Starvation spread in Burmese refugee camps in Bangladesh

Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh: Burmese Rohingya refugees in Bangladesh are facing shortage of foods which made them starvation for not able to go for work as tight security along the border and fear of arrest , said Rashid, a camp committee member from Kutupalong makeshift camp.

Kutupalong makeshift camp over view

“The refugees from unregistered refugee camps – Kutupalong makeshift and Lada — are depending on their own selves for their lives struggle by working outside the camp as day labor, cultivation labor, rickshaw puller and fishing industry.”

The restriction was made by camp authorities not allowing the refugees to go out from the camps for fear of arrest. The government of Bangladesh has deployed security forces – Border Guards Bangladesh (BGB), Repaid Action Battalion (RAB) and police — along the border areas –the refugees camp situated –, all over the city. All the road are blocked  by opposition groups and camps authorities feared for refugees for arresting and sending to jail while going to their worked places, said an official from the camp.

“In Bangladesh, four refugee camps- two UNHCR recognized camps and another two are not recognized camps by UNHCR and government. The unregistered refugees camps – more than 60,000 people in Kutupalong makeshift camp and 15,000 people in Lada camp – which are not getting any support from UNHCR or Government. The refugees need to work for their survival by working out of the camps. Noe, they are not able to go their work, which made them shortage of foods –will be starvation.”

Kamal, a local elder from border said that the situation of Bangladesh is become worse since February 28, 2013 as Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami is calling nationwide demonstration (hartal) from dawn to dust (6:00am to 6:00pm), protesting the verdict of the International Crimes Tribunal-1 against its top leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee and “countrywide mass killing”.

The Jamaat’ countrywide daylong demonstration (hartal) made more than 2,500 tourists stranded in Cox’s Bazar, according to Md Ruhul Amin, the Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Cox’s Bazar.

The Cox’s Bazar DC has made alternative arrangements, for stranded tourists with a ship with a capacity of 450-500 passengers will leave for Chittagong from Cox’s Bazar. The airlines operating from the resort town will operate additional flights.

Many Rohingya refugees including local people are very surprise while they saw a man like Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayedee in the moon on March 2,  at 12:00 pm, midnight, after giving order by International Crimes Tribunal “To be hang  until dead” on February 28, according to local newspaper from Cox’s Bazar.

Some local people from border side and refugee from camp are thinking, “There will be something change in future in Bangladesh or Burma. The refugees are living in the camps since last 20 years and waiting to go back to their home land with all rights – citizen rights and equal rights as other ethnic groups of Burma.

Source KPN: