to different local areas of Cox’s Bazar district for working because of their survival as they don’t get any support from any quarter.
The refugees were arrested by check points –Dum Dum Meah, Wakham and Mawrisha and other areas Teknaf bus station, Ukiya busstation, Cox’s Bazar. After arrest, they were gathered in a place and demanded Taka 3,000 to 5,000 per head for their release. Of them, who refused to pay money were severely beaten up by locals.
However, some unregistered refugees and official refugees were released after paying money Taka 2,000 to 3,000 per each, according to a refugee watch group.
But, who did not pay money or were unable to pay money were pushed back to Burma, or sent to the jail, the watch group said.
“The International community are trying to access for refugee rights in Bangladesh, but, the authorities are going to crackdown the refugee same as Burma, who flee from their homeland to save their lives.”
“If authority issues an order for refugee, it will make very difficult to refugee for their survival as the local authority made it a big issue.”
A refugee leader told the Kaladan Press Network (KPN) from the makeshift camp, “We, unregistered refugees are very afraid to go out of the makeshift camp for finding works because of arbitrary arrests and harassment by police and locals.”
Source KPN:
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