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UN refugee body faces funds crisis



Subject: UN refugee body faces funds crisis in Bangla

UN refugee body faces funds crisis in Bangla

19/8/97, The Asian Age (New Delhi).

Dhaka, Aug. 18: The United Nations refugee agency on Monday said it was
faced with a fund crisis in Bangladesh as donors were wary over the end
to the nearly six-year-old Burmese Muslim refugee problem.

"The donors are not in a position to continue funding indefinitely and
it appears a solution to the problem was uncertain," a spokeswomen for
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees said. "We are not going
anywhere, but instead of annual budget we used to have here, from now on
it will be a month-to-month basis," she said.

The UNHCR has spent millions of dollars since 1991 to house of refugees,
called Rohingyas, and then providing basis necessities along with the
Dhaka government.

Repatriation of some 7,000 of the 21,000 Burmese Muslim refugees became
uncertain after the expiry of the August 15 deadline set by Rangoon,
officials here said. the repatriation, which started July 20, was
stalled by violent protests by the Burmese refugees after 400 of them
were sent home. The refugees claim they face persecution by Burma's
military regime.

The government suspended the repatriation after the violence and has
started what it calls a "motivation programme" to encourage them to
return voluntarily.

During the aborted July repatriation, some 25 people, mostly refugees,
wounded in police action and in-fighting between those who wanted to
stay and those to be repatriated.

In Geneva, The UNHCR earlier said there "are sign of intimidation within
the camp," while Dhaka newspaper reported that armed Rohingyas were
"very active" in stopping the repatriation. (AFP)